“And yet, I did not. I do not know who did, but certainly it was meant to cause me an inconvenience.”
This prompted rather hysterical laughter from Moreau. “Now Moreau sees it all! His fate, whatever it is meant to be, is only an inconvenience to the great Lord Dashlend. Moreau is a fly, a speck of dust, a nothing!”
Miles sighed. “Moreau, open this door at once or I will break it down and then I reallywilldismiss you. I do not have time for your histrionics—I have an important ball to attend this evening.”
Moreau did not answer, but Miles heard his pacing back and forth. What was he doing in there?
Finally, the door cracked open and Moreau peered his head out. “Moreau wonders, if this really is all a mistake, what a lord might think of…certain actions that were taken.”
“What have you done?”
The door opened wider and Moreau shrugged. Moreau’s shrugs never indicated good news. Miles pushed his way in.
What assaulted his eyes when he did so was astonishing. Every item of clothing he owned was strewn about the room. Coats were inside out, shirts were crumpled, boots smeared with shaving powder, hats smashed in, gloves in the soot of the hearth, there was even a pair of breeches hanging from the gilded frame of a portrait on the wall. The room looked as if it had been attacked by a wild animal.
“Moreau has been made upset by recent events,” his valet said, looking round as if he were seeing it for the first time.
“Ihave been made upset bytheserecent events,” Miles said, his eyes scanning the room.
“Oh this?” Moreau said, following his gaze. “This is nothing. A bit of disorder. Due to upset. Moreau feels more calm now.”
“How wonderful for Moreau,” Miles said drily. “Get this room back in order and I had better have a perfect set of clothes for this evening. I do not care what lengths you have to go to accomplish it.”
Miles turned on his heel. He would go to the quiet of his library and contemplate this bizarre homecoming. Somebody, aside from his valet, was enraged with him. The only person he was certain wished him ill was Montclave, but none of this was the sort of thing Montclave would get up to.
What was he missing? Who had he offended?
As he reached the door, he heard Moreau mutter, “What is one expected to do when one hears one is being replaced? Moreau acted quite reasonable.”
Miles bit his tongue, lest he point out that Moreau and reasonable were not very well acquainted.
*
“CHIN UP,GRACIE,”the duke said as the carriage rattled along the darkened streets.
Grace smiled at her father in his seat across the carriage. “Papa, I am quite chin up. I have thought deeply regarding this situation and I have begun to understand that I was only being unrealistic. I was shooting too high. Now, I will proceed with good sense tucked in my reticule and I am certain I shall make a match with some acceptable gentleman.”
“What on earth are you going on about? You are a Nicolet—there is no ‘too high’ forusto shoot for. No, that is not where we are. Dashlend has proved himself too low and you must turn your aim higher.”
Her father really was a darling, though she was not quite convinced of his view on things. Who could be higher than Lord Dashlend?
“Now, what is our plan?” the duke asked. “Dashlend swore he’d be haunting the front hall for our arrival. If he sticks to it, how do we treat him? I’m inclined to throw a vase of flowers at his head and let Lady Montague say what she likes about it. I know your sisters would be all for it and Mrs. Right would happily do it herself, but I’ll allow you to set the tone.”
Grace fussed with the netting on her skirt. “The tone, Papa, is neutral. I am entirely unaffected. Did I see that roses were misdelivered when they should have gone to Lady Lavender? Oh yes, now that you mention it, Lord Dashlend, I believe one of the footmen handled it. Goodness, I hadn’t thought of it until you asked.”
The duke nodded approvingly. “Yes, yes, that will do very well. I might have thought of the attitude myself if I weren’t so busy imagining cracking a vase over his head. If he thinks he has affected you, indifference will sting that puffed up rogue all the more. Here we are. Let us go in and show these nobodies how it’s done.”
And so they did proceed in. Lady Montague was an imposing woman, the sort who’d been long in society, knew everybody, and was so established that she did not worry over anybody’s opinion. She’d seemed well acquainted with the duke and jokingly told him he’d find no tigers inside.
Of course, they all knew what she meant. Lady Albright had not hosted her annual rout this year, on account of her tiger getting loose last year and putting the duke, Mr. Stratton, and Felicity in grave danger.
“Deuced odd, that woman,” the duke said, in a summation of Lady Albright.
Lady Montague had nodded in sympathy.
They proceeded into the great hall. Though only a day ago Grace would have dearly wished that Lord Dashlend would be found waiting for her, now she just as dearly hoped he would be nowhere to be seen.
Aside from masking her grave disappointment, it was all so awkward. He would know his flowers had been misdelivered. What would he say about it?
