Page 75 of Beauty and the Rake
“If there is, it’s gotten lost or hasn’t been found in a ledger or file.”
“Anything else you’d like to do?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
Taking a sip of her cooling tea, Roxanne pursed her lips. “What do you have in mind?”
“I thought we might find an abandoned room or somewhere else that’s private and spend some time together.”
“I’m intrigued. If you’d like to, we could do that this afternoon. Unless you have something more pressing to do.”
“Absolutely not. You are my only priority.”
“That’s nice to hear, dear,” she said in her best old woman imitation. She put her teacup on the table, trying her best not to laugh.
“You certainly are saucy this morning. What’s going on?” he replied.
“I thought we were going to participate in a lively game of indoor croquet. Or have you forgotten?”
“Forgotten? Hardly. How could I forget when I am going to prevail as the champion?”
She snorted, followed by a very unladylike laugh. “You? When was the last time you played? With the children of friends? No, I’m afraid I’ll be the one walking away with that honor.”
His head was cocked with a look of disbelief as he listened to his bride make her claim. “I’ll have you know I’ve played at lots of house parties and the only way a woman might win is if I let her. The men held back because they knew what I was about.”
“What were you about? Being the notorious rake or the charming gentleman I know you to be?”
He chuckled, folding and putting the newspaper he wished to read aside. “Why, the charming gentleman, of course.”
Roxanne arched her brow and smiled. “Perhaps you can be the naughty rake for me? Just this once?”
“Your wish is my command, milady.”
“Good. Now, shall we go look in the attics or do you have other things to attend to?”
The door to the breakfast room opened, causing them to both turn and look as Arthur strode through the door. “Good morning. Horrid weather we’re having.”
“Yes, it is,” Roxanne sniffed. “What brings you out in it? Must be something important.”
“It is. I need to borrow your husband. There is a matter we need to discuss.”
“Sounds serious,” she said.
“Something about Crenshaw’s upcoming visit?” Graham inquired.
“He’s still coming tomorrow. I thought we should prepare for his arrival,” Arthur said, turning to his sister. “You are still prepared to host dinner tomorrow?”
“Of course,” she replied. “While you two are in your meeting, I’m going to go over the dinner with the cook and housekeeper.”
Graham put his hand on her shoulder as the men left the room for his study. As he did, Roxanne reached for the teapot to pour herself a fresh cup. She couldn’t help but give him a saucy smile.
While they were discussing this upcoming meeting with Crenshaw, Roxanne decided to go ahead and speak to the cook about tomorrow evening’s dinner. Then she would sneak into the ballroom and see what this croquet layout looked like. She needed to know what to expect if she wanted to show Graham up by winning their “tournament”. He wouldn’t know what hit him, even though he’d played multiple times. Of the two, she was sure she was the better player. He never took it seriously, as he thought it a way to try and flirt with the ladies and not a type of competition.
After checking in with the cook and housekeeper, who both assured her everything would be ready for the dinner, Roxanne left the kitchens and headed to the ballroom. It seemed a waste to her to have a room that was specifically used for entertaining. The rest of the time it was unused space. Wasted space.
As she walked into the room, she couldn’t help but remember the cream damask wallcovering. In the daylight, even gloomy like today, she could tell the room needed to be redone. The wallcovering had been there for years, and if one looked close enough they would find it had faded and was peeling at the edges. Since they had no parties planned, at least for the foreseeable future, it was low on her list of projects.
Finding a wicket, Roxanne smiled. She had to give him credit for originality. Using drawers with holes cut into the bottomsin place of the metal wickets was genius. Looking around for mallets, she was disappointed not to find them lying about. Graham must have tested his course since it was not regulation. If he put them away, she had no idea where he hid them. Before she could look further, a deep, familiar voice boomed from behind her.
“What are you doing in here?” Graham asked.
