sneer fled. “This is
not your affair,” he bit out.
“Nor is it Lord Vaughn’s.”
“It should not be-but he must busy himself where
he is not wanted.”
Sidley thrust his cane across Vaughn’s boots to prevent him from surging toward Knox. Sidley was conscious of the gathering audience and most conscious,
perhaps, of Marian Ware several steps beyond his right
shoulder. That he should be so alive to her presence was
most peculiar.
“This is not the place to air your dispute,” Sidley said
to Knox. “Lady Katherine and her family can only thank
us if we remove ourselves. Will you not step outside an
instant, Mr. Knox?”
“I will not leave my wife!”
Sidley’s gaze noted Jenny Knox, attended by several
friends, at the entrance to the ballroom. “Mrs. Knox is
in good company.”
“I make certain of it!” Knox spat. “Which is why I’ll
have that promise from your friend!” He looked at
Vaughn, whose lips were tight-as though he meant never
to speak again.
Sidley glanced again at Jenny Knox, whose dark eyes
were huge in her pale face. Her ghastly pallor gave him
an idea.
“Come now, Vaughn,” he coaxed in as pompously
wheedling a tone as he could manage. He patted
Vaughn’s sleeve condescendingly. “Surely you can promise the man, fool though he is, anything he likes?”
Vaughn actually frowned. “Leave off, Sidley,” he
said sharply.
“Good heavens! That from you, when I’ve-exerted
myself so-” Abruptly he loosed his grip on Vaughn’s
sleeve and, collapsing as heavily as he could against his
friend, slid in an apparent faint toward the floor.
Vaughn was quick enough to grab his arms, sparing
him a blow to the head. Sidley kept his eyes closed and
heard all the hubbub around him: Benny’s gleefully
repeated “Get back!”; Edgar Formsby’s “What has
happened?”; and, most clearly, young Lady Katherine’s
penetrating shriek of “Sidley!”, at which he could
scarcely prevent himself from cringing.
Sidley heard Vaughn ordering the carriage to be
called, then several people were carrying him, unevenly
and most uncomfortably, to the door. He heard Colonel
Bassett’s blistering description of Lord Sidley as a “useless bit of goods,” with a dismissive, “Marshal Soult?
Most unlikely!” added for good measure.
Even in the darkness out-of-doors he kept his eyes
closed, knowing that Edgar Formsby, if not volunteering
so much as to help carry him, was enough of a host to see
an ill guest from the door. Sidley was doubly glad of his
discipline when he heard Marian Ware softly recommending that someone loosen Lord Sidley’s collar, and Vaughn’s answering assurance, “We shall see to him,
Miss Ware”
Oh, no doubt, no doubt, Sidley thought. The arms that
shoved him unceremoniously onto the carriage seat were
certainly far from gentle.
“I shall kill you for this,” Vaughn muttered darkly as
the horses started.
“Why, Vaughn?” Sidley asked, struggling to sit up.
“Did you not wish to quit the place?”
Benny laughed, but Vaughn looked like thunder. “You
must drop the game with me, Lee. I would have left
Knox on my own terms, without your interference.”
“That is no doubt the case, my friend. But as I stand
your second, I deem it my duty to make certain that your
`terms,’ as you call them, are not aired. I shall make every
effort to prevent a confrontation.”
“I would not have challenged Knox.”
“Perhaps not. But I fear he comes too close to challenging you. And I have a marginal preference for keeping you whole. In any event,” he added, attempting to
right his cravat by touch, “the Formsbys’ insipid do grew
tiresome. It was time to leave.”
Benny beamed. “Shall we go on to Boodle’s, then,
Sidley? You said if we stopped in at Formsby’s-”
“Unfortunately, Benny, that plan was previous to my
collapse before half the ton. Credibility-a precious commodity, my young friend-requires that we
not your affair,” he bit out.
“Nor is it Lord Vaughn’s.”
“It should not be-but he must busy himself where
he is not wanted.”
Sidley thrust his cane across Vaughn’s boots to prevent him from surging toward Knox. Sidley was conscious of the gathering audience and most conscious,
perhaps, of Marian Ware several steps beyond his right
shoulder. That he should be so alive to her presence was
most peculiar.
“This is not the place to air your dispute,” Sidley said
to Knox. “Lady Katherine and her family can only thank
us if we remove ourselves. Will you not step outside an
instant, Mr. Knox?”
“I will not leave my wife!”
Sidley’s gaze noted Jenny Knox, attended by several
friends, at the entrance to the ballroom. “Mrs. Knox is
in good company.”
“I make certain of it!” Knox spat. “Which is why I’ll
have that promise from your friend!” He looked at
Vaughn, whose lips were tight-as though he meant never
to speak again.
Sidley glanced again at Jenny Knox, whose dark eyes
were huge in her pale face. Her ghastly pallor gave him
an idea.
“Come now, Vaughn,” he coaxed in as pompously
wheedling a tone as he could manage. He patted
Vaughn’s sleeve condescendingly. “Surely you can promise the man, fool though he is, anything he likes?”
Vaughn actually frowned. “Leave off, Sidley,” he
said sharply.
“Good heavens! That from you, when I’ve-exerted
myself so-” Abruptly he loosed his grip on Vaughn’s
sleeve and, collapsing as heavily as he could against his
friend, slid in an apparent faint toward the floor.
Vaughn was quick enough to grab his arms, sparing
him a blow to the head. Sidley kept his eyes closed and
heard all the hubbub around him: Benny’s gleefully
repeated “Get back!”; Edgar Formsby’s “What has
happened?”; and, most clearly, young Lady Katherine’s
penetrating shriek of “Sidley!”, at which he could
scarcely prevent himself from cringing.
Sidley heard Vaughn ordering the carriage to be
called, then several people were carrying him, unevenly
and most uncomfortably, to the door. He heard Colonel
Bassett’s blistering description of Lord Sidley as a “useless bit of goods,” with a dismissive, “Marshal Soult?
Most unlikely!” added for good measure.
Even in the darkness out-of-doors he kept his eyes
closed, knowing that Edgar Formsby, if not volunteering
so much as to help carry him, was enough of a host to see
an ill guest from the door. Sidley was doubly glad of his
discipline when he heard Marian Ware softly recommending that someone loosen Lord Sidley’s collar, and Vaughn’s answering assurance, “We shall see to him,
Miss Ware”
Oh, no doubt, no doubt, Sidley thought. The arms that
shoved him unceremoniously onto the carriage seat were
certainly far from gentle.
“I shall kill you for this,” Vaughn muttered darkly as
the horses started.
“Why, Vaughn?” Sidley asked, struggling to sit up.
“Did you not wish to quit the place?”
Benny laughed, but Vaughn looked like thunder. “You
must drop the game with me, Lee. I would have left
Knox on my own terms, without your interference.”
“That is no doubt the case, my friend. But as I stand
your second, I deem it my duty to make certain that your
`terms,’ as you call them, are not aired. I shall make every
effort to prevent a confrontation.”
“I would not have challenged Knox.”
“Perhaps not. But I fear he comes too close to challenging you. And I have a marginal preference for keeping you whole. In any event,” he added, attempting to
right his cravat by touch, “the Formsbys’ insipid do grew
tiresome. It was time to leave.”
Benny beamed. “Shall we go on to Boodle’s, then,
Sidley? You said if we stopped in at Formsby’s-”
“Unfortunately, Benny, that plan was previous to my
collapse before half the ton. Credibility-a precious commodity, my young friend-requires that we
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