Page 38 of An Earl Unmasked
“How blind I have been!” Diana’s hands balled into fists.
“I don’t understand.” Minerva frowned. “I thought you were beginning to form an attachment to Chestwick?”
Her sister, as usual, was correct. She had let her fascination with Randal’s image influence her interactions with the man in the flesh. To fancy a man she had only met a few days ago was insanity, and to believe she was in love was preposterous. She was the one who had lost her wits, not Minerva. Diana stared at her sister. She wanted to be like Minerva, bold and daring, to be the master of her own destiny. Randal’s papa must have written to Randal and disclosed all her preferences, which would be why he had been able to disarm her defenses. Or had Randall’s papa secretly brought them together?
Pushing her confused thoughts from her mind, Diana looked her sister squarely in the eyes. “Mansville will continue to be a nuisance until you marry.”
“I concur.” Minerva stared at the tips of her toes that peeked out from beneath her skirts. “I need just a little more time.”
“You have a plan to bring Drake to heel?”
Minerva mumbled, “I wish for a husband who wants to marry me and not enter wedlock out of trickery.”
Diana stared at her sister. “I want the same.” Her shoulders relaxed.
Thundering male voices wafted into the room. In addition to the deep baritones of Chestwick and her brothers, Diana recognized the voices of Drake and Cunningham. It was no surprise to Diana that the pair had also arrived. The servants were notorious for gossiping amongst the four households.
One by one, the scowling gentlemen waltzed past the butler, who held the door open for them. None of them even glanced at Minerva or Diana. Each marched across the room with determination toward the awaiting chessboard.
Randal was the first to utter a sound.Randal.His name bobbled about in her head. She should really refer to him as Lord Chestwick or by his title, at the very least, and not his given name, even if he had given her permission. It was too intimate, and if Minera lost the game, Randal would be her brother-in-law. With a mental nod, Diana resolved to refer to the man as Chestwick.
Chin pointed in the direction of the chessboard, Chestwick said, “Study the pieces again Mansville. As I explained, it is not only possible but most likely that Lady Minerva’s stratagem is to lure me into believing I’m winning when in fact she is establishing her pieces to win in the least number of moves given my last counter move.”
Chestwick’s severe, serious gaze never wavered from the board. It was obvious that he was not at all happy at the turn of events. He was probably cursing her for embroiling him in the convoluted mess her family had created for themselves.
Mansville sat in the chair Minerva had occupied and then got up to sit in Randal’s chair.Blast. Chestwick, not Randal. How was she to distance her heart if she couldn’t even manage to do so mentally? After a long moment, Manville glanced at Minerva and then back to Randal.
“Lord Chestwick, for once, the gossip mill is correct. You are a brilliant strategist.” He stood and moved to face her brother. “Lord Kent, I offer my apologies for rudely interrupting the game. I shall agree to remain an impartial witness going forward.”
“Your apology is misdirected.” Kent’s response was issued in a clipped tone that he rarely used. Instead of issuing another apology to Minerva, Mansville slid back into the chair he’d vacated earlier and idly crossed his legs.
Why didn’t one of the men simply throw the jackal out?
Diana stared at Randal, waiting for him to dispense with the devil. Instead, he approached them, and winged his arm for Minerva.
Chestwick escorted her sister the short distance back to the game. The stone set of his face and the determined set of his shoulders led Diana to believe whatever the discussion that had transpired in the study—Chestwick was ready to be rid of her and her family.
Chapter Twenty-One
After two hoursof sitting in the same chair, Randal rubbed his head in frustration. He wasn’t accustomed to remaining idle for such long periods. Wishing the chess game to be done, Randal glanced at the crestfallen woman seated across from him. He waited for Lady Minerva to evaluate the few remaining pieces on the board and to determine their fate. Mansville’s mean-spirited remarks and Tierney’s lecherous looks had Minerva constantly glancing nervously at her brother Kent, whose watchful gaze did nothing to bolster his sister’s confidence.
Minerva was no longer the self-confident, spirited lady he’d come to know. Why men felt the need to belittle or undermine the strength of a woman, he would never come to understand. It wasn’t pity that caused a horrid caustic feeling to settle in his lower stomach. It was his empathetic tendencies. He’d gone off to battle, hoping the propensity to feel what others felt would dissipate in the face of mass death and destruction. He had been wrong. The war had only heightened the predisposition, which reinforced his need to remain and assist in winning the war, so his men could return home to their families. The bitter taste of leaving a task incomplete remained at the back of Randal’s throat.
For the hundredth time, Drake tugged at his cravat, drawing both Randal and Minerva’s attention. Minerva scowled at Drake while Randal took advantage of the opportunity to gaze upon the woman who he couldn’t banish from his thoughts. He should be concentrating entirely on the game before him, given the stakes, but the magnetic pull had him glancing at Diana every chance he could, only to be disappointed to find her studying the game board and not him. It was incredulous to want a woman so completely after spending a few days in her company.
Minerva reached for her queen, and Drake coughed, drawing everyone’s attention this time.
“I hope you aren’t falling ill Lord Drake,” Minerva said as she picked up the piece and twirled it between her fingers. “Summer colds are the worst.” The chill in Minerva’s voice almost had Randal rubbing his arms.
“Ahh, and the Ice Queen finally reemerges.” Mansville’s quip received glares from all, especially from Drake.
Kent stood and barked, “Refer to my sister as the Ice Queen once more, and I’ll see you at dawn.”
Minerva turned to her brother. “Benedict, no. Please don’t.” She quickly placed her queen next to Randal’s pawn.
Randal did a double take at the board and the pieces. What was Minerva doing? Under the watchful gaze of Mansville, he had carefully planned each move, allowing Minerva at least two viable options to either win or cease the game in a tie. However, it was not easy to disguise every move, ensuring Mansville would have no cause to call into question his strategy or gameplay. And at various stages of the game, it appeared that Minerva may indeed win, but she, too, would leave at least a variety of options for him to reposition himself into a neutral position. He glanced at the board and again stared in disbelief. Minerva was about to lose.
When he looked back up at his opponent, Minerva’s attention was trained upon Drake. The man’s gaze flickered to the board. Jaw clenched, Drake pinned Minerva with a glare for a few seconds before he dipped his head to whisper in Diana’s ear.
