Over the following few days, Charlotte did her level best to avoid him. Every time she saw him, her body flashed with heat and her mind flashed with irritation. She was as much annoyed at herself as she was at him, the betrayal of her body as it yearned for his touch. She dreamt of him almost every night, and now she felt as though she knew his touch intimately. As though she could taste him truly.
Luckily, more and more people had begun to arrive, and there was a great deal more distraction than before. She was able to easily blend into the crowd or feign great interest in the conversation of another, all while secretly watching the duke from the corner of her eye. He still irritated her, but she managed to maintain her composure by staying away. For the time being, too, the duke seemed to respect her wishes, though she caught many longing glances across the room.
“Are you coming, Charlotte?” Chelsea asked, poking her head around Charlotte’s bedchamber door. “Stewart has organized a scavenger hunt for everyone. It’s going to be so much fun—and the sun is finally shining.”
Charlotte jumped up, eager to be part of the games. She’d always had something of a talent for scavenger hunts. By the time she had slipped on her shoes, and they’d made their way outside, the rest of Chelsea’s family were gathered there.
“Ah, just in time for the final pairing,” Stewart declared, looking up from the parchment in his hand.
Charlotte looked at Chelsea and grinned. “We always make the best team in everything, don’t we?” she said.
“Oh! You’re not with me, I’m sorry,” Chelsea said. She did manage to look at least a little pitiful. “Mother isn’t feeling very well, so I said I’d pair with Father. You don’t mind, do you?”
Charlotte looked around at the sea of faces staring back at her. “No, no, of course,” she said with a forced smile. “It’s just a silly game, isn’t it? I don’t need to play.”
“Don’t be silly,” Stewart said with a laugh. “I made sure that everyone had a pair. We don’t want anyone to be left out, do we?”
“But who—”
Charlotte’s words were cut short as the realization dawned. The duke strode from the back of the small crowd to meet her in the center of the semi-circle.
“Did I hear that you’re looking for a partner?”
“No,” she said firmly. “Absolutely not. Stewart assured me that everyone has a pair and—”
“And Alexander is yours, Miss Charlotte,” Stewart said.
Charlotte ground her teeth together in irritation. From the flash of amusement in Stewart’s eyes, he had paired them together purposely—and a quick glance at Chelsea told Charlotte that her friend was in on the plan as well.
“Unless you’d rather not play the game with me,” the duke said. “I am happy to sit out if you’d rather.”
Charlotte smiled weakly again. How could she say she didn’t want to play with him while all these eyes were upon her? “No, no. It’s quite all right. I’m sure you’ll knowsomeanswers at least.”
“Excellent,” Stewart declared. He went around the pairs, handing out a small square of parchment. In tiny, neat handwriting, he had written a number of clues. “The rules are simple. Find all the items on the list. The first pair to get back here with all the items wins. All right?”
Charlotte stared down at the list intently as all the other couples began meandering away. To say she was furious was anunderstatement, but what could she do? He was so close to her, peering over her shoulder so as to read the clues. She felt his body near, a beacon calling to her, and yet the distance of inches between them felt like miles.
The fabric of his jacket brushed against that of her gown, tickling her bare flesh beneath it. Her breath came slow and heavy, and the words on the parchment in front of her blurred as she tried to focus. Why hadn’t he put his arms around her and pulled her into him? Why wasn’t he nuzzling her neck with those delicious lips?
“Do you think perhaps you might showmethe clues too?” he asked, breaking her out of her fantasy.
She huffed, annoyed that he had disrupted her. Indeed, annoyed that he was there at all. She didn’t want to be near him.
Or perhaps I want to be near him too much.
“You won’t know any of them,” she bit back.
“Try me.”
With his mischievous grin, he snatched the parchment from her. His hand brushed hers, and even through her glove she could feel his warmth. They were quite alone now, everyone else busy on their hunt, and she allowed the sensation to wash over her.
“Listen,” she said plainly as he stared down at the parchment. “In no uncertain terms, I want to win. We shall have to make an extra effort to put our differences aside and get along in order to reach our mutual goal.”
“Differences?” he asked, looking at her from beneath his brow. Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest and pouted until he finally said, “All right, yes. I agree. I’d like to win as well. I rarely lo se at anything.”
“Then let’s get moving ,” she said.
“Let’s see,” he muttered, looking back down. He hadn’t moved away from her, and her entire body thrummed with his closeness. “Five cryptic clues—very typical of Stewart—and five unusual items to find.” He looked up at her questioningly. “Shall we start with the cryptic clues?”
