“No, I think that’s on your neck,” Harriet replied, taking no offense whatsoever. “Frances, you should get off the floor.”

Frances looked up at Elizabeth, who had slid back into the seat by the window. Elizabeth sighed and moved to the center.

“I’m just going to get bored again,” Frances said as soon as she was settled.

“No, you’re not,” Hugh said firmly.

Sarah turned to look at him, amused and impressed. It took a brave man to take on the Pleinsworth girls.

“We shall find something to do,” he announced.

She waited for him to realize that could never be enough of an answer. Apparently her sisters were doing the same, for at least ten seconds passed before Elizabeth asked him, “Have you any suggestions?”

“He’s brilliant with numbers,” Frances said. “He can multiply monstrously huge sums in his head. I’ve seen him do it.”

“I can’t imagine you will find it entertaining to quiz me at maths for nine hours,” he said.

“No, but it might be entertaining for the next ten minutes,” Sarah said, and she meant every word. How was it possible that she did not know this about him? She knew that he was very clever; Daniel and Marcus had both said so. She also knew that he had been considered unbeatable at cards. After all that had happened, there was no way she could not know that.

“How monstrously huge?” she asked, because truly, she wanted to know.

“At least four digits,” Frances said. “That’s what he did at the wedding breakfast. It was brilliant.”

Sarah peered over at Hugh. He seemed to be blushing. Well, maybe just a little bit. Or maybe not. Maybe she just wanted him to be blushing. There was something quite appealing about the notion.

But then she caught something else in his expression. She didn’t know how to describe it, except that she suddenly knew . . .

“You can do more than four digits,” she said with wonder.

“It is a talent,” he said, “that has brought me as much trouble as it has benefit.”

“May I quiz you?” Sarah asked, trying to keep some of the eagerness out of her voice.

He leaned toward her with a bit of smirk. “Only if I can quiz you.”

“Spoilsport.”

“I might call you the same.”

“Later,” she said firmly. “You are going to show me later.” She was fascinated by this newly revealed talent of Lord Hugh’s. Surely he wouldn’t mind one little equation. He’d done it for Frances.

“We can read one of my plays,” Harriet suggested. She started rifling through the stack of papers on her lap. “I have the one I started just last night. You know, the one with the heroine who is not too pink—”

“And not too green!” Frances and Elizabeth finished excitedly.

“Oh,” Sarah said with great dismay. “Oh oh oh oh. No.”