Page 26 of One Bed for the Bluestocking
She turned to find Nathaniel grinning at her.“Do you see?”he asked.
“I… I think so.”
He scooped up another ball.“Let’s throw a few more, just to be sure.”
Cheeks burning, Kate allowed him to shepherd her through the motion.If anything, she was worse with Nathaniel’s help, because she was so disconcerted by his proximity.Her palms were sweaty, and her stomach was aflutter.Or maybe it was the other way around.Part of her wanted to nuzzle her cheek against his chest, which she could not help but notice was pleasantly firm.The rest of her wanted to run away and hide beneath one of the tables.
Just then, his hips nestled against the curve of her backside, and it was horrifying how good it felt.She was all but certain that she was on the cusp of doing something truly humiliating when a familiar voice broke her concentration.“Oy, Kit—there ye… What the bloody hell?”
Kate promptly tripped over Nathaniel’s foot, then proceeded to send the ball crashing into the fence.Cheeks aflame, she turned to find Roderick, Colin, and Arthur staring at her, mouths agape.
Nathaniel straightened his jacket as if nothing unusual was taking place.“Language, Roderick.”
Her friends were far less nonchalant.“What are you two doing?”Arthur asked, his eyes darting from Kate to Nathaniel and back again.
“I was just helping Kit with his throw,” Nathaniel said easily.“I understand that he’ll be facing off with Iain Galbreath presently because ofsomeone’shot temper.”He accompanied this statement with a pointed look in Roderick’s direction.
Roderick’s expression was unremorseful.“What was I supposed to do—stand there and let that miserable cur insult my friend?”
“In a word, yes,” Nathaniel said in the same breath that Kate muttered, “I wouldn’t have minded.”
Roderick shrugged.“Ah, well.Ye’ll just have to show him, Kit.And speak of the devil…”
Surely enough, Iain was approaching.He drew himself up stiffly when he saw Nathaniel standing among them.“Mr.Sterling—what are you doing here?”
“Good evening, Iain.I was just helping Kit here with his throw.”
Iain’s expression shifted into one of wounded dignity.“I don’t know why I’m surprised.Everyone knows he’s your favorite.”
“Iain.”Nathaniel’s voice held a note of admonishment.“I would be happy to do the same for you.”
Iain lifted his chin.“That won’t be necessary.Iam excellent at skittles.”He spun on his heel and went to select a ball.
Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head.“I’ll go and set up the pins.”
“Excellent at skittles,” Kate muttered as she watched Iain make a few warm-up swings.“Perfect.”
Colin came to stand beside her.“Of course, he thinks he’s excellent at painting, too.Everything is relative.”
“Yes, well, I’ll tell you one thing that is not relative but absolute,” Kate replied.“I amterribleat skittles.”
Roderick slapped her on the back.“Then ye’ll have to rely on beginner’s luck.”
Kate shook her head.“I don’t believe in it.”
“Too bad.”Arthur gave her a shove toward the throwing line.“Off you go!”
Roderick went over the rules.They were to play three rounds, with each round consisting of three throws each.Iain went first.Kate quickly ascertained that Colin had a point.Iain’s first throw brought down three pins, and his second two.But his third ball sailed into the fence.Five pins didn’t seem like an insurmountable lead.
Then, it was Kate’s turn.Nervous to have so many eyes on her, she rushed her approach and released the ball too early, sending it straight into the ground.Her next throw wasn’t much better, but on the third, she somehow managed to knock over two pins.
In the second round, Iain knocked over two pins with his first throw, but his second shot went wide, and his third shot knocked over just one pin.Kate made two throws that petered out before reaching the pins but managed to knock down three pins on her third attempt.
This meant that going into the final round, Iain was ahead by three pins.Kate felt a faint queasiness that might have been hope.The match wasn’t hopelessly out of reach, after all.
But then, Iain managed to knock down a total of five pins over the course of his final three shots.Kate performed some quick calculations.She would have to knock over all nine pins in order to win—an impossible feat, considering she couldn’t even consistently send the ball all the way down the alley.
Her hands were slick as she took up the ball, and she wiped them on her breeches.Nathaniel had dropped back into the crowd, perhaps because he did not want to appear to favor one student over another.She noticed Iain’s tutor, Andrew Thompson, standing beside him.
