Page 80 of Snapdragons
A footman brought a shallow bowl into the drawing room and placed it on a table. He sprinkled raisins inside and poured in a bit of rum. Everyone in the group moved to stand around the table, watching the bowl intently. Something interesting must have been about to happen.
A second footman came inside, carefully carrying a large cup from which steam was wafting. Digby lit a long, thin wooden spill in the low-burning embers of the fire. He reached the table just as the footman did.
The footman carefully poured some of the hot, slightly amber liquid into a very large spoon. He held it out near the bowl of raisins and rum. Digby touched the flaming end of the spill to the liquid in the spoon, and a burst of bright-blue flame emerged. The footman slowly poured the flaming contents of his spoon into the bowl, and the rum inside likewise erupted in blue flames.
The onlookers cheered. Itwasa dazzling sight.
“What happens next?” Penelope asked, mesmerized by the flames.
“The rest is a contest to see who can pull the most raisins from the fire and pop them into his or her mouth without getting burned.”
Good heavens.“Is that even possible?”
“Something about the blue flames is not as hot as the more common yellow-ish flames,” Julia said. “Don’t be mistaken, it is still hot, but it doesn’t burn as quickly.”
“As quickly.” Penelope shook her head. “That is not as reassuring as you might think.”
“The game ends when all the raisins are gone or everyone has been burned,” Lucas added.
This game sounded absolutely ridiculous. But those who had played it before didn’t hesitate. They gingerly snatched raisins from the bowl and popped them into their mouths.
“One!” Lucas declared in the exact moment Kes called out the same number.
Violet, Niles, and Aldric were next to call out “One!”
A moment after, Nicolette declare “Un!” Aldric called out, “Two!”
“You’re all mad.” Penelope half laughed, half gasped.
“Mad we might be,” Lucas said from across the table, the blue flame lighting his face in slips of dancing azure. “But I would wager Niles is hoping you will emerge the winner.” He flung a raisin into his mouth. “Two!”
Beside her, Niles popped another flaming raisin into his mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing. “Two!”
“Why would you wantmeto be the victor?”
“Tradition holds that the one to successfully eat the most raisins will be the next to fall in love,” Niles said.
Penelope shot Lucas a defiant glance. “If you think Niles is standing about,waitingfor me to fall in love, then you areastoundingly unobservant.”
He received hardy and good-natured teasing from his friends and wife. All the while, the raisin snatching and eating continued, with numbers being called out.
“Do you not intend to try?” Niles asked her.
“You really haven’t burned yourself?” She had significant doubts.
“I’m very quick.” He snatched another raisin and popped it into his mouth. “Five!”
Penelope Seymour had never been accurately accused of being a coward. She didn’t mean to give anyone reason to call her one now.
“I just snatch it right out of the flames?” She eyed the shallow bowl.
“Decide on the one you want, and grab it,” Niles said. “You don’t want to be searching around for it.”
That made a good deal of sense. “What if someone snatches the one I’m aiming for?”
“That’s part of the challenge.”
Penelope set her sights on a raisin very near her in the bowl. Pulse pounding a nervous rhythm, she took a deep breath. Then another.I am really going to put my hands in fire.’Twas a truly mad game, this.
