Tigers, eh?
Clearly, the arrangement was from the duke himself, which gave Percy pause. The duke had come right out and said Percy ought to “make a run” at his daughter.
He had convinced himself the duke had only meant to shock. Half the things the fellow said were meant for that purpose, he was sure.
Were the flowers some kind of pushing forward? A hint that the duke had been serious? He was not certain. Nor was he certain what he thought about it.
Lady Felicity had shown herself to be a woman of substance when facing down a tiger. He could only admire that. There had been no hysterics or faintings, and thank the gods there wasn’t. She hadn’t attempted to run. Anything like that would have done them all in.
He could only think that Rustmont was not worthy of her.
Yes, she was a bit eccentric, but really it only seemed so if one were to compare her to other ladies of theton. There was a regularity to the ladies of society, as if they all had the same governess. Of course, one could not expect the duke’s children could have had that governess, whoever she was. They lived too remote in the Dales.
As well, she was very pretty.
But, those ideas aside, he must stick to his purpose. He would not be chained! Not even to a lady who was beginning to seem like she had a lot of charms he had not initially been cognizant of.
The duke’s flowers were not in his room long. His father had made a visit and been apoplectic over them, throwing them in the nearest bin. The note,Tigers, eh, was considered more proof of the duke’s derangement.
Finally, by day three, the doctor pronounced him past the danger of a setback and fit to leave the house.
Percy found that as long as he stayed upright and did not lean back on anything, the pain was tolerable. Getting on his horse was not to be attempted though, and so he found himself the borrower of Lady Albright’s carriage. He knew very well that his father would arrive in an hour to take him home, but he did not wish to go home.
He wished to go to White’s. He wished to have a word with Hardwick. That gentleman had waved the roses under Lady Felicity’s nose and was the author of the whole disaster. Percy thought he knew why—he wished to win the bet he’d started in the bet book.
Entering that institution, he went straight to the bet book. The bet on Lady Felicity had been whether or not she would have another sneezing fit. He scanned down the page. It was marked void. Below the bet was the following:
As it has been confirmed that Lord Hardwick:
Did attempt to steer the outcome of the bet in his favor by assaulting Lady Felicity with roses,
And that attempt created great danger to the Duke of Pelham, Lady Felicity, and Mr. Stratton,
And caused grievous injury to Mr. Stratton,
The bet is cancelled. All monies will be returned from whence they came, but for Mr. Hardwick’s, which will go into the club’s coffers. Mr. Hardwick has been asked to resign his membership and has proffered such. May he find his place at Boodles.
Percy had been prepared to give Hardwick a severe dressing down, but there could be no firmer dressing down than a call for resignation and being directed to Boodles. It rather took the wind from his outraged sails.
He wandered into the morning room and found Wiles and Magnon at a table by the window.
“What ho, the returning conqueror,” Magnon said.
Percy made his way over under the glances of everyone else scattered round the room.
“Well, you’re alive,” Wiles said, “that’s something, I suppose.”
“Itissomething, actually,” Percy said. “You seem to have disappeared like a shot out of that garden.”
Wiles shrugged. “As you should have done. There was a tiger.”
“Who locked the door to the house?” Percy asked. “When we were finally able to get away, the door was locked.”
“That was Lady Albright, I believe,” Wiles said. “She absolutely panicked and forced everyone out the front doors and then carriages were coming, and well, considering she said that nobody can escape a tiger, I did think you were done for. You know, there was nothing more I could do for you.”
“Nothingmore, you say. You did nothing at all!”
“I was very sorry about you being trapped out there with a tiger, I didthat.”
