He turned to Lady Margaret. “Perhaps you and Lord Aberdeen wish to play as well?”
I winced at the way Robert passed over Halstead.
Lady Margaret glanced at Halstead and shook her head. “No, His Grace and I will stay here. We’ve not had ample opportunity to reacquaint ourselves. Perhaps Lady Ellen and Lord Everdale will join you.”
“That we will.” Hugh helped Lady Ellen to her feet.
“I suppose we shall be allies instead of opponents,” I said to Robert.
He drew closer and handed me one of the rackets. “I do not mind.” I blushed, hoping Halstead had not heard Robert’s intimate tone.
Hugh’s voice boomed toward us from where he and Lady Ellen had positioned themselves for play. “I see no point in wasting the whole of the afternoon. Let’s make quick work of them, Lady Ellen.”
Robert marched out to join them. He tapped the racket against the palm of his hand. “Lofty words for one who was so thoroughly bested the last time we played.”
“Can one be bested in battledore?” I asked.
Robert grinned. “Certainly. By showing oneself less than capable of returning the shuttlecock.”
The game began, and it quickly became clear that I was to be nothing more than a bystander. Except for the occasional hit when the shuttlecock was launched in my direct vicinity, I had little opportunity to participate. Lady Ellen was quite adept, and Hugh and Robert seemed determined to show off. The game grew more and more heated.
“Robert,” Hugh yelled. “That was an easy hit you missed.”
Lady Ellen laughed. “Yes, Mr. Nicholson. Even I am ashamed of that blunder.”
Robert shook his head. “Lady Margaret, give us your opinion, since you have the most objective view. Would it not have been impossible for me to retrieve that?”
Lady Margaret held up her hands. “I shall not be drawn into taking sides.”
I couldn’t stand the way Halstead was being so deliberately ignored. “Perhaps His Grace has an opinion on the matter,” I said loudly.
Everyone stopped and turned toward Halstead.
Halstead’s expression was one of calculated coolness. “Perhaps if Miss Graham were given half a chance, she might have been able to retrieve it.” He looked pointedly at Robert.
I didn’t particularly care to be given more opportunity in the game, but my stomach dipped all the same that Halstead had noticed.
A look of annoyance flickered over Robert’s face before he shrugged. “I suppose we’ll never know.” Then he picked up the shuttlecock and hit it with his racket, restarting the game.
Everyone shouted back and forth, names being called out in the heat of the game. Lord Everdale. Lady Ellen. Lord Aberdeen and Lady Margaret. Even Halstead was consulted every so often. And it was then I realized Robert and I were the only ones without titles. Well matched. Perfectly paired.
I set down my racket and abandoned the game.
“You shall not quit on us already, shall you?” Robert had removed his jacket. Perspiration trickled down his temples.
“I am hardly a worthy competitor. Lord Aberdeen can take my place.”
I resumed my earlier seat on the blanket, grateful to be far enough from Lady Margaret and Halstead that for them to include me in their conversation would be awkward, if not impossible. Adjusting my skirts around my ankles, I turned back to watch the game. Robert continued to play with enthusiasm, bellowing every time the shuttlecock was in danger of hitting the ground.
Time seemed to stop for a moment as I watched him, still minutely aware of Halstead seated next to Lady Margaret. Could I see Robert as my husband? The dilemma weighed on me heavier than ever, for it was not only Robert’s feelings that hung in the balance, but my entire future.
Chapter Seventeen
Later that afternoon, worn out from our time in the sun, I made my way up to my room. I carried my pelisse, wondering why I’d thought it necessary to bring it along. Lady Ellen stood just outside my door. “Ah, there you are, Miss Graham. I wanted to pass along my mother’s wish to have a musical display this evening. I hope you will be a willing participant. Lady Margaret and I don’t wish to shoulder the burden of tonight’s entertainment alone.”
The thought of performing in front of others made the contents of my stomach heave to and fro. I had practiced the pianoforte only twice in the week since our arrival, including the afternoon Halstead had caught me performing a song that was most assuredly not appropriate in company. But I knew what Aunt Agnes expected of me. Tonight there would be no escape.
“Of course I will, though I do hope your standards are sufficiently low.”
Lady Ellen smiled. “We are not at a musical soiree in London. And I sketch much better than I play, so you need not worry that you are out of your depth.”
I nodded, desperate to find some time to practice before it was time to dress for dinner.
She cocked her head to one side. “Juliet, were you upset by the Wollertons’ arrival?”
“No,” I protested. “Why would I be?”
“I mean no offense. Only once you laid eyes on Lady Margaret, it was as though . . .” She began to nod. “You knew, didn’t you? Somehow you knew the Wollertons were coming. But how—?”
“I confess I did know they were coming.” I dipped my head in acknowledgment. “Your grandmother told me as much. But she made me promise . . .”
Lady Ellen tipped her head back and nodded once more, her lips pursed together. “Ah, I see now.” She huffed. “How like Grandmother, the old fiend. I should have known she’d have something like this up her sleeve. He may not have shown it in company, but Halstead will be furious.” She regarded me closely. “Are you and Halstead—?”
“No,” I said much too quickly, shaking my head. “No.” A soft compassion settled over her face, and I couldn’t bear it. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I fear I must practice before dinner, lest I embarrass myself.”
She let me go, but I felt her gaze upon me as
