“No, no, he ain’t a leg! At least, I don’t know that he is. Shouldn’t think it’s as bad as that. Jack’s too downy to play cards with a leg. But he ain’t a flat either. Daresay you might not have noticed him, but he was at Meg’s party t’other evening.”
“Are you talking of a handsome young exquisite in a coat of pronounced cut, and an over-large tie-pin?”
“That’s the fellow,” said Freddy. “Good air, good address, talks of his uncle the Marquis. But they don’t seem to know him at the Embassy.”
“Disquieting,” agreed his lordship. “One must bear in mind, however, the late disturbed times in France. Possibly one of the new nobility?”
“That’s what Jasper says, but it don’t make it any better. Seems to me that fellow Bonaparte ennobled a lot of devilish queer fish. Thing is, this Camille of Kit’s looked to me as though he meant to dangle after her. Told him we was engaged. Told him the terms of this Will Uncle Matthew means to make. Then he stopped haunting the place. Dangling after the Yalding fright instead.”
“In fact, an adventurer! I imagine Annerwick will take good care that his daughter doesn’t marry to disoblige him. Isn’t there a sister living with Lady Maria, as dragon?”
“Yes, but she’s a poor dab of a female. The on-dit is that Lady Maria means to have the Chevalier. Wouldn’t surprise, me at all: handsome fellow, very popular with the ladies. No use saying it ain’t my affair. Seems to me it might be. What I mean is, if Annerwick took fright, very likely to set a lot of dashed awkward enquiries afoot. If the fellow’s an impostor, disagreeable situation for Kit. Besides, she don’t like not having relations. Told me so. Said it made her comfortable to have a respectable cousin. Ought to do something about it.”
Lord Legerwood, who had been listening to him with much more interest than he was wont to accord him, said: “I expect you ought, Freddy, but precisely what you should do I confess I don’t immediately perceive.”
Freddy looked surprised. “Don’t see any difficulty about that, sir. If he’s a loose-fish, nothing for it but to get rid of him.”
Lord Legerwood’s eyes widened a little. “I trust you are not proposing to fight a duel, Freddy?”