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Alexander de Montmorency forever and resume her
normal life a prospect which did not elate her as
much as it should have.
By now they had reached the Clarendon a surprise
to both of them, as each one had been so wrapped up
in his own thoughts that neither one had been very
conscious of their progress.
Christopher paused on the stairs, laying a hand on
his companion s shoulder.  I must repair to my
chambers to write up some reports for the Duke. Until
tonight. It should be the last. Courage mon brave, you
have almost reached your goal. He turned and was
gone, leaving Alex to stare stupidly after him, a lump
in her throat and unaccountable tears stinging her
eyelids.
Chapter 21
The gaming room at White s was densely crowded by
the time Anthony, Alex, and Christopher arrived. In
order to see his sister through her final round,
Anthony, who had been begging off more and more
frequently to attend events where he was likely to
encounter his adored Lucinda, had eschewed an
opportunity to look for her at the Bellingwood s rout.
By now a respected regular, Alex was hailed by
players at several tables and invited to join the play,
but just as she was about to take her seat at the table
adjoining General Scott s, she was accosted by a
gaudily dressed man of indeterminate years who
sported a rather boldly patterned waistcoat and the
high color of one of Bacchus s more confirmed
devotees.  Ssho, de Montmorenshy, I hear you re
cleaning out the pocketsh of all the gentleman here,
he slurred.  It sh my turn now to show you that not
everyone here ish easy game or my name ishn t Gilesh
O Hara.
Alex had never seen the man before and, if the
expression of the onlookers were anything to go by,
neither had anyone else. His aggressive air brooked no
denial, and on her last night here, Alex was not about
127
to do anything that would cause a stir. When he waved
an unsteady hand toward a table in the corner and
wove toward it she could do nothing but shrug and
follow.
It rapidly became apparent that Giles O Hara had
grossly overestimated his card-playing abilities and it
took the shortest of whiles for Alex to trounce him
severely, winning all that remained of the money she
needed. That accomplished, she heaved a sigh of relief
and smiled pleasantly at her opponent.  I thank you
for the game, sir, but I am afraid I must beg your
indulgence in cutting it short as I am promised to
Cathcart this evening.
With a roar O Hara rose and pointed a wavering
finger at her.  You ll not dismish me so easily, my fine
young buck. Gilesh O Hara is no pigeon to be plucked
ash you have done all the othersh. No. You ll sit down
and play an honesht game with me and then we shall
shee who winsh.
An angry flush rose in Alex s cheeks and her fists
clenched at her sides, but she managed to reply calmly
enough.  Certainly. And I shall beat you as honestly as
I just have done.
 Are you calling me a liar? No one callsh Gilesh
O Hara a liar to hish face and lives. Name your
weaponsh and your secondsh.
By this time, the deathly hush that had fallen at the
adjoining tables had spread throughout the room. Alex
rose to face him, maintaining her outward composure
although her eyes positively sparkled with anger.
 Pistols, she replied promptly. Then she turned to
Christopher.  And I beg Lord Wrotham to oblige.
His heart in his mouth, the major shot a quick
glance at Tony, who appeared to be no more concerned
by the entire episode than his sister was.  I shall be
honored to do so. He bowed ever so slightly in Alex s
direction.
 Thank you. Alex turned back to her accuser.  Very
well, then, sir. I suggest that we repair to a suitable
spot at daybreak. The sooner honor is satisfied, the
better. As to the location, I leave its selection to the
seconds. And without giving O Hara time to reply she
turned on her heel and strode toward the door, leaving
the room abuzz behind her.
The first to recover was the major who, after
establishing Wimbledon Common as the site for the
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encounter, grabbed Tony by the arm and hustled him
toward the door, whispering urgently,  Whatever shall
we do?
 Do? Why nothing.
Christopher was not a little taken aback at the
callous insouciance with which Alex s brother viewed
the dreadful situation.  But we cannot let her do this!
 Don t see how we can stop her, old fellow. Question
of honor you know, and she wouldn t thank you for
doing so. Then seeing that his words had done
nothing to erase the worry in the major s eyes or the
tense set of his jaw, he laid a hand on Wrotham s
shoulder.  Relax, man. Alex is as fine a shot as I have
ever encountered. She should be. I taught her myself
down at Halewood. She is as steady as a rock and has
eyes like a hawk. I wish we had time to go to Manton s
so you could see what I mean. Taught her swordplay
as well, though she is not as good at that. Oh, she is a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]