Page 49 of A Duchess for his Family

Sophia looked wounded. “Amelia.”

“You are very patient,” Amelia explained. “But Uncle Benedict is accustomed to being obeyed.”

Nathaniel added another coin. “I choose Benedict. Pride is always vulnerable when contradicted by a pretty woman.”

Silence fell. Sophia’s cheeks colored. Benedict’s hand tightened imperceptibly at her waist.

Nathaniel smiled. “How interesting. Shall we reduce the time?”

“There will be no wager,” Benedict told them.

Marjorie hurried to the table and placed a ribbon beside the coins. “I have no money.”

“That is fortunate, as you are eight.”

“The ribbon is worth something.”

“To whom?”

“To me.”

Amelia removed a small sugared almond from the tea tray and added it solemnly to the collection.

Nathaniel surveyed the stakes. “A coin, a ribbon, and one almond. This has become serious.”

“I wager upon myself,” Sophia announced.

Benedict looked at her. “You believe you will lose your patience first?”

“I believe I shall remain patient longer than you.”

Marjorie clapped her hands. “Miss Norton chooses Uncle Benedict.”

Sophia frowned. “I did not.”

“You said he would lose first.”

“That is choosing him to lose,” Amelia explained.

Nathaniel arranged the stakes into two neat piles. “An excellent distinction. We shall require official rules.”

“We shall require no such thing,” Benedict sighed, raking his fingers through his hair.

No one listened. Nathaniel pointed to the first pile. “For Benedict: Marjorie’s ribbon, my silver coin, and Miss Norton’s pride.”

“My pride is not a wager,” Sophia objected.

“It has been involved since the lesson began.”

“And for Sophia,” Nathaniel continued, “Amelia’s almond and my second coin.”

“Why does she receive less?” Marjorie demanded.

“Because the odds favor her.”

Benedict drew Sophia back into position. “Again.”

She stared at him. “You cannot possibly mean to continue.”