imitate the earl’s stance, but changed his mind and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Finch being so much more refined a name than Vulture or Egret?” Belmont asked. When Mrs. Kendrick nodded he went on. “But what about Falcon or, perhaps, Robin?”
“Falcon is much too pretentious for such a small fellow and Robin better suited to a girl, I think.”
“I was able to puzzle out the trick,” the earl announced. “For we all know that it is quite impossible for a dog to know who has a habit of wearing a red scarf and which two are twins.”
When Mrs. Kendrick would have protested, the earl stayed her with a raised hand, with one finger almost, almost pressed to her lips.
“I will keep the secret, but it will cost you, Mrs. Kendrick.”
“Will it?” she asked with a smile, not so much flirtatious as amused. She finally had enough mercy to include the two onlookers. “Do you have any suggestions, Lord Jess, Miss Brent?”
“For what Belmont should charge,” Lord Jess asked, “or what the secret to Finch’s tricks is?”
Beatrice laughed. She could not help it. She spluttered an “I beg your pardon,” and pressed her lips together to silence her giggle.
“Please, do not,” Lord Jess urged. “I so enjoy an appreciative audience.”
“Nevertheless, my lord,” Mrs. Kendrick said, with laughter in her voice, too, “I think the earl and I can determine payment quite on our own.”
“Then we shall leave you to it.” Jess bowed and took Beatrice’s arm and there was an explosion of feeling that bolted to her belly and lower. He did not react at all. Did he not feel the same way?
Before they could walk away, Mrs. Kendrick stopped Lord Jess with a hand to his sleeve. “No, please stay.” She made no further explanation of her request.
Jess turned to Belmont. “We are staying.”
“I would just as soon have you leave but will bow to the lady’s sensibilities.”
Holding her arm still, Lord Jess said, “Miss Brent confided in me that she is desperate to know the explanation for Finch’s tricks.”
“I said no such thing,” Beatrice insisted, then decided to try her hand at the game of flirting. “But Lord Jess read my mind.” She lowered her eyes. “I am endlessly curious.” Rather pleased with her own attempt at a phrase with double meaning, she looked up at her small audience. “About almost everything.”
The earl laughed. Lord Jess dropped her arm to cover a convenient coughing spell and Mrs. Kendrick nodded at her with approval. “We have among us a fine student of the arts.” She did not specify exactly which arts she meant, and for some reason a bedroom popped into Beatrice’s mind.
“I will disclose the secret of Finch’s genius,” Lord Belmont said, “but only if you wish to have the illusion of the dog’s intelligence spoiled.”
When no one objected the Earl of Belmont went on. “The first person you asked Finch to identify was Lord Jess, who was standing at the end of the half circle of guests. The next was beside him and so on. You introduced enough distraction in between your commands that I am sure most did not notice the order was quite precise.”
“You are too clever, my lord.” Nora Kendrick hugged her dog close as if consoling him. “I thought I was quite circumspect.”
“That you are, my dear lady, but I am quite observant.”
At that moment Crenshaw and Miss Wilson approached them. As Beatrice had observed, whenever Lord Crenshaw approached a group Jess excused himself or left without a word.
After watching them carefully since their mutually curt greeting, Beatrice had decided that they were at odds over something. Perhaps a game that had gone wrong. Or a quarrel over a woman. Or even something as simple as a horse one had purchased even after the other had made his interest known.
She would dearly love to know the details.
AS HE STEPPED away, Jess heard Miss Wilson say, “How ever did you train your dog, Mrs. Kendrick? Our dogs can do no more than fetch sticks.”
He moved toward the window, withdrawing from the conversation. From his new vantage point Jess watched as Mrs. Kendrick allowed Belmont to take her dog and cuddle him in his arms. Now there was an interesting duo: a wealthy widow and an impoverished earl. An association that would be best served by marriage for the earl, and yet Mrs. Kendrick was decidedly independent. How entertaining. He wondered if Destry would care to wager on who would win.