and crossed to a desk, then sat down and began to write busily.
Then she rose and handed him a slip of paper. “That is a draft on my bank.” Gerald blinked at the large sum. “Now, shall we discuss strategy? It is time your little duchess saw me with Ferrant again. Miss Taylor is to have her come-out ball tomorrow night. Although the family is not
bon
ton, Ferrant has agreed to go because the father is an old army friend. He is taking me. It is up to us to see the duchess goes. I myself will engineer an invitation for you, and I will tell Mr. Taylor that it is Ferrant’s wish that his wife should accept an invitation. I believe Taylor discreetly did not send her one. You play your part and I will play mine.”
Alice duly received a pressing invitation from Mr. Taylor to attend his daughter’s ball. In his letter he said he was an old friend of her husband’s. Alice showed the letter to Mrs. Duggan, along with the accompanying invitation card. “Very strange,” said Mrs. Duggan. “I myself have an invitation, but then, I have known the Taylors this age. Had you anything else planned for this evening?”
Alice shook her head. “I planned to go to bed early. Madame Duval is going to spend most of this afternoon fitting me for all sorts of ensembles.”
“But nothing ready yet? No? Then she had better refurbish something for this evening, for it is my belief you should go.”
“What if Ferrant is there with Lady Macdonald?”
“All to the better. To arrive escorting one’s mistress when one’s wife is present is just not done.”
“What if Sir Gerald Warby is there?”
Mrs. Duggan looked at her thoughtfully. She wanted to say that such as Sir Gerald was not a patch on Ferrant, but she said instead, “He is not invited anywhere much.” Mrs. Duggan had been making inquiries. “But Lord Dunfear and young Donnelly are to attend. I suggest they escort us. You will therefore have two safe partners, and one of them will escort you to supper.”
The butler entered. “Lord Werford and his son, the Honorable Percy Burke,” he announced.
“I do not think I know them,” said Alice.
“If it pleases Your Grace, Lord Werford is His Grace’s second cousin.”
‘In that case, I had better see them. Is His Grace not at home?”
“No, Your Grace.”
“Then you may show them in.”
The duke’s relative was older than the duke by at least twenty years. He was a small, swarthy man with a yellowish complexion, which could mean either that he had spent some time in India, or, what was more likely, there was something up with his liver. He had heavy eyebrows, bulging eyes, and a yapping voice. His son was also small but very neat—neat little features, neat little figure, finicky, precise movements.
“You must excuse my bad memory,” said Alice. “I do not remember you at the wedding.”
“Traveling abroad,” barked Lord Werford. “Both of us. Grand Tour. Boy’s education. Important.”
“Quite. May I present Mrs. Duggan. Mrs. Duggan, Lord Werford and the Honorable Percy Burke.”
Lord Werford bowed jerkily, but the Honorable Percy swept out a huge silk handkerchief and waved it in the air in a series of descending swoops, bowing as he did so, until his nose almost reached the floor. And then he stayed motionless, doubled up.
“Do rise, sir,” said Alice, stifling a giggle. “I am not the queen.”
“But you are the queen of beauty,” said Percy, straightening up. “One glance from your eyes has pierced my heart.”
“I don’t like you,” said Oracle suddenly, from his cage in the corner of the drawing room. “I don’t like you
at all
.”
Alice blushed guiltily. She had been talking to the bird recently about Lady Macdonald, ending up by crying, “I don’t like you at all, my lady.” Oracle had omitted the “my lady,” and so it sounded uncannily as if the bird had taken a dislike to the guests.
“Do excuse my pet,” she said. “He parrots odd phrases that mean
Then she rose and handed him a slip of paper. “That is a draft on my bank.” Gerald blinked at the large sum. “Now, shall we discuss strategy? It is time your little duchess saw me with Ferrant again. Miss Taylor is to have her come-out ball tomorrow night. Although the family is not
bon
ton, Ferrant has agreed to go because the father is an old army friend. He is taking me. It is up to us to see the duchess goes. I myself will engineer an invitation for you, and I will tell Mr. Taylor that it is Ferrant’s wish that his wife should accept an invitation. I believe Taylor discreetly did not send her one. You play your part and I will play mine.”
Alice duly received a pressing invitation from Mr. Taylor to attend his daughter’s ball. In his letter he said he was an old friend of her husband’s. Alice showed the letter to Mrs. Duggan, along with the accompanying invitation card. “Very strange,” said Mrs. Duggan. “I myself have an invitation, but then, I have known the Taylors this age. Had you anything else planned for this evening?”
Alice shook her head. “I planned to go to bed early. Madame Duval is going to spend most of this afternoon fitting me for all sorts of ensembles.”
“But nothing ready yet? No? Then she had better refurbish something for this evening, for it is my belief you should go.”
“What if Ferrant is there with Lady Macdonald?”
“All to the better. To arrive escorting one’s mistress when one’s wife is present is just not done.”
“What if Sir Gerald Warby is there?”
Mrs. Duggan looked at her thoughtfully. She wanted to say that such as Sir Gerald was not a patch on Ferrant, but she said instead, “He is not invited anywhere much.” Mrs. Duggan had been making inquiries. “But Lord Dunfear and young Donnelly are to attend. I suggest they escort us. You will therefore have two safe partners, and one of them will escort you to supper.”
The butler entered. “Lord Werford and his son, the Honorable Percy Burke,” he announced.
“I do not think I know them,” said Alice.
“If it pleases Your Grace, Lord Werford is His Grace’s second cousin.”
‘In that case, I had better see them. Is His Grace not at home?”
“No, Your Grace.”
“Then you may show them in.”
The duke’s relative was older than the duke by at least twenty years. He was a small, swarthy man with a yellowish complexion, which could mean either that he had spent some time in India, or, what was more likely, there was something up with his liver. He had heavy eyebrows, bulging eyes, and a yapping voice. His son was also small but very neat—neat little features, neat little figure, finicky, precise movements.
“You must excuse my bad memory,” said Alice. “I do not remember you at the wedding.”
“Traveling abroad,” barked Lord Werford. “Both of us. Grand Tour. Boy’s education. Important.”
“Quite. May I present Mrs. Duggan. Mrs. Duggan, Lord Werford and the Honorable Percy Burke.”
Lord Werford bowed jerkily, but the Honorable Percy swept out a huge silk handkerchief and waved it in the air in a series of descending swoops, bowing as he did so, until his nose almost reached the floor. And then he stayed motionless, doubled up.
“Do rise, sir,” said Alice, stifling a giggle. “I am not the queen.”
“But you are the queen of beauty,” said Percy, straightening up. “One glance from your eyes has pierced my heart.”
“I don’t like you,” said Oracle suddenly, from his cage in the corner of the drawing room. “I don’t like you
at all
.”
Alice blushed guiltily. She had been talking to the bird recently about Lady Macdonald, ending up by crying, “I don’t like you at all, my lady.” Oracle had omitted the “my lady,” and so it sounded uncannily as if the bird had taken a dislike to the guests.
“Do excuse my pet,” she said. “He parrots odd phrases that mean
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