“I notice ears,” he said unapologetically. “I can’t help it now.”
“Nor can I,” George admitted. “I blame Mother.”
Billie blinked a few times, still pinching her lobe between her fingers. “I just don’t…” She frowned and swung her legs off the sofa.
“Watch out!” Andrew snapped.
She shot him a look of great irritation, not that he was paying attention to her, and bent forward.
Andrew turned slowly. “Are you examining my ears?”
“I’m just trying to see what the difference is. I told you, I didn’t even realize there was more than one type.”
He flicked his hand toward his brother. “Go look at George’s if you must. You’re too close to the table here.”
“I vow, Andrew,” she said, carefully edging herself sideways until she was out of the space between the sofa and the table, “this is like a disease with you.”
“Some men turn to drink,” he said archly.
George stood, having seen that Billie had come to her feet. “Or cards,” he said with a sly half-smile.
Billie snorted a laugh.
“How many levels do you think he’s laid down?” George asked.
Billie leaned to the right; Andrew was blocking her view. One, two, three, four…
“Six,” she told him.
“That’s remarkable.”
Billie quirked a smile. “Is this what it takes to impress you?”
“Quite possibly.”
“Stop talking,” Andrew snapped.
“We move the air with our breath,” Billie explained, giving the statement gravity it absolutely didn’t deserve.
“I see.”
“Yesterday I sneezed.”
George turned to her with full admiration. “Well done.”
“I need more cards,” Andrew said. He backed up from the table very slowly, scooting along the carpet like a crab until he was far enough away to rise without risking knocking into anything.
“I don’t have any,” Billie said. “I mean, I’m sure we do, but I wouldn’t know where to find them. I brought you the last two decks from the game room earlier.”
“This won’t do,” Andrew muttered.
“You could ask Thamesly,” she suggested. “If anyone would know, it would be he.”
Andrew nodded slowly, as if he were working it all out in his head. Then he turned and said, “You’ll have to move.”
She stared at him. “I beg your pardon.”
“You can’t stand there. You’re too close.”
“Andrew,” she said plainly, “you’ve gone mad.”
“You’re going to knock it down.”
“Just go,” Billie said.
“If you —”
“Go!” she and George yelled together.
Andrew threw an evil eye at them both and left the room.
Billie looked at George. He looked at her.
They burst into laughter.
“I don’t know about you,” Billie said, “but I’m moving to the other side of the room.”
“Ah, but then you are admitting defeat.”
She tossed him a glance over her shoulder as she walked away. “I prefer to think of it as self-preservation.”
George chuckled and followed her to the bank of windows. “The irony,” he said, “is that he’s terrible at cards.”
“He is?” She wrinkled her nose. It was odd, really, but she didn’t think she and Andrew had ever played cards.
“All games of chance, actually,” George went on. “If you ever need some money, he’s your man.”
“Alas, I don’t gamble.”
“With cards,” he countered.
She had a feeling he’d meant to sound droll, but to her ears it was patronizing in the extreme. She scowled. “What do you mean by that?”
He looked at her as if he were mildly surprised by her question. “Just that you gamble quite happily with your life all the time.”
She felt her chin draw back. “That’s absurd.”
“Billie, you fell out of a tree.”
“Onto a roof.”
He almost laughed. “This counters my argument how?”
“You would have done the exact same thing I did,” she insisted. “In fact, you did.”
“Oh, really.”
“I went up the tree to save a cat.” She jabbed him in the shoulder with her index finger. “You went up to save me.”
“First of all,” he shot back, “I did not go up the tree. And secondly, you’re comparing yourself to a cat?”
“Yes. No!” For the first time she was grateful she’d injured her foot. She might have stamped it, otherwise.
“What would you have done if I hadn’t come along?” he demanded, “Truly, Billie. What would you have done?”
“I’d have been fine.”
“I’m sure you would have. You’ve the devil’s own luck. But your family would have been frantic, and likely the entire village would have been called out to search for you.”
He was right, damn it, and that just made it worse. “Do you think I’m not aware of that?” she demanded, her voice dropping to a low hiss.
He regarded her for just long enough to make her uncomfortable. “No,” he said, “I don’t.”