“What were you thinking?” I asked. The storm he’d brought with him was going to be matched with one of my own. I hadn’t cared for him all night so that he could fall to his death not much more than a week later.
He narrowed his eyes. “I wasn’t thinking. I was doing what needed to be done.” He shoved his glove back over his marred fingers. “I wasn’t going to be left behind in the house while the rest of you enjoyed the morning.” He held the shuttlecock up with a warning. “Now, let’s play, so I can get that key and release Henry.”
My battledore was still on the ground. He served and the shuttlecock flew high and far. I scooped up my battledore, lifted my skirts with my left hand and ran.
12
CAPTAIN JOHN CALDER
Evelyn Blackwell must bethe most stubborn woman to ever hold a battledore. She reached the shuttlecock just before it hit the ground, flicking her wrist and popping the shuttlecock back up into the air. I’d only halfheartedly followed her, certain she was going to lose the game before she even got a chance to hit the shuttlecock once.
Nothing went as it was supposed to with Miss Blackwell. The two of us couldn’t even play shuttlecock and battledore correctly. I still couldn’t believe the woman had locked me in my room. Had she no shame? I dashed forward, caught the shuttlecock even closer to the ground than she had and sent it back into the air a few feet. She’d shadowed my movements, running just behind me, instinctively knowing if she had stayed where she was I would have sent it as far from her as possible, and so it was easy work for Miss Blackwell to reach it this time. I hadn’t tried to do anything but keep it from dropping to the ground.
Which left her with an easy hit, and she took advantage of it. She whipped her battledore forward, sending the shuttlecock as far to my left as her power would let her. She gave it no loft, just strength, leaving me with almost no time to catch up to the blasted thing. We took off running again, but this time I made itwith just enough time to wind up and send the shuttlecock even farther in the same direction. I gave it too much height, though, for she reached it once again.
She sent it in the opposite direction this time, but with just as much force. I pivoted and reached it just in the nick of time. She was right beside me so it didn’t matter which direction I chose. I swung at it with all my might in the direction that was most natural to my arm, and this time I got the most distance with the least amount of altitude. But even with my hardest hit the feathers slowed the shuttlecock enough that I couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t reach it.
She sprinted for it, and I chased it as well. We were both breathing heavily. This was the first time I’d had any real exertion since my illness, and I couldn’t imagine Miss Blackwell making a habit of running around in her garden. Although, it might not take me completely by surprise if she did something similar. Perhaps she and her father made marching a habit in their free time just as they had done with shooting.
She struck the shuttlecock and I braced myself for another mad dash in whatever direction she chose, but instead, she sent it sailing high and almost straight up. I stood still, sucking in breaths that weren’t deep enough. The last thing I should be doing is running around like this, but I’d be sent to the devil before I would allow Miss Blackwell to beat me in this ludicrous game. We stood together for several breaths. I didn’t take my eyes off of the shuttlecock floating its way back down to us, but I could feel her beside me, her breaths as ragged as mine. I needed another moment without running, so I gave her a similarly high and easy shot.
Her chest was still heaving, but her eyes caught mine just as the shuttlecock hit the apex high above our heads. By the fire in those dark eyes of hers, I knew our respite was over. Shethrashed the shuttlecock, sending it to her left as hard as she could. I took off in a sprint once again.
The wind kicked up and the shuttlecock veered right. I barely managed to reach it in time. I struck a defensive shot high in the air again. If she questioned my reasons for not making us run when it was my turn, I would claim chivalry. Not that she would believe me.
A drop of rain landed on my cheek, but I ignored it. Once again she struck the shuttlecock with such force we both ran to catch it.
More droplets landed on us. I caught sounds of surprise and movement coming from the group by the house, and it sounded as though the turn in weather was forcing them back inside.
Hang chivalry. The next time I reached the shuttlecock, I simply tapped it in Miss Blackwell’s direction with no force whatsoever. It didn’t even rise into the air. She’d followed me, but not close enough to get the shuttlecock on its way down from my battledore.
It landed on the ground in an anticlimactic plop. We both stared at it for a moment, the only sounds our harsh breathing and raindrops dropping on the grass beneath our feet. My vision was starting to tunnel, but I forced my eyes up to meet hers. Miss Blackwell stared at me with eyes full of fire and brimstone, her fists on her hips. Several raindrops had landed on her cheek and I was surprised they didn’t hiss and fizzle in the heat of her blatant wrath.
The dark corners of my sight constricted. With a low curse, I bent at the waist, one hand on my knee and the other held out in her direction. “My key, Miss Blackwell,” I managed.
She lifted her chin, remaining upright. Perhaps I was wrong about how winded she was. “I never said I have your key.”
“Well, then.” I straightened, even though my head spun with the movement. I’d done too much too soon after being ill. “Find me someone who does have one, so I can open the door.”
“Of course. No one wants your valet trapped in your room.” She shrugged and turned toward the house. General Blackwell and his guests had already made it inside and those who’d been playing bowls were nearly there as well. Our game had led us farther and farther from the house.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. I stepped forward to follow her, but the darkness that had been hovering around the edges of my eyes intensified and my vision narrowed to just what was right in front of me: Miss Blackwell.
I put a hand out and caught myself on her shoulder. She spun, grabbing my wrist with her hand and throwing it away. I stumbled forward, stopping myself from tumbling down by dropping both hands to my knees.
Miss Blackwell let out a curse I’d only ever heard in the barracks, and despite my rough condition, I barked out a laugh.
“You’re ill,” she said. A statement.
“No,” I shook my head just slightly. Bending over was helping, my vision improved. “Just recovering from being ill.”
She made a rough noise in her throat and crouched down to my level. “I didn’t save you from Walcheren fever only to have you die at my home from exhaustion.”
That was rich, coming from the woman who’d locked me in my room and sent me chasing shuttlecocks. “Then perhaps you should stop exhausting me.”
“I didn’t ask you to climb out of your window.” She glanced up at the sky. It was raining in earnest now. “You could have stayed in your room.”
“And I didn’t ask you to save me that night. If you despise me so much, why did you take care of me at all?”
