Page 37 of The Duke of Ice
Lady Lavinia finished her script this time, glaring down at him. “How dare you waste your kisses on cold iron?”
“Are they wasted if you enjoy them?” he asked archly as he rolled to his side, then clambered to his feet. The other gentlemen snickered, and Nick nearly snorted.
Lady Lavinia blushed, and Simon surveyed the scene with his hands on his hips.
“I think I must try a different strategy.” He knelt beside Miss Kingman. “Is there a rule against this as well?”
She turned her head and started, perhaps realizing how close he was. Too close for propriety’s sake, but these sorts of games pushed the boundaries of acceptability. Which was why they were so entertaining.
“No,” Miss Kingman said. She straightened her spine against the back of the chair and looked forward. “One parting kiss!”
Though he was closer, Simon failed again to put his lips to her cheek, kissing Lady Lavinia’s knuckles instead. Miss Kingman recited the words once more, “One parting kiss!”
He groaned in frustration. “How much longer must I keep this up?”
Miss Kingman turned a haughty gaze toward him, playing her role to perfection. “Until you kiss me.”
“Oh, I’ll kiss you all right.” He looked at her with determination before kneeling beside her once more. “Again.”
She stared at him a moment before turning her head forward. “One parting kiss!”
Simon moved quickly, his body arcing in front of hers. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. Miss Kingman’s eyes rounded, but it was over almost immediately. Simon jumped to his feet with a cry of victory. “That was fair, was it not?”
Lady Lavinia shook her head but was laughing in spite of herself. “You’re supposed to kiss her cheek.”
“It was never going to work that way.” Simon gave Lady Lavinia a stern look, but the tremor of his lips revealed his amusement. “You’re a menace, grate.”
Lady Lavinia curtsied. “I think that means I win. Do I get to be the nun now?” She looked to Violet.
“I’ve no objection. Miss Colton, will you be her grate?”
Simon cleared his throat. “And I choose Mr. Seaver to be the penitent.” Simon pivoted to Violet. “It’s my choice, isn’t it?”
“I see no reason why not.”
Mr. Seaver went to even greater lengths to try to kiss Lady Lavinia’s cheek. After six attempts, he told Miss Colton there was a spider on her head. She shrieked and jumped up, leaving him a clear path to kiss Lady Lavinia.
Everyone was still consumed with laughter when Miss Kingman suggested they play Kiss if You Can next.
“I’m not sure I remember that one,” Simon said, wiping his eyes.
Nick was glad he’d asked, because he didn’t remember it either.
“A gentleman and a lady will kneel with their backs to each other,” Miss Kingman explained. “When the crier says ‘make ready,’ the lady looks over her left shoulder and the gentleman over his right. At the wordpresent, he will lean forward to kiss her cheek, and at the directionfire, he will try to kiss her, but she may evade his endeavor.”
“How will we decide the pairs?” Mr. Adair asked.
Violet went to a table. “I brought cards. High cards drawn by each sex will face off against each other?”
“Or not, as the game goes,” Simon joked.
“An excellent plan,” Nick said, joining her at the table where she’d picked up the deck of cards. “Do you want me to shuffle?”
She handed him the cards, and her fingers brushed against his palm. Her touch danced through him, awakening parts of him that had lain dormant for far too long.
He shuffled the deck in his hand several times while Simon and Mr. Adair moved the chairs out of the way. When he was finished, Nick set the cards on the table.
Violet gestured to the table. “If everyone would care to take a card…”
