of a general. The poor Bentons. Whoever they were,
Gannon hoped they’d been well compensated.
“There will be games,” Audrey put in. “A croquet
course is being set up, as well as a badminton court”
“Do you play?” Violet asked with an innocent look in her eye that immediately put Gannon on alert. Innocence
and Violet St. Clair didn’t go together. Her chicanery
would have equaled some of the best matchmaking
mamas the ton had to offer.
“Yes, I play both games,” Gannon offered.
“There you go, Audrey” Violet turned to her daughter.
“Perhaps Camberly would partner you tomorrow”
Audrey blushed. Gannon thought it was most likely from embarrassment at her mother’s overture. He knew
his duty here, and he did it. “I enjoy sporting games,
Miss St. Clair. It would be a pleasure to partner you if
you would like.” Not that doing his duty was any hardship. It worked out quite well that he’d have a reason to
spend the day with Audrey.
Audrey played her part too. “I would like that very
much. It is so kind of you to offer.”
“Audrey is as good at badminton as she is at the piano.
Have you heard her play yet?” Violet asked Gannon.
Another device. The dratted woman knew very well he hadn’t heard Audrey play. In fact, he hadn’t known
she played at all. Gannon did his duty again, feeling
sorry for Audrey, who was bristling silently beside her
mother on the sofa. “Perhaps you could play for us, Miss
St. Clair?” Gannon asked.
Audrey gave a brittle smile and made her way to the piano. Gannon followed under the pretense of lifting the lid
for her. “We’re doing brilliantly, I think,” he whispered
under his breath. It earned him a smile, a real smile, this
time.
“She’s desperate to win you back. She fears I am losing you,” Audrey confided quietly.
“There’s no chance of that,” Gannon reassured her.
“Yes, but only you and I know that,” Audrey teased
quietly, settling her skirts at the bench.
“Play something nice, dear,” Violet called. “Camberly,
do convince her that Beethoven is unhealthy for her constitution.”
Gannon raised an eyebrow at Audrey. She suppressed
a laugh and launched into a quiet lieder by Schubert. By
God, the woman had talent. Gannon could not recall
when he’d heard the piano played so expertly and with
so much feeling. He’d heard enough musicales and private performances given in wealthy London homes to know when someone was a hobbyist and when they were
more. Audrey St. Clair was definitely among the latter.
Gannon quietly stood back from the piano to watch
and to listen. It felt odd that he hadn’t known this about
Audrey, when he felt he knew her so well in spite of
their short acquaintance. Such an omission was a telling
reminder that while he guessed at many things about
her, he only knew one thing for certain: She wanted her
freedom. Hearing her play today, Gannon could start to
guess why.
Gannon swung his racquet in a graceful lobbing motion, arcing the shuttlecock neatly over the net and into
the back left corner of their opponents’ court. The young
man covering the back court made a gallant but futile effort to return the shuttlecock, landing the birdie in the
webbing of the net.
“Game point!” Audrey cried a little too exuberantly to
be ladylike, her hair coming loose from the thick braid
that hung down her back. “We win!”
Gannon was loath to spoil her enjoyment of the victory with a reminder about propriety. It had been a hard
fought battle against young Spurling, who was heir to his
father’s greengrocery fortune, and a rather capable Miss
Van Duyesen, who was imagining herself jilted by the
earl. She’d wanted to partner him and lay claim to his at tentions by the merit of the one social call he’d paid her
and the two dances they’d had. She’d not been pleased
by Audrey’s prior claim to partner him at badminton.
Gannon and Audrey shook hands with their
Similar Books
