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“He doesn’t play much now,” Elsie said, catching my gaze, “but the family always kept its membership at Troop’s. When the team discovered Xavier was available, naturally, they asked him if he could step in. Look, dearie, there’s Daddy.”
She pointed out Xavier to Sofia, who briefly looked up from the coloring book she was working on, then dove back into making sure Elsa’s dress was pink instead of blue.
Considering the prestige that obviously went into membership at Troop’s, I had a feeling the invitation had more to do with the sort of networking Xavier was trying to accomplish with these fellow equestrians (and they with him) than any sort of legitimate skill he might have.
That was until I saw him play.
I knew nothing about polo, but even I could see Xavier had some talent. He was obviously at ease on the horse, and it was a treat to watch the way the muscles moved in his thighs as he squeezed the saddle or the way his biceps and back rippled whenever he struck the ball with his mallet.
I could have watched him for hours.
“Did I miss anything?”
We all sidled over when Jagger appeared dressed neatly in slacks and a sports jacket that had to be hot on this August day. It was reasonably cool out here under the trees but still warm enough to make everyone glow a bit.
“Hello, love,” he said, leaning over to deliver a kiss to my cheek before taking a seat on Elsie’s other side. “You look a treat. Oh, God, she’s here?”
We all followed his gaze to the far end of the pitch, where Imogene Douglas was stepping onto the grass. She looked tall and willowy in a pale blue summer dress, her blonde hair dangling down her back, tied back on one side with a fascinator that barely passed as a hat but complemented a pair of large white sunglasses. She was as bright as I was dark, tall and chic while I was homely and small. Kid gloves or not, I simply couldn’t compete.
“I bet she doesn’t get hangovers,” I mumbled to myself. My head wasn’t pounding so badly as this morning, but sunglasses were still a necessity.
“Well, of course, she’s here,” Elsie chided Jagger. “The Douglases are members too, aren’t they? Frederick played for Eton, same as the boy. They never miss the Troop’s Cup. Now, don’t be salty because she turned you down years ago.”
“Aw, you had a thing for Imogene?” I teased Jagger lightly. “What happened, didn’t quite add up to a Cinderella story for you, Jag?”
He did not seem to find it funny. “Never did. Past tense.” He shrugged. “It was ages ago, but it wouldn’t have worked anyway. Hard to have a relationship with someone who’s in love with your best mate—oof, Els, what the fu—”
Sofia jerked up with her foxlike hearing for profanity.
“Christ, Els,” Jagger gasped, doubled over upon receiving a hard elbow from Elsie. “What was that for?”
“For not thinking before you speak,” she said primly. “There are children present.”
“It’s all right,” I said, although Jagger’s statement had sent butterflies whizzing around my belly. He only had one best friend, right? “I assume you mean Xavi. I didn’t know he and Imogene were ever involved.”
For some reason, that almost hurt more than discovering he was a duke.
“It was a little crush,” Elsie assured me. “On her part, not his. Lasted only a second or two, after her sister died.”
“If by a second you mean twelve bloody years,” Jagger joked, even as he dodged another smack from Elsie. “Come on, she’s bound to know. She was up there in Kendal with them.” He looked at me knowingly. “Rupert and Henry wanted them to get married, so Xavier promised Lucy he would to spite them and make sure Lucy inherited her share even though she was sick.”
I nodded. That didn’t sound so bad. Typical Xavier, if I was being honest. And it was so long ago, I likely didn’t have to be concerned.
“Imogene, though, never gave up,” Jagger continued, checking to make sure Sofia was focused on her coloring. “She pops into the restaurants sometimes, looking for us. Waits for hours for him to show up. I don’t mind telling you, she wasn’t very happy when he stayed in New York all that time for you and Sofia.” He leaned back to look at me. “You telling me you didn’t notice the way she follows him around? Calls him ‘Kip?’ Drapes herself all over him like he’s a piece of furniture?”
He was trying to make light of it, like Imogene was no more intimidating than a silly schoolgirl with a crush on a football player. I continued to smile like nothing about that bothered me, but the effect was starting to become painful.
“So…did anything ever happen?” I couldn’t help but wonder.
“Never,” Elsie assured me with a dirty look Jagger’s way. “Their families have always been close, and she’s fond of him. But there’s nothing more to it than that. This one’s only got a grudge because she threw him over.”
“I’m no one’s second choice,” Jagger said evenly. “And when a girl uses me to get to my mate, you could say it’s a deal breaker.”
After receiving another death glare from Elsie, he didn’t offer any more details. But I didn’t need them anyway. I was too busy watching Imogene lean over the fencing as Xavier rode up and greeted her. They did nothing more than chat, but there was something in the way Imogene was laughing, the way she tittered like a bird whenever he spoke, or how she tossed her head back, giving him a view down the front of her dress. Elegant, always. Never suspect. But it reminded me very much of the cheerleaders in high school who would flirt with the football players during practice. Pressing their limits just because they could. And because they wanted to show them other things under the bleachers later.
“You see?” Elsie said, following my gaze as Xavier rejoined his team on the pitch. “Just family friends.”
“Yes,” I said as I watched Imogene’s gaze, which hadn’t moved from Xavier, no matter how far he rode. “Yes, I see.”
