Page 20 of The Dandy Lyon

An hour later, his nerves soothed somewhat by the excellent coffee, Marcus quit his chamber and wound his way down to the breakfast room. Not expecting a great many people this early, he was surprised to find Lord Braeton already seated, a newspaper in hand. “Good morning, my lord. You are an early riser today.”

“As are you, Mr. Dandridge.” The earl shot him a knowing look and Marcus took a seat in his accustomed spot, halfway down the table.

A footman presented himself directly.

“Coffee, please.” Marcus hoped the breakfast to follow would be mostly plain fare. He didn’t want the meal to sit heavily in his stomach this morning. The thought of spending so much time standing next to Lady Joanna both invigorated and terrified him. If he was going to charm the lady, today’s lesson might be the thing to do the trick. She seemed to love things out of the ordinary—like him—so hopefully, the lesson would further pique her interest in him.

“Don’t stand on ceremony at the breakfast table of all places, Dandridge.” Lord Braeton broke in on his thoughts, making him suddenly aware that his breakfast and coffee had arrived and he’d not noticed at all. “Come sit by me so we may discuss the upcoming shooting lesson. Lady Joanna is in alt, I assure you.”

Marcus moved down to the end of the table, leaving the footman to fetch his plate. “I am pleased to hear it, my lord. I believe the lady will enjoy the lesson. She seems to have a very inquisitive nature.”

“Huh. About everything save the procuring of a husband, it seemed to her brother.” The earl sipped his coffee, settling a long gaze on Marcus. “He did say she enjoyed her Season, although she had no particular affection for any of the gentlemen she met in London.”

“Perhaps the lady has a certain type of gentleman in mind, one she simply hasn’t found yet.” Marcus ventured that bland assurance, all the while wondering if the lady had actually discovered the gentleman, but was unable to confess her feelings to anyone. Of that, he lived in hope.

“Well, she’d best find him without delay, Dandridge.” Lord Braeton sipped his coffee then crashed the cup into the saucer. “Her brother has told me that he wants her settled by the end of the summer. Which means she would need to agree to wedding one of the gentlemen already here at the lodge, as she’s not to return to Middlesex until the beginning of September. Unfortunately, I cannot discover that she’s keen on any of the guests.” Lord Braeton sighed, then turned a gimlet gaze on Marcus. “Save you, Mr. Dandridge.”

Schooled by life to always be on his guard, Marcus had been more or less waiting for his lordship to suggest this. “I think she’s found a diversion in me, my lord. Nothing more. I am the newest and most unknown entity she’s ever met. Once my shine has begun to dull, she’ll find someone else to capture her attention.” Marcus prayed that was not true, but it made for a good defense. “You can scarcely blame her for being fascinated with my unusual upbringing.”

“Rather like a jackdaw with a new, shiny rock?” Lord Braeton seemed to weigh that.

“Yes, my lord. Exactly.”

“I suppose we will have to curb your ideas then, Dandridge.” Braeton laid the paper down. “The shooting lesson was, I grant you, a good and moreover practical scheme. After giving it more thought, I think it a skill that women could indeed find useful. One never knows when they might be put upon.”

“Does Lady Braeton know how to fire a weapon, my lord?” Marcus perked up.

“Sadly, no. She has never expressed an interest in learning such a thing, although I wish she would.” A shadow came over the earl’s face. “It would make me feel safer on the infrequent occasions when I am called from home.”

“Perhaps when she sees Lady Joanna’s progress today, she will think differently about the matter.” Such a change might go far to turn Lord Breaton into more of an ally. A flight of folly, of course, but one must pin one’s hope to something.

“Are you slugabeds still finishing your coffee?”

Marcus jerked his head toward the doorway so quickly, his head spun. Lady Joanna, attired in a gown of beige muslin, with accents of gold and orange at the neck and hem, smiled winningly at him, her faced filled with excitement. “Or are we ready to take the field, guns blazing?”

Within half an hour of Lady Joanna putting in her appearance, she, Marcus, and Lord and Lady Braeton were gathered on the back lawn, four chairs drawn up to a table that seemed to be ready to do double duty as both shooting stand and tea table. Lord Braeton had gathered every pistol on the estate, while Marcus carried only his personal flintlock, a man’s gun, but still small enough to be a respectable weapon for a woman. He intended for Lady Joanna to shoot his gun and his alone.

Lady Braeton had joined them as soon as they arrived at the area the earl had designated the place for the shooting lesson. The prospect faced the woodlands at the far back of the garden, a good choice should a shot go wide. Targets, drawn on planks of wood and painted to resemble a man’s face, were placed fifty paces from a line drawn on the grass with lime. Lady Joanna had walked the paces herself as soon as they arrived, the excitement on her face almost palpable. “How many shots will I fire, do you think?”

Marcus smiled at her enthusiasm, but to make her understand the import of the lesson, she would need a cool head and focus. “That depends on how quickly you learn how to load your pistol, my lady.”

“I will have to load my own pistol?” The idea seemed unheard of to her. “How extraordinary.”

“Everyone who shoots, if he’s worth his salt, knows how to load and clean their weapon. I will make certain you can do these things as well.” Marcus arranged the items he’d need to show her how to load the gun. “Let us begin by showing you the different parts of the gun.” He cocked an eye at her. “Unless you remember Mr. Newcastle’s detailed explanation of the pistol?”

Lady Joanna laughed and shook her head. “I fear I was not paying much attention to his explanation.” She caught Lord Braeton’s disapproving look and continued. “Not realizing I would have a need for such information. So please, Mr. Dandridge, refresh my memory about the parts of the flintlock.”

Grasping his pistol, Marcus showed her each part of the firearm, told her of its importance, and explained how the mechanism worked to fire the shot. To give the lady credit, she dropped all affectation and appeared to concentrate fiercely on the pistol and his instruction. “Now, can you explain each part back to me?”

A brilliant smile lit up her face and she swiftly identified each part of the weapon, giving the correct use as if she’d studied from a book. “Is that right, Mr. Dandridge?”

“Exactly, my lady.”

She sent a triumphant look to Lord Braeton, then turned back to him. “Are we ready to proceed, then?”

“We are.” He handed the pistol to her, carefully watching for her reaction.

Taking the flintlock in her hand, she immediately hefted it, trying the weight. “It’s not as heavy as I expected.” She lifted the pistol, sighting down the barrel toward the square wooden target, her finger going naturally to the trigger. “Is this how you aim?”