“Says—” She broke off, flabbergasted at his questions. “Says the rules of society!”
“Set by whom? The King? The Queen?”
“Does it matter?”
“I suppose not,” he said, leaning against the wall closest to him as he jabbed his hands into his pockets. “Neither of them are here either way.”
Lady Elaine said nothing for a moment, studying him openly. He took it as his chance to do the same. The longer he did, however, the more difficult it was to breathe. The more he wondered how bad it would be if he stepped just a little closer, pressing them further into the corner.
“Perhaps youarea rake,” she said softly.
Michael raised one brow. “Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said quickly, clearly surprised that he had heard her. Which amused him a little because surely she did not think she had whispered it? “Do you play?”
“Pardon?” he said again and realised that he was repeating himself only when her lips twitched.
Silently, she pointed to a chess table nearby. Michael hadn’t noticed it. He hadn’t noticed a number of things, he realised, so consumed as he was in Lady Elaine. The crowd had thinned out some, a number of the guests silently declaring that they could not last much longer. He thought he should be amongst them, heading back to the comfort of his study where he could pore over his documents like he had done for the past few weeks. But there was a hopeful glint in Lady Elaine’s eyes and he was answering her before he even thought about it.
“Perhaps not as well as you, my lady,” he purred and was pleased when she blushed furiously. He hadn’t meant to flirt with her just now. Just like he hadn’t meant to flirt with her during their dance and afterwards either. It simply came out.
“You do not know how well I play, Your Grace,” she said. “I could be absolutely dreadful.”
“I do not think that someone who is absolutely dreadful would even suggest it in the first place.”
“Perhaps simply for the love of the game?”
“If you loved it so much, I expect you to be good at it by now. Would you like to play a round or two?”
“It would be a pleasure,” she answered modestly. “Though I fear my skill may not be up to par.”
Michael said nothing, simply gesturing with a swipe of his hand for her to go ahead. She did that, eyes cast to the floor, her cheeks coloured that adorable pink that did something odd to him every time he witnessed it. He made sure to pull out her chair and hastened to the other side while she set the board.
Then she transformed before his very eyes. Her fingers were swift, placing the pieces where they should be with such efficiency one would think she would be hung if she didn’t. The smile disappeared, her eyes growing focused and determined. As she made the first move, Michael realised he just might have fallen into her trap.
He was not rusty, however, and he liked a challenge as much as anyone else. And Lady Elaine surely did put up a challenge. They grew quiet, seconds stretching endlessly between their plays. When he made a move that forced her on the defensive, her lips twitched. As if she relished the challenge. As if that was exactly what she wanted him to do.
It was the most endearing thing he’d ever witnessed.
“Checkmate,” Lady Elaine stated with a flourish. “My, Your Grace, I thought you would make it harder for me.”
Michael blinked when she looked at him, straightening, realising he had been staring for far longer than he should have been. “I have not played in a while,” he defended. “Perhaps after a few more plays, I will be able to squeeze a win out of you.”
“Shall we go again then?” Lady Elaine asked. She was already moving the pieces back to their starting positions with a fervour he had not seen in her all evening.
“Elaine?”
Lady Abney appeared at her side, touching her gently on the shoulder. “Perhaps we should take our leave now. It is quite late already.”
“Oh.” Disappointment sank over Lady Elaine like a heavy blanket, hiding that happy little smile of hers. “Forgive me, I had not noticed.”
“You needn’t worry. James seemed rather preoccupied with a game of whist and had not noticed the late hour either. I would love to have you two stay for a while longer, but I am falling asleep as we speak.”
Lady Elaine hurried to her feet. Michael stood as well, masking his disappointment. It seemed she was just beginning to warm up to him.
Lady Abney glanced his way before murmuring, “I shall give you a moment to bid your farewells.”
The moment the dowager viscountess walked away, Michael said, “I shall not say goodbye. Not yet.”
