rose from the table and began to dance one of her flamenco measures, clicking her fingers instead of castanets and flapping her shawl around like a great clumsy bird.
Helen shot me a conspiratorial wink, and before I could work out what she meant, the servants cleared the table and left the long expanse of polished wood bare. Helen rose and plucked five feathers from her sleeve. “There are five gentlemen and three ladies, so I’m afraid we shall have to be a trifle creative.”
She placed a feather in front of each man. “Each man will blow his feather across the table into the lap of the woman of his choice. She must go with the man whose feather first lands in her lap,” she instructed. “The guest rooms have all been made ready for you, and if you feel like inviting one of the remaining two gentlemen to watch or join in, feel free. Round two will begin with a sheet game in two hours!” she finished gaily.
She rang a little crystal bell and the men began to blow. Bunny was puffing his cheeks so hard I was surprised he didn’t have an apoplexy right there. He was blowing his feather towards Helen, and she was smiling benignly at him. Kit blew once on his and collapsed in a fit of giggling, far too drunk to finish. To my horror, I saw Gervase and the reverend engaged in a pitched battle aimed in the same direction—mine.
Just as Gervase’s feather hovered on the edge of the table, Ryder rose and dropped his feather in my lap. “She’s mine,” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me from my chair.
“That’s cheating,” Gervase protested, but we were already out of the dining room and heading for the front door. He threw me into his truck and gunned the engine.
We drove for a few minutes before I turned to look at him. The moonlight rested on his features, but even that silvery light couldn’t soften them. He was angry.
“Why do I have the feeling that you’d rather have your hands around my throat than that steering wheel?”
He slammed on the brakes, sending up a shower of dirt and pebbles in our wake. He cut the engine, and the only sounds were the ticking of the hot metal and the soft cricket song.
“Do you want me to take you back?”
“Of course not. In fact, I quite appreciate the rescue. It was not at all the sort of evening I was expecting.”
“What did you think would happen?”
I weighed my options then chose the truth. “I thought she was going to tear into me because of Rex. She might resent our friendship.”
Ryder’s eyes were inky black in the fitful light. “Helen’s too subtle for that. Her best revenge would be to get you to one of her little parties and then tell Rex all about it. You were a fool to go.”
“How was I supposed to know?” I demanded. “And if you were so concerned about it, you could have warned me when you first arrived instead of waiting until things got going to mount your white horse and carry me off.”
“I had to know.”
“Know what?”
“If you wanted to be there. You didn’t seem uncomfortable. For all I knew, you were fully aware of what was about to happen and were more than happy to participate.”
“With Gervase Pemberton?”
“Don’t sound so scornful. It’s possible.”
“It is not possible. As difficult as it might be for you to believe, I do have standards. And Gervase definitely does not meet them. Neither does going off with random men. I prefer to get my kicks with people of my own choosing, thanks very much.”
“You can understand my confusion,” he returned nastily. “You’re sleeping with Kit. That doesn’t say much for your standards.”
“Oh, you are a fine one to preach to me. From what I hear, you’ve taken a turn on every ride in the colony. Clearly you knew what to expect tonight,” I finished triumphantly.
“Yes, I’ve been there before,” he admitted, and whether he meant to one of the parties or inside Helen, I wasn’t sure, and I definitely didn’t want to know.
“Sauce for the goose,” I reminded him. “And furthermore, you don’t have a claim on me, remember? I can go where I like, when I like, and I don’t see what business it is of yours.”
“Fine,” he ground out, his jaws clamped tight. “I’ll take you back there.”
He reached for the gearshift, but I had had enough. “Oh, for God’s