He grinned. “I am not prepared to concede to that, My Lady. Come, let us set the pieces up.”
He sat on one side of the table, and she sat opposite him, her heart beating in anticipation.
“You must play the white pieces, of course,” he said, swiftly pivoting the board around so the white set of pieces were on her side.
“Well, I would not want you to think I was gaining an unfair advantage,” she replied, holding his gaze.
“Not at all,” he replied. “But ‘Ladies first’ is the rule in everything, is it not?”
She laughed. “I hope you do not expect me to be ladylike in my game strategy, My Lord. I am a rather brutal player, you know. Daphne says she has never seen anything quite like it.”
He raised his eyebrows in mock horror. “I cannot imagine you to be anything other than ladylike.”
“Well, we shall see how the game pans out,” she retorted. She thought for a moment to the course of heat that had surged through her as his eyes swept her body when he had seen her coming into the library. At that moment, she had not felt at all ladylike, and she was unsure that she could keep up the pretence when they were alone in the dimly lit library, with no one to see what they were doing.
She forced herself to concentrate on the set in front of her and moved a central pawn forward two spaces, which was her usual opening.
Sebastian responded quickly, mirroring her move with his own pawn.
They went on in silence for a few moments, playing their moves rapidly. The tension between them was almost feverish, and Isabella could feel her breath quickening as the stakes of the game increased.
He was a good player, perhaps the best she had ever faced. She usually won against Daphne, and she always beat her father, so it was a pleasure to face an opponent she thought might win against her. But she desperately wanted to beat him, although she was not sure why it mattered to her so much.
Their eyes locked across the table while Sebastian deliberated over his next move. A slow smile crept across his face, and he moved his bishop across the board, then placed it down with a thud.
“Check.”
***
As Sebastian watched her reaction, he felt certain he should have refused her offer to play. But now that they were in the midst of the game, and the tension between them was so palpable, he could not stop. His earlier determination to let her win was fading fast, too. She was clearly a very able player, possibly almost as good as Adrian, and he did not want to patronize her by making obvious mistakes to give her an advantage.
So he resolved to play his best game. And now, her king was in check, and her rook was under threat. He waited to see how she would respond.
To his amazement, she smiled. Then, quick as a flash, she reached out and took his bishop with her knight.
He let out a groan. “How on earth did I miss that?”
She laughed. “Perhaps it is all that brandy that you drank after dinner, My Lord.”
He knew then that he wanted to kiss her. Her mouth made the perfect shape as she laughed, and her lips were moist and tempting. He must resist, he told himself. If nothing else, he would lose this game if he kept getting distracted. Her night gown was so thin, though, and even in the dim light of the candle-lit library, he could see the shape of her body through it. The urge to reach out and touch her was so strong that it almost took his breath away.
He forced himself to return his attention to the board. He was in trouble now, and he knew it. He scanned each piece in turn, trying to figure out how he could regain his advantage.
He sighed and moved his queen forward one space. It was not a game-changing move, he knew, but it made his position a little stronger, he thought.
She leaned back in her chair and looked at the board. Her focus amazed him; she did not seem to be phased at all by the obvious tension between them. Or perhaps she was rather better than he was at hiding it.
They went on like this for another twenty minutes or so, playing virtually in silence, exchanging glances as they went. Sebastian could hardly bear it, being so close to her but feeling the gulf between them as they sat on opposite sides of the table. He was going to lose the game, though, he had no doubt about it.
And sure enough, after a few moments of silence, Isabella leaned forward and moved her rook forward one square.
“Checkmate,” she whispered, looking up at him with triumph in her eyes.
He moved forward and knocked his king over, causing it to fall onto the board with a clatter. The noise echoed through the silence of the library. “A very good game, My Lady,” he said softly, looking at her smiling face. He was glad, now, that he had not let her win. He had played as well as he could, and she had beaten him fair and square, and he was enjoying how happy it clearly made her.
“I am beginning to regret, now, My Lord, that we did not set any wager on this game,” she said with a mischievous grin. “I feel sure that we should have placed bets, and if we had, then I would now be crowing over the spoils of my victory.”
She looked at him with laughter in her eyes, her lips parted as she smiled, showing her even white teeth. Her tongue was just visible behind them. The shape of her body, scarcely concealed by her thin nightdress, was the most tempting sight Sebastian had ever seen.
