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Chapter 13

Despite their slow start, and Morgan's undoubted familiarity with a pair of oars, Lenore and Rhys made excellent progress across the lake and managed to close the distance between the two boats quite considerably.

Since Rhys was facing backward to row, Lenore kept him updated on their progress as the muscles in his forearms rippled in time with his powerful strokes.

He'd removed his jacket and thrown it on the wooden plank that served as a seat, and Lenore couldn't help but be impressed by the smooth motion of his body as he reached forward and pulled back. The oars cut into the water, and they sped across the lake, pushing through the lily pads that clustered in the shallows.

"We're gaining on them!"

"Not quickly enough," Rhys panted.

"What's on the island, anyway? Is it just trees?"

"No. There's a little stone temple thing in the middle. You can see the columns through the trees if you look closely. I bet the flag is in hidden in there."

A flash of color at the opposite end of the lake caught Lenore's eye, and she gave a disbelieving gasp as she identified who it was.

"Gryff and Carys are over there, on the far side."

"No boats over there," Rhys chuckled.

Lenore's eyes widened. "I don't think that's going to be a problem. Your brother's stripping off his clothes. I think he means to swim!"

Rhys turned around his seat to look, then let out a growl of disbelief as he, too, saw Gryff tug off his books, then discard his jacket, cravat, and shirt. Carys, his willing co-conspirator, grinned as he handed her the clothes.

Lenore raised her brows. "I say, your brother keeps himself very fit, doesn't he?" She glanced at Rhys and was delighted to see an aggrieved frown flash across his handsome face.

"You shouldn't be looking at his physique," he scolded. "Avert your eyes!"

Lenore snorted. "I've seen hundreds of shirtless men, Rhys Davies. Sailors, porters, fellow shipwreck survivors. I don't think I'm in any danger of swooning just because your brother happens to show some chest."

Rhys gave the oars a particularly hard pull.

There was an audible splash as Gryff dove into the water, and a shout from the boat up ahead as Harriet and Morgan obviously realized they had competition.

The island they were all heading for was large and tree-covered and situated far closer to Gryff's end of the lake than the boat shed. There was a definite possibility that he would reach it first.

"Row faster!" Lenore ordered Rhys with a laugh.

There was an audible crunch as Harriet and Morgan's boat reached the shore on the island. Morgan leaped out.

Gryff had disappeared from view around the back of the island.

"Go!" Harriet shouted to Morgan, gesturing frantically into the trees toward the center if the island. "Don't wait for me."

Morgan started off through the undergrowth, and Harriet sent Lenore a laughing glance as their boat slid onto the same stretch of beach. "Afternoon!"

Rhys didn't even wait for the boat to come to a complete stop. He threw down the oars and jumped out after Morgan in hot pursuit, careless of his expensive boots splashing in the water.

Harriet obviously planned to stay with their boat, but Lenore decided that two sets of eyes were better than one. She hitched her skirts up to her waist, tucked the excess fabric into her waistband, climbed out of the boat, and dragged it higher up the beach so it wouldn't float away.

Then she set off after Rhys and Morgan.

The trees and grasses were incredibly overgrown, but she pushed ahead, uphill, batting branches out of the way and stepping over fallen logs. The sound of snapping twigs indicated that someone was up ahead, and then the peace was shattered by a cacophony of male shouting.

"Got you!"

She rounded a large pine just in time to see Rhys running towards Morgan's retreating back. He launched himself at his brother and tackled him with arms around his chest, and the two of them tumbled to the ground in a blur of limbs.

"Oi! Get off, you bugger!" Morgan rolled and tried to push him off, but Rhys clung to him like a barnacle, and the two of them rolled over and over through the mud and leaves, scrambling in the most undignified manner.

Morgan managed to get one arm free and grabbed Rhys's hair, which he gave a brutal tug.

"Owww!" Rhys howled. "Not the hair!"

He retaliated by elbowing Morgan in the stomach.

Morgan grabbed the waistband of Rhys's breeches and gave a sharp tug, and Lenore winced as he heard the rip of fabric.

Since both men were of a similar size and weight, they were evenly matched, and they'd clearly been scrapping like this since they were boys. They obviously hadn't lost the relish for it now that they were in their twenties. Lenore almost rolled her eyes.

Rhys had just pulled his right arm back to punch Morgan in the face when Harriet's scolding tones carried clearly through the trees.

