Page 39 of A Duchess Mistaken
“Oh, yes,” Caroline responded with a nod. “But you are good at almost everything you put your mind to, Agnes. You are quite talented.”
“You flatter me, Caroline,” Agnes said with a wave of her hand. “And such compliments should be reserved for you.”
Caroline shook her head. “Not at all. You are intelligent, athletic, and you possess a boldness I had always envy. You always go after the things you want, no matter what stands in your way. I wish I could do the same.”
Johnathan didn’t miss the note of sadness in Miss Caroline’s voice. She lowered her gaze to her teacup, as if she needed a moment to gather herself, before she visibly brightened.
“But yes,” she said. “It should be fun.”
Johnathan looked to the left of him where Christopher and Mr. Parsons sat talking with each other as if they were the best of friends. He couldn’t help but wonder if his brother possessed the same sad longing he sensed in Miss Caroline. If that were the case, how could he have missed it? Had he been so caught up in helping his family out of their crisis that he hadn’t stopped to pay his brother any mind?
Shame washed over him. He’d let his mother’s mind slip away after his father’s death. He couldn’t stand back and let the same thing happen to his brother because he was too focused on other matters to help him.
“I shall tell the others then,” he informed the ladies before standing and making his way over to where Mr. Parsons and Christopher were sitting.
“Pall mall,” he said, sinking in the armchair next to them. “In the afternoon. Christopher, you shall be paired with Miss Caroline and I shall be paired with Miss Agnes.”
Christopher’s frown was deep and swift. “Why? Would it not make more sense for me to be paired with Miss Agnes?”
“Mind your words, Christopher,” Mr. Parsons drawled in that constantly bored tone of voice Johnathan had grown accustomed to hearing from him. “You are quite lucky not to be on the same side as my sister. She is rather competitive and will not hesitate to take out her frustrations on her own teammates.”
“I’m sure she is not as bad as you say,” Johnathan said without thinking. “And to answer your question, Christopher, I think it would be quite nice to play against our betrotheds. That would be a far better way of getting to know them than any other manner, I believe.”
Christopher still did not look convinced. “It is quite uneven if you include Paul.”
“Yes, where shall I go?” Mr. Parsons interjected again. “Perhaps I should join your team, Chris.”
“I shall ask the others if they wish to join then,” Johnathan conceded.
“And if they do, then it will still be uneven. Perhaps we should…”
He trailed off, not bothering to finish the suggestion. Johnathan already knew where he was going with it.
“I shall ask her,” Johnathan responded, knowing that he was about to embark on a fruitless mission. His mother hardly cared to have breakfast with them and their guests. Why would she do something as sociable as playing pall mall?
But he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Ithadbeen one of her favorite games once upon a time.
Johnathan got to his feet, heading to the married couples who sat near the hearth. Lord and Lady Reeds immediately declined the invitation to play with them but Lord and Lady Sutton happily accepted, which meant he was still left with no choice but to ask his mother if she would like to join.
Dread coiled in the pit of his stomach as he made his way out of the drawing room and up to the dowager duchess’ chambers. With every step he took to her room, he felt like a hand was reaching around his hear. He knew that a single interaction withher would have that had squeezing with no remorse, leaving him raw and bleeding.
Hope was what propelled him forward. Johnathan came to a stop at her chambers, raising his hand to knock. Before he could, the door opened and his mother’s maid gasped at the sight of him.
“Forgive me, Your Grace,” she said quickly. “Her Grace is within.”
“Thank you.”
The maid hurried away, bearing a tray under her arm. Johnathan slipped into the quiet room. He instantly spotted his mother sitting on the terrace, untouched food in front of her.
“Good morning, Mother,” he greeted, coming forward.
She didn’t respond. She only stared ahead of her. At least she was dressed, he thought glumly.
Johnathan came closer. “I have come to ask you something that you may deem a bit odd.”
Again, there was no response. Johnathan didn’t know why he bothered pausing.
“Would you like to play pall mall with our guests?”
