“Nothing of consequence. You know how he is.”
“Indeed. Now, what are we going to do about Hugh?”
*
Adele was surprisedwhen Smith moved his knight and put her king in danger.
“I thought you didn’t know how to play chess,” she said.
“I must have in my previous life. That knowledge seems to be rattling around in my head.”
It had been like this for the last day and a half. Little dribbles of knowledge and skill seemed to be emerging from whateverveil kept them hidden from Smith, although he still could not recall his name or where he came from. Today, they’d been playing games to see what he could recall. He remembered the rules of whist but had lost several games to Adele. He’d been able to explain gambling strategies for a few card games of chance to Adele, which allowed her to picture him in a room full of cigar smoke playing cards with the men of theton.
The first new set of clothes from the tailor had arrived that day as well. The new clothes fit Mr. Smith much better than the earl’s clothes had; those clothes had been rather tight and had not left much to the imagination. Adele had found herself avoiding looking at him as much as possible, lest her gaze settle on his powerful thighs, his shapely calves, the curve of his behind, his… well. He seemed oblivious to her attentions, but spending time with him was a challenge. She knew he needed her help, but sometimes it was all she could do not to dissolve into girlish giggles, because she found him easy to talk to and exceedingly handsome.
The countess was still pretending he did not exist, unwilling to leave her room or have visitors aside from Adele despite authorizing the purchase of clothing for him. She may not have understood that he was likely a nobleman and not just some ruffian brought in off the street, but Adele found herself wondering at the countess’s motives.
After all, Smith’s manners—which he seemed unaware he was even exhibiting and were likely something drilled into him from a very young age—were impeccable most of the time, and he seemed to innately understand his place in the world, which indicated to Adele that he was no matrimonial prospect for her.
She hadn’t exaggerated when she’d told him a few days before that she doubted she’d ever marry because that was not in the hand of cards life had dealt her. She’d been destined to love once and never again. But every now and then shefancied meeting some country gentleman and settling down in the relative obscurity of a modest house far from London. She wanted a child, sometimes so badly she could feel it in her belly, but she did not think she’d ever have one, so she had to be content with her lot in life. But Smith’s presence was dangerous because it was inspiring hope in her once again.
She moved her king out of danger now.
Smith eyed her for a long moment and then concentrated on the board. He moved his bishop. “Checkmate,” he said.
He was right. Moving her king had left her queen vulnerable. She laughed. “So that’s something you remember.”
“Apparently so.” He leaned back from the table. “Is this how gentlemen spend their leisure time?”
“I suppose so. I don’t rightfully know. That is, men spend time at their clubs. I am not permitted to know what happens at those clubs, but I always reasoned it was drinking and cards. Perhaps smoking cigars. Or men go to balls or pay social calls to women they fancy or ride horses or any number of things.”
Smith nodded. “Do you think I am married?”
“You do not wear a ring, so I do not believe so, but I suppose anything is possible.”
Smith looked at his hands. He turned them over a few times. “I think I normally do wear a ring. Perhaps it was stolen by whoever hit me on the head.”
That simple fact should not have been disappointing, and yet Adele felt her heart sink to her stomach.
He continued to study at his hands. “A heavy ring, I think. With a… some kind of insignia on it. And a red stone. A… a ruby.”
“That sounds like a signet ring,” said Adele, feeling a certain amount of relief. Smith was really not husband material, and yet the more time they spent together, the more she wanted him to kiss her. Which was ridiculous. She shrugged her shouldersand said, “A ring like that might signify that you descend from an important family. It might have a family symbol or a coat of arms imprinted on it.”
“Yes, that seems correct.”
Inspiration struck. “Can you remember anything about the coat of arms? That may narrow down which family you come from.”
He closed his eyes for a long moment. “I see… a knight holding a shield divided into four sections.”
“Yes, excellent.” Nearly every coat of arms appeared that way. “What else?”
“The shield has… two animals. A lion is one.”
Adele bit her lip. A lion appeared on nearly every ducal coat of arms.
“And the other is a… pig. No. A boar.” He opened his eyes. “Is that helpful?”
“Yes, I believe so. I think it is actually quite unusual for two animals to be on your coat of arms. The lion might indicate you are a relation to the King, or it could just be a coincidence. The boar is interesting to me, though. I don’t know which family uses a boar as their symbol, but that should be something I could find easily. I will ask the countess if she knows, and if not, I will check in with the bookseller at my favorite bookshop on the morrow. He knows more about the history of the peerage than anyone I know. And if he does not know, he may have a book in which I could look it up.”
