Page 17 of Lady Liar (A Series of Senseless Complications #5)

At least Valor had provided some entertainment to pass the time. She’d searched the passage about Noah for any mention of bringing pugs onto the ark. Then she had to explain to Sir Galahad that while it was not outright said, Noah must have done. Sir Galahad seemed satisfied with the explanation.

Afterward, they’d had a tea tray and the duke’s married daughters brought his grandchildren for a visit.

Grace’s son, Miles, was a chatterer going on five years old who had questions about everything, including inquiring of the duke how his stomach got so round.

For good measure, Miles pushed out his own stomach out so they could look alike.

Then when the amusement of that faded, he inquired if the duke knew he had hair inside his ears.

Felicity’s daughter, Isabelle, was just up on her feet and causing the usual amount of chaos that can be expected from such a development. She also seemed to have inherited Felicity’s temper and would get very red in the face if opposed.

Lily was just a few months old and slept like a little angel, though Patience mentioned she was a bit of a night owl and liked to keep everybody awake with her.

Stanford had insisted that the nursery be right next to their suite of rooms in case of an emergency.

No emergency had arisen, but the earl was going round a bit bleary-eyed these days.

Felicity said, “Verity, I presume you look forward to riding in the park with Lord Wembly on the morrow?”

Verity nodded, as of course she did, though she was a little frightened too. He might ask her questions she had no answer for.

“I am so sorry I missed the dinner,” Grace said, “did you put him through Fact or Fib?”

“What else would we do?” the duke said, laughing. “To take a man’s measure, it is one of the finest games in the land.”

“I left before I had an outburst,” Valor said, “because I’m older now and can feel them coming on.”

“So she did,” the duke said, giving Valor an approving nod.

“Lady Pegatha thinks Sir Galahad is tremendous,” Valor said.

“No dog more tremendous. Come now,” Grace said, “you will all know what information I am interested in. What was Lord Wembly asked and what did he answer?”

“I asked him what he first noticed about Verity, and he said her mind,” Winsome said. She said it rather dejectedly, Verity noticed. Now that Winsome knew her secret, she understood that Verity’s mind should be the last thing the baron should admire.

Grace looked surprised to hear it, which did not surprise Verity.

“We told him he was a fibber because it’s her eyes,” Winsome said.

“At dinner, he almost made Serenity cry,” Valor said. “I would have cried too, but I wasn’t sure what it was all about.”

Grace looked expectantly around, waiting to hear more about it.

“Well, he mentioned a dissection of a monkey,” Verity said, glancing at Winsome, “but he was able to assure Serenity it had not actually happened. It was, well, he said it was only predictive research.”

“Yes,” Winsome said, nodding, “it was only speculation about what would have happened. If there had been a dissection. Which there was not.”

“What is a dissection anyway?” Valor asked.

Verity stared at her father. The duke said, “It’s when you scold an animal very severely for something.”

“Oh, yes, Serenity would cry about that,” Valor said. “I wouldn’t cry if someone scolded Sir Galahad. I’d ask Thomas to wallop them in the face. Then who would be crying?”

Of all of them, only young Miles and the duke seemed to see the hilarity of the idea.

There was the clatter of horses’ hooves out of doors, coming to a stop. Verity turned on her chair, which was by the window, and shifted the curtains.

“Who is it?” the duke asked. “If it’s Lady Misery come to ruin our Sunday, tell the footmen to bar the door!”

“It is not,” Verity said. She did not really know who, or what, it could be.

It was a fine carriage, but on either side of the coachman it sported odd flags in royal purple with yellow lions, whipping in the breeze.

The coachman himself, and the groom too, were dressed rather ludicrously in brocade frockcoats embroidered with gold and silver thread.

The drawing room doors were flung open. Mr. Klonsume strode in carrying his traveling case.

“Your Grace, I know you do not like change, but change it must be.”

“Going somewhere, Klondike?” the duke asked.

This seemed to strike Mr. Klonsume as a great joke.

“Ah, yes, now that we are to be on more equal footing, we can jest with one another. Good form! Jesting aside, I take this new step up in life very seriously. England shall be proud to name me among their titled society. I will avoid bad form as if my very life depends on it. It is as if the great traditions of our two lands have come together in my person. Adieu, my fellow noble men and women.”

With that, Mr. Klonsume bowed deeply, turned, and strode out the door.

Incredibly, the oddly-styled groom opened the carriage door, which seemed to be empty of anyone else, and admitted Mr. Klonsume. The coachman smartly snapped the reins and they were off. Whose carriage it was and why they sent it for Mr. Klonsume was a complete mystery.

The duke snorted. “I expect what we have just witnessed is the conclusion of a cracking good story. Mrs. Right will tell us all about it when she’s ready. Goodbye, Mr. Klondike!”

