“Because they mean faithfulness and consistency, and these are qualities which you embody but which you also seek.” His eyes were serious as he said it.
“I am surprised you did not opt for ivy in that case — after all it means fidelity,” she replied sweetly.
“Would you believe such a claim from a rake?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
The question caught Charlotte off guard. “I suppose not.”
“Exactly,” Dominic continued. “Besides, ivy is not the right flower for you.”
“I suppose you are going to say thistle or some such thing.” She hugged her arms around her.
“That would be the obvious choice. You are certainly prickly enough. Ow!” he yelped as she swatted at him.
“You deserved it,” Charlotte said, unrepentantly. “What flower would you give me?”
“Honestly? I would send you love-in-a-mist because you puzzle me. And then I would add morning glory, so you would know I mean it affectionately,” Dominic said.
Charlotte looked at him, a fluttering sensation in her stomach. She surveyed him for a moment, struggling to think of something to say. “You know, you might save yourself some trouble if you just asked me what my favourite flower was.”
“And where would the fun be in that?” Dominic winked at her.
“You are incorrigible.” She smiled at him.
“And what, dear Precious Plum, would you give me?” Dominic asked.
“Something puzzling, Sweetkins,” Charlotte replied and walked off, calling over her shoulder.
Charlotte smiled to herself and saw Lady Andrea and a few others gathered ahead of them. It was time to put games aside and win the next challenge.
Dominic caught up to her, and together, they approached the next obstacle on the map, and Charlotte suddenly understood why. Before them was a small, shallow trench. She suspected it would usually be a flower bed, but instead, it had been turned into something of a mud pit.
At one end of the pit was a starting line, and the other end was the finish line. No one had yet ventured into the muddy mess, and Charlotte understood their reluctance.I wish I had worn my older riding habit.
“I will understand if you do not want to do this,” Dominic murmured. “But I have come too far to give up now.”
Dominic strode into the pit with two wet sounding footsteps and grimaced before turning back to Charlotte and calling, “It really is rather lovely; care to join me, Precious Plum?”
“Of course, Sweetkins,” Charlotte called back.I can cope with a little dirt.
She took a steadying breath and walked into the mud. She sunk with a squelch and winced. Stepmother will be furious; these riding boots are practically new.
“Trust Grandmother to come up with something like this,” Dominic grumbled beside her. “Still, I am glad you joined me. With any luck, we’ll manage to get to the end unscathed.”
“How could I resist joining you? In truth, this is not so awful as I imagined,” Charlotte replied, taking another step.
She glanced around them and saw Lady Andrea holding two sticks, clearly trying to compare the height of them.
Their eyes met, and then Lady Andrea stepped into the mud pit, using the sticks for balance, a determined expression on her face.
“Drat, I wish I had thought of that. If we hurry up, we can probably stay far ahead of her.”
“She is still moving slowly, even with her aids. I doubt she will risk falling,” Dominic said.
“Well, we do not need to move as slow as snails. If I just move my foot like this and then like that, yes, I think I can move faster.” Charlotte experimented with her foot positions, trying to ignore the unpleasant sloshing around her foot.Just focus on winning.
“Be careful,” Dominic cautioned as he slipped beside her, almost losing his footing.
“Do not worry, I will be fine.” She waved his concerns away as she took another step and then another, feeling more confident with each movement. “See? It is easy once you get the hang of… AAHH!”
