Page 56 of A Temporary Bride for the Duke

Daisy and the Duke, as well as the other couples, tittered. Lord Dennison and Lady Mary laughed loudly.

The Dowager arched a haughty eyebrow at them and continued, “So, I thought it only right to give that game another try. In this event, I’ve brought back the blindfolds, and the couples will attempt to find each other one by one. Feel free to kibbitz as much as you like.” She grinned broadly at them all, then turned abruptly and motioned to Lord Dennison and Lady Mary. “The two of you won this game last time. Let’s see if history can repeat itself.”

Daisy was certain that Lord Dennison and Lady Mary would rush into each other’s arms, just as they had done before, when they were separated by an entire lawn. But now, once they were trapped inside the room, and every other couple was prompted to make loud, raucous sounds, they floundered.

“Ha!” Daisy laughed brightly when Lady Mary stumbled from one gentleman to the next, pawing at the lapels of their waistcoats.

“She will never find her beau at this rate,” the Duke whispered.

He was wrong, of course. Lady Mary did manage to locate Lord Dennison, but it took more than three minutes for her to find him and sink down into his lap. When she took off her blindfold, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were glassy.

“I hope we can do better than that,” the Duke murmured.

“I’m sure we shall.”

Six more couples rose to take the challenge, and only two were more successful than Lady Mary and Lord Dennison.

That was when Lady Archworth decided to stride around the room once more.

“So far, the number to beat is two and a half minutes. Lady Jane Westfield and Lord Arthur Bailey have done rather well for themselves.” The Dowager Marchioness inclined herhead slightly in their direction, indicating that she found their performance acceptable.

But Daisy was impressed. After watching the others go through the motions, she worried about how she might perform when it was her turn.

“Lady Daisy!”

She was drawn from her daydreams by the sound of Lady Archworth calling her name.

“Yes?”

“It’s our turn.” The Duke grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet.

Gently, he put a hand on her back and helped her spin, then he tied the blindfold securely around her head.

Daisy gulped nervously. She stood frozen in the center of the Persian rug, the heavy silk of the blindfold pressing darkness against her eyelids.

It’s my turn. I must find the Duke.

At the Dowager’s signal, around her, the room erupted into a cacophony of animal sounds.

“Hoo-Hoo!” chirped a woman from somewhere near the bookshelves, her voice a terrible imitation of an owl.

“Ribbit,” croaked a man’s voice from behind the heavy velvet drapes, followed by a muffled snicker.

They were trying to lead her astray, using the traditional animal calls to bait her. Her ears strained through the noise, searching for the one sound that mattered.

Nothing.

The Duke was completely silent.

Oh no! Where is he?

The seconds were ticking away. She could hear the rhythmic click-tick of Lady Archworth’s pocket watch. They needed a miracle to beat Lord Bailey and Lady Jane Westfield's combined time.

She strained to hear the sounds of a morning dove, but no such noise reached her ears.

Daisy took a cautious step forward, her hands extended, sweeping the empty air. The taunting chirps and barks intensified, pressing in from the left and right. She ignored them, centering her mind, relying on pure instinct.

Then, the air shifted.