Her brows rose."Defect?"
"To a more entertaining vessel," he said lightly."I happen to have one moored near by."
Genny clapped her hands."Oh, yes!Let us mutiny.I have always wanted to be a pirate."
“Lord Woodmere will never allow it," Esme said.
"Then we must make it his idea," James replied.
Esme gave him a look that said she recognized the reference and was both wary and tempted.
Before she could answer, Woodmere approached, hat tipped, expression polite and faintly grim.
"Birkshire," he said, giving a nod."Redford."
"Viscount," James returned."You have chosen a fine morning to test Lady Woodmere's boating nerves."
Woodmere’s mouth did not quite soften."The water is calm.The park is crowded.It will be perfectly safe."
"For whom?"James murmured, then added more loudly, "As it happens, I am also on the water this morning.If you wished, we could?—"
"No," Woodmere said.
Alexandra and Magnus had drawn nearer, Magnus steadying the hire-boat at the landing, Alexandra smiling with dangerous brightness.
"—form a small flotilla," James finished smoothly."Safety in numbers, and all that.We can keep to the middle, out of the way of less experienced oarsmen."
Woodmere hesitated long enough for Berkshire to say, “A fine idea Redford.I will join Woodmere’s boat.”
"Very well," Woodmere said at last."One lap of the Serpentine together.No races, no foolishness."
"Perish the thought," James said.
Genny leaned toward Esme."The Mutual Mischief Society grows," she whispered.
Esme's pulse gave a small leap.
"Lady Esme, Miss Moreland?”Woodmere nodded toward the boat.
"We shall join Lord and Lady Langley," Esme answered."It will be...sociable."
Woodmere’s jaw flexed."Very well.But stay in sight of our boat."
"Of course," James said."We would not dream of depriving Woodmere of the pleasure of supervising us."
Alexandra extended a hand to Esme."Come, my dear.Let us see whether the Serpentine can withstand us."
Esme took it.
James swallowed back a triumphant laugh.
It was not James’s fault that the boat listed.
The boat rocked, then steadied.All perfectly respectable.
The trouble began with the duck.
They had made one slow circuit of the lake, Woodmere keeping a wary distance in his own craft, when Alexandra demanded a pause.
