Page 22 of My Favorite Mistake
His only response was a jaunty wave.
“Men,” Fanny huffed as she trailed after him.
CHAPTER7
Fanny arrived at the base of the hill, where preparations for the cheese rolling were well underway. Some of those competing were already gathered at the top of the hill, and others were making their way to the starting position.
Fanny found a promising spot off to the side. Becky and Billy arrived a moment later and she waved them over. “I thought we’d have a good view from over here. Unless you know somewhere even better, Becky.”
Becky scanned the field. “No, this is grand. Let me just find my brother. John’s chasing the cheese this year, as usual, but Willis is too sensible for that sort of thing.”
Becky wandered off. Fanny stepped over to make room for Billy, but he gave her a sheepish look. “I was thinking I would give it a try.”
Fanny groaned. “Not you too, Billy.”
Billy rubbed the back of his head. “It’s just”—he dropped his voice to a whisper— “it seems like a good chance to impress Becky.”
“Are you sure she’ll be impressed?” Fanny gave him a speaking look. “She just described her brother who isnotparticipating as the sensible one.”
“Oh, no!” Billy said in a rush. “She’ll be impressed. Not that I’m likely to win. But I want her to see that I’m a game sort of fellow.” Seeing Fanny’s skeptical impression, Billy added, “Everyone’s doing it. See? Even her ladyship’s brother!”
Fanny squinted up at the top of the slope. Both of Lady Caroline’s older brothers were peering over the lip of the hill, along with Fanny’s master, Lord Ardingly, and the Duke of Trevissick. As Lady Caroline had suggested, it was her brother Harrington who was busy performing the sorts of exercises you might see a boxer doing to warm up before a bout. The eldest brother, Lord Fauconbridge, gazed down the hill with a look of sorrowful resignation. Lord Ardingly was grinning broadly. He leaned in and said something to Harrington that made him laugh. Meanwhile, the duke’s face had gone red, and he looked to be on the verge of strangling Harrington, which was unsurprising. Those two had always been like chalk and cheese.
Fanny sighed as she turned back to Billy. “Try not to break your neck.”
“Will do.” Billy gave a salute and hurried up the hill.
Becky returned with Willis, who was the older of her two brothers. The cheese rolling was about to start, and you could almost feel the anticipation in the crowd. Fanny saw that Nick had made it to the top of the hill and had staked out a position toward the left, the near side from their vantage point. Becky waved to her younger brother, John.
The master of ceremonies, easily spotted in his white smock and tall hat bedecked with colorful ribbons, had already started explaining the rules as Billy made it to the top, huffing and wheezing by the look of things. A few heads turned to take the measure of the newcomer. Billy took up a position next to Nick, who clapped him on the shoulder as he scooted over to make room.
Not being from the immediate area, Fanny didn’t recognize most of the participants. But there was one other face she knew—Ralph, the young man who’d tried to insist that Becky was ‘his girl.’ He was lined up on the far side of the hill.
As the master of ceremonies raised the cheese, a great wheel the size of a man’s head, its creamy white rind marked with a beribboned cross in blue and red, Fanny watched Ralph give up his good spot in front, move to the other side of the hill, and position himself directly behind Billy.
A cold shiver went up Fanny’s spine in spite of the sunshine. She glanced at Becky, whose expression was drawn.
Willis muttered a curse as Becky clutched Fanny’s hand. “What’s Ralph up to?”
“Billy!” Fanny called.
At the top of the hill, the master of ceremonies cried, “One to be ready!”
Billy’s focus was fixed upon the cheese, and he gave no sign that he had heard Fanny’s warning.
She tried again. “Billy, look out!”
“Two to be steady!” the master of ceremonies continued.
“Billy!” Fanny waved her arms overhead, growing desperate. “Billy!”
“Three to prepare”—the master of ceremonies released the cheese— “and four to be off!”
A roar went up from the crowd as the men stampeded over the ridge and plunged down the grassy hill, arms flailing, bodies hopelessly off balance.Allof them fell down within the first few strides. Every single one. The difference between the frontrunners and the also-rans seemed to be the speed with which they sprang back up and continued, and the range was wide. Some of the men popped right back up and resumed the chase. Others couldn’t seem to stop rolling down the slope, which only added to the general chaos until their bodies eventually found a place to settle.
Fanny watched Billy go down, execute a full roll, and somehow wind up back on his feet, an expression of surprise crossing his face as he continued his pursuit of the bouncing cheese. Beside her, Becky giggled.
A group of five frontrunners emerged, amongst them Nick and Harrington Astley. The five of them were neck and neck. It was anyone’s race when the cheese took a lucky bounce and went flying to the left, suddenly within arm’s reach of Nick. Fanny clutched her skirts with white knuckles as Nick reached out toward the cheese.
