Julia James - The Lady Most Willing

“It sounds disastrously dull,” Robin declared flatly.

“Rob,” Oakley said, sounding surprised.

“It does. Childish antics. We make eight. Let us play two tables of whist instead.”

“I don’t play whist,” Marilla said, mincing to Robin’s side and pouting prettily. “I so very, very much want to play. And I would be very, very disappointed if you did not join the fun . . . Robin.”

“Good Lord, what’s come over you, Rob?” Taran sputtered. “I have never known you to act so high on the instep. It’s a simple game and the ladies are bored.”

“I’m not bored,” Fiona Chisholm said.

“I am,” Marilla countered, glaring at her half sister.

“Fine,” Robin said. “I’ll play.”

Marilla clapped her hands. “Oh good! We’ll draw short straws to see who is the auctioneer.”

She made quick work of shredding splinters from a piece of kindling and offering each gentleman in turn a chance to pull one from her fist. Robin drew the short splinter. Without a word, he stalked from the room, leaving the others to select what they wanted auctioned.

Oakley drew a small book from his waistcoat pocket and placed it on the table. Fiona made a sound of surprise, and though Oakley remained as sober as ever, he caught her hand in his and kissed it. When he released her hand, she removed her spectacles and set them atop the book.

“I don’t have anything,” Catriona Burns said, pinking up a little. With a rush of sympathy, Cecily realized she wore no embellishments other than a piece of satin she’d tied around her neck, the end of which disappeared beneath her modest neckline.

“Of course you do,” Marilla said, sounding a bit irritated. “What’s that around your neck?”

Reluctantly, Catriona pulled the ribbon from under her décolletage. At the end hung a man’s heavy gold signet ring, its large sapphire incised with a beautiful portrait. But before Catriona had finished untying the ribbon, Bretton’s hand covered hers, stilling her fingers. He bent and whispered something in her ear then reached into his vest pocket and withdrew a gold watch and fob. He set them on the table. “These will suffice for Miss Burns and myself.”

“But they’re a pair,” Marilla protested. “You can’t bid on them separately.”

“Exactly so,” Bretton said, escorting Catriona back to her chair.

“Some people must ruin everything,” Marilla muttered, but was soon distracted by Taran, who strode to her side, stooped down, and with a flourish pulled a short-bladed sgian-dubh from the top of his silk hose. With a courtly flourish, he laid it on the tabletop.

“Now there, lassie,” he told Marilla, “is the only thing worth a tinker’s damn on this entire board.”

Marilla picked up the small knife by its mother-of-pearl handle.

“Careful,” Taran cautioned. “Play with a man’s weapon and you might get pricked.” His eyes danced with a lascivious light.

At this, Oakley, who’d been speaking to Fiona, swung around. “For God’s sake, Uncle. Apologize at once.”

But Marilla proved herself Taran’s equal in mischief. Lifting the blade, she very deliberately and very conspicuously took her time sawing a tress of her hair off with it. Then she replaced the blade on the table with the casual observation, “That old thing is dull and in want of a good whetting.”

Taran burst out laughing. Catriona bit her lip, Bretton looked bemused, Oakley coughed away a laugh, and Fiona looked away, but not in time to hide her smile. Cecily watched them, an unfamiliar wave of jealousy spreading through her.

They were all so happy, even Marilla, who’d not yet realized that the next gentleman on her list would no more accommodate her matrimonial ambitions than the former ones.

“What’s your forfeit, Marilla?” Taran asked, when he could breathe again.

“Why, this lock of my hair,” she said, holding up the guinea gold tress. “I should think anyone would recognize it as mine.” She meant Robin, of course.

She looked up. “That’s everyone. We can call Robin in and . . . Oh. Lady Cecily. I forgot about you,” she said. “What are you going to forfeit?”

“I think this,” she said, unwrapping the bed curtain shawl from her shoulders and letting it fall in a heap on the table.

“That? No one will bid for that.”

“I might,” Catriona said. “What good are jewels to a frozen corpse?”

“As you will.” Marilla shrugged, then practically tripped over herself running to open the door and calling for Robin to reenter.

When he reappeared his former issues with the game seemed to have evaporated, for his expression was pleasant. Determinedly pleasant, Cecily thought.

“Remember,” Marilla lectured him with mock severity, “You must make us pay very, very steep prices for those things we wish to secure.”

“I understand,” he said. “Let us begin.”

He went over to the table and picked up Fiona’s spectacles. “Here we have nothing less than a piece of magic. Nineteenth-century glass, I believe, rumored to allow its wearer to detect the very nearly imperceptible.”

“How so?” Bretton called out, looking vastly amused.

“Why,” Robin said, “legend has it that the current owner was even able to discern the heart beating beneath the wooden effigy of a certain earl.”

At this Bretton burst out laughing and Oakley joined him.

“Well, as they are magic, how can I resist?” Oakley said. “I will offer my boots for them.”

“Boots?” Robin scoffed. “Magic comes at a far greater price than a pair of Hoby boots, sir. Who else will bid?”

“As their current owner I must insist they are returned to me, for I am not done yet with my perusal of that earlish effigy you mentioned. I am convinced there is a great deal more yet to discover, and I am well and truly committed to the endeavor.”

“I applaud your commitment, Miss Chisholm, but what forfeit will you give?”

“A kiss!” Taran shouted.

Robin grinned wolfishly at Fiona, who looked away, flustered. “Aye,” he said. “A kiss might buy these spectacles. But whom should she kiss? I would, of course, suggest myself, but I would hate it to be said that I took unfair advantage of the situation.”

“Since when?” Oakley demanded.

“The lass can kiss me!” Taran suggested magnanimously.

“Miss Marilla said the price must be high, not extortionate,” Robin said, winning more laughter. “No, there’s nothing for it, but that she must kiss Oakley to retrieve her glasses.”

Oakley wasted no time in seeing that Fiona’s glasses were returned. He surged to his feet, catching Fiona by the hand and hauling her into a tight embrace. Cecily glanced away; the passion in their kiss made her heart ache.

When Oakley finally released her, Robin shook his head. “Coz, you really must learn to attend. She was to kiss you . Not vice versa.”

At once, Fiona stretched on her tiptoes, clasped Oakley’s face between her hands, pulled his head down, and planted a hearty buss upon his mouth. “Satisfied?” she asked, with an unexpected note of coquetry in her voice.

“My dear, alas, I am in no position to answer,” Robin replied rakishly. “That is a question for Oakley.”

Cecily’s heart thudded dully in her chest. She wanted a lifetime of Robin’s roguish smiles and unaffected humor, his teasing laughter and warmth.

Next, he picked up the watch and fob. “What am I to make of this? Is it one or two pieces?”

“It is two pieces that must perforce be bought together,” Marilla explained.

Robin snorted derisively. “One need not guess whose idea this was. You always seemed to me a possessive sort, Bret.”