An Improper Lady (The Powder and Patch Collection) (6 page)

Chapter Nine

Harry and Rosie elected not to join them, retiring instead to the library to play, with fierce sibling rivalry, a game of backgammon. Jack was appointed both referee and scorekeeper. He positioned himself so that he had a clear view of the whole table. He outlined the game to Bella, explaining that a shot was considered a foul if the cue ball did not strike both object balls. Points were deducted for a foul. They agreed that the first person to score twenty points would win each frame.

With a courteous bow, Sir Peregrine allowed her to take the first shot. Bella’s cue barely connected with the ball and stopped several feet short of the object ball. With a rueful laugh, she watched as Jack wrote a negative score against her name. Her competitive spirit did not relish the prospect of a humiliating defeat, even if losing
was
her avowed intention!

Sir Peregrine scored five points in quick succession and then, unaccountably fluffed his cuing action and missed. Jack cast him a questioning glance, but he merely smiled urbanely in response.

Bella’s next shot was tricky and Jack explained the rules. She must keep one foot on the floor at all times, but she could strike any pose as long as that rule was observed. He demonstrated the best way to take the shot in question, rising up onto the tip of one toe while bringing his other knee up onto the table.

“
I am not a contortionist!” Bella remarked caustically, regarding the height of the table with some misgivings.

Sir Peregrine’s lips twitched. “What a pity!” he murmured, when Jack was out of earshot. “It would have made the outcome of this wager even more enticing!”

Surprising herself, as well as her onlookers, Bella managed to hit the cue ball squarely and it obediently kissed first one object ball then the other. In spite of herself, she gave a little crow of delight. Bella, it seemed, had a knack for the game. Although Sir Peregrine won the frame, she ended it with a creditable score of eight points.

The next frame was much closer. The luck was with Bella and, despite his superior skill and deliberation, several of Sir Peregrine shots narrowly missed their mark.

“What are you playing at, Perry?” Jack asked in an urgent undertone. “You could have taken that last point with your eyes closed!”

His friend returned a bland smile, before arching his tall frame low over the table to line up his next shot. He missed the object ball by a hairsbreadth. Watching him with hawk-like suspicion, Bella could not detect anything other than determination in his gaze. Against all the odds, she won the frame by one point.

“The decider, my lady,” Sir Peregrine bowed, and Bella narrowed her eyes.

“
I thought you were a gentleman, Sir Peregrine!” she protested, convinced now that he had deliberately lost the frame.

“
I, on the other hand…” He leaned close again, so that only she could hear. “…have never done you the injustice of thinking you a lady!”

The game descended into farce in the final frame, with both protagonists hell bent on losing and making no attempt to hide their intentions. Jack succumbed to the laughter which had been threatening for some time to engulf him, and placed his head in his hands. He was recalled to his surroundings by a stern reminder from Sir Peregrine that he was responsible for recording the scores.

After an hour, Bella was stamping her foot in temper while Sir Peregrine appeared unruffled. His superior skill was starting to show. While Bella’s wild shots occasionally found their mark, he was able to avoid scoring on every occasion. No matter how hard she tried to lose, Bella found her own score creeping up while Sir Peregrine’s remained comfortably low. Time after time, he placed the object balls so that she could not avoid hitting them.

When, at last, she won the frame and, therefore the game, Bella threw Sir Peregrine a reproachful look and slammed down her cue. In spite of the icy conditions, she stomped out onto the terrace.

Sir Peregrine coolly slipped his jacket back on and, with a rueful look at Jack, followed her. Bella was standing with her back to him, tension quivering through every inch of her slim body. When he placed warm hands on her shoulders she shuddered slightly, but did not attempt to move away. Slowly, he turned her round to face him.

“
You cheated!” Her voice was low and throbbing, and she turned her head away as he bent to kiss her.

“
My lady, you wound me with these cruel words.” He released her and placed a hand on his heart in an old-fashioned, courtly gesture. “You won the game and now, when it is time to pay the agreed forfeit, you insult my honour!”

His tone changed suddenly. “Look at me, Bella.”

It was a command and, instinctively, she obeyed it. The blaze of love in his eyes as he smiled down at her took her breath away.

“
The wager is unimportant, except as a reminder of my determination. Know this.” He held out his hands and she placed both of hers in them, allowing him to draw her closer. “I love you, and I intend to spend the rest of my life with you at my side. I don’t care what your past has been, my only interest is in
our
future. If I wanted a prim and proper lady, I would have found myself one these many years past! But I find that only an improper lady will do for me, and I abhor primness! And, my darling…” She smiled slightly at the endearment. “Until you are my wife, I will
never
give up trying to win you. Throwing a game of billiards is nothing in comparison to what I am prepared to do! I will lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes…”

Bella’s minx-like smile lit her face. “I cannot have your descent into a life of crime on my conscience! If it is
truly
what you wish, I will marry you tomorrow, Perry.” She was rudely interrupted as his lips swooped down on hers in a bruising kiss.

It was some considerable time later before she was able to speak again. “Now, may we
please
go to bed?” she asked plaintively.

And Sir Peregrine, ever obliging, swept her into his arms and carried her up to his bedchamber.