Lady Meridith’s expression didn’t change. She remained as stoic as the moment he’d met her minutes ago. Drake couldn’t say if he was the reason she didn’t want to play croquet or if, like him, she simply didn’t want to be at a garden party today. Either way, they were both here, and Drake always tried to make the best out of every situation. Life was too short, too fickle, not to be happy. When he saw someone not having fun, he tried to change it, so they were at least smiling.
A servant, who was also carrying a notepad and pencil, clearly to keep score, held up a large coin. ‘Heads or tails, Your Grace?’ the man asked.
‘Drake,’ Chesterfield said, ‘you choose.’
Drake turned to Meridith. ‘What do you think, my lady? Heads or tails?’
She gave him a slight one-shouldered shrug.
He leaned closer and whispered, ‘That coin is heads up in his hand, which gives it a 51 percent chance of landing heads up. Tails has a 49 percent chance of landing tails up.’ He’d discovered that years ago.
Her eyes widened slightly.
He grinned at finally having got a reaction, albeit a small one, out of her. ‘A 2 percent chance isn’t much, but it’s there. What do you think? Heads?’
She nodded.
‘Good,’ he whispered, ‘I like those odds. Furthermore, heads are heads and, well, tails are tails.’
She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
He chuckled and turned to the servant. ‘Heads.’
The servant flipped the coin into the air with his thumb, and they all watched as it twisted and twirled before landing on the ground, heads up.
‘Look at that,’ Drake said to Meridith, ‘we’re already winning.’
She frowned and shook her head, but he noticed that there was a hint of a smile on her lips. It might take him the entire game, but he’d have Lady Meridith truly smiling—if not laughing—by the end of it.
He took the black mallet from the servant and held out the blue one to Meridith. ‘Ladies first,’ he said.
She took the mallet and walked up to where the blue, red, black, and yellow balls were lined up on the grass. Herdisinterest was again visible when she took a stance and haphazardly hit the blue ball.
It rolled a short distance before coming to a stop, but he still clapped as if it had already sped through the first hoop. ‘Great shot!’ he shouted. ‘Great shot!’
He took the way that Meridith’s cheeks turned slightly pink as a sign that he would achieve his goal, whether they lost the game or not. She reminded him of a little turtle, peering out from beneath her shell, and he wanted to see her with her head completely out, and happy about it.
Alena shot the red ball next, and it rolled several yards beyond Meridith’s. Keeping up his enthusiasm, Drake clapped again. ‘Good shot! Good shot.’
He was next and took his stance, making a show of planting his feet in the right place before he smacked the black ball with the mallet. It rolled well past both of the other balls, stopping in line of the hoop, setting up his next shot.
The others clapped, and he gave a nod of acknowledgement while stepping aside for Chesterfield to hit the yellow ball. The duke struck the ball, and it rolled a goodly amount, but stopped shy of Drake’s black ball.
While clapping, Drake said, ‘Nice shot.’ He then turned to Meridith. ‘Your turn, Merry Girl.’
Her expression was emotionless, yet she quietly said, ‘Meridith.’
Walking beside her towards her blue ball, he whispered, ‘Meridith, got it. Just so you know, you don’t have to let them win just because they are the duke and duchess, nor because he’s your brother. Go ahead and give that ball a good old whack. One that will send it flying. Show them what you’re made of.’
She turned her head to stare at him with a hint of surprise in her blue eyes.
Giving her a nod, he whispered, ‘It’s no fun if you plan on losing right from the start. You’ve got to live a little. Take control.’
He liked the way her gaze turned thoughtful as she moved towards the ball.
This time, the way she planted her feet on the ground was more purposeful, as was the way she smacked the ball. It rolled forward with intense speed and knocked into Alena’s.
‘Croquet!’ Drake shouted. ‘Good shot, partner!’
