Page 50 of Wit, Wiles and Courtship

“It is nothing,” she said, thinking that she should pull her hand out of his but finding it difficult. Tilly stepped closer, sending her gaze from Camilla to Pembroke.

“I came to see if you wished to come with us, Camilla. Or are you going with Pembroke?”

“She is coming with me,” he said over his shoulder, still looking at the tiny cut that should not have needed any notice at all.

“I am going with Lady Mary and her husband. And we are bringing Tom and Henry,” she clarified, looking around him to her sister, and at last pulling her hand from his. “If Lord Pembroke has no other group that wishes for his company, he may tag along with ours.”

“We will take you in, Pembroke,” Tilly said.

“You are very kind,” he responded warmly, then furrowed his brows. “But I think I must protect my nephews from your sister’s presence. She is prone to injury, you see, and they might inadvertently be caught in the crosshairs.”

Tilly giggled. “I will tell Sophia and Felix that you are our rivals in that case. I am afraid we will beat you, though, for we are quite determined. And we have Joanna, who will run or scale fences if she has to.”

“We shall see,” Camilla called out, glancing down at the list of items they were to find and casting her mind to recall if she had seen any of them on her way in.

Beechcraft House Scavenger Hunt

1. Naturally formed stone wall

2. The creek where the rapids form

3. Sheep’s pen

4. Old windmill

5. Tallest cedar

6. Root cellar

7. Abandoned tenant’s cottage

8. Apple orchard

9. Gardener’s shed

10. Rose trellis

“I am sorry, Camilla,” Pembroke said again quietly, his tone sincere. “I do not intend to hurt you, I swear it.”

“Hmph.” She attempted to keep her defenses in place, but the focused care he took of her weakened her shield. He showed this much care at Hergest, she reminded herself severely, and then spoke that very same night to Miles about marrying Miss Eubank. Do not believe him.

When she continued to ignore him, he leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. “We do have one advantage.” Why was he doing this to her? She gave up.

“What is it?” she asked without looking up from the paper.

“I once spent a week here with Weatherby, and I know where seven out of the ten things on that list are.”

Now she looked at him, tempted by the advantage he spoke of, but aware it would be cheating to use the knowledge. She screwed up her lips in thought. Unless…

“Very well. But I have one condition.”

“You have a condition?” he asked her with lifted eyebrows. “I could take my proposition to another group, who would be elated by the knowledge I bring.”

“Yes, if they are of the dishonorable sort. And I absolutely forbid you to propose it to Evo because he is. My condition is that we go with your nephews and make the game amusing for them. We help them to find the treasures themselves, and you can only guide them. You cannot tell them outright.”

“But that will slow us down exceedingly,” he protested.

“And even out what you bring from having the special knowledge. I believe, Lord Pembroke, that this is referred to on the racetrack as ‘the handicap?’”