Before he could stop himself, Anthony’s head swiveled quite forcefully towards Meredith before swiveling it towards this Mr. Lockhart person as well, just in time to pretend to be delighted to make his acquaintance.
This must be the same Ian who sent Meredith that letter.
Anthony scanned his clothing. It was certainly produced to a high quality, but not as extravagant as some of the clothes that he himself owned.
Mr. Lockhart enthusiastically inquired, “Stables, you say? That sounds like quite a lot of fun. I used to dream of being a stable boy. Didn’t I, Mere?”
Every syllable out of Ian’s smiley mouth seemed to only infuriate Anthony.
Mere? Did he just call her Mere? How dare he act so familiar with her.
“Oh yes, I remember it very well. You used to drone on and on for hours about horses exclusively.”
Anthony jealously forced him to reinsert himself into the conversation.
“So I take it you must be a very skilled rider then, Mr. Lockhart?”
He replied with a hearty laugh.
“Oh, no, no, Mr. Guy, not at all. Believe it or not, the orphanage couldn’t afford to buy, let alone keep, a horse. So I’m afraid I never had the opportunity to learn.”
Anthony now felt that he had heard enough and that it was now time for them to go their separate ways. But before he could express these sentiments, Mr. Lockhart posed a simple question.
“Would you all like to join me at the inn for some refreshments?”
Simply put, Anthony’s answer, of course, was no. He did not want to spend another moment in the same company as this man. But as he licked his dry lips and took notice of the cries of his aching feet, Anthony found it necessary to change his resounding no.
“We would be honored to, Mr. Lockhart.”
* * *
The inn appeared to be a respectable enough establishment. For the first time in his life, Anthony was feeling quite conscious of the fact that he could be the shabbiest-dressed person in the whole building. Indeed, based on appearances alone, it would seem that only the servants of this place were lower than him.
At last, refreshments were brought to their small table in the coffee room. Anthony found the sandwiches soggy and miserable while the tea was of a curious color, smell, and consistency. Yet Meredith, Mrs. Oakley, and Mr. Lockhart seemed to consume their own sandwiches and teas quite effortlessly. The clock said it was half-past eleven, so Anthony considered this to be an early luncheon.
Anthony used to complain about the food given to them at university, but he was sure that it could not have been worse than this. It wasn’t all bad, though, at least they were now out of the sun and the dusty streets.
“You haven’t said anything in a while, Mr. Guy. May I ask if you’re all right? I hope we’re not boring you.”
“Yes, everything is perfectly fine. No, no, I’m not bored at all. Please continue with what you were saying.”
Bored? How dare he ask me if I were bored. I am not. In fact, I am the opposite of bored. I am most thrilled that my day out with Meredith was encroached upon by a thoughtless—albeit more or less well-dressed—nitwit.
Of course, he would never say the last part out loud. He may be in an irritated state, but he was still a gentleman.
Once the table had been cleared and the necessary conversation had been made, Anthony nodded politely.
“Yes, yes. And we thank you very much, Mr. Lockhart, for your warm hospitality. But we shall let you go for we know you are a busy man.”
Meredith said something similar and they all bid each other a wonderful day. When they were finally outside the inn and back on the busy streets, Anthony endeavored to keep a neutral expression while whispering to Meredith.
“Stable boy? Do I look like a stable boy?”
Meredith wore an exaggerated smile for the sake of the passersby. Through her teeth, she said in a hushed voice, “I panicked! I couldn’t very well go revealing your true identity, could I? And I’m surprised that bothered you more than the alias I ended up assigning you.”
“Indeed. Anthony Guy. Guy? How on earth did you think of such a brilliant surname? I take it you looked at my face and said the first thing that came to mind.”
“That’s enough, you two,” interjected Mrs. Oakley with her own fake smile. “Sorry, Your Grace, I don’t mean to interrupt. But I think it is of utmost importance that I alert you to the fact that Mr. Lockhart is following us.”
