“Yes, I see! Lord Harveston’s boat waves a purple flag, that’s how we will know him as he goes round the buoys,” Cordelia said.
Lynette was engaged in straightening the room. She said, “I understand when a person goes a floatin’ on the water to get somewhere. Like, if a person’s got to leave England. I’d never do it myself, but it’s understandable. I don’t understand this though.”
“It is a race, Lynette,” Cordelia said.
“A race for what?”
“For a brass plate that is to be in the billiards room,” Miss Mayton said, as if that would explain all.
“Drowning for a piece of brass,” Lynette said shaking her head. “Don’t seem worth it.”
Ignoring Lynette, Cordelia said, “Look, Lord Hamill is off the banks already. Oh goodness, Lord Bertram just fell in.”
“Told ya!” Lynette said.
“He’s perfectly fine,” Cordelia said. “Oh, there goes Lord Harveston! He is rather good, do not you think?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Lynette said with a sniff.
Of course, Cordelia was not asking Lynette in the first place, but did not scold her as her maid was still shaken to have found her in Lord Harveston’s arms.
Cordelia was rather shaken herself, but it was a more pleasant sort of shaken than Lynette experienced.
“Good Gracious,” Miss Mayton said, “that Lord Poppin seems more of a menace on the water than he is in a drawing room.”
Her aunt was right. Lord Poppin was barreling through the other sailors with near misses everywhere.
Even at this distance, they heard the duke clang the cowbell for the start. Cordelia leaned forward in her seat, her eyes firmly on the boat with the purple flag.
It was thrilling.
Suddenly, the sun raced behind clouds. Lord Harveston stood in his boat and waved.
He waved to her.
Cordelia waved enthusiastically back, so he could be in no doubt that she’d seen him.
“Oh dear,” Miss Mayton said. “What is Lord Poppin doing now?”
Cordelia squinted against the sun that had reappeared.
“He’s heading right for Lord Harveston!” Cordelia waved wildly. “Get out of the way, Lord Harveston!”
Lord Harveston did not get out of the way. Lord Poppin’s boat crashed into his stern and his boat swung sideways.
It seemed as if he’d almost had time to duck the swinging boom, but not enough time.
Lord Harveston dropped in his boat to be seen no more.
Cordelia jumped to her feet and then immediately collapsed back down from the pain in her ankle.
Miss Mayton grabbed her arm. “Look, the rowers have seen it and are racing to him. Don’t worry, my dear, they will see that he’s all right.”
Cordelia watched in both horror and anger as the rowers approached Lord Harveston’s boat and Lord Poppin reset his course and crossed the start line.
The rowers peered into the boat, but Cordelia could not see. What were they seeing? Was Lord Harveston dead?
One of the rowers signaled to another of the row boats and it made its way over. They tied Lord Harveston’s boat to their sterns and towed it the short distance to shore.
