Daizell pulled a face that economically conveyed thathe was glad not to be in the young man’s shoes. Cassian murmured, ‘We could surely . . . ? For a lady?’
‘If you don’t mind the public bar. Very gracious of you,’ Daizell said, with a wink that quivered pleasantly in Cassian’s nerves. He went to the door, pulled it open, and went into the hallway. ‘I beg your pardon, but we couldn’t help overhearing. My companion and I – oh my God!’
‘You!’ said a young lady’s voice, in accents of throbbing accusation.
‘What’s this?’ the landlady demanded.
Daizell retreated rapidly backwards, into the parlour. A young lady came after him, with a sturdy young man on her heels. She was well built herself for a woman, about Cassian’s size, and wore a fierce expression; he looked as though incomprehension was his natural state. ‘You!’ she said again. ‘What are you doing here? Have you followed me?’
‘Followed?’ Daizell said. ‘I’ve been here for hours! And why would I want to see you anyway?’
‘He has been here with me,’ Cassian added, with no idea what was going on but feeling he should offer support. ‘We’ve had dinner here, as this good woman can—’
The young lady waved at him to be silent with an impatient gesture. Cassian reminded himself, after a stunned moment of outrage, that he was not currently the Duke of Severn. ‘Well, what are you doing here if you are not following me?’ she asked Daizell insistently.
‘Pursuing my own affairs,’ Daizell said. ‘Yours, as you made quite clear, are not my concern.’
‘Eliza?’ the youth said. ‘Who is this man?’
‘Do be quiet, Tony.’
The landlord and landlady had both crowded in. The extremely small parlour was now feeling decidedly cramped.Daizell had retreated behind a chair, whether to make space or to have something between him and the young lady’s militant stance.
‘If you are not following me—’ she began.
‘I am not!’
‘If you aren’t, then what do you want?’
‘I was going to offer you the parlour,’ Daizell said. ‘I regret the impulse.’
‘You were?’ The young lady’s face underwent an instant transformation, from hostility to bright spring day. She wasn’t pretty, Cassian thought, being rather ordinary in features, much as he was himself, with mousy brown hair and a pair of grey eyes, but she moved and spoke with such animation that one might easily be convinced she was very pretty indeed. ‘Oh, Mr Charnage, how very kind! Well, that is wonderful and resolves all.’
‘It does nothing of the sort, miss, because if this is an elopement—’ the landlady began.
The young man came in over her. ‘Charnage? This is Charnage? What’shedoing here?’
‘We’ve been over this,’ Daizell said. ‘Why don’t my friend and I leave you the parlour, and you can finish your conversation with mine hosts. Get your drink, Cass.’
‘Wait a minute, sir!’ The young man skirted around to block the door, with a threatening look. He was quite sturdy. ‘I have a few words for you on your conduct.’
‘Don’t be absurd, Tony,’ the young lady said.
‘This wretched fellow had no compunction in attempting a young lady in the most disgraceful manner—’
‘What did you call me?’
‘Tony, stop it! Iexplainedthis!’
‘You did not know what you were doing,’ the young man told her sternly. ‘And you, sir, took advantage of her!’
‘Ielopedwith her, you idiot,’ Daizell said. ‘And by the looks of things, so have you, so—’
The young man lunged. Daizell leapt back out of the way. The young lady squawked; the landlady said, ‘I knew it!’, and Cassian said, ‘Stop!’ Daizell kicked a chair into the path of the oncoming young man, snapping, ‘For God’s sake, you oaf!’
Duke of Severn, Cassian reminded himself. ‘I said, stop this at once!’ He gave the words the full authority and command of his noble house and lineage.
Nobody even looked at him. The young man grabbed the chair and hoisted it, whether to throw it out of the way or at Daizell, and Cassian, giving up on lineage and remembering illicit brawls with Leo, kicked him hard on the ankle.
