Then there was his exchange with Reverend Henderson and what Joseph had confided in her about his father. It sounded as if the earl tended to be overly zealous in his faith. How difficult that must’ve been for Joseph and his siblings while growing up. What little he told her reminded her of her stepfather and made her wonder if they’d had a few similar experiences.
“There you are,” Mrs. Melbourne said with a smile. “Now then let us start the game.” She held up a wooden pole, nearly as tall as she was. “How fun will it be to play blind man’s wand.”
Some of the young ladies clapped in delight, but none of the men appeared to be excited from what Harriet could see.
As Mrs. Melbourne explained the rules, Harriet’s thoughts returned to the brief interlude with Joseph. She was being a terrible friend by telling him that she wanted to spend time with him, too. Yet how could she have disagreed when she longed for it with everything she had?
Mrs. Melbourne held up a scarf, catching Harriet’s notice once again. “Who would like to volunteer to go first?”
Joseph glanced at her and if she didn’t know better, she thought he might have winked. That couldn’t be right. Her heart hammered with the thought as he raised his hand.
“I’d be happy to go first.”
The other guests clapped and encouraged him as he moved to where Mrs. Melbourne stood. She handed him the stick and then tied the blindfold over his eyes. “Do your best to guess who holds the other end of the pole.”
Giggles erupted immediately, and even the men laughed.
Harriet couldn’t help but smile at what a good sport Joseph was.
Mrs. Melbourne gestured around the room to silently ask who would like to hold the other end of the pole for him to guess.
Peter Connelly stood and held a finger to his lips. He reached for the end of the pole from the ground and then straightened. He tugged the pole, catching Joseph off guard. Everyone laughed even harder, including Peter.
“Connelly?” Joseph guessed.
“How did you know?” Connelly asked.
“I recognized your laugh.” With the blindfold still on, he told the room, “Let that serve as a warning. No laughing.”
Everyone roared. Harriet’s cheeks already hurt from laughing and the game had only begun.
Peter took the blindfold from Joseph and turned for Mrs. Melbourne to secure it on him. Winifred boldly picked up the pole, but it took a few hints from the crowd for him to be able to guess her identity.
Winifred took his place and immediately guessed her male opponent, Thomas Sinclair, making it his turn.
“Are you certain you can’t see?” accused someone when she guessed so easily.
Once again, everyone laughed.
Winifred smiled. “I refuse to share my secrets.”
Much to Harriet’s surprise, Frances stood, her cheeks bright red as she reached for the stick. She managed to hold her silence, pulling on the pole a few times with a grin.
“Hmm,” Thomas said. “I have to wonder if it’s a lady based on the gentleness of the tug.” He twisted the pole, causing Frances to giggle in surprise.
“Miss Melbourne,” he declared. He removed the blindfold and grinned at Frances.
One look at her friend’s face made Harriet wonder if Thomas had caught her interest. She could imagine how hard Frances’ heart was pounding. Harriet had experienced the same feeling in the library with Joseph. Yet somehow, watching the moment between the two made her feel even guiltier for admitting her interest to Joseph.
Thomas handed the blindfold to Frances, who took it reluctantly. “I do believe you’re next.”
She turned to allow her mother to bind it then Mrs. Melbourne made certain she couldn’t see.
To Harriet’s surprise, Joseph moved to stand at her side. “Are you going to give it a try?” he asked with a smile.
“Not with Frances. She will know that it’s me.” They knew each other too well.
“Excellent point.”