Gideon spoke. “But not, sir, without Nettlebed, Chigwell, Borrowdale, Turvey, and the rest of his retinue.”
“You,” said Lord Lionel crushingly, “have behaved throughout in an insolent, heedless, and callous fashion, and may now have the grace to remain silent!”
“There is much in what you say, sir,” admitted Gideon, with a wry twist to his mouth.
“Well, well, that will do!” said his lordship, mollified. “There is no harm done, after all, and I shall not enquire too particularly into what Gilly has been doing. I am not one of those who expect a young man to lead the life of a saint! You are looking very well, Gilly, very well indeed, and that, I must own, makes up for everything!”
The Duke’s hand turned under his, and clasped it. “You are very much too good to me, sir, and I don’t know what I deserve for causing you so much anxiety.”
“Pooh! nonsense!” said his lordship testily. “I know your coaxing ways, boy! Don’t think to cozen me with them! But it is the outside of enough, when you give every idle gossiper in town cause to say that Gideon has murdered you! Not but what it was quite his own fault, and I have no sympathy to waste on him, none at all!”
“But I cannot have you so cross with Gideon,” said the Duke gently. “He is quite my best friend, you know, and, besides, what could he do when I had sworn him to secrecy? And when he heard that I was in a scrape he came to rescue me from it, so it is very hard that he should be scolded now!”
“What scrape have you been in?” demanded Lord Lionel.
“Well, I didn’t mean to tell you, sir, but I think you are bound to hear of it, for rather too many people know it. I was so foolish as to allow myself to be kidnapped, by some rascals who thought to hold me to ransom.”
“That is just what I had feared might happen!” Lord Lionel exclaimed. “All this rubbishing talk of finding out whether you are a man or only a duke, and you are no more fit to fend for yourself than a child in short coats! Well, I hope it may be a lesson to you!”