Page 13 of An Earl Most Inconvenient (Regency Mishaps #2)

CHAPTER 13

“ I wonder what will happen today?” Grace said. Her voice was a little breathless as she looked around with wide eyes. Her excitement was palpable. The grand chandeliers sparkled above them, casting a warm glow that danced across the ornate decor and the elegantly-dressed guests as they stood gathered in the grand ballroom.

Diana smiled fondly at her sister, appreciating the innocence and enthusiasm that radiated from her. Whatever happened today, at least Grace was excited and seemed to be enjoying the party so far. It was rare to see her sister so animated, and Diana felt a flutter of warmth in her heart. The morning sun poured through the tall windows, illuminating the intricate patterns on the floor and reflecting off the polished surfaces of the various decorations. It was a truly mesmerizing scene, and the air buzzed with a mixture of excitement and apprehension as everyone waited for the earl to announce the plans for the morning.

The earl entered the room at last, his butler, Haxby, trailing behind him, holding a bundle of envelopes in his hand. Diana felt a surge of apprehension. The whole situation filled her with trepidation once again, just as it had the previous evening. She would have preferred to be much nearer to the edge of the crowd, where she could observe from a distance, but she knew that it was better for Grace to be in the middle of things, where everyone could see her. The earl might be the gentleman who was paying the most attention to Grace so far, but there were plenty of other eligible matches here too, and she wanted them all to see Grace and appreciate her beauty. So, she had made sure that they were in prime position in the center of the room, where the action would be.

Many of the older guests, including the dowager, were missing from the throng, as Tristan had declared at breakfast that he had a particular plan in mind for the younger guests. And now, here they all were, assembled and keenly waiting to be told what the morning held in store for them. The chatter grew louder as guests exchanged theories about what the earl might have planned.

“A treasure hunt!” Tristan declared, his voice booming with enthusiasm. “A game that will challenge all your wits! But you will have to work together, too. There can be no wandering off on your own. We will split into teams and follow the clues around the estate. And there will be a prize for the winning team!”

“What fun!” Grace squeaked, her eyes sparkling with delight. Diana couldn’t help but smile at her sister's joy, even though the whole idea struck her as rather frivolous. Yet, she reminded herself, that was the point of parties—to break free from the constraints of one’s daily routine and to try something different. She resolved to try to enjoy it, but she hoped that she would be on the same team as Grace. The thought of her sister going off alone, with gentlemen that Diana did not know—or worse, with Tristan—filled Diana with anxiety.

The room filled with animated chatter as the guests expressed their excitement about the pleasures to come. Tristan clapped his hands, silencing them all, and explained the rules in detail.

“You will form teams of three. These envelopes contain the first clue. The answer will lead you to somewhere on the estate, where you will find additional envelopes containing the next clue. And so on, until you reach the end.” He paused and looked around the room, smiling at his assembled guests. “Does everyone understand the rules? And do not forget that there is a prize of great value for the winning team!”

There was a murmur of assent, then people began to look around, speculating as to who they might be placed in teams with. Diana stayed close to Grace. “We must try to stay together,” she said, her voice laced with determination as she scanned the room.

Grace shrugged, her confidence unwavering. “I expect that the earl will have a plan for who is going to be in which team.”

Diana rolled her eyes as she saw Tristan approaching them. “I am sure that the earl has a plan,” she said, her tone slightly sarcastic. “I just am not sure that we should go along with it.”

“Diana, please do not embarrass me,” Grace whispered, glancing nervously at Tristan as he drew nearer.

Diana swallowed hard. Grace was right; she needed to try to relax more. Perhaps everyone was right about her, and that was why she was not married, she reflected, a little desperately. Maybe if she were not so uptight, she would have found a husband by now.

“Ladies,” Tristan said smoothly, once he was standing close to them. “I have it all planned out. Lady Grace, you are with me. And Lady Diana, I have placed you in a team with my cousin, Alicia, who I believe you know already, and with Lord Barnaby.”

