Page 19 of The Undaunted
The lord had trailed off, though Caroline understood him perfectly. She said, “You do not wish Lady Easton to know of the bet with my father. Or the Regent’s bet, for that matter.”
“Yes! Yes, that is it exactly,” he said, looking vastly relieved that she had caught on so quickly.
“Of course, I will say nothing,” Caroline assured him. “I have already been asked why the Regent should involve himself in my circumstances and claimed I know nothing about it.”
“Excellent! You are a very good sort of girl. Of course, Dunn’s daughter would be a good sort. But I say, there is my nephew too. I would not want him to be privy to any details.”
Caroline could not repress a giggle, “Goodness no,” she said, “Lord Bertridge seems a bit of a stick.”
The lord roared with laughter. “Yes! That’s it, that’s what he is. I am fond of him, naturally, but a stick, yes, Lord Stick would be very disapproving.”
Caroline nodded. “He has already been disapproving ofme, I shan’t allow you to be thrown into the mix.”
“Has he? He can be like that, yes, he really can. I suppose it was some minor infraction he blew up to ridiculous proportions?”
“Exceedingly minor and extremely ridiculous,” Caroline said, feeling the utter relief of talking to someone who viewed things as she did.
“Yes, I see how it was. I do tell him, from time to time, to loosen up a bit. But then, he had an unusual childhood—his parents were a couple of lunatics. I know it was very good of him to go in the opposite direction. But, sometimes one may go too far in the other direction.”
This was the second time Lord Bertridge’s parents had been mentioned and Caroline could not imagine what they’d been like. However, Lord Easton was right, one could course correct too much for their own good. Or don a mask too severe for one’s own good. She still was not certain which one it was.
“Lord Stick, that is amusing,” Lord Easton said. “Though, we’d better not repeat it outside of ourselves. It is so accurate that I’m afraid the moniker would become quite permanent.”
“Lord Stick wouldstick, I think you mean to say.”
“Hah! You have your father’s wit, I see.”
Caroline smiled and said, “I am in no danger of repeating Lord Stick, as I have got used to calling him Bertie.”
“Nottohim, did you?”
“Yes, directly to him.”
“Oh, he must have been irate. Probably still fuming over it. Bertie, hah!”
“He really did earn it,” Caroline said.
“I bet he did. I tell you what,” Lord Easton said, “if we are to survive this summer at all pleasantly, we must be allies.”
Caroline smiled. “Conspirators.”
“Accomplices,” the lord said.
“Abettors,” Caroline added.
“Yes! All of those. Well, I must say I very much like this way of going on. I had quite given up on advertising my ideas and opinions, you know. The canaries did me in all those years ago. So now, when I decided to put forth some strong ideas, I wondered if the very roof might not fall down on my head. But then it didn’t. I feel quite liberated.”
Caroline had not the first idea of how canaries could do a person in, but she did not much care. “Count on me to act as your second in any matter but an actual duel, Lord Easton,” Caroline said, happy to have a friend in the house.
Finding themselves of one mind, they pleasantly schemed all the way to the Regent’s drive. Lord Easton said gleefully, “Those two will not know if they are coming or going! Now that I have opinions, they’re coming at me hard and fast!”
Caroline was delighted with Lord Easton. Though Lady Easton was convinced that her lord had only recently developed ideas and opinions, it turned out he’d had them all along and just kept them under wraps.
The wraps, it seemed, had been entirely flung off.
*
Richard peered outthe carriage window. His uncle’s carriage had surged ahead, his own having had to give way to another coming round a corner.
