Page 19 of The Earl and Miss Muffet
“And why is that?”
“Because I have never seen you this happy before. I believe this game is very important to your health.”
“Because kissing a married gentleman twice my age is exactly what a doctor prescribes?”
“Well, yes.” He pulled out his timepiece clipped to his vest pocket. “Oh, look, the game begins . . . now.”
Elena squealed and jumped from her seat. She nearly tripped over the little tuffet as she raced to the shelf.
Anton laughed behind her but was equally enthusiastic in his stride to the other end of the shelf. He grabbed books left and right. He opened them and shut them again, before stacking them next to him on the floor. The pile grew higher and higher before Elena had managed to find the one book she thought would be the best for an entertaining text.
“I am worried about your methods.” Anton’s voice was nearly breathless.
Elena laughed. “At least I have a method. You are making a mess of the library.”
“It will be worth it if I can find some needy gentleman who sorely lacks the confidence with the ladies. One generous kiss from you, and he will be skipping his way to matrimony.”
Elena groaned as she shoved another unhelpful book back into place. “Since I will be the winner, I shall find you a sweet girl who has been pining for you since childhood. You will be her white knight.”
“Clearly, you are not acquainted with the neighborhood.”
“Didn’t you hear about the picnic your sister and mother are planning? A few well-placed inquiries with Mary ought to do the trick.”
“Thunder and turf!” Anton growled. He pulled books off the shelf at a greater pace, causing several to tumble to the floor. Interesting. There was at least one girl he was bent on avoiding.
Elena smothered her smile and selected her second book. She only needed something inspiring now. She turned and caught sight of the family Bible, turned on the shelf so its whole cover was facing forward. It was placed on the other side of a book end, giving it a place of distinction. She gasped. It was perfect! It was also on the other side of Anton. She moved behind him, but he deduced what she was moving toward.
“Blast!” he cried.
Strong arms encircled her waist and lifted her out of the way. For a moment, she forgot about their competition—her thoughts consumed by the sensation of being held. Anton released her abruptly and lunged for the Bible. Unfortunately, the stool was in the way and tripped him. Elena blinked away her stupor and sidestepped him. She managed to secure the Bible before he could get up.
Anton laughed from the floor. “You win this round.”
“I intend to win them all,” Elena said, darting to her seat with her three specially chosen books.
Anton groaned and hurried to finish selecting his items. “Just six minutes left.”
“You’re joking!” Elena thumbed through the Bible first, searching for the right verse to share. Her heart raced from the thrill of the competition. Anton took his seat with an armful, and Elena shook her head. There was no doubt now that she would win. She had the advantage of an extra minute and less books to search through.
The last minutes ticked by, and Anton finally called the time.
“All right. Should we start with boring?”
Elena put her hands to her temple. “This was much harder than I thought it would be. I needed a good half hour.”
“Ha! I needed a good three days.”
She held up her first book as if it were a great trophy. “For my boring text, I selected the dictionary. I have never met an individual who has ever read it all the way through.”
“Very good,” Anton said, impressed. He held up his book. “But I think many would find a dictionary interesting should they have the need for a word. My text contains the words boring, tedious, and dreary all on the same page. There is absolutely no room for argument here.”
Elena shook her head. “Very well, I concede you outdid me. Shall we move to diverting passages? I found one fromGulliver’s Travels. “...a wife should be always a reasonable and agreeable companion, because she cannot always be young.”
Anton chuckled. “A good one to be sure. Here is mine, a line from Shakespeare’sTheTempest:He receives comfort like cold oatmeal.”
A laugh bubbled out of Elena. “Is that truly what the line says?”
“It is just here, come see.”
