Page 22 of Enticing the Devil

It’d have to do.

Entering the conservatory, he was grateful there were no spectators for this event. Each partnership had been allowed their own individual table holding a large vase and a pair of shears. Lady Anne was positioned off to one side of the room. As the other couples bent over their flowers and spoke in low words, Beynon’s unfortunate partner waited. Her sharp gaze landed on him the moment he stepped into the room and he felt the oddest urge to apologize.

Not bloody likely. He might have been the last to arrive but only by a few steps. There was still plenty of time for her to make her little arrangement.

As he neared, the direction of her focus fell to the posies clasped in his fist. There was an odd little twitch in her right eyebrow and a quick press of her lips before she lowered her chin.

What the hell did that mean?

With a rough sound that would have to pass as a greeting, Beynon set his selections on the table beside the vase. Unsure what else to do but noting that the other gentlemen all remained hovered over their respective tables, he took a step back and watched as Lady Anne began sorting through the flowers.

She gave no indication if she was pleased by his choices or disappointed as she chose one of the largest hyacinths and clipped a bit off the stem with the shears before setting it into the vase. She added one of the ferns next, then a bit of clover, then some honeysuckle. As she continued adding blooms, he realized the composition didn’t look like any of the bouquets he’d seen around the house in the last few days.

With a scowl forming over his gaze, he glanced at the other tables and saw roses in all shades, orchids, tulips, and irises. With a harsh realization, he acknowledged most of his selections could be considered wildflowers. Or weeds.

“I’m getting a sense my choices aren’t terribly fashionable,” he noted.

Lady Anne paused to glanced up at him. Her eyes were soft and slightly translucent in the indirect light of the conservatory. No stormy fire today, thank God.

Rather than replying right away, she seemed to examine him for a moment. Her assessing gaze touched on the tense muscles bunched between his brows before sliding gently down the bridge of his nose to the hard line of his mouth.

His back teeth clenched and he just barely resisted the urge to shift his weight when she blinked then turned her attention back to the task in front of her.

“The various shades of purple and blue are quite lovely, I think, with the bit of yellow and white as accents.”

She paused to take up a stem of dainty purple flowers he’d seen before but didn’t know what they were called and tucked it carefully into a cluster of ferns. He got the sense she wasn’t finished speaking, so he held his tongue. Not that he had anything in particular to say anyway.

“The ferns add a nice texture,” she added.

“They grow between rocks near waterfalls back home.” He wasn’t exactly sure why he said that. “The clover is rather common, as well.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything else.

A few minutes later, a bell signaled the end of the allotted time. Lady Harte explained the judging would take place while everyone rested before dinner and the winners would be posted that evening.

As everyone began to wander from the room, Lady Anne gave him a slightly anticipatory glance. It seemed as though something were expected of him, but he hadn’t the slightest idea what it was.

The lady cleared her throat. “Tomorrow is the fishing competition, the scavenger hunt, and the maze. Have you noted our scheduled times for each?”

Beynon nodded. “We’re to be the first on the lake and the last through the maze.”

“Which allows us all the time in between for the scavenger hunt. Should we also make a plan for rehearsing the dramatic reading we’re expected to perform?”

“The what?”

Her frown was a quick dip of her brows. “Each pairing is expected to read a short dialogue from a popular play. We’ve been given Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. You should have received a copy of the reading.”

He hadn’t but he was familiar with the play. It was one of his mother’s favorites.

“We’re not expected to memorize the lines, but I suppose we should practice a bit,” she added.

He couldn’t help but notice the hopeful tone in her voice and an odd resistance rose inside him.

“When is the reading?”

Lady Anne blinked at his curt tone. “It’s the last event. At the end of the week.”

“We have time then,” he answered gruffly.

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