Ramage 14 - Ramage's Trial by Dudley Pope

Author:Dudley Pope
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-04-26T23:00:00+00:00

and a fortune, wanted to call me out! Swore that it waslies, and I had Alexis locked up so that she could not see him.Gave me a choice of pistols or swords!"

Intrigued at the picture Yorke had drawn,Ramageasked: "How did you get out of all that?"

"Oh, I chose the coward's way out. Rang the bell for a maid, sent her for Alexis, and told her that unless she gave this tradesman's son hiscongé,I'd have to meet him at dawn and kill him, except that I had a strict rule against duelling with tradesmen's sons."

"And that did it?"

"As far as this dandified soldier was concerned, yes: he retreated with a red face. Alexis then nearly fought a duel with me!"

"What on earth for?"

"Oh, she felt sorry for the fellow (after I'd got rid of him) and said there was no need to throw

'trade' in his face just because his father owned half a dozen mills in Lancashire and recently bought a title."

"She had a point,"Ramagesaid sympathetically.

"You're as bad as she is," Yorke complained. "I'm the innocent party carrying out his sister's orders, and the damned soldier wants to spit me on the end of anépéeor put a pistol ball in my gizzard. All because my sister gets too flirtatious and-"

"-and what?"Alexis said from the door.

"I was telling Nicholas about that wretched soldier who thought I'd locked you up and wanted me to get up at dawn and clang swords or pop pistols with him."

"Oh yes, you really did behave disgracefully towards that poor fellow," she said.

Yorke looked atRamageand sighed. "Don't encourage her," he said, "otherwise she'll expect me to send him a case of claret with an apologetic note."

She had changed into a close-fitting wine-red dress, so close-fitting thatRamagefound himself wondering how she had got into it. Her hair was now swept up in a style which emphasized her profile, and she looked every inch the calm hostess: not a hint of a stifled sob, her eyes clear.

Ramagesuddenly realized that she was watching his eyes.

"A good maid is worth a queen's ransom," she said and smiled. "Dinner is being served in five minutes."

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