Page 19 of Scandalized by My Prince
Chapter8
Killian satdown in the chair opposite of Aubriella. He’d taken his time coming to their room, and she’d not been sure how to handle the situation. This wasn’t any kind of normal, and her nerves were frayed down to the thinnest edge. She debated whether she should be honest with him. The devious approach never quite worked out the way it had been imagined. Drugging him would be the cowardly way out. She still wasn’t against doing it if it saved his life, but she would avoid it if shecould.
“What game is this?” He gestured toward the cards on the table. “It seemsfamiliar.”
Aubriella picked up the cards and shuffled them. That game had gone nowhere and she had a choice. Either start a new one or invite him to play a game of a different sort. “That was something known as Solitaire,” she told him. “Though you might know it by another name, it’s similar to Patience. Have you played thatbefore?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t played,” he said. “I have heard of it before though. Will you teach ittome?”
“It’s not a two-person game. Wouldn’t you rather play a game we both can be involved in?” She met his gaze. “I can always teach you this oneanothertime.”
She had an idea of a few they could become involved in. If this were modern times, strip poker might even be an option. It amused her to imagine what his face might look like if she suggested such athing.
“What do you haveinmind?”
“I think that if you’re willing,” she said. “We can do something a bit morechallenging.”
“Explain,” he demanded. “And don’t leave anydetailsout.”
Aubriella shuffled the cards and considered her next words. She set the deck in the middle of the table and rapped her knuckles on them. “Are you abettingman?”
“Depends on the odds,” he replied. “And thestakes.”
She grinned. A lot was on the line and she was willing to lay herself bare to win. “Let’s play a good ole’ game of war. Have you playedbefore?”
“Aye,” he said. “I’m familiar with how it works. What are webettingon?”
This was where she had to be careful. She didn’t mind losing in general, but not when his life was the thing she’d be forced to relinquish. “We’ll divide the cards up in the usual manner. For every hand each of us wins, we have to answer a question from the otherperson.”
He frowned. “Even if we don’t like what theansweris?”
This was the difficult part. She kept her secrets close to the chest, and he did the same. He was hiding something regarding his family, and her curious nature wanted to uncover every last one of them. Killian didn’t believe her regardingherfamily. If he asked about them, she’d be forced to tell thetruth.
“Especially then,” she agreed. “This is the one chance we’ll have to find what we seek. Do you think you canhandleit?”
“Aye,” he said. “But that’s not a bet in the traditional sense. Usually the one that wins gains a boon attheend.”
“By all means,” she agreed. “We can’t negate that aspect. At the end of the game, the victor wins the spoils. Whoever wins can demand something from the other person, and they have tocomply.”
Shehad to win. This was her one chance to keep him with her. He might not like it, but he would do it. His honor wouldn’t allow him to do anything different. She didn’t quite understand why he was so insistent to attend the gathering in Manchester anyway. He didn’t exactly have a horse in thisparticularrace.
“Deal,” he said. “Let’s see where thisleadsus.”
Aubriella divided the deck of cards up evenly between them. There was potentially twenty-six questions she would have to answer. That was the worst-case scenario though. The odds of her losing each round were slim. After she set the last card down she picked up her stack of cards and then glanced up at him. “Are youready?”
He nodded. “Flip your firstcardover.”
They simultaneously flipped their cards over. He had a ten and hers was a three. She gulped down a lump in her throat. Would she be able to handle his question and answer it as truthfully asshe’dlike?
“What’s your first question?” she asked as he swiped the card over to his side of the table. “Make it agoodone.”
He grinned. “I’ll go easy on you with thefirstone.”
“No need to,” she replied. “I was aware of the stakes when we beganthisgame.”
Secretly she hoped he would go easy on her though. She didn’t want to see the light go out in his eyes if she had to tell him she was a time traveler. He’d probably notbelieveher.
“Tell me why you were really on my lands,” hedemanded.
