“Oh, Papa,” Patience said with a giggle. “Please tell me you did not put your name to it.”
“Certainly not. When I mean to clobber a gentleman over the head with a heavy hint, I do it anonymously.”
“Lady Patience.”
She turned and found Lord Kendrickson. “Papa,” she said, “this is Lord Kendrickson.”
The lord bowed. “Your Grace.”
“Kendrickson,” the duke said.
“You remember, Papa,” Patience said. “The fellow who needs a whopping dowry to rescue his estate.”
Lord Kendrickson looked the smallest bit alarmed to be described so to the duke.
“Ah yes, well, that is the way of England, is it not?” the duke said. “I understand your father was a terrible gambler—bad business, that.”
“Itwasa rather bad business, for which I have been left to pay the bill,” Lord Kendrickson said.
“Gambling, stupid habit,” the duke said. “I suppose those running the hells and profiting off ruining people willnotmeet their maker in the fullness of time, but will end up in actual hell attempting to cheat the devil. Something to look forward to, eh? Good luck to them then, eh? Ah, there is a sideboard that would call out to me if it could speak. I spot a very good claret. Entertain my daughter, Kendrickson.”
With that, the duke sauntered off in search of his wine.
Lord Kendrickson was rather slack-jawed as he watched the duke depart.
“I am surprised Lord Stanford is not with you,” Patience said, really wondering where the lord could be.
Lord Kendrickson recovered himself from marveling at the duke. “He is delayed. Radler tells me that Stanford thinks one of his horses has gone a bit lame and he is consulting with Lady Jellerbey’s stablemaster. Radler did not see the lameness, but Stanford is so cautious—he sensed a slight misstep and was determined to investigate.”
Cautious. There was that description of him again. Though, Patience did not understand why Lord Cautious would go round giving another lady a fan.
Patience thought she would take the opportunity while she had it to discover more information about Lady Alice and Lord Stanford if she could.
“Have you seen Lady Alice recently?” she asked, in order to introduce the subject.
“Indeed,” Lord Kendrickson said. “We had a very jolly time at a charity scavenger hunt. I tooksomebody’sadvice and attempted to make her laugh.”
“Goodness,somebodyknew what they were about then,” Patience said, getting the idea that Lord Kendrickson was perfectly well aware that it had been her that had sent the anonymous note.
“Naturally, I give my thanks to whoever it was that gave me that advice.”
“I am sure that person requires no thanks,” Patience said. “As it seems to go well between you, I do hope that Lady Alice does not become distracted by any other gentleman.”
Lord Kendrickson looked positively stricken.
“What I mean to say is,” Patience went on, “that is, I did understand that Lord Stanford brought a fan to Lady Alice.”
She paid close attention to Lord Kendrickson’s expression. It was some sort of irritated annoyance.
“So he did,” Lord Kendrickson said. “I told him my thoughts on the matter in no uncertain terms.”
“I just do not know why he thought to bring Lady Alice a fan. I only wondered…”
“I wondered just the same. Why shouldhebring the fan? It should have been me.”
“I wish ithadbeen you,” Patience said.
“No more than I do.”
