Ring of Fire II(146)

"Perhaps he's a prince?"



"I hope not. Can't do much of a curtsey in tennis whites."



"He only has one servant. Maybe he's just a duke."



"With blond curls like those, even a mere earl would be acceptable."



"So, do we talk to him?"



Heather sighed. "No, he'd probably think we were forward."



"You could pretend to sprain your ankle."



"Real smart. Then I'd have to limp along the rest of the day, or he'd know I faked it. And why."



Millicent, waiting on the other side of the net, was dancing around, impatient. "Have you gotten tired of tennis?"



"Give us five minutes," Gabrielle shouted back. She turned back to Heather. "I suppose 'Hey! Don't I know you from somewhere?' would sound kinda lame."



"Ver-ree lame."



"Hey, I have the solution." Gabrielle turned and shouted, "John!" Gabrielle's brother John and Heather's older brother Derrick were nearby, playing one-on-one.



Heather was appalled. "But I don't want anyone to know."



"Everything's under control, Heather." Gabrielle raised her voice. "John, you moron, get your ass over here."



"Gabe, you made me miss the shot!"



"Big deal." She glared at him, arms akimbo.



"I'm coming. Jeesh." John walked over, while Derrick stayed behind, practicing layups.



"What's the problem, Gabe? Need a tennis lesson?"



"Stop dribbling the basketball with your head; it's affecting your brain. I need you to introduce yourself to that young man over there." She jerked her head, ever so slightly, in William's direction.



"Where is there?"



"I am not going to point, you idiot, I am trying to be subtle. S-U-uh-B-T-L-E. The one with the fancy doublet and the feathered cap. With the servant in black, behind him. Ask him if he is interested in sports, where he's from, how long he'll be in town, that kind of thing. Can you handle it?"



"Hey, you aren't interested in this guy, are you?"



"No, no, this is a public service announcement. Heather's making eyes at him. Or thinking about it."



"Heather?"



"Not a word to anyone about it, or I'll squash you like a bug."



"What about Kelsey? Or Derrick?"



"Definitely not Derrick."



Derrick had belatedly followed John. "What don't you want to tell me?"



The jig was up. "Keep your eyes where they are, but Heather's interested in that guy, the nobleman up on the road."



Derrick strained his peripheral vision. "Heather, you don't know anything about him. And you know what most of the down-timers think about girls."



"When I want you to protect me, I'll let you know. In the meantime, stay out of my life."



"But—"



"But would you like me to tell everyone about the swimming hole incident?"



Derrick blushed a deep red. "John, I'll wait for you at the basket." And off he ran.



"I hope you haven't done permanent damage to his psyche," John said. "Unless it will throw off his shooting."



"Well, what about the down-timer? We don't have all day."



"Get back to the game. I'll watch you play for a few minutes, then check him out. Is that S-U-B-T-L-E enough for you?"



Kelsey and Millicent were sitting on their side of the court, gabbing.



"What are you waiting for?" yelled Gabrielle. "Let's play!"



Heather tried two serves, both of which went into the net. It wasn't easy to keep her eyes on the ball and on the mysterious stranger at the same time.



After a few centuries had passed, John strolled over to William.



"New to Grantville?" They spoke for several minutes.



Heather was getting impatient. She waved Gabrielle over for further consultation. "I told him to introduce himself, not recite the Gettysburg Address."



"Just keep your mind on the game, okay? We're putting on a show for him, y'know."



At long last, John returned. "He's British, name's William Cavendish, he's the earl of Devonshire." Heather and Gabrielle laughed. "Have you girls gone nuts? What's so funny about Devonshire?" They laughed again.



"Anyway, he's done the grand tour through France and Italy and now he and his tutor are in beautiful downtown Grantville."



"Tell him that if he hasn't tired of Italian food, he can join us at the pizza parlor for lunch."

* * *



Hobbes had given Geoffrey clear instructions. "Remember, you are supposed to keep Lord Devonshire out of trouble. No buying of supposedly ancient artifacts. No attempted descents into volcanoes. And most importantly, no playing chess with courtesans." All references to William's past escapades.