Page 17 of Enticing the Devil

It was difficult to believe he and Mr. Thomas were brothers. But then she realized those elements were not the only differences between the siblings. Mr. Roderick Bentley was as different from the earl in looks as Mr. Thomas. But Bentley was a charismatic sort. A man who could charm just about anyone. And it seemed their young sister might share that trait. Mr. Thomas...did not.

Did the Welshman realize how different he was from his half siblings? She risked a quick glance in his direction. Was that why he still stood by himself beneath the oak?

The thought caused a pang of distress before the footman assigned to her table handed her the bow and then an arrow.

As the call was made to take aim, she forced any distracting considerations clear of her mind as she created a mental block between herself and everyone around her. The archery gear felt surprisingly comfortable in her hands despite the years since she’d last taken aim. She fell right back into the old patterns as though they were second nature.

First, she steadied her breath. Gazing intently at the target, she envisioned the point of her arrow flying straight and true to the center. When she released the drawn string on an even exhale, there was a moment of suspended anticipation, then a flash of pride as the arrow hit slightly off to one side but within the center circle.

Keeping her gaze on the target, she held out her hand for the next arrow. In fluid motions, she notched it and pulled the string back.

Steady breath. Focused gaze.

Then a moment of disappointment. The second arrow missed the bullseye by a tiny margin.

With a press of her lips, Anne accepted the third and final arrow of this round.

This one lodged into the target right beside the first. Dead center.

With a smile of satisfaction, Anne handed off her bow to the footman.

“Very well done, Lady Anne.”

She nodded toward the earl in acknowledgment. “Thank you, my lord.”

“The best of the day so far, I’d think.”

Anne blinked. Really? Then she glanced toward the other targets. A few people hadn’t finished all three attempts yet, but she only saw two other arrows that had made it into the center circle, each of them by different competitors. She was a bit surprised there were so few.

She watched the last of the arrows fly and noted only one more bullseye.

As the round ended and the footman collected the targets for scoring and to get them out of the way for the next round, Lily and Bethany both came up to Anne to offer their congratulations.

“I had no idea you could shoot like that,” Lily exclaimed with a wide smile.

“It was wonderful to watch.”

For Bethany to offer such effusive praise was saying something.

Anne was a bit surprised. She hadn’t really thought herself particularly skilled at archery, but then, she’d always practiced alone and had never had anyone to compare herself to.

She remained with her friends as the second round began, but she couldn’t help glancing toward Mr. Thomas every now and then where he remained beneath the tree. At least he was no longer alone since his young sister had joined him along with Lord and Lady Wright.

When it came to their turn, Mr. Thomas and Lady Wright approached the same tables from which Anne and the earl had shot. Anne found herself relaxing a bit as she noted the ease with which her partner handled the bow and notched the arrow. He was clearly no stranger to archery. Neither was Lady Wright. Her first two arrows landed in the center while a third hit the outermost ring. Even with the one rogue arrow, it was clear the woman was quite adept.

Not that Mr. Thomas was a poor shot by any means. Two of his arrows found the second ring while his third landed right at the edge of the center circle but was enough inside to count as a bullseye.

There was a brief break as the points from the first two rounds were tallied to determine the five highest scoring teams that would advance to the final round. Most people gravitated toward refreshments which had been arranged on a long table off to one side to await the final round. But when she noticed Mr. Thomas wasn’t amongst them, Anne lingered behind.

Though she hadn’t closely watched the very first archers, from what she had observed, she suspected she and Mr. Thomas would be advanced. And that meant they’d have to discuss who would shoot.

It took her a moment to spot her partner through the shifting crowd, but when she did, it was to find him heading straight for her with a dark countenance and ground-eating strides.

Her father used to approach her in such a manner when he was upset over some perceived ineptitude she’d unwittingly displayed. But it had been many years since her father had concerned himself so closely with her activities and she’d long ago released any desire to appease a man who saw her as nothing more than an extension of his estate.

Anne was not so easily intimidated these days. And Mr. Thomas was not her cold, judgmental father.

Squaring her shoulders, she waited with a calm that was only skin deep and hoped he’d never discover how his intensely focused attention always seemed to trigger a strange swirl in her belly and a rise of heat through her blood.

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