A Holiday Gamble by Jane Feather

Author:Jane Feather
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Star Books

Chapter Six

Ned dressed slowly and with some reluctance for dinner that night. Christmas night or not, he had no desire to spend another evening under the quixotic sovereignty of the Lord of Misrule, and he suspected that Roger Selby would be less than amiable after their meeting that afternoon. It had certainly not come to Selby’s desired conclusion. And then there was Godfrey Belton, of whom Ned had also made an enemy. And he’d find no friends among the other guests. There was no real civility there, and if their host turned against one of the guests, he suspected, they too would turn like an obedient pack of hounds on their master’s quarry.

And what of Georgiana? Would she show herself or stay behind a locked door? He rather hoped she would do the latter—it would be one less thing for him to worry about—but he was by no means sanguine that she would choose discretion over valor. Not from what he’d seen of her thus far.

Just what was she doing playing highwayman in the Cheviot foothills? He intended to find out before the night was done. Apart from anything else, he wanted to reclaim his stolen property. He didn’t begrudge her the guineas, but his fob watch had belonged to his grandfather, a man with whom he had had much more in common than his own father. It was a valuable piece, but it was worth much more than face value to Ned. She’d had no opportunity to sell or pawn it in the last two days, so he would claim it later, and at the same time get an explanation from Lady Georgiana Carey.

“There, sir. Very smart, my lord.” Davis smoothed the coat over Ned’s shoulders, patting the soft gray wool with satisfaction. “Is there anything else I can do for you now?”

“No, thank you, Davis,” Ned said. “Go and get your supper. And there’s no need to wait up for me. I may sit late.”

Davis bowed. “Very well, sir. If you’re sure, m’lord.”

“Quite sure. It is Christmas night, after all. Enjoy your evening.” Ned smiled and waved a hand toward the door in dismissal. He waited until Davis had departed, the door firmly closed, and then he fetched his portmanteau from the armoire. Davis had emptied it of everything he could see, but he didn’t know of the hidden compartment. Ned lifted the lining at the bottom of the bag and then the stiffened leather base. Beneath he kept a pistol and a lockbox. It was the pistol that interested him tonight. It was small, ivory handled, and in Lord Allenton’s hands quite deadly.

He took it out, cleaned and primed it, and tucked it into an inner pocket of his coat, where it lay snugly beneath his arm. Ned checked his image in the glass and nodded his satisfaction. There was not a bulge visible in the beautifully cut garment. Why he thought he might need a pistol tonight was something of a mystery.

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