“W-well, three.”
His lordship’s brows rose. “You begin to interest me rather profoundly, Horry. You were held up by three men—”
“Yes, and they were all m-masked.”
“I thought perhaps they might be,” said his lordship. “But do you tell me that the only thing you lost to these—er—desperadoes—was your purse?”
“Yes, but one of them t-tried to pull a ring off my finger, and I d-dare say they would have taken everything I had only that in the very n-nick of time I was rescued. W-was not that romantic, sir?”
“It was certainly fortunate,” said the Earl. “May I ask who they were who performed this gallant deed?”
“It was Lord L-Lethbridge!” replied Horatia, bringing out the name with a slightly defiant ring.
For a moment the Earl did not say anything at all. Then he reached out his hand for the decanter of claret, and refilled his glass. “I see,” he said. “So he too was in Knightsbridge? What a singular coincidence!”
“Yes, w-wasn’t it?” agreed Horatia, glad to find that her announcement had not provoked any signs of violent disapproval.
“Quite—er—providential,” said his lordship. “And did he put all these armed men to flight single-handed?”