*

Henry had made arrangements with the duke that he would ride his horse to Grosvenor Square since it was so close to the park, and then they would proceed on together. He had not expected to find a line of carriages and horses outside the duke’s door.

When he was admitted to the drawing room, he found it rather filled. With both gentlemen and flowers. What were they all doing there?

Of course, as soon as he asked the question, he knew the answer. He’d suspected Lady Verity would be the diamond of the season and here was the proof. The proof made him uncomfortable.

The lady herself was nowhere to be seen. Lady Valor seemed to be holding court with a stout lady beside her. He approached the pair. “Lady Valor, good to see you again.”

“ Again ? What ho?” Mr. Rusherton exclaimed, pushing in.

“Lord Wembly came to dinner,” Lady Valor said. “I didn’t invite him,” she added for further clarification.

“Trying to get a leg up, eh, Wembly?” Lord Froggerdon asked.

Lady Valor wrinkled her brow. “Maybe he won’t,” she said.

“Verity doesn’t have to get married if she doesn’t want to.

” She leveled her gaze at Henry and said, “These gentlemen have come only because they want to know about Verity’s studies.

Something about fishes’ eyes. That’s all.

You could keep your attention on things like that. ”

“Lady Verity and Lady Winsome have gone abovestairs to don their riding habits,” the matron beside her said.

Henry did not know what to make of it. How would any of these people know anything about the fish eyesight story?

He paused. He had mentioned the thing to Lord Westerby in passing. But only out of curiosity over whether any research of the sort had been done. Why would he tell anybody?

His Aunt Pegatha was certain Lady Verity had invented the whole thing because she was put on the spot. His aunt rather regretted putting the lady in such a position. She said that if she’d known the girl would come up with such a preposterous story, she would not have urged her to it.

Now, somehow, the word had spread. What were these fellows really doing here?

It could be they were interested in becoming more acquainted with the lady, or it could be they wanted to hear about fish eyesight and gather an amusing anecdote for their clubs.

It could be both. It was impossible to know.

“I’m to go to the park too,” Lady Valor said. “But I don’t have to change because I will go in the carriage.”

“To the park, eh?” Lord Munson said. “Well, perhaps I would not mind a ride myself—got my horse right outside. Could do with a gallop.”

“If you are thinking of tagging along,” Henry said, now beyond irritated, “I suggest you get permission from the duke.”

That seemed to dampen enthusiasm, as he thought it might. He did not suppose the duke would be interested in having a slew of unseasoned fops and dandies following him round the park.

Lady Verity and Lady Winsome came into the drawing room, followed by the duke himself.

She was looking terrific in a dark blue worsted wool habit and charming hat with a jaunty feather. She really was so very pretty. It should come as no surprise to him to find these young dogs sniffing around her door.

“I think we’re ready to go, Wembly,” the duke said, coming in behind his daughters. “The rest of you, whoever you are, be off to your clubs or wherever you should be.”

Henry was rather gratified at this curt dismissal. He went forward to escort Lady Verity to her horse.

“Come, Val, Mrs. Right,” the duke said.

So the matron on the sofa was Mrs. Right.

She certainly did not have the look of a mistress.

Perhaps she was a female relative and had been engaged elsewhere on the night of the dinner.

Certainly that was it. It would make sense that a relative might be intimately involved in the management of the duke’s household.

It had been mentioned by Lady Winsome that Mrs. Right was to rid the house of the duke’s butler.

Though, now that he was looking around, he did not get sight of that interesting fellow. Perhaps he’d been got rid of already?

Henry walked Lady Verity outside, getting ahead of the groom coming her way, and helped her up on the mounting block. He debated whether to cup his hands for her foot or boost her from the waist. He boosted her and hoped he did not offend the duke.

He heard a few grumbles from the departing fops and dandies so presumed he did offend them. Lady Verity herself did not look offended, though. She rather prettily blushed, which must be a good sign.

Henry’s hands around her waist, even for just a moment, did prompt some ideas. Ideas that were probably best left behind at this particular moment.

His attention had been all on Lady Verity.

Now he took in her horse. A Dales pony. The animal really was something to see—it appeared both stout and surefooted, and yet somehow graceful.

It had a shiny dark coat and intelligent eyes full of life.

Lady Winsome rode a near identical creature, as did the grooms. They were a regular matched cavalry.

Henry mounted his own horse, the duke and his passengers were got in the duke’s carriage, including Sir Galahad, and they were off. He rode next to Lady Verity, with Lady Winsome just behind and the grooms following.

They trotted the short way to the entrance of the park and the duke’s carriage stopped. He put his head out the window. “We’ll take the carriage road; you can have a gallop across the open fields to the Serpentine. Verity knows the way.”

With that, the duke’s carriage set off.