A Bride for the Prizefighter - Alice Coldbreath Page 0,63

just throw it all in here,” he panted.

“Certainly not,” Mina corrected him. “For I can see a bookcase over there for your picture books.” She began collecting up the volumes, as Teddy sighed and started scrabbling to put the marbles back in their pouch. “There was a battle last night,” he confided. “These books were propped up to make the rival fort and these marbles were the cannonballs fired by my soldiers.”

“I see,” Mina answered, slotting the books back onto their shelves. “I did wonder how the devastation came about.”

“The Race Meet game is atop of that shelf,” he said, pointing.

“Well, we shan’t get that down, until we’ve tidied all this away.”

Teddy squinted at her. “You’re not like most aunts I’ve met,” he said accusingly.

“How many aunts do you possess?”

“Just one,” he admitted grudgingly.

Mina pointed to her own chest in query. He nodded. “Well, it doesn’t sound as though your own experience in aunts is extensive,” she told him. “And besides, this is what your aunt is like.”

He gave a snort at that and then started gathering up the hoops from his quoits set. It did not take long before they could once more see the large colorful rug, which must once have graced a far grander room but had been relegated to the nursery once it began to show signs of wear.

“That’s better,” Mina pronounced, reaching for Teddy’s game. “Now, let us set up this up on the nursery table as it needs a flat surface.”

“I usually just play with it on the floor,” Teddy objected as she set it down and lifted the lid off the box to show the six little painted horses and jockeys.

“I daresay,” Mina answered. “But you are not hampered by stiffened petticoats.”

“You could lie flat on your tummy,” he suggested helpfully.

“I most certainly could not!” Mina informed him tartly. “What objection pray; do you have to this perfectly civilized little table?” In truth, the chairs were a little small for grown-ups, but Mina lowered herself gingerly onto one and watched Teddy extend the six little horses and jockeys away from the box mechanism on their strings.

“What are their names?” Mina asked with interest as Teddy lined the little lead horses up on the starting line.

“Bucephalus, Trojan, Incitatus, Bombast, Braggadocio and Vainglory,” recited Jeremy entering the room. “They are named after the horses in my own stables,” he explained, taking a seat beside them at the table.

Mina frowned. “So then, all your steeds are named after historical horses or undesirable characteristics found in man?”

Jeremy looked surprised. “I thought generally the history taught at young lady’s schools was a good deal watered down for a young maiden’s ears.”

“Did you? Perhaps you are unaware of the effect it has on a young woman, to be told certain books are not fit for her consumption.”

Jeremy laughed. “So, it was not your good father the schoolmaster who taught you about Caligula, sister?”

Teddy looked up with a frown. “None of the horses are called that,” he protested.

“Incitatus,” Mina explained to her nephew. “Was the name of the Emperor Caligula’s horse.”

“Much like Bucephalus was the name of Alexander the Great’s,” his father added.

Teddy’s frown cleared. “Oh.” He cast a look at Mina that seemed to weigh her up anew.

“Now, how do we play this game?” Mina asked. “Is it a winding mechanism that is employed?”

“First you must pick which horse you want to back,” Teddy explained. “Mine’s Pukey-Bucey,” he added quickly.

“Then I pick Incitatus,” Mina said decisively. “For I believe it means ‘swift’ in Latin.” She turned to Jeremy for confirmation.

“Or at full gallop,” he agreed.

“Does it?” Teddy looked much impressed. “Rather a good name for a horse. What does Bucephalus mean, aunt?”

Mina opened her mouth to explain she did not know any Greek, but her brother forestalled her.

“It means Ox-head,” he drawled. “As Alexander’s Thessalian stallion was so monstrous in size. He was also said to have had a black coat with a white star at his brow.”

“Like our Pukey-Bucey,” Teddy crowed.

“Exactly.”

“And does your Bucephalus have eyes of midnight blue?” Mina enquired.

“We call it wall-eyed in the racing world,” Jeremy corrected her.

“He does have blue eyes!” Teddy said triumphantly. “You named him very well, Papa.”

“I’m glad you agree,” Jeremy replied gravely. “I choose Vainglory,” he said, pointing to the little white horse.

“You always pick Vainglory,” Teddy said with a roll of his eyes.

“Not true, sometimes I choose Bombast. Besides,” his father added. “You always pick Bucephalus.”

They spent the next twenty minutes taking it in turns to wind the handle