Page 85 of The Trouble with Tigers
Bother. Snatching up the Chissington Hall treatise, she made for the door.
She raced through the meandering corridors, a woman on a mission, eyes peeled for any sign ofhim. She passed only a chambermaid scurrying from one room to another, duster in hand. Much ado about nothing.
Except…as she approached the open doorway of the library, she overheard masculine voices coming from within.
Her pulse kicked up a notch as a golden haired scoundrel with a dashing white smile and hot, wet lips sprang to her mind. She wiped her suddenly damp palms on her skirts and crossed the threshold.
Caden and Lord Randall sat across from one another, bent over a board game of some sort. Zeke was nowhere in sight.
Her traitorous heart sank.
She fixed a bright smile on her face. “Good afternoon, Caden, Lord Randall.” She strode toward them. “I’ve come to exchange my book.” She held it out in front of her like she needed to show proof.
“Good afternoon, Lady Kitty. This is a welcome surprise. I’ve had enough of this bloke’s company to last me the week.” Caden rose. He clipped a slight bow.
Lord Randall followed suit. “I had begun to lament we might not see you this afternoon at all. Spending time with a beautiful lady on a rainy afternoon is one of my favorite pastimes.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “If only I’d known.” She hugged her book to her chest and rocked back on her slippers as she eyed the half-played game. “You’ve been playing chess?”
“Playing? More like losing. A tedious endeavor, really,” Caden said.
“Meanwhile, I’ve quite enjoyed myself,” Randall quipped.
Caden scowled. “Perhaps we should come up with another game, for three this time. Unless you’re set on resting further, Lady Kitty?”
“In truth, I’d love to. I was beginning to feel like a caged rabbit, staring at the same four walls all morning.”
“Silly, goose, why’d you lock yourself away all day, then?” Caden asked.
She blinked. She could hardly tell them she’d been thoroughly kissed last night, had liked it way too much, and as a result, had hidden all morning. “I…er, had the headache. But it’s better now.”
“Excellent,” Caden said. “I daresay it’s a good thing the rain delayed our shooting match. Explosive firearms would not have helped matters.”
She smiled and approached the shelves to return the book. The less said the better. After re-shelving the treatise, she glanced at the seating area where she and Zeke had…where she’d left her parents’ atlas. It was nowhere in sight.
“Have either of you seen the atlas that was on the table just over there?” She pointed to the side table, her face burning as if they could see into her mind and know what had transpired on the sofa beside that table.
The men shook their heads, looking at each other as if to confirm neither had moved it.
“Sorry, Lady Kitty. It wasn’t there when we came in,” Lord Randall answered for both of them.
So it had been re-shelved. Now she’d have to go searching for it again. “Have either of you seen…”Zeke“…the earl today?” she asked, re-joining them.
“At breakfast,” Caden replied. “After which his man-of-affairs arrived. I believe he and Zeke are still meeting with the fellow. Lady Lillian’s made herself scarce, as well. Said something about retiring to her chambers to see to some correspondence.”
“As for your guardian, he claimed he received some reading material from his solicitor. If you were interested,” Randall offered, with a shrug.
Her smile brightened at that news. “What should we play?”
“Too few for whist,” Randall said.
“Too many for chess,” Caden said, before muttering, “Thank God.”
Kitty giggled, delighted to be free from her room, safe from the threat of running into Garrick, and in the company of two good natured, non-surly, gentlemen. “Most parlor games involve a greater number of people than three.” She glanced around the room. Her eyes lit on a familiar object. “I have an idea. Follow me, if you please.”
She marched toward the sitting area she’d dubbed the man corner, due its sturdy burgundy leather sofa and matching armchairs. It also boasted a good-sized globe, situated between the two chairs.
The globe’s glossy surface and brass axis gleamed, reflecting the muted daylight eking in through the window. She touched the surface lightly and set it to spinning. “Do either of you gentlemen know anything about geography or anthropology?”
