Page 1 (2/2)
“Dear God!” Mr Atkins sank into a chair
“As you like,” said Miss Desmond “I wish to speak to a constable myself Perhaps he can explain why your Lord Streetha defenceless young women He cannot be very successful at it, since he requires accomplices I shall recommend he find a hobby better suited to his limited skills”
“Assaulted you! You were holding a pistol to his heart”
“Ah, now I understand His lordship is a tall man?” Mr Desmond enquired
“Yes, but that –”
“There you have it She could not hold the pistol to his head Much too aard As you can see, Delilah is scarcely above ht”
“This is hardly a time for hu just a few doors away”
“There you are htly, but he is standing right behind you”
Jack whipped around Sure enough, there was his lordship, leaning weakly against the door fra a handkerchief to the side of his head
Mr Atkins scurried towards the earl “My Lord, you are hurt Here, take my handkerchief Shall I send for a physician? Shall I send for water? Shall I send for brandy?” Theas he alternately thrust his handkerchief in the earl’s face and mopped his own moist brow
“Who is this person?” the earl de in my face?” He nodded to Jack “Remove him, Jack This is a private matter”
‘Mr Atkins did not wait for removal He shot past the earl out of the room
Lord Streethaentlerin The earl’s hauteur faltered slightly “So it is you, Desmond,” he said “When I heard that voice I was certain I’d passed over Where else but in Hades would one expect to see you again?”
“But not, surely, where you’d expect to find yourself, eh, Marcus?” Mr Desmond returned “You are, I promise, still in this sad world, and this poor hostelry is hardly the Other Place, though the Devil hie here from the storm”
Lord Streetha wos to you?”
The green eyes glittered “Young lady, if you please This is hter, Delilah”
“Daughter?” the earl repeated weakly
The tension in the air was palpable Once more Jack braced himself
To his amazement, the earl’s hauteur vanished completely, replaced by a rather white expression of solicitude “My dear young lady, a thousand apologies,” he said “The poor light—and my eyes are not what they used to be I took you for that saucy ”
Miss Desmond stared coldly at him
“Nearly fatal, actually,” said her father “Now I suppose I must call you out How tiresome”
“Too tiresoised I a lady tactfully forbore to ise as well,” she added with an aht all continue peaceably about our business”
Jack was certain that sohter to father, but he could not perceive what it was A flicker of an eyelid an infinitesimal movementor even—impossible—no one could read another’s mind
He looked to the earl for guidance
“A , Jack,” said Lord Streetham “That’s all”
All He, Jack Langdon, had violently assaulted an innocent young wo to defend her honour He wished the floor would open up and s hi in this way, he reddened with mortification instead
“I—I do beg your pardon, Miss Desmond,” he stammered “I’m dreadfully sorry—and—and—” Abruptly he recalled the appalling urges she’d aroused “I hope I caused you no injury”
“Oh, no,” she answered soberly, though her eyes were lit with amusement “And I trust I caused you none”
Mr Langdon’s colour deepened “N—no Of course not”
“Very well, Mr—?”
“Langdon,” the earl idon Known him since he was a babe Wouldn’t hurt a fly”
“Very well, Mr Langdon Apology accepted”
Mr Langdon begged pardon of the rooe, then fled
He found the correct parlour this ti at the table for half an hour before he re his scuffle with Miss Des into any of the witnesses to his humiliation, he sent a servant to retrieve the volume
Once it was safely in his hands, Jack relaxed soed to order his dinner without stae He ate hisit, and read his book without coe fury, and he noticed no
thing Hours later, when all was quiet within and without, he crept to his roo until daybreak
While Mr Langdon was trying in vain to find oblivion in his book, and Miss Des her adventure to her papa, Lord Streetha his own frustrations at the expense of the hapless Mr Atkins After berating the poor fellow un their connexion, his lordship proceeded to an unkind analysis of said connexion
The world knew Lord Streetham as an enthusiastic book collector Mr Atkins knew hi business That this was a closely guarded secret was perhaps because of the firhtiest volumes ever to be hidden under mattresses or tucked away in locked drawers Despite readers’ regrettable affinity for anatomy manuals, directories of prostitutes, reviews of criuides to seduction, the business had not done well of late—as the earl was at present pointing out
Atkins was obviously a failure, his lordship observed, perhaps a fraud as well Be that as it e into bankruptcy solo In short, Lord Streethaood money after bad
“But, My Lord, to give up nohen a brilliant success is practically in rasp—virtually in the printer’s hands” Mr Atkins squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip “Oh, my I had not meant—oh, dear me”
Lord Streethalass to his lips and studied his colass down and fixed his pale blue eyes on the publisher
“What hadn’t you meant?” he asked
Theback
“You’d better speak up, Atkins My patience is quite at an end”
“My—My Lord, I c—cannot I’m sworn to s—secrecy”
“You have no business secrets from me Speak up at once”
The publisher sed “The memoirs, My Lord”
“I am not in theme”