Page 43 of The Duchess Debt

He was softening, Helena knew, but softening was a far cry from affection, which was itself a very long way from letting himself love again. Andnoneof it was happening fast enough.

The wedding was only two weeks away.

CHAPTER TWELVE

12 Days Until the Wedding

Gabe picked up his pall mall racket and dropped the little wooden ball at the end of the long earthen alley edging the lawn. At the alley’s end, a metal hoop perched at the top of a short wooden pin. He boasted teasingly, “Stand back and watch Grangely’s most skilled player in action.”

“But Lady Verity isn’t playing with us,” Helena replied with mock innocence and a flutter of lashes. She gestured a gloved hand toward where Verity sat at the little table where they’d taken afternoon tea, and where Nanny Potts also stood to the side like a guard dog, watching Alice and frowning in disapproval at their behavior.

Standing beside Helena at the edge of the alley, her mallet nearly as tall as she was, Alice put her hand to her lips to stifle her mirth at their antics. But her little fingers couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping.

“I taught Aunt Verity everything she knows about playing this game, I’ll have you know.” He bent over the ball, lifted back the mallet, and swung. Its wooden head made contact with a loud crack, and the red ball sailed several yards down the alley. Then it took a bad bounce and rolled off into the tall grass.

Helena bit her lip to keep from laughing, but Alice’s giggles poured freely from her now at his expense. Her little shoulders shook, and she nearly danced around her mallet in excitement.

“I’m giving you both a false sense of security.” He rested the mallet on his shoulder and grimaced at his ball’s bad placement. “I’ll catch up.”

“One,” Helena reminded him as she counted his swing, placed her ball at the starting pin, and hit it smartly straight down the alley. It rolled to rest about ten yards away, in perfect position for the next swing. She smiled smugly.

Gabe knew better than to say anything.

Alice bounced forward to take her turn. She carefully placed her yellow ball at her feet and bit her bottom lip in concentration, then slowly drew back the mallet and swung. Her ball bounced away.

Before it had even stopped, she had grabbed Gabe’s hand and was tugging him forward. “Hurry, Papa!”

His chest warmed as he allowed her to lead him down the alley.

In the past two weeks, the little girl had transformed. Oh, she still sneaked out of the nursery whenever Nanny’s back was turned—some things would never change. But Gabe couldn’t remember her laughing and smiling so much before, and certainly not around him. She used to hide from him before; now, she sought him out, and both enjoyed their time together.

He hated to admit that Helena’s Rules of Engagement were proving not so bad after all.

Alice let go of his hand to line up her mallet next to her ball. She lowered her head to concentrate and announced to the ball, “Two.” She swung, and the ball sailed forward several more yards. She jumped up and down like a spring. “Two! Two! Two!”

Gabe bit down a smile and stepped into the tall grass after his own ball. It had lodged itself into a dip, and it took him several taps with the mallet to free it and position it back onto the smooth packed dirt of the alley.

“Three, four, five, six…” Helena counted his taps as swings as she glided past down the alley in pursuit of her own ball. “Maybe Alice can give you lessons.”

His mouth twisted. “Maybeyoucan go—” But it was his gut that twisted when she turned halfway around in mid-flounce and sent him a beaming smile that lit her entire face. Dear God, she was beautiful. So alive and vivacious, so utterly desirable… The negative comment he’d been about to unleash vanished on his tongue, and his mind swam with all kinds of sporting ideas that were decidedly more indecent.Maybe you can sneak off into the stables with me and let me lay you down on a pile of hay, slip your skirt up your legs, and bury myself deep between—

A suppressed laugh rumbled from Alice at something Helena whispered into her ear. Then she crept forward as slyly as a four-year old could—but looking for all the world like a pantomime villain—until she stood next to her ball. She paused, then nudged it forward with her foot.

“Did you just kick that ball?” Gabe asked.

Alice’s eyes flared wide at being caught, but Helena deflected all guilt by interjecting, “I didn’t see her do anything.” Even as she talked, Helena kicked her own ball forward. “Did you, Alice?”

The girl gave a fierce shake of her head, and her little lips pulled into a smile at that lie so wide it stretched nearly from ear to ear.

He pointed at Helena’s ball. “You just kicked yours, too.”

“Nonsense.”

“I saw it move.”

“Must have been the wind.” She quickly swung and sent her ball forward, the excuse and action repeated by Alice only a heartbeat later. The two women joined hands in solidarity in their cheating and hurried after their balls.

Gab didn’t let them hear his laugh as he followed after, swinging the wooden mallet in a half-circle and letting a warm happiness settle over him. He didn’t care how long it took themto complete the game or if it took twice as many swings as it should have to put their balls through the metal hoop. The day was warm, the soft breeze rustled gently through the leaves of the large chestnut trees, the sun cast the entire lawn in a golden glow…