“So am I to understand that I amnota diamond of the first water?”
Mr. Stratton looked rather cornered by that question. “Oh, as to that, a lady should not dwell on such things.”
“But I am dwelling on it.”
“Well… you could be a diamond of the second water, I suppose.”
The second water. He supposed.
Felicity was really taken aback by this information. She had no idea that each season brought one lady who ruled the town. Furthermore, had she known it, she would wonder at it not being her.
Why was Lady Mary to be the diamond and not herself? What was so exceptional about her? Was a gentleman to actually be taken in by a pretty complexion and blond curls?
Just then, Lady Mary lightly tapped her fan on a gentleman’s arm and said something, which all in her sphere seemed to find wildly amusing.
Felicity could be wildly amusing. If she tried. As for the fan-tapping, she could take that up at once.
She had a feeling coming over her that she’d never felt before. It was some feeling of not measuring up. It was awful, and she did not know what she could do about it.
“We stay steady on our course,” Mr. Stratton said. “That is the only move to make.”
Felicity stared at the gentlemen leaning in to hear what this Lady Mary individual would say next. It was infuriating.
She would not stand for it. Steady on the course, indeed. Mr. Stratton was sadly lacking in imagination.
“No,” she said.
“No?”
“No, Mr. Stratton, we must redouble our efforts, and when I say redouble, I mean double. Having one gentleman following me about has not proved sufficient. Of course, I cannot know if Lord Rustmont’s head has not been turned because I have only one gentleman, or that gentleman is deemed not particularly significant. Let us be positive and assume it is because you are only one gentleman.”
“What?”
“We will require another gentleman. Then, there will be a pair of suitors following me about. That is certain to catch Lord Rustmont’s eye. I see now that he is only drawn to Lady Mary because other gentlemen seem as if they are. I must increase my retinue, as it were. Who can you get?”
“Who can I get?” Mr. Stratton said weakly.
“Yes. Who can you get? What about Mr. Wiles? I danced with him at Almack’s. As far as I can see, he cannot have much going for him. He’s bound to do it, as it would at least appear as if he’s doingsomething.”
“Mr. Wiles?”
“Mr. Wiles,” Felicity repeated. She was beginning to think it was Mr. Stratton who was short a few dice—he was remarkably slow at following her.
Gracious, there was much work ahead. He really would need to keep up.
*
Percy did notoften find himself positively stupefied, but that was exactly what had happened to him last evening. Everything had been humming along at the candlelight picnic until his father tried out the missing pineapple gambit. Things had gone downhill from there.
Lord Rustmont was not being very cooperative to Percy’s plan. It seemed that fellow did not have the least interest in Lady Felicity and was all in for Lady Mary.
Percy could not understand it, if one were strictly speaking about looks. He found Lady Mary’s looks just a little bit insipid and pale. As for Lady Felicity, well, not every lady had such wonderful hair or big brown eyes. She was much more compelling to look at than Lady Mary. He seemed to be entirely alone in that opinion, though.
Or perhaps Rustmont just could not get past the sneezing fit at Almack’s. Or the things she said. Or her father.
Then, Lady Felicity had insisted he bring Wiles into the whole thing. How was he to get Wiles to agree to it? That question remained unanswered.
No sooner had Lady Felicity taken his silence as a tacit agreement to drag in Wiles, than the duke turned up to collect his daughter.