"No punching, Davies boys!"

Both Rhys and Morgan stilled, and Lenore turned in surprise to see Harriet pushing through the greenery to her left.

Harriet sent the two men a look of withering disappointment that made Lenore suppress a chuckle. She'd clearly witnessed such chaotic scenes from the Davies siblings before.

"Rhys Davies, don't you dare give my husband a black eye. We have to go to Lady Pilton's garden party next week and I won't have him looking like a pirate."

She turned to her husband. "And you. Have you forgotten he was boxing champion at Cambridge for three years in a row? Why on earth would you get into a scrap with him?"

"Just helping him stay on top form," Morgan grinned.

Rhys sent Morgan a gloating look for Harriet's apparent admiration of his boxing acumen, but it faded with her next comment.

"He's probably received so many blows to the head that his brain's stopped working properly."

"Hey!" Rhys objected. "My brain works perfectly well, I'll have you know."

Morgan sent his wife a laughing glance. "And if I remember correctly, there have been times when you've quite liked me looking like a pirate." He waggled his brows and sent her a comically suggestive leer.

Harriet's cheeks turned pink, and she sent him an embarrassed glare. "Oh, hush, you!"

Lenore caught Rhys's eye and gave her head an almost imperceptible tilt toward the center of the island to indicate that she was going to make a run for the temple while he detained Morgan. He understood her intent immediately.

"Lenore, go!" he shouted, just as he grabbed Morgan's shirt collar and gave it a yank backwards.

Morgan let out a howl as there was more ripping of fabric. "I paid ten shillings for this jacket, you arse!"

Lenore didn't wait to her Rhys's reply. She lifted her skirts and leapt over their tangled legs and raced onward.

The pale stone pillars of the temple came into view between the trees and she quickened her pace, fearful that Harriet would be right behind her.

She'd just reached the lowest of the curved steps that ringed the base of the circular temple when a dripping and shirtless Gryff Davies emerged from behind a pillar with a whoop of triumph.

"No!" she gasped, her chest heaving with exertion.

Gryff waved the little blue flag down at her. "Give Rhys my thanks for taking care of Morgan."

With a grin, he trotted down the steps and plunged back into the trees.

Rhys arrived just then, panting as he reached her side. His cheeks were flushed, and his hair was a tangled mess, but her heart gave a traitorous little flutter all the same. She liked him all mussed and disreputable.

"What's the matter?" he demanded. "Why have you stopped?"

"Gryff got here first." She pointed to the incriminating wet puddle in the middle of the temple.

Rhys bent over and braced his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Bugger and arse. That was well played of him."

The words were more stoic than angry, and when he straightened back up his eyes were glinting with good humor. He clearly didn't bear either Morgan or Gryff a grudge.

"Gryff beat both of us to it!" he called back to Morgan, who offered a muffled curse of his own through the trees.

Lenore heard a murmur of commiseration from Harriet, and then the rustle of undergrowth as the other couple started back to their boat.

Rhys, however, seemed in no particular hurry to leave. He leaned against the nearest column, and Lenore's tummy fluttered at the sight he made.

She ascended a step to they were almost eye to eye and reached out towards him. He stilled, his eyes darkening in surprise, but she merely pulled a stray leaf from his hair.

"You had a leaf," she muttered.

She'd stepped close to him, close enough to see the flecks in his dark eyes and the way his pupils expanded at her nearness. His gaze flashed down to her lips as if he was remembering them against his own, and she leaned forward even more, hoping he'd take the hint and close the distance between them, but he cleared his throat and pushed off the pillar, breaking the spell.

Her spirits plummeted. He didn't want to kiss her again.

What had she done wrong?

"I think that was the last flag," He glanced up at the sky, where the sun's low position indicated the lateness of the afternoon. "We should probably head back to Newstead Park and find out who's won."

Lenore hid her disappointment with a wide smile. "Yes. Of course."

They walked side by side back downhill, with Lenore's thoughts a jumbled whirl, but Gryff's outraged gasp snapped her from her introspection.

"They've stolen our oars!"

They both squinted out across the water, to where Morgan and Harriet were making a rapid escape. Harriet lifted one of the purloined oars above her head and sent them a cheeky salute.

"All's fair in love and war!"

Rhys's growl of irritation did funny things to Lenore's insides.

"Bloody brilliant. We're stranded."

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