Page 14 of A Wish Upon an Earl (A Maypole in Mayfair #3)

D arkness had fallen, not that Jack could tell the difference. The mask filtered most light out.

“Over here,” Ash grunted, wearing a chest plate and helmet of his own.

“Are you wearing armor for moral support?” Jack asked, as he caught sight of the chair Ash had set up and just managed to step around it.

For the past hour Ash had set up a series of obstacles, and Jack practiced maneuvering about them. He was pleased to say he was improving. He’d only broken two chairs thus far, and this latest one hadn’t even toppled over when he’d gone around it.

“Support, no. Protection, yes.” Ash stood just to his left as Jack stopped, changing course to the right so as not to plow into the other man. “I don’t want to end up bedridden like Sarah.”

“Very funny,” Jack said as he weaved back, moving around the chair again. “And besides, I’ve got the hang of it.”

“So tell me the plan again. Just so that I’m clear.”

Jack gave a small nod and then realized Ash probably couldn’t tell that he’d made the gesture. “Of course,” he said instead. This was Ash’s sister, his only family. Obviously, he wanted to know what Jack had in mind. “She wished for a knight in shining armor.”

“Why do you think she wished that?” Ash asked, shifting on his feet. “She’s well cared for.”

Jack’s brows lifted and he realized the only advantage to wearing a helmet, besides hiding one’s identity, was the fact that no one could see his expression when he silently questioned their words.

“She’s a romantic, Ash. Always has been even if she’s tried to forget it these past few years.

She’s dreaming of a man who comes in and sweeps her off her feet, which is what I intend to do. ”

“Understood.” Then Ash frowned. “Does that mean you have to lift her down from the armoire wearing that thing?”

Blast. Why hadn’t that occurred to him? “It does seem like it, doesn’t it.”

“We’ll have to practice that part too, I guess,” Ash said, scrubbing his head in a way that made his hair stand on end.

“Practice? How will we do that?”

Ash let out a long sigh. “I’m going to have to stand on a chair and you’ll have to lift me down.”

Jack shook his head as he smacked a gauntlet against his helmet. “That’s very sporting of you to offer, but?—”

“You’re not attempting it for the first time on Sarah,” Ash said, his voice growing hard. “In order to marry her, she has to survive this house party.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Jack laughed despite himself. “And you’re right. It’s one thing to avoid touching things and another to hold them without breaking them. Can you believe men actually went to war in these and completed complicated tasks in them?”

Ash shrugged. “You’d get the hang of it in no time, I’m certain. You’re already miles better than when you started.” Then he pushed Jack on the shoulder, and he hardly felt it, but Ash bounced back. “Gads, you’re like a boulder in that thing. Impossible to move.”

Jack chuckled at that. “Now that I’m not bumbling about in it, it’s a bit fun.”

“All right, time to practice. We’re already late for dinner. I’ll climb up on the chair and you help me down.”

“Fine,” he mumbled as Ash climbed up onto the wooden seat. “You’re quite a bit taller than Sarah.”

“And the chair is shorter. You’ll adjust.”

“You’re also heavier,” Jack said, looking through the slits.

“And you’ve always been annoyingly strong,” Ash snipped back.

Jack reached up, accidentally knocking Ash directly in the stomach. The man toppled over, falling off the chair.

“Ash,” Jack yelled, ripping off the helmet and tossing it to the side. “Are you all right?”

“You’re going to break my entire family in that suit.” Ash grunted as he rose. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

“I think I’d better practice without the helmet.”

Ash groaned out his agreement. “Please do.”

“Ha!” A male voice shouted from behind them. “I knew it!”

Jack turned to see Sir Henry bouncing on his heels a few feet away. He sighed with resignation. “Good evening, Sir Henry.”

“I knew you were the bumbling knight,” Sir Henry chortled, his hands clapping gleefully. “The only thing that confused me was your usual grace.”

Jack arched his brows as he held back a growl of irritation. He had a grand gesture he was rehearsing for, and Sir Henry was doing his best to ruin it. He was a nice enough man, but he was proving a nuisance. “The suit is a bit difficult to adjust to.”

Sir Henry nodded. “Quite right. I had to wear one when I was a boy. Awful things.”

“Sir Henry,” Ash asked from next to the chair as he held his side, “how did you know it was Jack?”

Sir Henry chuckled. “Have I mentioned what a delight this party has been? I haven’t had this much fun in years.”

“Thank you,” Ash nodded.

“But I was fairly certain that it was Jack simply because I’d seen him with your sister several times the past two days, and as the Bumbling Knight was out on the terrace with Lady Sarah the night of the masquerade, I was fairly certain the knight and Lord Bentley were the same person.”

“Wait.” Jack went very still. “How did you know we were on the terrace?”

Sir Henry cocked his chin. “Because I was out there too, of course. Dances this time of year get dreadfully hot.”

“They do,” Ash replied.

But Jack had gone quite still. “Sir Henry, were you out on the terrace the entire time I was with Sarah? Did you see her injury?”

“I was,” Sir Henry nodded. “And don’t worry, I won’t mention that Sarah was lain abed because you knocked her with your lance.”

“Thank you,” he said, stepping closer to the other man.

“But you saw the whole thing from start to finish?” Relief and a bit of excitement bubbled up inside him.

Sir Henry could prove that he’d never been alone with Lady Victoria.

Now when he pursued Sarah, she’d know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was because of his affection.

“I did,” the other man answered. “And if you don’t mind me saying so, it’s good you’re practicing, though it does beg the question why.”

“I thought to reveal my identity in the play tomorrow.”

