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“There’s a boast that’s likely to come back like a bad cold.”
At that moment Rotham seemed to remember he’d been in the midst of charming the crown princess and jerked around, as if he’d forgotten and left his child in the middle of a market stall. “Your Royal Highness!” he called and began striding up the steps again. “I do beg your pardon, I thought you’d come along with us.”
“Coming!” she said brightly, then muttered,“God help me.”
Rotham was halfway up the steps to her when a cry went up from the crowd he’d just left, and he stopped, turning back to see what had happened.
What had happened was that Princess Amelia had apparently carried on to the water’s edge, then squatted down, offering an empty hand to a goose. Now all the geese had come up on the lawn and were flapping and surging forward, quacking with anticipation, hoping to share in what they assumed was bounty. When the lot of them realized there was no bounty, they began to squawk and run furiously at the people gathered. Suddenly, people were shrieking and geese were squawking and a melee unfolded before them in the blink of an eye. One of the gentlemen took Princess Amelia by the hand and pulled her safely out of the path of a goose as she laughed with delight.
Everyone was trying to escape the agitated geese who, with surprising speed and agility, were snapping at arses, catching fabric in some cases. William watched one gentleman grab the top of his leg where a goose had nicked him.
“My God!” Rotham exclaimed. “Douglas, will you help me?” he cried as he hurried down the steps to quell the disturbance.
“Afraid I can no’. Bad back,” William said to Rotham’s departing figure.
“There is nothing wrong with your back,” Justine said.
“No,” he said. “And nothing wrong with my pride, either. I intend to keep it that way.”
Justine actually smiled.
He was right to assume this would be a disaster, as the geese were chasing everyone now, their wings spread to enormous width, honking and taking a particular liking to the ladies’ bottoms, as they were covered in colorful fabric and about beak height. The more ladies shrieked and ran, the more enraged the geese seemed to become. Princess Amelia and her savior had disappeared into the hedgerow, and the other gentlemen assembled were trying to usher the geese back into their pond before they caused any more harm. More than one brave gentleman was forced to flee from an attacker, however.
Justine and William stood shoulder to shoulder on the landing, watching the melee.
Now Sutherland had appeared with his groundsmen, all of whom were doing a great deal of shouting. One groundsman had brought a gun and pointed it skyward, firing it. The result was a collective scream from everyone. People collided with each other and the geese in their frantic escapes. Some of them fell into the shrubbery.
“My goodness,” Justine said. “It’s pandemonium.”
“A wee bit diverting, is it no’?”
“The most entertaining thing I’ve seen in weeks.” She looked up at him and grinned.
William grinned back.
He watched Rotham realize that both princesses had gotten away from him, turning this way and that, looking for them. He decided to rush into the maze to find Princess Amelia, and no doubt would be slinking back up the stairs to Justine before it was all said and done.
“What do you think? Should I go in search of Amelia?” Justine asked. She shifted, bumping into his shoulder.
“No.”
She glanced up at him, still swaying a little. “Do you mean to say, as youwish?” she asked, and poked his shoulder with one long finger.
Aye, Justine was as stewed as a sailor his first day back on shore, and William couldn’t help but smile. “I would do asyou wishin a heartbeat if I thought you could manage the stairs, madam. Word to the wise—if you continue to drink champagne in such a swarthy manner, you may draw the attention you so diligently work to avoid.”
It might have been the glint of the sun, but Justine’s eyes took on the sheen of gold. “Why are you so confoundingly concerned about me? Lady Ellen has not taken her eyes from you since you spoke to her inside. You think you know how the game is played, and yet, you don’t even recognize the players.”
William looked over his shoulder and instantly caught the eye of Lady Ellen. She was not watching the efforts to corral the geese—she was watching him. She smiled.
He smiled, too, and turned back. “Now, there is a well-reared young woman who has a kind word for everyone she meets. You could learn a thing or two from her.”
“Ha. Let her be princess for a day and see how kind she is. She would be forced to attend gatherings such as this so that people could stare at her and wait for her to falter.”
“Is that what you think they are doing? Waiting for you to falter?”
“Why else would they never take their eyes from me?”
Because she was pretty? Because she would be a queen? Because she was interesting?
