The Rake’s Christmas Wager (Spinsters and their Suitors #2)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

I t was taking a very long time for the rest of the guests to be found. Those who were found before her and Lord Brinton were already in the middle of a game. That meant Lily would be in company with Lord Brinton until more joined them.

She glanced around the room, wishing for something to do. She eyed the pianoforte, but dismissed it straightaway. He would stand and turn pages for her—or worse, come and sit right next to her. She put a hand to her neck, still remembering the heat she had felt when they’d been so close to each other while hiding. It would not do to play the pianoforte.

A small table in the corner next to the bookshelves caught her eye. It was the best idea she could think of. “Lord Brinton, would you like to play a game of chess?”

He smiled widely. “An excellent idea, Miss Ashworth. I would be delighted.”

He had made her invitation sound as if she’d invited him to meet the queen herself. Once at the table, he pulled out the chair for her.

“Thank you,” she said.

“My pleasure.” He took his own seat. “Which color would you like, Miss Ashworth?”

She watched him, wondering if he had a preference. Would she pick what he wanted, just to irk him? Would it even work? “The brown.”

“Excellent choice,” he said, picking up the white pieces and placing each one on their designated square.

He began the game, moved his first piece, and then looked up at her. “What is it you wished to speak about?” There was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“I beg your pardon,” she said, moving a pawn forward two spaces.

He took his turn and smirked. “You’ve successfully gotten me away from the rest of the guests and out of earshot of anyone else who is currently in the room. Surely, that must mean you wish to discuss something very particular.”

“That is quite the assumption, Lord Brinton. I was simply tired of standing in the middle of the room.”

“You could have easily taken a seat by the hearth.”

She had thought of that, but he would have done the same, sitting very close to her. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It was much better to have a table with a chessboard in between them. That was fully eight squares of space. “I suppose I was in the mood for a game,” she said vaguely.

“I see.”

He captured three more of her pieces as she tried to focus on her strategy.

“You’re very quiet, Miss Ashworth,” Lord Brinton said after a few moments. “I expected your usual level of witty comments.”

Lily kept her tone even, though her heart was racing. “Perhaps I’m simply concentrating on the game.”

“Or perhaps you’re avoiding what’s really on your mind,” he countered, his voice lowering to a near whisper.

She moved a knight, challenging one of his pieces. “And what would that be, Lord Brinton?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I think you’re curious. You pretend to be indifferent, but I can see it in your eyes—you want to know more. About me.”

The atmosphere between them had shifted. Lord Brinton’s light banter had given way to something deeper, more serious. Perhaps she had underestimated him.

Her pulse raced. She was curious about him. “Very well. Perhaps I do.”

Lord Brinton leaned in slightly, his voice a low murmur. “I’m not the man you think I am, you know.”

Lily’s pulse quickened, but she kept her voice steady. “And what kind of man are you, Lord Brinton?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer. His gaze searched hers, as if he were trying to decide how much to reveal. Then, finally, he spoke—his tone more sincere than she had ever heard before. “A man who’s grown tired of the games, Miss Ashworth. A man who wants something real.”

The sentiment sounded very much like what she’d told him before. “Tired of the games? Then why, pray, are we playing chess right now?” She moved her knight, taking the bishop that he didn’t even try to defend.

He smiled. “We are playing because you asked me to, and try as I might, I can’t say no to a request from you.” He moved his queen and with a move she hadn’t anticipated, he took a pawn and said, “Checkmate.”

“Very well done, Lord Brinton. I did not see that coming.”

He smiled. “I imagine if you did, you wouldn’t have moved your knight like you had.”

She examined the board. He was right. What she thought had been an oversight made by him was actually a trap that she had walked into without any hesitation. “I am impressed.”

“Thank you.”