Percy released an outraged gasp as the first dog reached him. “Back! Back!” He swung his walking stick forward, narrowing missing the first dog’s front leg. He swung again, this time striking the thick muscle of the second dog’s hindquarters. The dog yelped, bounding a few paces away. His companion retreated as well, tail and ears dropping.
“Mr. Ellington!” Prudence nearly tripped on her skirts as she rushed toward the dogs. She gasped, stopping in front of the onePercy had struck. Her dark curls whipped across her forehead, her gaze hot with anger. “How dare you hurt this poor innocent creature? He meant no harm to you!”
“Of course he did.” Percy straightened his waistcoat, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He was clearly flustered. “What thedevilare they doing out of the stables? They should be restrained at all times with behavior so wild.”
“They were only greeting you!” Prudence’s face was flushed, her eyes gleaming with moisture.
Percy finally seemed to process her reaction, his features softening. “You’re right, Miss Prudence.” He set his walking stick down, raising both hands in front of him. “You are entirely right. I acted impulsively.”
She kept one hand on the dog’s head, her shoulders still tense.
Isaac walked forward, joining Prudence beside the startled dog. He crouched down, softly touching the place he had been struck. The dog flinched, one dark brown eye darting in Isaac’s direction.
“You hurt him.” Prudence scowled at Percy, her lower lip quivering. She looked equal parts betrayed and angry. A pang of guilt struck Isaac’s chest. He hadn’t expected Percy to react so aggressively.
But Percy didn’t seem to feel guilty at all. He sighed. “The creature will recover in no time at all. He looks like a resilient thing, does he not?”
Prudence was silent. She continued coaxing the dog back into good spirits, scratching behind its ears. Her forehead was still creased, and Isaac could feel the weight of her disappointment.
Percy sputtered out a laugh, drawing one step closer to Prudence and the dog. “You mustn’t be angry with me, Miss Prudence. Surely you understand that my actions were purely instinctual and not malicious.”
She glanced up, leveling him with her gaze. “I would have hoped your instincts would be kinder.”
Percy’s jaw tightened, and he approached the dog tentatively. As if to prove that he could be gentle with it, he reached out his hand. A deep, quiet growl came from the back of the dog’s throat.
Percy snapped his hand back with a grimace.
“Well, he certainly doesn’t have any reason to trust you now,” Prudence said in a sharp tone.
Percy drew a deep breath through his nose, turning his attention to Isaac. “Surely my cousin can attest that I am usually much more patient with animals. I am fond of all living creatures, in fact.”
Prudence stood up straight, opening her mouth before Isaac could reply. “No. Your cousin told us that youdespisedall animals. I didn’t believe him until now.”
Isaac froze. Percy’s gaze might as well have been an arrow for how swiftly it punctured him. Awkwardness thickened the air.
“I can’t imagine why my cousin would say such a thing.” Percy’s voice was cold, his eyes just as bitter as he stared at Isaac. “It is entirely untrue.”
Sophia and Lord Finchley came into view from the rose garden, seemingly unaware of all that had just occurred. Sophia held a red rose—an apparent gift from the earl. She laughed at something he said, but then her eyes took in the scene in front of them.
Isaac felt ill. Percy still glared at him, and Prudence was nearly in tears. Sophia seemed to sense the tension, letting go of Lord Finchley’s arm and rushing toward her sister. The earl jogged across the grass behind her. His curls should have moved with the motion, but they remained rigid on his head. “What has happened?”
Percy cleared his throat, lowering his head in a bow. “Please do excuse me, my lord. My deepest apologies, but I must take my leave at once.” He spun around, fetching his walking stick from the grass before departing through the back door of the house without another word.
Isaac had never seen him so uncollected.
He would have to find a way to explain—to apologize for not defending him. But all Isaac had done was tell the truth. Percy had condemnedhimselffor being cruel to the dog. Perhaps it had even been enough to help Prudence see sense.
Lord Finchley paced forward in confusion before turning back toward Sophia and her sister. “What on earth did I miss?”
Prudence wiped her nose, her face emerging from behind Mrs. Liddle’s shoulder. “Mr. Ellington does not like dogs.”
Isaac withdrew his handkerchief, extending it to Prudence. She was silent as she took it, smothering her face with the fabric.
Sophia met Isaac’s gaze. If her sister wasn’t so distraught, she would have been celebrating; he was sure of it. They had made a deep crack in Percy’s plan to secure Lanveneth House.
And he would not be pleased.
“Well, upon my word.” Lord Finchley sighed. “He certainly didn’t have to leave on account of my dogs. It is no great ordeal to send them back to the stables.” He squinted against the sun in Isaac’s direction. “Did they frighten him?”
