You damn feathered blackguard. Where, in what life, did a parrot shite on a man in a damn ballroom? Had fate or luck or whatever higher power existed above him finally forsaken him?
“Plummington!” Dare roared. “Come get your damn bird!”
Then the thing opened its beak again. “I’m a rake, not an idiot. I’m a rake, not an idiot.”
Bloody hell.
Chapter Six
The newspaper slammedonto the dining room table, and a furious finger jabbed at the bold print sprawled over the paper. “Lady Leonora and the Infamous Earl of Dare Caught in a Bird Scuffle,” Heart growled with eight parts fury and two parts disgust.
Well... Leonora bit her lip to keep amusement from spilling over. She had expected some version of events to make the gossip rags. She should probably be less delighted, but her moment with a rake and a bird was now immortalized in ink. How marvelous.
Another paper slammed over that one.
“Feathered Fiasco: A Lady, a Rake, and a Parrot Pique!”
Dear me.
Another paper slammed down.
“Plumage Pandemonium.”
Honestly . . .
Another paper.
“Beak Versus Brocade.”
Leonora grimaced as her brother’s fury rose with every paper. “I understand, Heart.”
“Do you?” Another paper. “Winged Warfare.”
What could she say? “They are certainly witty with their headlines.”
“Witty?” Heart’s face had thunder on it. “What about this is witty? It’s a damn disaster.” He stabbed the latest paper witha finger. “A Lady and a Rake Embroiled in an Unlikely Avian Affair!”
Avian affair? She bit back a laugh. “Honestly, Heart, no person in England will take this seriously.”
“Do you imagine anyone cares if it’s true or not? This will ruin you, Leonora. You areruined.”
She scoffed. “Don’t be so dramatic. I’m not ruined. I’m fodder for entertainment, that is all.”
“How the hell can you say that with a smile?”
She locked eyes with Heart’s stony gaze. “Because it’s all rather amusing. Besides, I’m only ruined if Iactruined. Then people will respond accordingly. If I don’t act ruined, I won’t be ruined.”
“What horrifying logic is that?”
“Weren’t you there?” Leonora countered with a smile. “It’s not like Dare and I were caught in some indiscreet act. We were in a ballroom crowded with people.”
“That doesn’t matter. It says you were entangled with each other.”
“Now that is utter nonsense. At most, I used the earl as a crutch when I lost my footing.” Though in truth, she had never lost any footing. Maybe one or two heartbeats, though. “I suppose we shall see soon enough.”
His eyes narrowed. “See how?”
“There is an event at Brimfield Park at the lake. Unless it’s raining, it should still be on.”
