Suddenly, he tensed. Miss Parker had just walked down the stairs and was hovering uncertainly near the bar. His eyes roamed over her. She had changed out of her brown gown and was wearing a dark green one now. It was as plain as the other, but the colour suited her better. Her pale complexion contrasted well with it.
Her golden hair shone in the wan light. She had redone it into a loose chignon at the base of her neck. She looked so beautiful and fresh that he couldn’t help a small gasp escaping his lips.
All the locals at the bar turned to gape at her. He wasn’t surprised. Strangers always drew attention in places like this anyway, but a beautiful woman even more. She bit her lip, looking confused, her face flooding with colour. She didn’t know what to do nor how to take the gawking men. That was obvious.
Quickly, he got up, approaching her. She turned to him, looking relieved.
“Mr Hartfield,” she said, in a faltering voice. “I thought that some of the others might be down here. Sister Mary Majella is resting and has fallen asleep. I did not want to disturb her.”
The scent of rosewater wafted towards him. His loins clenched. She had washed and dabbed herself with fresh perfume. Her proximity was stunning him. Once again.
He spied a chess set sitting behind the bar. He drew a deep breath. She had said she played and enjoyed chess. She had even given him some tips for his game when he had been playing Hawkins.
“Would you like to play a game of chess with me, Miss Parker?” he asked. “It will fill the time until the others come down for dinner.”
She smiled slowly. “I would enjoy that very much.” Her grey eyes were shining. “As long as you are prepared to be beaten into the ground, Mr Hartfield.”
He gave a bark of laughter. “We shall see, won’t we? I am ready if you are.”
He ordered her a drink, then retrieved the game. They sat down at the table. He felt oddly nervous as he set up the board and pieces. His palms were sweaty, and his heart was beating fast.
Their eyes locked across the board. He took a deep breath. “Your move, Miss Parker.”
Chapter 15
Delia’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed across the chess board at Mr Hartfield. She hadn’t been expecting to find him alone down here. But she couldn’t think of a single reason to refuse his offer to play chess. And besides, she wasverygood at chess.
A game might take her mind off her problems, so that she could stop thinking about poor Minnie and what was happening to her back in Surrey,she thought.Or whether Minnie had managed to get on another coach north.It was pointless to worry. It just exhausted her, and she needed to keep her wits sharp.
This was a game of survival. She hadn’t realised how much when she had impulsively set off on this journey.
She couldn’t stop staring at the man seated opposite her, but then, he was staring at her blatantly as well. She felt the tension between them—the same tension that had existed from the start, and which had intensified during their walk. Her breath caught again as she thought of the moment he had taken the leaf from her hair. It had been an oddly intimate gesture.
He broke their gaze, staring pointedly down at the board. Delia collected herself. She was making the first move. Although how she was going to concentrate on this game was beyond her when she was playing against him. Perhaps it wasn’t going to be the distraction she had hoped it would be.
She made her move, then picked up the mug of ale he had bought her, drinking deeply. She wasn’t used to ale. It was quite bitter. She made a face, putting down the mug. He made his move quickly, then grinned at her.
“Don’t you like ale?” he asked. “I thought it was the safest thing to drink in this place.”
“I never drink it,” she said truthfully. “It is too bitter.”
He took a swig from his own mug. “You get used to it. At least most people do.”
She made her next move, then sat back, staring around the room. “Most people live such constrained lives,” she mused. “They do not travel much outside of their own district, do they? All those local people at the bar stared at me as if I have two heads instead of one.”
He laughed, his hand hovering over the board before making his move. Too late, she realised her mistake. He took one of her pawns, placing it next to him.
“That is not the reason they were staring at you, Miss Parker,” he said in an amused voice. “Surely you must be used to men gaping at you like that? You areverybeautiful.”
Delia blushed fiercely. A wave of pleasure swept over her.
He thinks me beautiful.
“I…I do not think I am so beautiful,” she stammered. “But thank you for the compliment just the same, Mr Hartfield.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You are so bashful, Miss Parker. I thought you would be used to batting away men. But it is like it is the first time it has ever happened to you on this trip.”
“I have not travelled much,” she said quickly, biting her lip. “That is why I am unused to the attention. I have lived a sheltered life, I suppose.” She hesitated, knowing that she must deflect talk away from her life. “Haveyoutravelled much, Mr Hartfield?”