Page 81 of Snapdragons
She reached in and grabbed the raisin, pulling it out as quickly as she could. It was on fire.
“Pop it into your mouth,” Niles instructed. “It’ll put the flame out.”
She did as instructed and bit down, just as she’d seen the others do. The heat of the fire was immediately replaced by the rush of juice. Her mouth was a bit warm, and her hands as well, but she wasn’t burned.
She wasn’t burned.
“One!” she called out, too excited to prevent the word fromemerging as a shout.
The group enthusiastically cheered her accomplishment even as others snatched more raisins and ate them.
Henri burned himself, and his run was over. The others continued their attempts.
“Well done, Penny.” Niles tucked her up against his side, neither moving away from the table.
Penny.She smiled at the nickname, wondering what had inspired it. No one else had ever called her by anything other than her full given name. “Penny,” she repeated. “I like it.”
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Then, I mean to call you that quite regularly.”
“And if I have a nickname, that makes me very much one of the group, as all the ladies have one.” Though successfully snatching a raisin had been exhilarating, she far preferred standing there with Niles’s arm around her and was content to simply watch the rest of the game play out.
Soon enough, the raisins were all gone and the flame left to extinguish itself as the rum burned off. The group made an accounting.
Penelope’s one raisin put her in the very last position, though she could not possibly have been less bothered to have lost.
When it was revealed that Aldric, no doubt unknowingly, had claimed the top spot with twelve raisins snatched and eaten and no burns, the room absolutely erupted.
“Who’s the lucky lady?” Lucas asked, giving Aldric’s shoulder a shove.
“Orunlucky, as the case may be,” Digby drawled.
Aldric remained as unshaken as ever. “You are meant to be mercilessly harassing Niles and Penelope. I’ll not be lampooned when it is not my turn.”
“But the raisins have spoken,” Kes insisted. “You’re next.”
“Find a lady who’ll have me, and I’ll gladly take my turn.” Hedidn’t seem the least worried that such a thing would come to be.
Henri eyed the other Gents and, in very confident tones, said, “We have our assignment,mes amis.Find a lady who can endure the General.”
Everyone, including the ladies, joined in the teasing as the night wore on. While Aldric made a show of being annoyed, Penelope didn’t believe for a moment that he wasn’t enjoying bantering with his friends.
Who were now Penelope’s friends.
She leaned into Niles’s embrace. For the first time in too many years, the future looked bright.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Have I ever told youthat I enjoy watching you ride?” Niles felt a little foolish expressing the sentiment, but he couldn’t deny it was true.
“You do?” Penelope seemed pleased.
He watched her a moment longer, riding beside him, making such a lovely picture atop Midnight. “You are so tiny, and yet this powerful and enormous animal obeys your slightest nudge. It’s impressive and remarkable.”
“And according to my mother, a bit too masculine.” Penelope shook her head but smiled. “I think she wishes I would act as fragile as my appearance makes me seem.”
“I, for one, like that contradiction in you.”
“Probably because you are also a contradiction,” she said. “You do not, on first acquaintance, give the impression of an athletic and physically powerful gentleman, neither would most people guess that you’re clever and funny. That’s not to say that you give the impression that you are weak or dull or somber.”