Diana stifled a groan. Lord Barnaby was notoriously known for his overindulgence in spirits and his questionable judgment. Would she truly be placed on a team with him? Why on earth had Tristan thought that would be a good idea?

She glared at him, but he only smiled and led Grace away, presumably to find their other teammate.

Lord Barnaby wandered over, swaying slightly as he did. “Lady Diana,” he mumbled, his words slurred. “I gather we are together.”

She nodded despondently, her hopes fading. She had been hoping, if she could not stay with Grace, that she would have been placed with someone worthy, or at least interesting. Someone who would elevate the experience above the level of a farce. But as it was, she was stuck with this man who seemed barely able to string a sentence together, let alone offer her any help of value when it came to deciphering the clues.

Alicia joined them, smiling shyly. “I am pleased to be with you, Lady Diana,” she said softly, her voice a breath of fresh air.

Diana returned her smile, feeling a flicker of hope. She had spoken with the young lady that morning at breakfast and knew her to be considered something of a wallflower, but she seemed sweet-tempered. Perhaps she could be brought out of her shell a little as the game progressed. Certainly, Alicia was likely to be better company than Lord Barnaby, who at that moment was taking a swig from a hip flask before stowing it surreptitiously in his pocket.

Alicia followed her gaze, her eyes widening. “Oh dear,” she said with a giggle, spying Lord Barnaby. “I am not sure how much help we will get from him!”

Diana rolled her eyes, her tone dry. “You are quite right. Before you arrived to join us, I was giving up hope that our team would achieve anything at all!”

Alicia laughed, her laughter brightening the mood. “I am sure we will manage it quite well between the two of us. Tristan is not as clever as he thinks he is, either. I am sure that the clues will be quite easy, really.” She paused and leaned closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “And do not forget that I spent many summers here as a child. I know all the nooks and crannies of this estate almost as well as Tristan does himself. If there are any clues hidden in the secret corners, I am sure to find them.”

“Well, I am very glad to hear it,” Diana said, feeling a glimmer of optimism returning. Perhaps the morning might not be the disaster she had imagined it would be. As the excitement in the ballroom swelled, she felt a renewed sense of determination. With Grace's infectious enthusiasm and Alicia's hidden knowledge of the estate, maybe they could overcome the obstacles ahead. The thrill of the treasure hunt began to settle in, and Diana realized that perhaps, just perhaps, this day could become an enjoyable experience after all, if only she could relax a little.

Tristan stood on the other side of the ballroom, with Grace and Cecilia standing close by. Their excitement was palpable and he was glad that he had put so much effort into planning the treasure hunt, even though Haxby had been decidedly grumpy about the whole thing, clearly thinking it was far too much effort.

But as he watched Diana chatting with Alicia, and observed Lord Barnaby standing rather unsteadily next to them, he realized that he had made a wrong decision in the planning of his teams.

“Lady Grace, I have made an error, I think,” he said, turning to look at her.

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Just occasionally, Tristan thought, he saw a glimmer of something in Grace’s eye that reminded him of Diana; that rather feisty look that she had sometimes when she was angry. Just occasionally, Grace looked at him in the same way, when something was not quite going according to her plan.

“I am rather concerned about your sister,” Tristan said. “I have paired her with that awful Lord Barnaby. My grandmother insisted that I invite him this week, despite my better judgement – she used to know his mother very well, and she is rather sentimental about him, despite his frequent bad behavior.”

“Indeed,” Grace replied, glancing across the room to look at the man that Tristan was talking about. “I do rather see what you mean.”

“You put it very delicately, Lady Grace, but in truth I do not feel quite content to leave her and Alicia alone with him. Would you be desperately offended if I swapped places and joined her team, and asked Alicia to join you?”

Grace simply smiled demurely and shook her head. “I would not be offended, My Lord,” she replied. “I am grateful for your concern for my sister’s wellbeing.”

