Second Chance Girl
Page 41

There was a long bar against the far wall and lots of tables and chairs but what truly dominated the space were the floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with boxes of board games. Some were new and some were obscure. Ulrich saw several that he’d played as a child. On the days that his father’s old injuries had made it impossible for him to work, he and Ulrich had spent afternoons playing board games. Summers had meant a table in a shady part of the garden while winters had meant sitting near a warm fire.
“It’s tournament night,” Violet said, sounding happy. “That will be fun.” She pointed to an empty table and led the way. “Now I’ll get to find out how competitive you are.”
“I can hold my own.” If things went badly, he could always blame the concussion.
“We’ll see,” she said with a laugh and pulled out a chair. He sat next to her, leaving two empty seats at their table for four.
The room was filling up. The noise level rose, but not uncomfortably so. Most of the people seemed to know each other and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxing.
“Like the pub back home,” he said, leaning close to Violet. “If only there were darts.”
“And warm beer,” she teased. “And bangers and mash.”
“Someone’s been on the internet.”
She laughed. “Yes, someone has.” She studied him. “You doing all right? There’s not too much noise and the lights are okay?”
“While I appreciate the concern, I assure you that I’m perfectly fine. No headache, no pains of any kind. I’m looking forward to the evening.”
“Me, too.”
Her gaze seemed to linger. Or maybe that was simply wishful thinking on his part. Since his accident, despite how much time they’d spent together, he’d been unable to determine if Violet had any interest in him beyond helping out a friend. He wanted to tell himself that her attitude was her attempt to be professional as she took care of him, but he thought he might be fooling himself. Violet wasn’t in the medical field. She was allowed to act as she would like—which made it very clear she wasn’t all that interested in him.
Too bad. After their first dinner together, he would have sworn they had chemistry. She had reacted positively to his suggestion that she come visit Battenberg Park, but maybe that was more about seeing his grandmother rather than him.
A woman walked over and put her hands on the back of an empty chair. “Mind if I join you?” she asked, her gaze settling on him. “Or is this table royals only?”
She was attractive, with platinum blond hair and blue eyes.
“We only have to curtsy at the beginning and end of the evening,” Violet told her, then grinned. “Although Ulrich does like to be called ‘Your Lordship.’”
“And here I thought Americans prided themselves on their honesty,” Ulrich said as he rose and held out his hand. “Ulrich Sherwood. And it’s not Your Lordship, it’s Your Grace.”
“Silver Tesdal,” she said as she took a seat across from him. “Your Grace.” She flashed him a smile. “How are you feeling? Recovering from the accident?”
“I am. Thank you.”
Ulrich wasn’t surprised Violet’s friend knew about what had happened. He would imagine the news had spread all over the town. It was the same back home—everyone knew everyone’s business. Every now and then the reality irritated, but most of the time he enjoyed being part of the community.
According to his grandmother, all was well at Battenberg Park. So much so, she seemed in no hurry to have him return. Whenever they talked, she insisted he take a few more days to recover. He’d already extended his visit much longer than expected, even taking the accident into account. At some point he was going to have to leave. The truth was—he simply didn’t want to.
He told himself it was because he rarely took a vacation where he got away from all his responsibilities. Even this trip had been work-related—two days in Los Angeles to finalize the rental of the estate for the film company, then a quick trip to Happily Inc to confront Violet. Had he not had a run-in with a giraffe, he would have been home over a week ago and Violet would have been little more than a distant memory.
Perhaps he owed Millie a note of gratitude.
“Tonight is going to be fun,” Silver said. “It’s a Trouble tournament.”
“Trouble?” Ulrich asked.
“It’s a board game,” Violet told him. “I love it when we play kids’ games. They’re the most fun. You’d be amazed at how many adults get annoyed when they’re sent back to home base.”
“You’ve played this game before,” he said.
“I have and I plan to win.”
Silver leaned toward him. “Watch out. She can be competitive.”
A woman who look remarkably like Violet joined them. They both had red hair and similar features. The other woman was more casually dressed, but her mannerisms and smile were just like Violet’s. The sister, he thought, standing up to greet her.
“You must be Carol,” he said, holding out his hand. “A pleasure. I’m Ulrich Sherwood.”
“Duke of Somerbrooke,” Silver muttered under her breath. “He likes to be called Your Lordship.”
“No, Your Grace,” Violet said.
Ulrich smiled at Carol. “Or simply Ulrich.”
“Don’t worry. I’m used to ignoring those two,” she said as she took a seat. “How are you feeling? Recovering from the accident?”
“I’m nearly good as new.” His tone turned regretful. “I fear I shall have to make my way home soon.”
Violet’s mouth formed a straight line and she looked away for a second before she smiled at her sister. “Our plan to trap him and hold him for ransom seems to be failing.”
“If you’re going to let him wander the streets, then he’s hardly going to feel threatened.”
“I was attacked by a giraffe,” Ulrich pointed out. “Very unexpected.”
“Earlier this summer, we had escaped zebras,” Silver told him. “We do live in a weird little town.”
“But you love it,” Ulrich said.
“I do.”
He turned to Carol. “Violet tells me you are the local gamekeeper for the animal preserve.”
“That’s a fancy title, but yes. You’ve already met Millie.” She winced. “I am sorry that she got out and caused the accident.”
“It wasn’t Millie’s fault, it was mine. I was driving and she was not. I’m glad she was uninjured.”
“She’s fine and soon to have a herd.”
Ulrich must have looked confused because Violet explained about Millie being alone and Carol’s quest to raise the money to buy more female giraffes.
“The fund-raiser is next week,” Carol said. “It’s going to be quite the event.” She looked at her sister. “I’m going to need a mini makeover or at least suggestions for my hair and makeup.”
“Of course.”
Several servers began passing out the games. Ulrich scanned the rules, which were fairly simple.
“The winner at each table moves on to the next round,” Violet told him. “I’ll warn you, you’re playing with some very competitive women.”
“Then I shall enjoy myself even more.”