The Rebel Bride by Catherine Coulter

“No,” was his clipped response. He click-clicked his horse into a canter, and Kate was obliged to do the same. After some moments, she drew up beside him and tugged on his sleeve.

“Percy, for heaven’s sake, who was that lady?”

Percy stared doggedly between his horse’s ears.

“Now, you’re being quite cowhanded, Percy, you’re jobbing your poor horse’s mouth.”

“Cowhanded?” Percy screwed his head around, incensed at the attack on his equestrian skill.

Kate chuckled. “Forgive me, my friend, but I had to get your attention. You’re behaving quite foolishly, you know. There’s no reason for you to be so very protective of me. It was Lady Sarah Ponsonby, wasn’t it?”

As Percy regarded her in silence, she added in a flat voice, “She’s quite lovely, is she not?”

“I suppose so, if one happens to like the china-doll variety.”

“Don’t try to cozen me, Percy. We both know that the china-doll variety is quite to Julien’s taste. Oh, don’t look at me so strangely and don’t try to deny the truth. Perhaps I shouldn’t know about her liaison with Julien, but I do, and there’s an end to it.”

“Exactly. It’s ended. Julien dismissed her the moment he returned to London before your marriage.”

“It appears the lady perhaps disagrees with you, Percy.”

Though Kate quickly changed the topic and chattered with seeming unconcern for the remainder of their ride, Percy wasn’t fooled.

After depositing Kate in Grosvenor Square, Percy repaired to White’s, as was his habit. Although not one to let other people’s concerns trouble him overlong, Percy found, quite to his surprise, that he felt it his duty to seek out Julien and inform him of what had occurred. He ran him to ground in the reading room, conversing with the portly, somewhat vacuous marquis of Halport. It was a good five minutes before Percy was able to detach Julien from the garrulous marquis. “Don’t mean to be disagreeable, Halport,” Percy managed to insert during a brief pause, “but I must remove March here. Need his advice on this nag up for sale at Tattersall’s.”

“Good Lord, not Otherton’s slope-shouldered bay, I trust, Percy. He’s a showy creature.”

“Now, see here, March—”

“Devilish fine horse, if you ask me,” Lord Halport said. Lord Halport turned to Percy and asked politely, “If you wouldn’t mind, Blairstock, think I’ll take a look at Otherton’s bay. As March says, he’s a showy creature. I always like to maintain a full stable, you know.”

“Not at all, dear sir. Don’t mind a bit.”

“Servant, Blairstock. My regards to your lovely countess, my lord March.” Julien and Percy returned Lord Halport’s creaky bow, and when the marquis was out of earshot, Percy said indignantly to Julien, “You, Julien, of all people, know that I would never consider that broken-down bay of Otherton’s. Just couldn’t think of another excuse to get rid of the fellow.”

Julien grinned broadly. “Well, now that we’ve as good as sold Otherton’s bay for him, why don’t you join me in a glass of sherry?” Julien waved his hand to a somberly clad footman.

“Now, Percy, whatever is the matter? You’re looking positively blue around your collar.”

Percy rearranged his elegantly clad bulk into a more comfortable position and eyed Julien in profound silence. Seeing his friend so very calm and composed, he began to doubt the wisdom of poking his nose into the earl’s affairs.

“Good God, Percy, it cannot be so bad as all that. Your tailor been dunning you?”

“Dash it, March, Kate has seen Sarah.”

“She was bound to, sooner or later,” the earl said mildly. “I see no cause for alarm. Don’t excite yourself. It raises your color alarmingly.”

“Easy for you to say, Julien, but you didn’t see the look on Sarah’s face or the way she waved to Kate. Like a cat with her claws curled. I swear she’s up to mischief. You know as well as I do that she grows quite bored with Sir Edward. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if she decided she wanted you in her bed again.”

“You forget, Percy, that I spoke to her before Kate came to London. Just a woman’s jealousy, no more.”