with his own esteem as Sydney’s brother, Skipton, is. I mean to get Godmama to invite Salas to dinner, thinking he’s a foreign count, you know, and then you just watch. Sydney will be as polite as can be to him and will never suspect he’s entertaining a gypsy.”
“You’d better hope he doesn’t,” Brandon said, but his eyes were alight now with mischief. “I say, Caro, it will be a fine hoax if we can carry it off. M’ sister Ramsbury’s husband is of a size with that fellow. Daresay there are a few of his rags about the house somewhere that I can filch.”
“Even if Sydney isn’t fooled,” she said, relaxing now that he had entered into the plan, “he won’t be angry. For one thing, he never is, and for another, he is accustomed to my pranks. Indeed, I mean for him to know,” she added with a chuckle, “just not until after we have succeeded in hoodwinking him.”
Brandon shook his head at her, but now that he had agreed to help, he entered into the plan with wholehearted enthusiasm, and when he called the following day to escort her back to the gypsy camp, he had an unwieldy bundle of clothing tied to his saddle.
“A full rig, complete to the shoes,” he announced with satisfaction as they rode out through the gates, followed at a distance by Cleves, leading the gypsy horse.
“Won’t everything be dreadfully wrinkled?” she asked, doubtfully eyeing the bundle and hoping they would not have the misfortune to meet Sydney.
“Lord, I won’t leave it with him. We’d never see it again. Best thing is if he comes to my house and dresses there, so my man can see that all is done right and proper. Then I’ll bring Salas here with me. Just brought the things today so I can see if they fit. Salas still has to agree to the plan, you know. You’re taking a deal for granted, thinking he will.”
“Oh, he will,” she said confidently.
“And just how do you know that?”
She grinned at him. “Well, I don’t, actually, but I fancy he will if we offer him recompense for his participation.”
Brandon frowned. “Hope he don’t want too much. I’m not precisely plump in the pockets just at the moment. Are you?”
“Well, not precisely, but I’ve a bit by me and I thought we could pay him more later if he will only agree to the plan.”
Brandon looked doubtful but said only, “Have you spoken to Lady Skipton?”
“Not yet. I want to be certain Salas will do as we ask before I mention him to her. Then, all I’ll have to do is tell her you know a foreign count who wishes to visit Bath without making a noise, and she will hasten to invite you and your guest to dine if only so that she might puff it off later to all her bosom bows. Puck will love it, too. The difficulty will be to assure Sydney’s presence that evening, but I think I can manage that by affecting an interest of my own in the count.”
“No doubt,” Brandon said dryly. “I see no way now of avoiding a lecture from Saint-Denis. First I disgrace myself by abandoning you to the mercies of a villain like Lyndhurst, and now I introduce you to a foreign count about whom Saint-Denis knows nothing. I perceive dangerous shoals ahead.”
She laughed. “Poor Brandon. And you will not know in the least how to avoid them, will you? Not having had any experience in such matters.”
He grinned at her. “Very well, think what you will, but before you can cook up this rabbit stew of yours, my dear, you must first catch your rabbit. Then we can discuss the difficulties involved in serving him up to Saint-Denis.”
They fell silent after that, but Carolyn was not concerned that her plan might fail. Something in the way the young gypsy had looked at her the previous day gave her to know that his sense of mischief was as well developed as their own, and she was certain he would agree to do as they asked.
Salas was the first to greet them when they entered the camp, expressing his pleasure in seeing them again and assuring them that the
“You’d better hope he doesn’t,” Brandon said, but his eyes were alight now with mischief. “I say, Caro, it will be a fine hoax if we can carry it off. M’ sister Ramsbury’s husband is of a size with that fellow. Daresay there are a few of his rags about the house somewhere that I can filch.”
“Even if Sydney isn’t fooled,” she said, relaxing now that he had entered into the plan, “he won’t be angry. For one thing, he never is, and for another, he is accustomed to my pranks. Indeed, I mean for him to know,” she added with a chuckle, “just not until after we have succeeded in hoodwinking him.”
Brandon shook his head at her, but now that he had agreed to help, he entered into the plan with wholehearted enthusiasm, and when he called the following day to escort her back to the gypsy camp, he had an unwieldy bundle of clothing tied to his saddle.
“A full rig, complete to the shoes,” he announced with satisfaction as they rode out through the gates, followed at a distance by Cleves, leading the gypsy horse.
“Won’t everything be dreadfully wrinkled?” she asked, doubtfully eyeing the bundle and hoping they would not have the misfortune to meet Sydney.
“Lord, I won’t leave it with him. We’d never see it again. Best thing is if he comes to my house and dresses there, so my man can see that all is done right and proper. Then I’ll bring Salas here with me. Just brought the things today so I can see if they fit. Salas still has to agree to the plan, you know. You’re taking a deal for granted, thinking he will.”
“Oh, he will,” she said confidently.
“And just how do you know that?”
She grinned at him. “Well, I don’t, actually, but I fancy he will if we offer him recompense for his participation.”
Brandon frowned. “Hope he don’t want too much. I’m not precisely plump in the pockets just at the moment. Are you?”
“Well, not precisely, but I’ve a bit by me and I thought we could pay him more later if he will only agree to the plan.”
Brandon looked doubtful but said only, “Have you spoken to Lady Skipton?”
“Not yet. I want to be certain Salas will do as we ask before I mention him to her. Then, all I’ll have to do is tell her you know a foreign count who wishes to visit Bath without making a noise, and she will hasten to invite you and your guest to dine if only so that she might puff it off later to all her bosom bows. Puck will love it, too. The difficulty will be to assure Sydney’s presence that evening, but I think I can manage that by affecting an interest of my own in the count.”
“No doubt,” Brandon said dryly. “I see no way now of avoiding a lecture from Saint-Denis. First I disgrace myself by abandoning you to the mercies of a villain like Lyndhurst, and now I introduce you to a foreign count about whom Saint-Denis knows nothing. I perceive dangerous shoals ahead.”
She laughed. “Poor Brandon. And you will not know in the least how to avoid them, will you? Not having had any experience in such matters.”
He grinned at her. “Very well, think what you will, but before you can cook up this rabbit stew of yours, my dear, you must first catch your rabbit. Then we can discuss the difficulties involved in serving him up to Saint-Denis.”
They fell silent after that, but Carolyn was not concerned that her plan might fail. Something in the way the young gypsy had looked at her the previous day gave her to know that his sense of mischief was as well developed as their own, and she was certain he would agree to do as they asked.
Salas was the first to greet them when they entered the camp, expressing his pleasure in seeing them again and assuring them that the
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