Dizzy Dilemmas (26 page)

“Not that I can think of,
” Marcus replied. “We had a lovely time yesterday but then when we returned to the Fenchurch ball and were met by Hester she just sneaked away without a word.”

“Hester met you, you say? Well there you have it!” Ross exclaimed and when Marcus looked puzzled he continued. “I expect you and Hester behaved as you normally do with each other. Lady Dizzy Brockton is jealous. She saw you and Hester together and came to the wrong conclusions which I might add, is perfectly understandable given how you two behave.
Do not forget she has no idea about you and Hester and the rest of us for that matter. Very few people do.”

“You could be right though when she asked me if Hester and I were lovers I told her we weren’t!”

“Asked you outright did she?” Ross laughed. “No prevarication then or maidenly reserve? Do not let her get away Marcus because she is definitely the girl for you.”

“
I agree wholeheartedly but still this could be fun if, as you say, she is suffering from jealousy.”

“Be careful my friend, when Erica was jealous of
my ex-mistress, she punched me and it set our courtship back by several days. Bearing in mind we were already married, you do not have that advantage and may jeopardize everything.”

“Not married no, but I plan to remedy that very soon. Do not worry Ross; I have no intention of letting her get away and will result to your nefarious ways of obtaining a bride should the need arise.”

              Keeping her head averted, Dizzy hoped her brother would not notice her forlorn expression or the tears that seeped out of the corner of her eye and slid down her cheeks. A large lump had formed in her throat which made talking impossible and so she was glad that Gideon remained quiet on the way home making only the occasional comment that needed no response from her. She was glad for the business of the streets on their journey home as it delayed their arrival and gave her time to compose herself and therefore it was with a relative normal voice that she asked Gideon if he could have some tea and toast sent up to her room. “I intend to have a soak in the bath and return to my bed for a while.”

“That sounds like a good idea. You are exhausted by the looks of you
.” he replied and then as he followed her into the house he continued “Dizzy, I know you do not want to talk at the moment but if I can help in any way you need only ask!”

“Thank you Gideon,
” she said “But I shall be fine, honestly. It is just that I have been very foolish and am feeling somewhat annoyed with myself, that is all. I knew the rules of the game; set some of them in fact and so have only myself to blame.”

“I cannot say I fully understand what you are on about but I am going to blame Glenmore whether he is guilty or not and recommend
you to do the same. Would you like Gabriel and me to go and sort him out? Or better still we will send Grandmamma.”

Dizzy laughed which
is what Gideon had intended. “Perhaps tomorrow,” she told him “after I have had time to think up a suitable punishment. It needs to be something grisly.”

             
The clock had just chimed the hour of two when Dizzy heard the doorbell ring. She had planned to walk over to her sister’s house to be well out of the way but then reasoned that Coulton was more than a match for unwanted visitors and she could safely leave it to him to see Glenmore on his way. Ensconced in the drawing room with the French doors open to allow the warm breeze to waft in, Dizzy had been leafing through a book but put it down and edged closer to the door which she had left slightly ajar.

“Good afternoon, Coult
on. I am here to see Lady Dizzy,” Glenmore said when the butler opened the front door to his knock.

“You might be but th
at does not mean you’ll see her,” Coulton replied.

“I beg your pardon? I don’t quite follow.”

“I mean you might want to see her but you can’t. Lady Dizzy ain’t seeing no-one,” Coulton announced crossing his arms over his chest and staring belligerently at the Duke.

“You have just uttered a double
negative which makes a positive,” Glenmore smiled “and therefore she is seeing someone; me!”

“Oh bad move” Dizzy winced on hearing this from her position behind the door.

“Are you trying to be funny?” Coulton asked quietly, which was always an ominous sign according to the two latest generations of Brocktons.

“Absolutely not!” he assured him. “Please give Lady Dizzy my regards and inform her I shall see her shortly.”

The door closed with a decided thud and Dizzy relaxed. Coulton was a gem when it came to unwanted visitors no matter what rank they held; from king to pauper he would send them away, usually with a flea in their ear. ‘Glenmore should consider himself fortunate’ she thought ‘as he has got off quite lightly.’

She softly closed the door and went in search of her cat that she found on the lawn playing with
a mouse. “Oh Minerva, let it go,” she called and tried to rescue the poor creature from her pet’s clutches but with her leg still hurting, she was not quick enough.

Thus it was that she did not hear the second knock on the door which when opened, revealed a Duke holding out a basket laden with every chocolate
delight imaginable. Coulton who was about to launch on his trademark tirade against persistent, unwanted visitors was halted in his tracks before even one syllable had been uttered.

“I
believe this may belong to you, Coulton.” Glenmore said placing a great emphasis on the word ’may’.

“Now isn’t bribery a bit beneath a grand Duke li
ke you?” he asked prevaricating as he was not completely lost to his role of protector to his employers.

“Nothing is beneath me if
it gets me in to see Lady Dizzy,” Glenmore said swinging the basket gently to and fro in front of the butler’s popping eyes.

“
You are a cruel man Duke and no mistake; tempting me to betray my ‘family’,” he grumbled.

“Do not look on it as a betrayal but more that you are helping her to find happiness
,” Glenmore suggested, picking up a box and making a great show of smelling the contents.

“She was none to happy this morning and she expressly said no visitors
.”

“She did not mean to include me in that
, but if you are sure I will return these to the confectioners in Mayfair. They make their own chocolates and they are delicious. Have you ever sampled their chocolates?” he asked conversationally.

