Percy glanced at the far corner of the room. Indeed, a full-grown doe had made herself comfortable on a settee, her wide eyes taking in the room. He shook his head and turned away.
“There she is, there is Lady Felicity,” Percy said, looking toward the doors to the drawing room.
He waved, so he might look enthusiastic. One never knew if one’s father was observing by peeking round curtains, he must be on his guard every second.
Lady Felicity was really looking terrific. He had noticed before that candlelight did something very well for her hair. There were so many different shades running through it—browns and golds, and even hints of red. He’d really never seen anything like it and it made other ladies’ hair color seem rather flat and uninspired. And then, those big brown expressive eyes. He supposed if she came with a usual temperament and a usual family, Rustmont and his ilk would be at her feet.
Percy braced himself as her father escorted her toward him. “Your Grace, Lady Felicity,” he said with a bow. “Lady Felicity, I believe you know Mr. Wiles. Your Grace, may I present Mr. Harry Wiles.”
The duke eyed Wiles up and down. “Gad, Felicity, you are collecting an awful lot of misters.”
“Mr. Wiles is the eldest son of Baron Davies, Papa.”
“A baron, eh?” the duke said, seeming amused. “Just got your toe on the ladder! Well, it could be worse—you could be a baronet!”
As Percy had expected, Wiles looked ready to fall over. Encounters with the Duke of Pelham were always going to be unsettling. He should have warned him that all the duke would ever know about him was that he was currently a mister.
“Hah!” the duke said, looking at the squirrel on the sideboard. “Here we are always trying to keep those rascals out and Lady Albright has invited them in.”
“Oh, and there is a deer, Papa.”
The duke’s eyes traveled to the settee. “If only I had my gun, eh? Then we’d have a good dinner on the morrow.”
“I do not suppose Lady Albright would thank you for shooting up her drawing room, though.” Lady Felicity pointed out.
Percy did not suppose any rational person would appreciate it, particularly not an animal lover such as Lady Albright. It was said she lived on fish and vegetables, as she did not care to eat the meat of anything with legs. Percy had always wondered if that meant crabs were out.
“I suppose she would not like it,” the duke admitted. “A messy business, killing things. Your mother was very put out when a bird got into the drawing room and I shot it in midflight. She said I ought not be firing a gun around so many young children.”
Lady Felicity nodded knowingly, as if it were simply a matter of course that a mistress of a household might object to gunfire in the drawing room.
“Indeed,” she said, “A wood pigeon. I remember we buried it in the garden and gave it a proper funeral.”
Wiles was rather wide-eyed. Percy thought he’d probably get used to it, though. He was, himself, not nearly as perturbed by the duke and his daughter as he’d been in the beginning.
“I wonder, Mr. Stratton,” Lady Felicity said, “if Lord Rustmont attends this evening? He was so very helpful in the search for the pineapple. I would like to thank him for his efforts.”
The duke snorted. “Probably doesn’t know it was all for naught, though, does he? Looking for a pineapple that never was.”
Percy decided to ignore that comment, as it was beginning to dawn on him that the best strategy for responding to a deranged duke was no response at all.
“I have not yet encountered Lord Rustmont,” he said. “Perhaps we may stroll to the back garden? That is where someof the larger animals are to be found and he may well be there, admiring them.”
“I wonder at a fellow admiring animals rather than ladies,” the duke said, “but all right—let us see what sort of lunacy Lady Albright has got up to back there.”
With that genial assessment, they set off.
*
Felicity held everyhope that Lord Rustmont would attend Lady Albright’s rout, and equally hopeful that Lady Mary of the frothy blond curls and piles of admirers would stay at home. Nobody needed a diamond of the first water flitting about the place.
Perhaps Lady Mary was terrified of animals. There were such women, she knew. Valor was terrified of an old bull in one of her father’s far fields, convinced he would break down the fence and skewer her, though the bull never even looked her way.
Mr. Stratton had done as he was asked and brought Mr. Wiles into the ruse, though Felicity was not certain how convincing a suitor that fellow was. He looked ready to fall over even conversing with her father. He did not seem made of very stern stuff.
No matter. It was two gentlemen following her around and certainly Lord Rustmont would note it.
Mr. Stratton had put out his arm as they prepared to make their way to the gardens, though Felicity had been forced to hint to Mr. Wiles that he ought to take her other arm. He really was not much of a romancer.
