“Everybody should be afraid of a tiger,” the doctor said drily.
“I wasn’t afraid of the tiger,” Percy said boldly.
“Then you are one die short of a set,” the doctor said.
This caused Percy to laugh. “That’s funny—that’s what I said about the duke and now it’s me. And you know what? Lady Felicity isn’t afraid of a tiger either. She was cracking brave!”
“She sounds stupendous.”
“Gad, have you seen her hair?”
“No, I have not. Though I presume the laudanum has taken good effect.”
“Rather.”
The next hour was not so pleasant, as the doctor worked on his wounds. After that, the jolly fellow gave him another dose of laudanum and he drifted off imagining all the monikers he might have earned for himself—The Tiger, The Savior, Scar-Back, The Undefeated, Genghis Stratton, Master of the Beasts, Percy the Great—there were so many possibilities he could not imagine which one would stick. He wondered what Lady Felicity would think aboutthat.
“Gad,” he murmured, “have you seen her hair?”
*
Felicity’s sisters hadgathered round her in the drawing room, captivated by the tale of the tiger escaping its cage and Mr.Stratton getting it back in again, and then Mr. Stratton being horribly attacked.
At least, five of her sisters were captivated—Valor’s eyes were wide and she was white as a sheet.
“I knew something like this would happen,” the youngest Nicolet daughter murmured. “I’ve had night terrors of beasts dragging me away and tearing me apart.”
“You are in no danger, Valor,” Grace said.
“You don’t know that, though,” Valor said. “That tiger is still here, right in London, and it got out of its cage one time. It could get out another time.”
“Everybody knows that if a tiger gets out one time,” Verity said, “they get a better lock so it doesn’t get out a second time.”
“They forgot the lock altogether,” Felicity said. “I suppose a lock not used is no good at all.”
“And,” Valor said, “it’s a wild animal. Once it smells blood, it cannot be stopped. Felicity had blood on her dress. I bet the tiger can smell it.”
That did give Felicity pause. She was all but certain that Mr. Stratton remained in Lady Albright’s house, recovering from his injuries. If the tiger did get out and prowled the house, Mr. Stratton would be in no shape to defend himself and the tiger had already a taste of his blood. It gave her a rather sick feeling.
“Think how brave Mr. Stratton was,” Serenity said.
“I believe all gentlemen are brave, when called upon,” Verity said. “That is a widely understood point.”
“You don’t know that,” Winsome said.
“I am afraid not, Verity,” Felicity said, before Verity could dig her heels in on the subject. “There were many guests out in the garden at that moment and the only people who stayed were Papa and Mr. Stratton. Oh, and whoever was the last through the door locked it behind them.”
“I am shocked that Lord Rustmont did not stay and fight the beast,” Serenity said.
Felicity was rather shocked herself. Had anyone asked her about such a circumstance ahead of time, she would have assured them that Lord Rustmont would act very brave and it would be Mr. Stratton who would run away.
“Tell us about the blood again, Felicity,” Patience said.
“I cannot bear to hear of the blood again,” Valor said. “I will go and have a confidential conversation in my room with Mrs. Wendover.”
Felicity nodded. Mrs. Wendover, the raggedy stuffed rabbit that Valor turned to in moments of worry, would be a willing listener. According to Valor, Mrs. Wendover was always full of sensible advice, most of which consisted of pulling one’s blankets over one’s head so that monsters could not see you.
Valor skipped out of the room, but before Felicity could give another detailed description of the terrible wound, the butler entered the room carrying a tea tray. One of the footmen followed behind with a tray of fairy cakes.
