“What is she doing?”
“I would think it is fairly obvious,” Bennett replied. “She is stretching.”
Delphine pressed her lips together. “But, why?”
Bennett shrugged. “I don’t rightly know, but she has been doing so since we were little. I should warn you that she is very competitive.”
“That is not the least bit surprising since she is stretching for a game of pall-mall,” Delphine remarked.
Turning his head towards the manor, Bennett said, “But you need to prepare yourself when my brother arrives. A game with Miss Bawden and my brother never ends well.”
“Then why did you arrange this game?”
A boyish grin came to Bennett’s lips. “Oh, I assure you that it is quite entertaining for the rest of us.”
“You are awful,” Delphine murmured.
“Trust me, you are in for a fun-filled afternoon.” Bennett gestured towards a chair. “Would you care to sit while I select a mallet for you?”
Delphine was about to refuse but she had to admit that she was rather tired. Rather than fight Bennett on this, she decided to graciously accept his offer. “Thank you, Benny.”
“Benny?” he repeated. “It almost sounds as if you are calling me a bunny. I thought we decided that we would stick with my given name.”
“We did, but I was just trying something out,” Delphine said.
Bennett’s eyes held amusement as he replied, “I do enjoy how much you are trying, but you must let it come naturally.”
“Like you do?”
“Precisely,” Bennett replied. “Now, do you have a specific color of mallet that you would prefer?”
“I do not,” she replied.
Bennett held her gaze a moment longer than would be considered proper, but she didn’t mind. She rather enjoyed admiring his blue eyes. They held a warmth to them that made her want to linger there.
“Delphine!” Elodie shouted.
Turning her head, she watched as Elodie, Melody and Miss Bawden approached them. They came to a stop in front of her and Elodie gestured towards Miss Bawden. “Lady Dunrobin, may I introduce Miss Bawden, our dear friend.”
Miss Bawden dropped into a curtsy. “My lady.”
Delphine tipped her head in response. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “I have heard that you are rather competitive in pall-mall.”
“It is true, but my lucky blue mallet let me down a few weeks ago,” Miss Bawden shared, holding up the mallet. “Lord Dunsby and I lost to Lord Hilgrove and Edwina by one point.”
“You have a lucky mallet?” Delphine inquired.
Miss Bawden bobbed her head. “I do, but I do not think it is magical anymore.”
Delphine shifted her gaze to Elodie and Melody since she was not quite sure what to make of Miss Bawden. Was she in earnest?
Melody gave her an understanding look. “I assure you that Miss Bawden is not mad, but she is rather serious about pall-mall.”
Before she could respond, Miss Bawden let out a groan. “You didn’t tell me that Lord Winston was playing today.”
Elodie gave her a look filled with innocence. “Didn’t I?” she asked. “That must have slipped my mind.”
Delphine turned her head to see Winston approaching, and by the look on his face, he didn’t seem pleased to see Miss Bawden either.
