Page 16 of The Best-Laid Plans

“Grand,” Daria answered quickly.

Charlie smiled at her, apparently pleased to have not bested her. Daria, blushing more than a little, turned her attention to Newton, who sat at her right. “When, sir, do you think is the best time to pose a difficult question?”

“Now.” He turned to Ellie with a grin. She, diverting lady that she was, made a show of being nervous. “Pray, Miss Ellie, how do you fare this evening?”

With an arching of her eyebrow, she said, “Fair.” Excellent wordplay.

She turned to her sister, the next to receive a question. “Which dance do you dance best?”

Lillian’s eyes darted about as she thought. She needed a few moments but managed an answer relatively quickly. “Reel.”

As Lillian turned to Tobias to pose her question, Ellie leaned toward Newton. “I was so hoping she would stumble on waltz first and blurt that out before she could stop herself.”

The waltz was quite new and, as it was danced with the gentleman’s arm wrapped rather intimately around the lady’s middle, was considered scandalous. Newton came surprisingly close to laughing, something he seldom did in company.

By the time the game had wound its way back to Newton, Daria had been eliminated.

Newton knew the perfect question to pose to Ellie. “Which dance would you be most likely to offer to teach a stranger?”

Charlie and Artemis laughed out loud. Ellie grinned. He had caught her in the very trap she’d set for her sister. This time, though, she could not give “reel” as an answer; that answer had already been used.

She, however, was not the least rattled. “None.”

Oh, she was clever.

Ellie turned to Lillian. “Which of the Jonquil brothers is the most handsome?”

Newton pressed his lips closed to hold back a grin. None of the brothers had a one-syllable name, and Lillian could not answer “None,” as Ellie had already used that response. “All” would be a workable answer, but Lillian would likely worry that she would give offense to Charlie. The answers were not meant to be necessarily correct, simply possible. And, of course, quite short.

Lillian’s expression turned quickly from ponderous to frustrated and defensive. “That is an unfair question. It cannot be answered, as you are well aware.”

“I believe you have exceeded the syllable limit.” Ellie’s tone was merry but not mocking.

Her sister only grew more upset.

Charlie jumped to the rescue. “You can rejoin in the next round,” he said kindly. “Perhaps we’ll ask questions in the other direction, and you can ask a question your sister cannot answer.”

Despite having been offered a means of keeping her dignity intact, Lillian simply sat in unhappy silence.

One by one, everyone was eliminated except for Newton and Ellie. For the first time,sheposed a question tohim.“If you hadn’t a rose near to hand, which flower would you offer a young lady?”

A one-syllable flower. But not a rose. He could think of any number of plants, even flowering trees, but no true flowers. He could not say “None” or “All,” both having been used already.

Ellie watched him with dancing, happy eyes. She was so clearly enjoying herself. This glimpse of therealEllie was delightful. Utterly so.

If he hadn’t roses near to hand, which flower would he offer her?

“Whichever flower she prefers.”

Though the answer lost him the game, it gained him a sweet and appreciative smile, one he hoped to see again.

The evening continued on, and the group played game after game of short answer. The undertaking was filled with laughter and teasing, clever questions, and equally clever answers. Only once was Newton able to outwit Ellie, while she caught him out twice. More impressive still, she managed once to confound Charlie, and Newton had never met that man’s intellectual equal.

The more he learned of Ellie Napper, the more he liked her.

Chapter Seven

“While I hate to admitthat Artemis is correct about anything,” Charlie said, “her strategy for today is bang on. We’d do best to stick to it.”

---