Page 20 of Lady Liar (A Series of Senseless Complications #5)

H enry sat in the drawing room with his aunt.

He’d kept the conversation going all through dinner by asking her question after question about everything he could think of.

How did her steward get on, as he had been poorly last Henry had heard.

Had she decided whether or not she would replace her roof on the estate?

Or perhaps only repairs would be deemed sufficient?

His own steward had suggested he expand his dairy as the cheese they were producing was proving a growing market—what did she think about that?

Now they had fallen to silence as he’d run out of questions.

“Goodness, I really do not understand what could have happened,” Lady Pegatha said.

“Happened?” Henry said, sipping his port.

“Certainly there is a reason you have so studiously avoided mentioning anything about your ride in the park with Lady Verity.”

Henry sighed. Perhaps he ought to have known that his aunt would not be so easily led. How to explain it all, though?

“Come, now. It is only me. What has that girl done this time? I pray she is not inquiring into whether birds can fly with their eyes closed, but who knows!”

“All right, very amusing. Well, first, I arrived to her house and her drawing room was filled with a collection of fops and dandies. You know the type—too young, too precious, and trying too hard to put on airs and adopt some sort of jocular manner that strikes them as the height of sophistication.”

“Ah, yes, London is always littered with overgrown boys at this time of year. They flit, they quip, they ostentatiously peer through their quizzing glasses, and amuse or irritate everybody else, depending on one’s mood.

But I suppose you cannot be shocked that they have gravitated to Lady Verity—she is strikingly pretty. ”

“She is,” Henry admitted. “But I think those gentlemen were there to collect some amusing gossip. At least, some of them were. Word has got out about Lady Verity’s idea of discovering if fish can see out of water.”

“Her idea? You mean, her story . But heavens, how has it got out? I assure you, I have not breathed a word of it. It seems unlikely that any of her family would have done it. I saw the looks going her way when she posited the idea. Their eyes were almost willing her to stop talking.”

“It was me. I mentioned it to Lord Wetherby, just out of curiosity over whether anybody had looked into it in the past. I never dreamed he’d talk about it.”

“Oh dear. The ton will make hay with it, I am certain.”

“Yes, I believe they already are. We had a picnic of sorts in the park and Lady Lilith turned up. She seemed to know all about it.”

“Lady Lilith turned up, did she?”

Henry nodded. “She was just passing by and stopped.”

“Just passing by and stopped, did she?” Lady Pegatha said, laughing.

“Yes, as I said. What comment do you make on it?”

“Perhaps it was a coincidence, I do not claim to know otherwise. But on the other hand, perhaps it was not a coincidence. Perhaps she continues her pursuit despite lack of encouragement.”

Henry hoped not. If the lady were looking to wed, she was looking in the wrong direction.

Then a thought occurred to him. “I do not think, as a general thing, that Lady Lilith has particularly good instincts. That is, I do not think she reads people very well. Lady Valor asked her if her little dog was tremendous. Lady Lilith laughed and said he was a bit small to be tremendous.”

“Goodness, that was stupid. One ought not challenge any ideas a young girl has about her dog. I suppose London is filled to the brim with little girls owning the most tremendous dog in England.”

“You did not scoff at the idea, though she threw that little pug on your lap several times.”

Lady Pegatha laughed. “I certainly did not. There is never a point in challenging a thing that is easy to agree to and no trouble to oneself. Though, my lady’s maid might not approve in this case—she was positively shocked over the amount of fur on my dress afterward.”

Henry lapsed into silence.

“Come now, the visit with Lady Verity could not have been all bad. Does she comport herself well atop a horse?”

“She is rather expert, actually. I’ve never seen the like of her and her sister. Not from a lady, in any event. I felt like we were at Newmarket on the final stretch.”

“I must commend her for that—there is nary a sight more dashing than an expert horsewoman. And I suppose she was very charming in her riding habit.”

“Extremely so. And then the duke suggested I walk her down to The Serpentine. We had a really interesting talk, about everything in the world, it seemed. It felt as if, as if…we had always been talking all our lives. She said my house sounded charming, and I told the truth about it too—I did not attempt to pretty up the facts. She even knows about the map.”

