Now, as the carriage approached the house, Lady Heathway sighed and said, “I’m surprised she worked it out. She never works it out.”
“Lady Featherstone was very clever about it,” Grace said.
“So it seems. Of course, I am delighted for Anne. I only fear we’ll never hear the end of it. She’ll wear that broach everywhere, hoping to be asked about it. Will she even wait to be asked? Probably not. I suppose next year’s dresses will be ordered to complement it.”
Grace did not answer, but she thought Lady Heathway’s fears on that front were well-warranted. Lady Featherstone’s mind would be consumed with her victory and Grace found it rather charming and delightful.
The carriage rolled to a stop and Gregory ran down the steps to open the door. He helped Lady Heathway to the street as would be usual, though Grace could not help noticing he appeared rather wild-eyed. She hoped Mr. Ranston had not been waving around his gun in the garden again.
As they made their way up the steps, Grace began to wonder if Mr. Ranston was indeed out of doors waving his gun around, as he was not at the door. Benny was there, looking as if he’d seen a ghost.
Lady Heathway looked around and said, “Where is Ranston? Has he taken to his bed again?”
The two footmen stood silent and looked terrified, as if they were two rabbits staring down the barrel of a farmer’s gun.
“Gracious, one of you had better say something,” Lady Heathway said sternly.
Gregory cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Ranston is asleep. In the drawing room.”
Lady Heathway’s brows shot up rather high on her forehead. Grace supposed that, for all the latitude she afforded her butler, she did not approve of him napping in the drawing room as if he were the master of the house.
Lady Heathway strode toward the doors. Benny ran ahead of her to get them open.
Grace hurried behind Lady Heathway.
The scene that met them next was not one Grace would likely forget in her lifetime.
Mr. Ranston was sprawled face down on the floor, his hair askew and one shoe come off.
“My God,” Lady Heathway said softly, “is he dead?”
“No, not dead, my lady,” Gregory said, as if this was the one bit of positive news he could relate.
“But, what has happened to him?” Lady Heathway asked. “Why does he lie there like that? How did he get there?”
Benny nudged Gregory, as if to say—you’d better tell it.
Gregory, seeing he was nominated as the spokesperson, took a deep breath and said, “What happened, my lady, is that you might remember that Mr. Ranston found that a small amount of brandy did calm his nerves whenever he was awaiting an attack on the house.”
Gregory’s eyes drifted to the side table where the brandy was kept. Grace’s eyes went there too. The decanter was tipped over and drained dry.
“So, I think his theory might have been that if a little helped a little, a lot would help a lot,” Gregory said. “At least, that’s my reckoning.”
Seeing Lady Heathway’s shock at realizing her butler was drunk on her drawing room floor, Gregory hurried on. “He weren’t wrong, at first. He got ever so cheerful and even sang some songs. But then, he sat down in a chair and started weeping about some fella he met in the war. Then he stood and cried, “Wilbert Ranston will not retreat from danger!” Then he fell where he stood. Right there. We checked, he ain’t dead.”
“I see,” Lady Heathway said gravely. “And did you not think to move him to his quarters?”
“We tried!” Benny said. “He’s like a sack of lead, he’s that’s heavy. So then we were hoping maybe he’d just wake up before you came back.”
Lady Heathway folded her arms and surveyed the circumstances. “Gregory, find the key to the drawing room doors. We will lock them. I do not wish Lord Heathway to come home and trip over him in the dark. If Mr. Ranston rises before morning, he will be able to unlock the doors from the inside. Benny, find a pillow and blanket and arrange Mr. Ranston as comfortable as you can. Then we’ll say no more about it.”
Lady Heathway took Grace’s arm, and they left the footmen to their work.
They passed out the doors and Grace heard Benny say quietly, “He won’t like the situation when he wakes up.”
“It’ll be all right,” Gregory said. “He’ll take to his bed for a few days and then be back to his old self.”
What was said between them next Grace did not hear, though she was ever surprised at how sympathetic the two footmen were to their rather eccentric superior.