“My play!” Sir Henry chortled. “What a wonderful surprise for the guests. How sporting of you to solve the mystery for them before they leave. Though I dare say it will provide you with a bit of embarrassment.”

Jack nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “A small price to pay to win the affection of a certain lady.”

Sir Henry tilted his head back, his smile growing gentler.

“This has been the most marvelous of parties. And while I am thrilled to have solved the mystery, if you’d permit me to say, I can tell the party that it was our plan all along to create a mystery that we solved by the end of the event, making the whole Bumbling Knight incident seem intentional when it actually wasn’t.

I might be able to save you some embarrassment. ”

Jack blinked. “That is a very kind thought, Sir Henry, thank you. But I don’t mind the bit of fun that will be poked at me, and after what I’ve done to Sarah, I think it right that I suffer it.”

Sir Henry shook his head, his grin growing even wider. “Young love.” He chuckled. “That is wonderful and I look forward to tomorrow night.”

Jack’s stomach twisted. He hoped it was a happy ending that Sir Henry got to witness and that their little drama didn’t end in tragedy.

Because he was about to declare his feelings in front of the entire party. Would Sarah reject him again? There was only one way to find out.

* * *

Sarah greeted guests as they assembled before dinner, her stomach twisted into knots.

Once again, Jack was nowhere to be seen.

Aubrey had to have been wrong.

If he had feelings for her, he would not be avoiding her as he had been all day today.

Then again, he’d kissed her twice.

Once in front of everyone as part of rehearsal. But before that too, when they’d been hidden.

Had he only kissed her like that to help prepare her for the play?

She touched her lips with the tips of her fingers. He’d set off a riot of feelings inside her.

With a shake of her head, she continued through the evening, doing her best to be hostess even if her thoughts were far away.

Camilla stepped up next to her. “Have you seen Ash?”

Sarah started in surprise. She’d been so consumed with thoughts of Jack that she’d forgotten about her brother entirely. The very reason she’d planned this house party. “My goodness. No. I haven’t.”

Camilla frowned. “Odd.”

“Agreed.” She turned to her friend and future sister-in-law. “When was the last time you saw him?”

Camilla cocked her head with a frown. “He’s been occupied much of the day.”

In the middle of a house party? “Did something happen with the brewery that required his attention?”

“No.” Camilla shook her head. “I’ve checked.”

Sarah shifted. “Jack is nowhere to be found either.”

That made Camilla’s brows rise. “If both men are missing, it’s logical to assume that they are together.”

It would be difficult to out-logic Camilla. “It’s also possible that they are both late for different reasons.”

“Possible,” Camilla shrugged. “But not probable.”

Sarah looked over at her friend. “And what do you think they’re doing together?”

“I couldn’t say.” Camilla tapped her chin. “We know it must be important. What would be very important to both of them?” Then she looked at Sarah with a grin. “Most likely you.”

Sarah took a half step back. “If it involved me, then they’d be here.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Camilla’s grin was knowing. As though she’d solved a complicated puzzle.

“What are we discussing?” Rose asked as she joined them.

Rose, who was looking suspiciously happy. Giddily so, in fact. This would have been a good turn of events if Sarah wasn’t quite so frustrated herself.

Sarah held in an exasperated sigh. “We’re talking, or not talking, about what Ash and Jack might be doing that they aren’t here.”

“Not talking?” Rose lifted her brows. “What does that mean?”

“It means Camilla knows something she isn’t telling me.” Sarah stood straighter as she gave Camilla the eye.

But Camilla only smiled. “I don’t actually know anything. I only hypothesized that whatever they are about, it involves Sarah.”

“That does make sense.” Rose nodded. “It’s their most common interest.”

“What about their twenty-year friendship?” Sarah asked. Why this conversation frustrated her so, she couldn’t exactly say, but her friends’ certainty in the face of her complete uncertainty was somewhat maddening.

“Exactly. They have all the time in the world to spend together. Only something of great importance would pull them away now.”

“Like Sarah,” Rose said as Aubrey joined them.

“Are we discussing how Jack has feelings for Sarah?” Aubrey asked.

Sarah’s stomach did a funny swishing as though she were on a boat. Why did it seem as though all of her friends understood something she didn’t? “How could you know that?”

All three of them gave her matching smiles of understanding. “You’re too close to it, that’s all. Anyone watching can see it’s as plain as…” Camilla started.

“A verse of Shakespeare,” Rose filled in.

“I don’t find Shakespeare all that clear,” Aubrey said with a shrug.

Camilla nodded. “I agree. I was going to say it’s as clear as a balanced equation.”

Sarah didn’t answer, her own thoughts too big for small talk. Were they correct? Did Jack have feelings for her—is that why he’d kissed her? She suddenly realized that not ever having had feelings for anyone else made her woefully unprepared to analyze Jack’s behavior.

The assembly made their way into the dining room, and Sarah was carried along with them.

“We lost Rose again,” Camilla added, her voice filled with amusement as Sarah focused back in on the conversation.

“What?” she asked, looking at her friends. “Lost Rose?”

“She’s been disappearing a great deal during this house party,” Aubrey said, leaning in with a loud stage whisper and giving Sarah a meaningful wink. “I do believe she has her own romance brewing.”

“Brewing is my department,” Camilla said, laughing at her own joke. “But yes. Aubrey is correct. There is definitely something afoot with Rose and that viscount.”

Guilt stabbed at Sarah. She’d been so wrapped up in her own feelings she’d lost track of her friend. Straightening her shoulders, she looked between her two friends. “Tell me everything.”

Perhaps considering Rose would give her insight into her own situation. And even if it didn’t, it was the best distraction she could think of, because Jack had still not arrived for dinner.