The fourth round started, and it seemed as if Gibby and Prattle were evenly matched in the amount of punches thrown by each of them. Prattle had an eye that was almost swollen shut, and Gibby had blood at the side of his mouth. All of a sudden, Prattle connected with a strong, fast right to Gibby’s stomach, and he doubled over, clearly in pain. Race watched as if in slow motion as Prattle moved in close with his right arm cocked, ready to wallop Gibby and finish him off.
Race, Susannah, and the rest of the entourage sprang to their feet and yelled, “Gibby!”
Sir Randolph Gibson must have heard them, because he straightened and as he came up he landed a stunning right uppercut to Prattle’s double chin.
Spittle flew from his mouth, sweat flung from his body as Prattle’s head snapped back. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he landed on the grassy mound with a heavy thud.
Gibby froze.
The crowd fell silent.
The referee bent over Prattle and tried to rouse him.
Race’s heart hammered like a stick on a drum. He looked at the man sprawled motionless on the ground. Was Prattle faking the knockout? If so, he was doing a damned good job of it. Race had seen enough fights to know that it looked as if Gibby had somehow literally knocked the man cold.
The official rose and yelled, “He’s out!”
The crowd went wild with loud cheers and thunderous clapping.
Gibby held both fists into the air and gave a victory shout as the two men who stood with him wrapped his jacket around his shoulders.
Race felt limp with relief. He didn’t know why he had ever worried about Gibby. The man lived a charmed life and was obviously more than able to take care of himself.
Not caring at the moment who in the crowd might see or what they might say, Race reached down and hugged Susannah to him briefly. She would be his wife soon enough. Somehow, he was going to make sure of that.
Twenty
My Dearest Grandson Alexander,
More proof of why I have always been a great admirer of Lord Chesterfield and his wise words: “To women, you should always address yourself with great outward respect and attention, whatever you feel inwardly; their sex is by long prescription entitled to it.”
Your loving Grandmother,
Lady Elder
The large doors of the Great Hall were open wide so the evening’s cooling breeze could flow through the stuffy ballroom. Music, laughter, and chatter hummed excitedly throughout the room. Hundreds of candles glittered and sparkled off the walls, making the hall bright and cheerful as Susannah danced across the floor with the handsome Lord Westford, who was doing his best to impress her with his charming smile.
Facing Lord Westford in the quadrille, Susannah twirled under his arm, sidestepped, and clapped her hands. She curtsied and smiled at him in all the right places, but her mind wasn’t on the earl. She had thoughts for no one but Lord Raceworth. Her gaze kept straying to the entrance of the ballroom as she waited for him to appear.
Lord Westford seemed very fit and quite intelligent. He would be a suitable catch for any lady, but Susannah felt no spark of romantic interest when she looked at him. Race had already captured her heart. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told him so these past few days. Perhaps she was just waiting for him to recognize, himself, that he had her heart safely in his care.
Immediately after Sir Randolph’s victory, Susannah had insisted Race go with his cousins to follow Sir Randolph to his house. Even though Race was elated the dashing fellow had won, she could see concern for him in Race’s eyes. She knew he wanted to make sure his friend of long standing was going to be all right and have no lasting ill effects from the hard blows he took from Mr. Prattle.
Susannah and Race had quickly agreed to attend the party at the Great Hall before he left with Blake and Morgan.
Finally, the dance ended, and Lord Westford politely escorted her back to where Mrs. Princeton sat chatting with some aging dowagers, but before Susannah could catch her breath Captain Spyglass walked up to her and bowed.
“Good evening, Duchess. Might I say that you are a vision of beauty tonight?”
Susannah smiled cautiously and said, “Thank you, Captain Spyglass. And how are you on this fine evening?”
Susannah still considered him the primary suspect for stealing the Talbot pearls. Once again, he was wearing more pearls than she had ever seen any woman wear. Tonight, he wore only one earring that consisted of three rather small pearls that fell from a gold stud. Clusters of pearls took the place of buttons on his waistcoat.
“I’m very well, Duchess, but busy. I wanted to make sure I spoke to you this evening, for this may be the last party I’m able to attend. I’ll be leaving London soon.”
Susannah’s heart started pounding. Trying to sound normal, she said, “But the Season is not over. Why would you leave before the last party?”
“I never stay too long in one place. My heart is full of wandering. I have made many friends here and will not hesitate to return to London one day, but for now, I’m ready to set sail for warmer climates. I’ve decided England is too wet for springtime.”
