would pay off with a stickler like Mr. Periwinkle. I did not go authentic on the lack of panties. Mr. P was just going to have to deal with it. Though I secretly wondered if he could tell. When Patsy came up briefly to help me pin up my hair and button up in back, she set down her Bloody Mary and glanced around.
“You’re sharing a room?” she asked, a saucy little smile on her lips.
“Yes, there was a mix-up at the front desk.”
“I’d apologize, Sweetie, but I daresay I did you a favor.” She winked at me.
I shook my head, but couldn’t help but return her wicked grin.
“We’re not sharing a bed,” I clarified.
She took a long sip of her drink. “I can see that,” she replied, pushing one long finger up into her beehive. “That’s a shame, darling.”
After Patsy finished helping me dress, I hurried down to meet Jeremy in the parlor near the doors that led out to the tents.
Just as he had while trying on the same clothing at Mitchell’s shop, Jeremy looked exactly like Mr. Darcy. Top hat, top boots, buff-colored skin-tight breeches, a startlingly white shirtfront and cravat, his emerald green waistcoat, and his black overcoat with tails. For this particular event, he also had a cane, which any self-respecting Regency gent would have carried as an affectation. He’d even been growing out his sideburns per my suggestion, and the slight curl of his hair under his hat was positively swoon-worthy.
I strolled up to him, wondering what he’d think of me in my Regency gown. He was consulting a timepiece. An honest-to-goodness timepiece.
“Does that thing work?” I asked, nodding toward the watch with unabashed interest.
He started and spun around on his heel, looking ever so much like a Regency buck. I thought about what Ellie had said about being in a living romance novel. She was right. This was fun.
“Yes, it works,” Jeremy said, smiling down at me, the timepiece still cradled in his palm.
“Can I see?” I moved toward him and held out my gloved hand.
He pulled the chain farther out of his pocket and handed me the small gold watch. I leaned down to study it. “This looks authentic,” I said.
“It is.”
I furrowed my brow. “Where did you get it?”
A smile curved his lips. “I scoured the antique district for it. Wanted to look realistic.”
A man who thought to buy a Regency-era timepiece? My heart thumped faster. “Mr. Periwinkle is sure to like it.”
Jeremy whistled. “Knows his stuff, eh?”
I nodded. “Like the back of his hand.”
Jeremy’s smile was contagious. “So, I shouldn’t tell him I’m wearing boxer briefs under this?”
“No.” I swallowed hard. “Keep that to yourself.” That announcement made my mind wander to how tight and form-fitting the boxer briefs were. What color were they? Wait. Why did I care? I needed to change the subject. Stat.
“Mr. Periwinkle also fancies himself a bit of a psychic. Drives Mary and Nigel mad.” There, that was a perfect subject change.
Jeremy’s brows shot up. “Psychic, eh? Should we ask him if we are going to win?”
“No.” I took a deep breath and shook my head vehemently. “I wouldn’t want to give away the surprise.”
He cocked his head to the side and studied my face. “You wouldn’t want to know the future if you could?”
“No way.” I shuddered. I peered up at him from beneath my white and green-ribboned bonnet. “Would you?”
“It might help with my bets on the World Series. Being a Brewers fan is tough. Coulda helped when Chicago finally broke their curse, though.”
“You bet on sports?”
He sighed. “Very small sums of money. I think I lost twenty bucks last time.”
Hmm. That seemed reasonable. But now wasn’t the time to discuss Jeremy’s World Series’ bets. I needed to keep my eye on the prize. “Let’s go to the tent. I’m going to sneak inside and say hello to Mr. Periwinkle before the competition starts.”
Jeremy arched a brow. “Is that allowed? Fraternizing with the judges?”
“Where Mr. P is concerned, it’s all right. Everyone knows he’s such a stickler for clothing, he’d never give anyone so much as a quarter of a point more or less solely based on his personal feelings.”
Jeremy bowed to me and my heart did a flip. “Then by all means, fraternize.”
We walked outside and made our way across the lawn toward the back of the tent where the contestants were supposed to meet. The other competitors were slowly headed in the same direction. I spent a few minutes sizing everyone