One thing he knew about Maddie, she was competitive. It was one of the qualities that made her such a fierce tennis player. And while she could refuse to participate, everything told him she wouldn’t.
“That makes sense, I suppose,” she said.
He pressed his case. “Also, I’m not certain the chaperones would like the idea of me and one of the ladies alone together for a stretch of time, separated from the others.”
Maddie cast a nervous glance at the table full of chaperones. “Oh, right. Good point.” She nodded once. “I’ll be the one to hide, then. Now according to the rules, I may hide either inside the house or somewhere on the grounds. The last person to find the hiding place is the loser and will sit out tomorrow’s sail on the yacht.”
This was not a team game, so the ladies remained quiet, most likely plotting their strategy. The risk of being left out from a sail on the Webster yacht would motivate most anyone.
Except Harrison. He would find Maddie first, and it had nothing to do with tomorrow’s outing.
Gesturing toward the occupants of the tent, he said, “We should put our heads down until Miss Webster is safely on her way to a hiding place.”
“You certainly are taking this seriously.” A deep crease formed between Maddie’s brows as she studied him. “Fine. Everyone sit and close your eyes. Mama, give them the signal to begin when I’ve been gone long enough.”
Harrison nearly rubbed his hands together. He hadn’t forgotten anything about the chateau . . . or their games together. He knew exactly where she would go. He closed his eyes.
Kit kept his voice low. “Couldn’t be more obvious if you tried, my friend. I hope you know what you are doing.”
“Of course I do.”
“How are you certain you’ll find her first?”
“Because I know where she’s planning to hide.”
“Where?”
“The changing room by the indoor pool.”
Kit heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose I’ll need to entertain her fiancé while you’re seducing her in the dark.”
“That would be dashed nice of you.”
“Just do not say I didn’t try to warn you when this all goes sideways.”
Maddie hurried to her hiding place. For some reason Harrison had pushed her to participate in the game, although his reasoning made sense, she supposed. Being trapped with one young lady for a long stretch of time could lead Harrison into a hasty wedding.
Why did that thought unsettle her?
It shouldn’t. You are betrothed.
The best outcome was for Harrison to marry one of her friends and return to Paris, away from Maddie. Then they could both get on with their lives and forget this momentary bit of madness. Surely it was the reminders of their past, the sound of the sea and the salty air, causing them to descend into this strange nostalgia for each other.
This is not nostalgia. You are attracted to him.
She was really coming to hate that internal voice of hers.
How had their relationship changed so dramatically? Before he went to Paris, he’d been a confidant and playmate, nothing more than a friend. Now a slightly older Harrison had returned, and her obsession switched from tennis to him. Never had she been attracted to a man like this, where thoughts of him instantly jumped to licking and biting, exploring and kissing . . .
Stop.
She gave herself a mental shake. This could not go on. Another day of this house party, then Harrison would have his fiancée and Maddie would focus on tennis and the duke.
There was no other choice.
The east side of the house was quiet as she slipped through a side door and into the morning room. Giant fans slowly turned overhead, creating a glorious breeze that countered the June midday heat. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop here.
The point of the game was to find a small spot into which a group must squeeze itself, just like sardines in a tin. The first two floors of the chateau comprised large, open rooms, impractical for her purposes. There were closets and washrooms, but those were too obvious. The third floor contained staff quarters, and she would not dare to disrupt their private space with houseguests tramping through.
That left the basement, which contained the perfect hiding space: a small changing room tucked away beside the indoor pool. Three or four adults could fit inside comfortably, but seven or eight would be a tight squeeze. She had briefly pointed the room out to her friends during her tour on the first day of the house party. Time would tell if any of them remembered.
If no one found her in an hour, she’d come out and restart the game.
As she went to the stairs, she happened to pass the library. Quickly, she snatched a thick book off the shelf, not bothering to check the title. There was no time for dawdling. Hurrying on, she went downstairs.
The pool room was humid, due in part to the underground heating system used to warm the water. The surface of the pool was like glass, undisturbed and completely still in the silence. Careful not to slip on the tiles, she walked around to the changing room. There was a moment of indecision as to whether to close the door behind her, and she decided to leave it cracked. The space would overheat without any air wafting in, and she could use the light coming in from the pool room by which to read.
Low wooden benches lined the walls of the tiny changing room. She sat and peered at the spine of the book in her hand. Disappointment weighed down her shoulders. Soil Quality of the Western Plains. This was one of her father’s research books for railroad expansion. She tossed it aside. Not even utter boredom could get her interested in that subject matter.
Minutes later, a faint scuffle caught her attention. She held her breath and waited, listening. Impossible. A guest could not have found her this soon.
Another noise, closer this time. Holding perfectly still, she kept her eyes locked on the sliver of light at the door’s opening. Seconds ticked by, and she began to wonder if the noises had been her imagination.
Then a large shadow cast the changing room into darkness and she tried not to gasp.
Harrison.
He slipped into the room, a satisfied smirk on his face. “I knew it.”
“You lied. You said you forgot all the hiding places.”
Not answering, he came in and closed the door. Darkness enveloped them both. Though she couldn’t see him, she heard his clothes rustle as he settled on her left side. There was barely an inch of space between them, his body too close, too imposing. Too tempting.
Her heart kicked hard in her chest, anticipation buzzing in her veins like electricity. “What are you doing?”
“Sitting.”
“Harrison.” She tried to put a healthy amount of extreme displeasure in her tone. “We should not be alone in here.”
“I can’t help it if I let it slip to a few of the ladies how you used to hide in the carriage house as a young girl.”
“Which is a lie. You used to hide in the carriage house. I used to hide in here.”
She couldn’t see his face but she could hear the smile in his voice. “I know. Remember the time we stole a cake from your mother’s garden party? We nearly ate ourselves sick in here.”
Yes, she remembered. She remembered nearly all of their adventures. “We should open the door.”
“Why?”
He was deliberately being obtuse. Could he not feel the heat jumping between them? “You know why.”