The Lady in Disguise

Chapter Six (part 2)

Wednesday - early afternoon

"Oh! Careful, Miss Crewe!" Sir Anthony lifted a branch and gestured her forward. "Yes, it's a lovely prospect." He gently pushed her to the crest of the hill, his hand at her back. 

Emilia rather thought Miss Prudence might have let it snap back at him as she detested overly solicitous gestures from men, but Emilia gave him a polite smile and ducked under it. She knew very well how to dispose of a randy footman, but she was not sure what to do with all this chivalry.

"When I look out on all this bounty," Sir Anthony said, "all I think is—"

"Shouldn't we have found more objects by now?" Emilia glanced down at the sheet Mrs. Baddeley had provided. "We've only got the purple feather."

"—all I think is how I want someone to share it with," he finished lamely, trailing off at the end. "Are you unimpressed?"

"Of course not. It is a wonderful view that should be shared. Perhaps you should host a picnic here," she said, deliberately mistaking his meaning, a game she had been playing all morning — along with the actual game they were supposed to be playing. "Now as to the hunt... The bitter tree holds the key. Wouldn't that be a lemon tree? Perhaps the grove—"

"Oh, no. Everyone else is there." He pointed down the hill. "I see them milling about."

"Perhaps because they're paying attention to the clues," Emilia muttered under her breath. She hadn't been enthusiastic about this game, but she'd much rather play it than this other game. When he'd said his home was too big for a lonely bachelor, she suggested letting it out to a family. When he suggested perhaps his own family might fill it best, she said that she was sure his Aunt would enjoy an extended stay. She was running out of ways to misunderstand him.

"We'd scarcely be able to talk with all the others about," Sir Anthony said now, moving closer and clearing his throat. "And I dearly wish to know if you like what you've—"

"Yes, all that talk might ruin our concentration," she said, still staring at the sheet. "And one of them probably has that key by now." She turned to him, forcing a smile. "Now that I think of it, you might have led us right." She cleared her throat, reading another rhyme from the list. "The view, the view. It holds another clue. Of a world we once knew." She started down the hill. "The ruins."

"Well, they aren't real ruins," he said behind her. "It's a very silly idea. Held over from last century. Precisely one of my problems. You know, this place is woefully out of fashion and I am quite helpless without a woman's opinion. Perhaps someone well-read, who—"

"Watch the brambles," Emilia called out, skirting the bushes.

Sir Anthony caught up with her at the bottom of the hill. "If we could rest a moment—"

"We cannot rest!" Emilia whirled on him. "Do you want to win or not?"

He drew back slightly. "Well, I.. hadn't thought much about winning." He laughed. "It's just one of Aunt Dotty's silly games."

"Have you thought about losing?" She prodded. "You said you know this place best. Could you honestly stand being beaten, on your own land, by a butterfly chaser like Lord Swinton or... or Mr. Walford?" Granted, she didn't know much about Mr. Walford, but he was partnered with Miss Poole and she was likely a formidable player.

Sir Anthony's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of it that way, but... no! Dash it all, I shouldn't like losing."

"And neither would I." Emilia glanced around them. "You said you saw them in the grove. The rest are likely all following the clues in order, but it's all about who gathers most of the objects, is it not? We might be winning even now." She ran on, stopping as she reached the ruins. They seemed very convincing — stone columns half tumbled down around a structure with only half a roof. She hesitated before entering, afraid it would tumble down upon her.