“There you have it. Henry, if you are really interested in this lady, and it seems that you are, then close your ears to any gossip that might be going round and proceed.” Lady Pegatha paused, examining her sherry in its crystal glass.

“Though really, that girl had best stop inventing such preposterous notions.”

“You do not suppose that this propensity for invention is some kind of, well, a sort of character flaw? What I mean is, would I always be faced with some new and ghastly idea? Would I be forever wary of what my wife was to say next?”

“One never knows, of course. But my feeling is what you have on your hands is a very pretty and exceedingly awkward sort of girl who will settle into rationality when she feels more secure in things. All of this nonsense is only meant to impress, as harebrained as it has been.”

Henry certainly hoped that was the case.

Day by day, even hour by hour, his inclinations toward Lady Verity grew.

He felt as if he’d passed through some sort of veil and could not be turned back now.

He’d actually tried it out. Last night, he’d imagined how it would be if he turned his eyes elsewhere.

His eyes refused to turn. His mind refused to turn. His visions of the future refused to turn.

He was beginning to think that even if he was assured that Lady Verity would invent ridiculous stories for all their lives, he’d probably still proceed.

After all, inventing ridiculous ideas was not the worst thing in the world.

He’d just have to work to tamp down the gossip going round just now.

And possibly the gossip that would always be going round.

How, he did not know, but surely something would occur to him.

In any case, when she was not inventing scientific research, she was really very charming!

*

As Sir Jonathan’s scavenger hunt had been advertised as an event for families, Verity’s father had purchased tickets for Valor and Winsome too.

The event was to be held in the North-West Enclosure of the park and it was a fine day for it.

There had been a bit of distress over the idea that Sir Galahad must remain at home, as no dogs were allowed in the enclosure.

Valor thought that surely Sir Galahad must be exempt from the rule, as he was tremendous and, also, very small.

Her arguments were to no avail, though. The duke was happy to flout convention when he saw fit, but he had a healthy respect for rules that made practical sense.

Verity had thought the matter settled, although unhappily, until Valor dragged a picnic basket into the carriage.

As the picnic basket, covered on top with a large napkin, had the mysterious quality of being able to move, it was immediately suspect.

The duke had opened it, Valor had shrugged, and one of the footmen had taken Sir Galahad back into the house.

There was a crush of carriages stopped by the entrance to the enclosure and they had to leave their own carriage a bit farther than the duke would have liked.

Though a duke often got his way and was often given precedence, not so with where one had to leave one’s carriage.

Coachmen very determinedly turned away upon spotting the duke’s crest, preferring to maintain they’d never seen it at all rather than make way.

They walked all together to the entrance and found Lord Wembly milling around nearby it. Verity could only suppose he had been waiting for her, as what else was he doing there?

There was a brief moment when it occurred to her that he might wait for another lady, but that was washed away as soon as he approached.

“Your Grace, Lady Verity, Lady Winsome, Lady Valor. I had hoped to accompany you.” He paused, as if he were confused by something. “Lady Valor? I had imagined we might see Sir Galahad this afternoon.”

“He’s not allowed in, if you can believe it,” Valor said.

“Oh, I see,” Lord Wembly said. “I did know there was a rule against admitting dogs, though I had not supposed it would apply to such a tremendous specimen as Sir Galahad.”

“That’s what I said!” Valor cried, looking very triumphant.

The duke winked at the lord, obviously approving of the gambit.

Lord Wembly really was so clever to manage Valor in such a manner. That idea did cause Verity to blanch the slightest bit. He really was so clever. And she really was not so clever, though he did not know it. He probably knew everything in the wide world, but for that particular fact.

They went along with the stream of people heading toward a makeshift booth of sorts. “We’ll get our clues there,” Lord Wembly said. “Then we just wait for the bell to ring and we’re off.”

On the right side of the booth, there were tables and chairs set up and an old woman was selling mineral water from the spring.

“I’ll put myself in one of those chairs and hope something better than water comes around,” the duke said.

“What say you, Wembly? Can you manage keeping track of three of my girls?”

“Certainly, Your Grace,” Lord Wembly said.