Page 126 of Doxy for the Ton
“Oh, ma’am!” the footman said. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. Forgive me!”
“You did the right thing by telling me,” Mimi said. “But the duke…”
An image forced itself into her consciousness—Alexander standing before Mayhew, weapon in hand…a crack in the air and a puff of smoke…
…and Alexander’s broken body prone on the ground, his sapphire eyes wide and lifeless.
“Charles, fetch my cloak,” she said, leaping to her feet.
“You’re hurt, ma’am. The duke told me to ensure you stayed at home tonight.”
“Charles, please do as I ask.”
“But ma’am—”
“Charles!” she cried. “Damn you—just do as I say!”
The footman recoiled, then he mumbled his assent and retreated into the hallway. Mimi followed, and as she approached the main doors, he reappeared with her cloak.
“Let me come with you,” he said.
“No, Charles, I’ll not put you in danger.”
“What danger?”
“The duke has gone to fight a duel,” Mimi said.
And, if she couldn’t prevent it, Alexander might be killed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Arow oftrees towered over the path, their bare branches like thin, taloned fingers stretching upward to claw at the sky.
Alexander’s foot caught on a stone and he stumbled sideways, colliding into his companion and second.
“Shit.”
A flock of birds rose from a treetop, cawing angrily at each other while they circled the air, then settled once more into their roosts.
“Careful there, Sawbridge—you’ll not defeat your opponent if you’re too inebriated to shoot straight.”
“I may be a fool, Foxton…” Alexander began.
“Of that, at least, we’re in agreement.”
“…but I’m not so much of a simpleton as to lengthen my odds of success by getting foxed.”
Foxton let out a chuckle. “From what I hear, Mayhew’s hardly a crack shot. You’ll be the more experienced of the two.”
“I’ve not fought a duel before,” Alexander said.
“Really? Given the number of women you’ve compromised, I find that astonishing.”
“I’ve never been moved enough to want to kill a man for the sake of a woman.”
“Until today,” Foxton said. “You’ve fallen hard for our little widow, haven’t you? I should have realized it when I first saw you with her.”
“Then you can bask in the superiority of knowing that you were right,” Alexander retorted.