“Yes on many occasion
s and very superior quality too,” Coulton croaked, holding out to temptation by a very fine, much stretched thread.

“They look and
smell divine would you not say,” Glenmore commented, holding the now open box within tongue licking distance of the butler whose strangulated reply could not be understood. “But as I say if you are sure, I shall be on my way.”

“Wait!” The ping of that very fine, much stretched thread was very loud in Coulton’s conscience but he ignored it. “On reflection, I am sure you are right and she did not mean your good self when she stated no visitors. If you just hand over the basket I will
direct you to her.” He took hold of the basket but the Duke kept hold of it.

“How about you show me where she is and will hand over the goodies when we get there!” Glenmore was taking no chances of ha
ving his bribe snatched from his hands and the house barred to him again.

“A wily one aren’t you?” Coulton grumbled as it had been his intention to lock the Duke out once he had the basket in his grasp. “This way then.”

Markus and Coulton traipsed across the hall with the basket suspended between them with it being tugged first one way and then the other, until they reached a door. “She is in here,” Coulton told him though he stood blocking the way.

“As you say, I am a wily one so I will hand over the chocolate when I am in the open doorway of that room.” Glenmore nearly laughed at the angst on the other man’s all too expressive face when he realised he had been beaten.

They shuffled around in order to swap positions and Glenmore swiftly opened the door and backed across the threshold before releasing the bribe. Whilst Coulton adjusted his hold to accommodate the extra weight of what was quite a hefty chocolate hoard, Glenmore wasted no time in shutting and locking the door; offering up a prayer of thanks that the key was there. Although he had no qualms about flooring Coulton with a right hook if it came to fisticuffs, he doubted it would endear him to Dizzy and he was understandably relieved to avoid any confrontations of a physical nature.

             
Dizzy gave up her attempts to save the creature whose tail dangled from the jaws of her killer cat. She was pretty sure it was unlikely to survive even if she had managed to detach it from its tormentor and therefore consoled herself that it was probably better to be eaten swiftly than to linger, painfully injured, waiting for some other predator to come along.  She hobbled back to the drawing room and closed the French doors.

“You are not coming in here.” she told her through the glass and then screeched when a voice behind her answered.

“Too late sweetheart for I am already inside!”

“What? ..How?....Who?.... I heard Coulton send you away so how did…?
You bribed him didn’t you?” she accused him. “That’s despicable!”

“Perhaps but then you do it all the time!” he told her and as she had no defence and could not deny it she wisely changed the subject.

“Be that as it may, the fact remains that I am not up to visitors and therefore you must leave,” she told him primly.

“So are you going to tell me what bee
s have got into your bonnet?” he asked, choosing to ignore her previous comment.

“I really do not know what you are on about! I am tired and need to rest.”

“Oh cut line Dizzy. You are jealous. You saw Hester and me together last night and jumped to all sorts of conclusions,” he stated leaning his shoulder against the door and crossing his arms. His self satisfied smile made Dizzy see red.

“You would think that because
being so conceited and arrogant you think every woman must be madly in love with you.”

“Not every woman
; just you! Do not try and deny it,” he added when she gasped in outrage. “We will leave that for now, but I will say you have no need to be jealous of Hester.”

Dizzy growled and he laughed, pushing himself away from the door and walking towards her where she stood by the French doors. “Shall I tell you why I was meeting her this morning, Gherkin? Will it make you feel better if I explain?”

“There is no need. We are acquaintances only Glenmore and what you do with other people is no concern of mine,” she told him and wanting to put something solid between them she moved forward, cursing when her leg slowed her down. “Bitterballens!”

“You really have knocked yourself up haven’t you
?” Marcus said concerned as he watched her limping. “Your brother told me you limp when you are tired, but I thought he was exaggerating.”

“Well now you know he wasn’t
so perhaps you would leave and I can rest,” she uttered crossly.

“I can do better than that darling girl.” And striding up to her he swung her into his arms and carried her over to the sofa where he sat down with her cradled on his lap.

“Glenmore! I did not need to be carried and I do not think it is appropriate for me to be sat on your lap,” she said struggling to be released.

“Again!” he muttered

“What?”

“You should have said again! You have sat on my lap before
,” he explained. “You might as well sit comfortably because I am not going to release you!”

“What if someone comes in?” She asked. “
You should let me go.”

“The door is locked and no I don’t want to let you go. Not until you have listened to me.”

“Very well,” Dizzy ceased her efforts to break free. “Quickly say what you must say so that I can get on with my day and you can go.”

“Ross and I met Hester and Fenchurch in
Spain when we were surrounded by the enemy and capture seemed imminent. In a situation like that, strong bonds are formed. We had to trust and rely heavily on each other if we were to make it out of there alive; which obviously we did though it was a close run thing. Hester and Fenchurch fell in love during that time and married soon after we reached safety. I was his best man. ”

“Were you upset that she married him?” Dizzy asked

“Of course I wasn’t. Hester and I are good friends nothing more.”

“It did not look like that last night!” she muttered under her breath which he heard all to
o clearly much to her chagrin.

“Just as I said; you are jealous
,” he crowed, “but you need not be. She is deeply in love with her husband which brings me nicely to why I had agreed to meet her today whilst he was out of the way. Fenchurch is an avid collector of art and more especially cartoons. He has several drawn by Francisco de Goya. In his collection he also has some rather risqué ones and Hester has arranged for a cartoonist to draw some with her and Fenchurch as the subjects.               I merely accompanied her this morning to collect them as I did when she place the order.”