Page 49 of Saving a Scoundrel
Ellie could see he was simply teasing her and relaxed her frown. She gave a small curtsy. “Good day, Lord Danvers.”
Susanna turned around. “Lord Danvers, if you have placed your bets on Regulus, I’m afraid you will be disappointed. Forester will certainly win.”
Lord Danvers’s eyes narrowed a bit, but his smile stayed in place. “Lady Ashby, I have no doubt I should have consulted you first before placing my wagers.”
“Damn straight,” Lord Dearborn boomed. “My girl knows more about what’s what with horses than any man I know. Come join us, Danvers, and we’ll see whose horse wins.”
“Thank you, sir.” Lord Danvers came to stand next to Ellie. He propped his elbows casually on the railing and leaned close. “Will you console me when my horse loses to Starlight?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. What a flirt. She was surprised that he wanted to speak with her at all after she had embarrassed herself so thoroughly by vomiting on his boat. But number nine on her list waslearn to flirt, and this was a perfect opportunity to practice being witty. She slid him a sideways glance and gave her parasol a small twirl. “I’ll do my best not to gloat. That’s all the promise I’ll make.”
*
Lucius grimaced asMacdougal delivered another jovial slap on his shoulder. Macdougal was in high spirits today as sales of his beer in the Macdougal tent had been brisk. He had invited Lucius to join his family in the garden enclosure. Lucius had never seen Macdougal dressed so fine in a gray morning suit and black top hat. But then he had never seen Mac outside of the brewery, where his uniform was brown wool pants with a matching vest, and a linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
Mrs. Macdougal sent her husband a frown. “Mac, you are pummeling that poor boy. He won’t be able to laugh at your jokes if you crack his ribs.” She straightened the brim of her hat and turned back to her conversation.
Katy Macdougal stared down at the list of horses on the race sheet she held. She had been unusually quiet today despite his best efforts to tease a smile from her. He hadn’t spent any time with her since leaving her on the boat last week, and it occurred to him now that perhaps he should have made an effort to apologize for abandoning her.
“Miss Macdougal, would you care to go for a stroll and see who’s who?” He held out his hand. “We can make fun of everyone’s hats.”
Katy finally smiled. “Yes, let’s.”
They exited the enclosure and wound their way slowly along around the outside of the track, crossing the grass and keeping well away from the rabid fans yelling and cheering as the first race started. Lucius could see the two grandstands on the opposite side of the field flanking the royal enclosure filled with members of the ton dressed in their finest. “Here, we’ll stroll over to the other side and find Hartwick. He will undoubtedly have champagne. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, indeed. Do you think any of the other guests from the sailing trip are here? I did so enjoy speaking with Lady Clarkson and her sister. Lord Haverty was quite entertaining as well.”
He shrugged. “Entirely possible. No one wants to miss opening day. And a chance to see the king and queen.”
“Oh, Queen Caroline looked beautiful! Did you see how enormous her hat was? It must have cost a small fortune. But, of course, she can have whatever she wants, being the queen and all.” Katy waxed on about Queen Caroline’s clothing for several more minutes.
The first race ended with a roar of hooves. And cheers and groans mixed in a loud cacophony of voices as people reacted to the race results. Lucius glanced up at the west grandstands, and just like at the Ponsonby ball, his gaze found Ellie. She wore pale purple today, and unlike the Ponsonby ball, she looked ecstatic. She bounced up and down on her toes and hugged the man standing next to her. Danvers.
What the hell was Danvers doing with her? Lucius lengthened his stride. That bastard had no business touching Ellie.
“Mr. Grisham, you are walking too fast,” Katy huffed.
He immediately slowed. What was he doing racing after Ellie? Danvers couldn’t ravish her right there in Lord Dearborn’s booth. He must get hold of himself and remember that Katy Macdougal was the lady he needed to focus on. She was his future. “I’m terribly sorry. I’m anxious to find out who won the race, that’s all.”
“Oh, did you wager on a horse?” she asked.
“Uh, no. I did have some friends wager on Regulus, though. In fact, I see Lord Danvers over there. Let’s go see if his pick won.”
As they walked around the backside of the stands Danvers was escorting Ellie across the lawn toward the carriages. “Ho! Danvers!” Lucius called out.
Danvers and Ellie both turned. Danvers frowned, but Ellie’s grin couldn’t be wider. It felt like a knife twisted in his belly that Danvers had put that smile there. Lucius pasted a smile on his face and waved.
“Mr. Grisham, my horse won! The horse I picked came ahead in the last seconds and won.” She clapped her hands together in glee.
“I thought you promised not to gloat,” Danvers said good-naturedly.
“Oh, I did say that, didn’t I? I can’t help it. I’m just so excited!”
“Congratulations, Miss Spencer,” Lucius said. “Where are you two headed?”
“Lord Danvers was going to show me his new carriage,” Ellie replied.
“Was he now?” Lucius narrowed his eyes. “We were just going to look for Hartwick and have a glass of champagne. You should join us to celebrate your win.”
