Sitting
in his study, surrounded by a room full of books was not his idea of a fun
filled evening. Then again, sitting across the table from Rand wasn’t either.
His plan was to go to Brooks, have a few drinks, chase a woman until he caught
her, put a smile on her face (as well as his own) and go home around dawn. He
glanced at the pile of books and wondered, How
did this happen?
“John,
it’s your move.” Rand said impatiently.
John
looked over the marble carved chess set as he strategically planned his next
move. “Don’t rush me!” he bit off.
“Rush you?” Rand smarted off. “I’ve taken a
nap since it became your turn.”
John
gave his friend a stern look. “Just because you think you have me beat doesn’t
mean you have. There is always a way around you. You never win.”
“Humph!” Randolph yawned as he sat back in the
chair. “What time is it anyway? I want to go to the club.”
“Early.” John picked up a piece, started to
move it, then decided against it and put it back where it had been for the last
two hours.
Randolph
held his breath in anticipation, only to let it out once John withdrew his hand
to think some more. “John?”
“Hmm?”
“What are you going to do?” Rand asked
innocently enough.
“Move
my king...or my knight.”
Making a
face, Rand circled his hands out toward his friend’s throat as if he were going
to choke him.
John
looked up just in time. “What?” John barked.
Trying
to look innocent, Randolph tilted his head slightly to one side. “What do you
mean, what? I am not talking about this game! I am talking about Aubrey.
What are you going to do about her?”
John
sighed and got up from the table. He walked over to the cabinet and poured
himself a drink. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“You can pretend you don’t know what I am
talking about, but I happen to know better.”
“Why do you want to know my intentions? Do you
have some of your own regarding Aubrey? Hmmm?” John wanted to know if he was
going to have to compete with his friend for her attention or just kill him.
Leaning
back in his chair, Randolph chuckled. “I know you won’t believe this, but
actually....”
John
started to feel sick to his stomach.
“No, I
don’t. I find her very attractive and charming.” At John’s furious look, Rand
chuckled. “But for some reason that even escapes me, something about her is
missing.”
“There is nothing
missing when it comes to
Aubrey, I assure you,” John said as he took another big
drink, trying to sooth his nerves.
“It’s like I’ve known her all my life. It’s an
eerie feeling actually.” Randolph shuddered. “Like there is something about her
that I should know or that I do know. You know?”
John sat
back down. He had known what he wanted from Victoria, but with Aubrey, he
didn’t know. One minute he wanted to see her, and the next he wished she were
on her way back to America. He looked over the pieces again.
“Have you
heard from Victoria lately?” Randolph asked, changing the subject.
John’s
head snapped up. “Hell, no. Why would I?”
“No reason. I just heard the Duke has gone out
of town for a month. You know, she might be thinking while the cat’s
away—”
John cut
him off before he could finish the thought. “You don’t have to worry about that
anymore. I think that slap I received out on the balcony at the ball was the
end of us.” Then under his breath he added, “At least I hope so.”
“What
happened anyway? Aubrey and I must have walked in right after it transpired. We
didn't see anything… well, except the slap.”
John
recanted the whole story, and Randolph sat stunned. “You actually said that to
her?” At his grin, Randolph shook his head. “It’s a wonder she didn’t try to
stir up trouble after that.”
“I don’t know that she didn’t. She did go
straight to the Duke afterward. I half expected him to challenge me to a duel
to defend her honor—not that her honor is worth defending.”
“No,
she didn’t, or not that night anyway.”
“And how would you know that?” John asked.
“Because after she left in a huff, I followed
her and made sure she didn’t.”
John
wondered briefly how he could have missed that part of the evening’s events,
but then he remembered. He started to grin. He had been so wrapped up in Aubrey
and their first kiss that he hadn’t even noticed Rand had left. “Well, you can
be sure such won’t always be the case. She is very upset with me because I
don’t wish to resume the affair after she and the Duke are married.”
“Let’s not borrow trouble. For now, let’s just
finish this game so I can find more enlivening entertainment!” Rand begged.
John
once again looked down at the board. He fumbled with a few moves before he
looked up to grin at
Randolph. “Checkmate.”
Randolph looked in disbelief as his friend who once again
beat him at chess. “I swear, you cheat!”