The daytime, though, leading up to the dinner, was anything but boring. Things were delivered to the house at all hours.A paint box, stationery and a crystal inkstand, a fine parasol, sheet music, a garnet encrusted quizzing glass of all things, and a sketch pad and watercolors. And then finally, a book on wild creatures with a bookmark on the chapter about stoats. All sent anonymously and all surely sent by Mr. Stratton.
Nobody was more amused by it than her father.
Mrs. Right helped Felicity dress for dinner and would accompany her in the carriage to Lady Marchfield’s house. The various gifts that had been sent were piled on a chair nearby.
“I suppose he’s determined enough,” Mrs. Right said, staring suspiciously at the pile.
“Determined in what, though?” Felicity asked.
“Hard to say,” Mrs. Right said. “For all these presents, he hasn’t used any words.”
“That is just what I think! He sent flowers and all he said was they won’t make me sneeze.”
“I find myself with mixed feelings over that fellow,” Mrs. Right said. “I don’t know what to make of him at this point.”
“Nor I,” Felicity said. “Now I wonder, Mrs. Right, what you might have done to inconvenience Mr. Stratton’s household? You did hint at something and it might lift my spirits to hear of it.”
“Oh that? I just canceled the wine order, changed the grocery order to nothing but cabbages, and had the clothes that were sent out to the laundress donated to charity.”
Felicity giggled despite herself. “You are very resourceful, Mrs. Right.”
“Well now, everybody knows I get a bit touchy when one of my girls has been affronted. Revenge soothes my feelings.”
“I imagine you are very soothed at the moment, then.”
“Exceedingly. I’ll casually mention it to the duke when he needs a bit of cheering.”
“I think I am ready,” Felicity said.
“Yes, we better go. Nobody needs Lady Marching Orders throwing a fit on top of everything else. Don’t tell her about all these things Mr. Stratton keeps sending unless you want an hour-long lecture about it.”
Felicity nodded, as she hardly need be told it. Lady Marchfield would go mad if she knew that all of these things had been accepted. They should have been stopped at the door, but as much as Thomas practiced all the possibilities of answering a door, when the door knocker actually sounded, it all seemed to go too fast for him to think.
*
Percy had runall over Town, sending one thing after the next to Lady Felicity. He’d finally come up with a firm plan—he would go to her house this evening and demand an audience. He would go and bring something so significant that if she accepted it, then she accepted him.
What else could he do? She was taking steps to avoid him. She had not appeared at Almack’s the night before, certainly she had kept away on his account.
In the late afternoon, he stopped at White’s for a coffee and to rest his horse. He found Wiles and Magnon at a table and sat down.
“Well?” Magnon asked. “Have you managed to smooth over Wiles’ gaffe with Lady Felicity?”
“No,” Percy answered.
“She pretended she knew all about it!” Wiles said. “I keep telling you that.”
“What have you done, though?” Magnon asked. “Have you at least talked to her?”
“I have not, I believe she is studiously avoiding me. The entire family shut their carriage curtains when I approached them in the park.”
“So you’ve done nothing,” Magnon said.
“No, I have done some things,” Percy said. “I’ve sent some things. A lot of things, actually.”
“Like what?” Wiles asked.
“Never mind what. I have a plan for tonight. I will bring a big thing and if she accepts it, well…”
