Page 64 of The Devil's Accidental Duchess
CHAPTER 22
All seemed bright in the hazy glow of summer daylight. The crowd had thinned after the previous night’s ball, and an air of normalcy had returned to the manor that Selina was beginning to think of as home.
Whatever had been bothering Philip seemed to have been remedied. He had smiled at her across the breakfast table, and at present, he was discreetly resting his hand on the small of her back as a cheerful group stood on the edge of the lawn.
“What on earth is my grandmother up to?” he murmured, his eyebrow raised.
The Dowager Duchess stood in the center of the lawn, one hand on her cane, the other gesturing at strange little cones that had been arranged across the grass. Selina had spotted the servants putting them there earlier, though she did not know their purpose.
“I think she is worried the guests might get bored,” she murmured back.
“Good. Let them be bored. Then, they might return to their homes.”
Selina chuckled. “It will not be for much longer.”
“And I am glad of it,” Philip replied. Then, he lowered his voice to add, “I thought of coming to your rooms last night, but the idea of being seen by any of these people prevented me. I have had more than enough of their presence.”
A flush warmed Selina’s face, her heart skipping a few beats at the thought of him coming to her chamber door. Of course, it was entirely inappropriate before the wedding, but so was what he had done to her in the walled gardens… and she did not regret a moment of that.
“Before luncheon, I thought we could all play a diverting game of cones!” the Dowager Duchess announced. “The rules are so simple that even I can play it. There are two cones and two players per pair. The idea is to roll your ball as close as possible to your opponent’s cone. The closest, naturally, is the winner.”
A few groans rose from the group.
“Enough of that!” the Dowager Duchess chided. “You shall realize the merit of it soon enough. Now, get into pairs and begin!”
Like diligent grandchildren, the remaining guests partnered up and found themselves a pair of cones.
Selina would have liked to play with Philip, to stay close to him for a while, but Melody had other ideas.
“You must play with me, Selina,” she urged. “This may well be your game.”
Philip gave Selina a gentle push and, with a wink, strolled off in search of his friend, Zachary Langton, the Duke of Ironcrest. She had not had the opportunity to speak to him much, though perhaps that was by design. After all, no one knew more about a person than their closest friend.
“Do you want to go first?” Melody asked as they found themselves a free pair of cones.
Selina stooped to pick up a ball. “Perhaps you should go first, so I can have a word with the memory in my muscles. I do not want to make the same mistake as last night. Then again, thisgame is about getting as close as possible, not getting anythingoverthe cone, so perhaps I will triumph.”
“Oh, excellent,” Melody said, grinning. “I was hoping you would say that.”
She stood by her cone, and squinting at Selina’s, she propelled her arm forward. The ball bounced along the grass in tiny leaps, stopping a good two paces from the opposite cone.
Buoyed by the idea that she might actually win, Selina took her turn. She glanced back and forth between the cones as if she knew what she was doing, and then, with a little thrill of excitement, she released her heavy ball.
It skimmed across the grass, cutting a rather excellent path toward its target. A smooth throw, indeed.
She almost screamed with delight as the ball bumped into the cone.
“I did it!” She clapped her hands together.
Melody smiled. “You did, indeed.” She paused. “Do we only throw once, or is it best of three?”
Other pairs seemed to be extending the game, going back for their balls and starting again.
With the hope of greater triumph puffing out her chest, Selina, too, went to fetch her ball. “Let us say best of three.”
Melody nodded. “A fine idea. Now that I know what to do, I may be better next time.”
Two throws later, and Selina was aglow with glee. She had hit the cone every time, while Melody had not gotten close at all. Of course, she could not be an arrogant winner, so she made sure to congratulate her friend for her effort.
