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Authors: Ruby Royce
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pipe. “You
base your endeavours on shaky grounds, my love.”
“ Oh,
but I'd seen how smitten he was. I knew I had only to
mention Lady Winston's ball and he'd be there. To my own disgrace, I
grabbed the wrong book and handed him The
Birds of Cheltenham Gardens. I
had several sleepless nights over it. I feared he might take Eugenia
for a lack wit. That book is revolting!”
If
he doesn't want to marry me, I'm going to die. But if he really wants
to marry me, I'm also going to die. I'm dead already. Farewell,
world.
“ I
saw a copy of that novel just the other day in a gutter near St.
James' Park, in case you're interested,” Gigi's father grumbled.
“ No,
I'm not,” Lady Cartwright frowned. “Thank the Almighty his horse
liked the apple pie. What would we've done otherwise?”
“ Don't
tell me you had a hand in that too,” the general implored.
“ No.
But I wish I had!”
14.
Bond
Street, the next morning
Dominic
and Lackerby saw heavily armed guards as they entered Monsieur
Duval's boutique for handmade jewellery. That was only necessary
considering the values stored within.
The
famous goldsmith Claude Duval had left France after the Revolution
since, for reasons well known, there were few necks left for his
jewels to adorn.
For
many years now, his establishment had been counted among the most
renowned in England.
The
boudoir where Monsieur Duval welcomed his customers was large and
elegantly styled in red velvet and gold. Necklaces, bracelets and
earrings were placed almost negligently throughout the room as if
forgotten.
“ We're
only trinkets,” the jewels seemed to whisper, “just take us
along, it doesn't matter. You can afford it.”
You
don't fool me, you shiny little seductresses.
Dominic
knew, as did every gentleman in London, that a piece of jewellery at
Monsieur Duval would cost him at least a thousand pounds.
Lackerby,
untroubled by the surroundings, kept elaborating on his newest
conquest – the red-haired opera dancer bearing the promising name
of Desirée.
“ You
should see the way she moves her hips, Surrey, it's hypnotic! She
could make millions with it. In that state of trance I'd give her all
my money and yours as well, if she only consented to move her hips on
top of me.”
“ Oh,
shut up, Lacks. Help me find something suitable for my bride. If
she'll have me.”
I’m
doubting it.
“ Come
on, Surrey, she's not going to say no, whoever she is. You're making
quite the secret of it, by the by. I wonder why, actually? She ugly?”
“ No,
she's the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“ Aren't
they always?”
Apart
from Surrey and Lackerby there was only one more customer in the
boudoir.
That
other customer was lounging comfortably on a vast couch, with his
back towards the two lords. Oddly, he wore a tricorn.
Dominic
smiled to himself. He thought it quite droll that a tricorn would be
present when he bought his first gift for Gigi the pirate.
“ It'll
have to be something unique, Lacks. Something truly beautiful. This
is cheap rubbish. She'd throw it into my face.”
No,
she'd probably strangle me with it.
“ Quite
a demanding young lady, your future wife. Are you quite sure about
her?”
“ Yes.
Shut up and look.”
Nothing
Dominic had seen so far had pleased him. Duval would have to bring
out his hidden treasure boxes with the more expensive pieces; in
fact, Duval was at that very moment busy presenting a collier of
emeralds and diamonds to the man wearing the tricorn from just such a
box.
That
would be more to my taste.
“ Look
at that!” Lackerby lifted a necklace of sinfully red rubies,
surrounded by smaller stones of black jet. “It looks exactly like
the nightgown Desirée wore last night, I'm going to buy it for her
and the her hips will---”
“ LACKERBY!”
A voice filled the boudoir with the sound of rolling thunder.
Lackerby
was at once pale as a sheet. No, he was green!
“ Still
spending all your money on
base your endeavours on shaky grounds, my love.”
“ Oh,
but I'd seen how smitten he was. I knew I had only to
mention Lady Winston's ball and he'd be there. To my own disgrace, I
grabbed the wrong book and handed him The
Birds of Cheltenham Gardens. I
had several sleepless nights over it. I feared he might take Eugenia
for a lack wit. That book is revolting!”
If
he doesn't want to marry me, I'm going to die. But if he really wants
to marry me, I'm also going to die. I'm dead already. Farewell,
world.
“ I
saw a copy of that novel just the other day in a gutter near St.
James' Park, in case you're interested,” Gigi's father grumbled.
“ No,
I'm not,” Lady Cartwright frowned. “Thank the Almighty his horse
liked the apple pie. What would we've done otherwise?”
“ Don't
tell me you had a hand in that too,” the general implored.
“ No.
But I wish I had!”
14.
Bond
Street, the next morning
Dominic
and Lackerby saw heavily armed guards as they entered Monsieur
Duval's boutique for handmade jewellery. That was only necessary
considering the values stored within.
The
famous goldsmith Claude Duval had left France after the Revolution
since, for reasons well known, there were few necks left for his
jewels to adorn.
For
many years now, his establishment had been counted among the most
renowned in England.
The
boudoir where Monsieur Duval welcomed his customers was large and
elegantly styled in red velvet and gold. Necklaces, bracelets and
earrings were placed almost negligently throughout the room as if
forgotten.
“ We're
only trinkets,” the jewels seemed to whisper, “just take us
along, it doesn't matter. You can afford it.”
You
don't fool me, you shiny little seductresses.
Dominic
knew, as did every gentleman in London, that a piece of jewellery at
Monsieur Duval would cost him at least a thousand pounds.
Lackerby,
untroubled by the surroundings, kept elaborating on his newest
conquest – the red-haired opera dancer bearing the promising name
of Desirée.
“ You
should see the way she moves her hips, Surrey, it's hypnotic! She
could make millions with it. In that state of trance I'd give her all
my money and yours as well, if she only consented to move her hips on
top of me.”
“ Oh,
shut up, Lacks. Help me find something suitable for my bride. If
she'll have me.”
I’m
doubting it.
“ Come
on, Surrey, she's not going to say no, whoever she is. You're making
quite the secret of it, by the by. I wonder why, actually? She ugly?”
“ No,
she's the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“ Aren't
they always?”
Apart
from Surrey and Lackerby there was only one more customer in the
boudoir.
That
other customer was lounging comfortably on a vast couch, with his
back towards the two lords. Oddly, he wore a tricorn.
Dominic
smiled to himself. He thought it quite droll that a tricorn would be
present when he bought his first gift for Gigi the pirate.
“ It'll
have to be something unique, Lacks. Something truly beautiful. This
is cheap rubbish. She'd throw it into my face.”
No,
she'd probably strangle me with it.
“ Quite
a demanding young lady, your future wife. Are you quite sure about
her?”
“ Yes.
Shut up and look.”
Nothing
Dominic had seen so far had pleased him. Duval would have to bring
out his hidden treasure boxes with the more expensive pieces; in
fact, Duval was at that very moment busy presenting a collier of
emeralds and diamonds to the man wearing the tricorn from just such a
box.
That
would be more to my taste.
“ Look
at that!” Lackerby lifted a necklace of sinfully red rubies,
surrounded by smaller stones of black jet. “It looks exactly like
the nightgown Desirée wore last night, I'm going to buy it for her
and the her hips will---”
“ LACKERBY!”
A voice filled the boudoir with the sound of rolling thunder.
Lackerby
was at once pale as a sheet. No, he was green!
“ Still
spending all your money on
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