Page 58 of A Single Obsession

“Now, stand sideways to the target and turn your head to face it. That’s right. Good girl.” He stood behind her and showed her how to take an arrow from her pouch and fit it in her bow. Eliza was eager not to make a fool of herself again, but it was hard to concentrate with Beau standing so close to her. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck. It was most distracting.

“Hold the bow with your left hand and draw the string back with just two or three fingers of your right hand. Don’t pull the arrow toward your eye—more to your ear,” he said, adjusting the direction she was pulling in.

“Bend your neck a little, like this.” Eliza gulped hard as he touched her neck, sending tingles all down her spine.

“When you’ve drawn the string back most of the way, aim for the target. Once you know where you’re aiming, pull it back the rest of the distance and release. You’re trying to land your arrow as close as you can to the middle. Hit gold and you earn nine points. Go on. Have a try.”

Still distracted by Beau’s proximity, Eliza’s first attempt only carried half-way to the target.

“Oh dear,” Harriet said, laughing in mock sympathy. “It seems you are not as adept at shooting as you are at riding. Perhaps you should sit and watch.”

“No, thank you,” Eliza replied with a false smile.

With Beau’s encouragement, she tried again. The spurt of anger left her feeling more in control of herself. She was determined not to be beaten.

She pulled back the string, took aim, and released the arrow. This time was better. It went three quarters of the way to the target.

She shot another, and another, but each one fell short.

Eliza frowned. She knew her aim was true, but she couldn’t seem to get the length right.

“Watch me,” Beau said. Eliza observed as he set his arrow, aimed, and sent it sailing toward the gold area in the centre of the target.

She thought she could see what she was doing wrong and took Beau’s place and shot another arrow. It flew through the air and landed in the outer white circle.

“Bravo!” Beau said.

Eliza glowed under his praise, but she knew she could improve. She realised she had pulled slightly to the left that time and made a note to compensate for it with her next arrow.

Harriet grew restless, waiting for her to finish her archery lesson. She seemed determined to divert Beau’s attention to herself. “I can see I shall have my work cut out to beat you, Beaumont.”

Eliza could hear the unspoken words. Harriet assumed she would be no competition. Her next speech confirmed it.

“Perhaps we should play in teams to give Miss Merry a chance. She is, after all, a mere beginner and we have been practising for years. How about you and me against my brother and Miss Merry? I am sure we would make a fine team.”

Beau’s face clouded over. Eliza was relieved to see he was aware of Harriet’s machinations, but it was Mr Whitlow who came to his rescue.

“Don’t see how that would give Miss Merry a chance, Harriet. You’re a far more accurate shot than I am. You and Beaumont would be bound to win. Besides, I thought you wanted to pit your skill against him. Better to play as individuals.”

His sister reluctantly conceded.

They agreed to shoot two dozen arrows to determine the winner.

Eliza watched as Harriet took her stance and fired four shots at the first target, one after the other, each landing in the gold centre.

“Well done,” Beau said. “Capital shooting.”

She looked smug, preening her feathers like a peacock, and giving Eliza a very condescending smile as she passed her. “Don’t be too dismayed if you can’t match my performance. I’ve been hitting gold for years.”

Mr Whitlow went next, notching up a reasonable tally, but nothing to compete with his sister. Beau matched Harriet’s score with ease, and then it was Eliza’s turn. She prayed she would not embarrass herself.

Beau gave her lots of encouragement, and she was relieved to find she improved with every shot.

Harriet’s face grew more contorted as the match progressed, annoyed with her rival for improving so fast. No doubt, she was even more bothered by the way Eliza dominated Beau’s attention, asking for help and advice, which he was more than happy to give. He helped her gauge the wind and adjust her aim accordingly.

Harriet allowed herself to become so ruffled that during her next turn, three of her shots hit red rather than gold. She yanked her arrows out of the target and one of them broke in her hand, obliging her to get another out of her quiver for the following round.

As the match progressed, Beau’s aim remained steady, only missing the centre a few times.