“I am sure that you will have a perfectly enjoyable time without me,” Tristan went on. “In fact, I do not flatter myself in the slightest; perhaps you will enjoy it more!”

Grace giggled. “I do not think that is true, My Lord, but please do feel free to go and join my sister.”

Tristan dropped a slight bow, then broke away from them and strode towards Diana with purpose. He felt a slight flicker of excitement at the prospect of spending the next couple of hours with her, but he tried to push such thoughts away. This would be a good opportunity to win her over, perhaps. If he did indeed plan to marry Grace, then the reality of the situation was such that he had to find a way to convince Diana that his intentions were genuine and his character beyond reproach. And he recognized that he had plenty of work to do in that regard.

“Lady Diana,” he greeted her once he was at her side.

“Good morning, My Lord,” she replied evenly. “You will see that we are ready to go, on your command.” There was a hint of irony in her voice and he saw that her eyes flickered over to Lord Barnaby, who was taking yet another swig from his hip flask.

“I have no doubt that you and Alicia are well-prepared,” he said dryly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “But I have decided to make a last minute change to the teams. I will join your team, and Alicia, I would like you to go and join Cecilia and Lady Grace.”

Diana’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought you would have wanted to be in the same team as my sister?”

“I think it would be better this way,” he replied, glancing at Lord Barnaby.

Diana nodded, seeming to understand his meaning. “Very well,” she said. “Alicia, are you happy with this plan?”

Alicia nodded. “I will do whatever you ask, Cousin,” she said, then turned to cross the room and join Grace and Cecilia.

“Well, that is settled then,” Tristan said, relieved that his change of plan had come off without a hitch.

“My Lord,” Diana said, as the guests began to dissipate from the ballroom, envelopes containing their first clues clutched in their hands. “I fear that we are at a very unfair advantage with you on our team.”

Tristan frowned. “How so?”

“Did you not devise the clues yourself? Surely you know all the answers?”

He chuckled. “Flattering as it is that you might think I know all the answers, or any answers to anything at all, to that matter, I would not put myself at such an unfair advantage. Haxby has masterminded the whole thing, much to his distinct irritation. I have no more idea than you do as to the right answers to the clues.”

“Well then,” Diana said decidedly. “I am glad to hear it. I should not want to be accused of cheating.”

“And shall you take it all very seriously, then?” Tristan said, unable to resist the opportunity to tease her just a little, despite his best intentions for the morning.

“I think that if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well, don’t you agree?” Diana retorted, that flash of a challenge in her eyes again as she spoke.

“I do agree,” Tristan replied. “Quite heartily. Now, shall we open the first clue, and see what we make of it?”

He passed the envelope to Diana and she paused for a moment, holding it in her hand. “I am still surprised, My Lord, that you should not have chosen to use this opportunity to spend more time with my sister, since you seem so determined to win her over.”

“I confess, that was initially my intention,” Tristan replied. “But I knew that I could not leave you and Alicia alone with that man.” He glanced behind them, to where Lord Barnaby was standing, staring vacantly into space.

“And I am grateful for it,” Diana said. “But still, I am surprised that you do not feel that you are missing an opportunity.”

“Well,” Tristan said, choosing his words carefully as he looked at her. “There is another opportunity here, that I am seizing with great pleasure.”

“And what, pray, My Lord, might that be?” Diana asked skeptically.

“Maybe I have a chance now to earn your approval,” he said slowly. “I know that your good opinion is almost as important as your sister’s, in my endeavor to make her my wife. So I shall try my hardest, as I assist you in this hunt, to convince you once and for all that I am a decent human being, and not the ogre that you seem to think I am.”

Diana stared at him, not responding for a moment. Then she seemed to regain her composure.

“Very well,” she replied in a clear voice. “It is better than allowing you the chance to be alone with Grace, I suppose.”

Tristan chuckled. “I see that I have my work cut out, Lady Diana. Now, shall we begin the hunt?”