LITMIR.BIZ

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bird?’

      ‘Gwenevere. She sent me to fetch the cage!’ Jamie said frantically.

      ‘What the devil—who sent you to fetch a cage?’

      ‘Lady Nicola.’

      ‘Lady Nicola!’

      Nicola’s eyes focused on the door and her heart plummeted.

      The search was over. David had found her!

      ‘Aye, she escaped when I were trying to feed ’er, m’lord,’ Jamie said breathlessly, ‘and I followed ’er in ’ere. Then I sent word to ’er ladyship.’

      ‘And her ladyship came?’ David enquired in a tone of stunned disbelief.

      ‘Aye. I told Mr Trethewy to tell ’er what ’appened. And just now, she sent me to fetch the cage. But you daren’t go in, sir, or she’ll take fright fer sure! Gwenevere, that is.’

      ‘All right, lad, we won’t all go in,’ Lord Wyndham said brusquely.

      Nicola heard her father hushing the crowd and asking everyone to step back. Then, slowly, the door began to open. A hand holding aloft a candelabra appeared through the crack, and a voice called softly, ‘Nicola?’

      Nicola swallowed. ‘Yes, Papa?’

      ‘Is everything all right, my dear?’

      ‘Yes, Papa.’

      The door opened a little wider, and two men stepped forward. The light from the candles in their hands fell upon Nicola, silhouetting her against the window. Her back was turned towards them, her arm held slightly in towards her body, offering what protection she could to the frightened bird.

      ‘Nicola, are you all right?’ This time, it was David who spoke, though in a voice much sterner than her father’s had been.

      Nicola turned her head in his direction, and saw that the doorway was crowded with people all anxiously peering in. ‘Yes, my lord, I’m fine. But I am afraid Guinevere is a little the worse for wear. Jamie, are you there?’

      ‘Aye, m’lady,’ came a shaky voice from somewhere in the depths of the crowd.

      ‘Bring the cage in and set it on the table,’ Nicola advised. ‘Move slowly, now. We don’t want to frighten Guinevere any more than she already is.’

      The crowd reluctantly parted and Jamie’s anxious face appeared in the doorway. He started to move forward, encumbered by a large wooden cage that was fully half as big as he was, and awkwardly set it on the top of the billiards table. Only then did Nicola turn round, exposing, to the eyes of her guests, the sight of the majestic falcon sitting proudly on her arm.

      A gasp of astonishment rippled through the assembly.

      Nicola raised uncertain eyes to her fiancé’s face and saw the unmistakable look of shock and disbelief written all over it, and wondered how in the world she was going to explain this. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to worry about it now. She had to get the falcon back into the cage.

      And so, with what looked to be half the people at her betrothal ball in attendance, Nicola slowly began to walk towards the cage.

      ‘Nicola, your arm!’ David said abruptly.

      For the first time, Nicola glanced down at her arm, and inwardly caught her breath. It was not a pretty sight. Splotches of bright red stained the bandage in a number of places where the falcon’s talons had pierced through to her skin. All she could do was try to laugh it off as she reached the cage and carefully placed her arm through the opening. ‘’Tis nothing, I assure you. Guinevere just became a little excited when she heard the voices. There now, Guinevere, back you go.’

      Nicola tilted her arm and waited for the bird to move. It was only then she realized that one of the falcon’s claws had become hopelessly entangled in the loose threads.

      ‘Oh, bother! Jamie, will you help me with my other glove, please?’ Nicola said, extending her left arm. ‘Guinevere’s leg is caught.’

      But it was not Jamie who slowly stepped forward to remove the glove.

      ‘I’ll do that,’ David said curtly.

      Nicola held her breath as their eyes met and she held her arm out towards him. It was all she could do not to flinch as his fingers brushed the soft warm flesh above her elbow. She watched him roll down the glove and then slowly pull it free of her fingers, in a gesture that was so intimate, so…familiar that it brought the colour surging to her cheeks. She didn’t say a word, however, as she took a deep breath and slowly put her bare hand into the cage, carefully untangling the threads that held the falcon captive. If Guinevere snapped at her fingers now, the resulting injury would be far worse than anything her claws had inflicted thus far.

      Fortunately, whether from exhaustion or some sixth sense that Nicola was trying to help her, the falcon merely tipped her head and watched what was going on. Moments later, when both of her feet were free, she obligingly hopped forward onto the perch and allowed Nicola to remove her arm and close the door.

      Guinevere was safely home once more!

      ‘There we are, Jamie,’ Nicola said weakly. ‘Take her back down to the pen and feed her. And this time do not open the cage door for any reason.’

      ‘I don’t need no second warning about that, m’lady,’ the boy said jauntily, now that the crisis was over. ‘Come on, then, Gwenevere.’

      The crowd hastily stepped back as the boy carried the cage and its occupant out into the hallway and towards the closest door. When he had gone, all eyes turned back to Nicola, standing in the middle of the room, her one arm bare, the other covered in a blood-spattered bandage.

      The silence seemed to drag on for ever.

      ‘Well, I think that is quite enough excitement for one night,’ Lord Wyndham said brusquely. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, why don’t we all return to the ballroom?’

      ‘Yes, that would be a grand idea,’ Lady Dorchester added, promptly stepping forward to take charge. ‘Come along, everyone, back to the ballroom if you please. I shall see to Lady Nicola. You need not stay either, Lord Blackwood.’

      David stood by Nicola’s side, his eyes fixed on the length of linen now liberally spotted with blood, and marvelled at the spectacle he had just witnessed. Had he really seen his beautiful, genteel fiancée parade around the billiards room with a hunting falcon on her arm, and a stable boy for an accomplice?

      ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’

      ‘Perfectly, my lord,’ Nicola said, with as much calm as she could muster under the circumstances. ‘It looks much worse than it is.’

      ‘Nicola, I must insist—’

      ‘Blackwood, perhaps you’d care to have a drink with me before rejoining your guests,’ Lord Wyndham offered hastily, sensing that this was neither the time nor the place for the inevitable confrontation to take place. ‘Nicola will return to the ballroom, uh…directly.’

      David glanced from one to the other, and then nodded. ‘Very well. But I hope you will be good enough to give me an explanation for this at the earliest opportunity, Nicola.’

      Nicola sighed. He was furious and doing his level best not to show it. ‘I shall be happy to, my lord, but for now I would ask that you go back to the ballroom with the rest of our guests. I shall return shortly.’

      David sketched her a quick bow, disapproval evident in every line of his body. Without another word, he turned and left the room. Only after the door closed behind him did Lord Wyndham venture a faint chuckle. ‘I don’t think Blackwood was very pleased at the sight of you with that bird perched up there, Nicki. Put the wind up him, seeing your arm all bloodied like that.’

      Nicola began to unwind the blood-stained bandage from her arm, taking care not to get it anywhere near her gown. ‘There was absolutely no reason

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