Chapter 29
Previously: The Rose of Whitby – Chapter 28
Knowing nobody is useful all of a sudden, it gives Darcy the perfect excuse not to approach anybody and merely stay on the sidelines. That tactic fails spectacularly when the baron appears to make a beeline for them right when they are the furthest away from any other people.
Darcy can’t hide them by talking with somebody else like this, so instead she asks her knight to bring her something from the buffet and take his time to pick it out. She could feel him tense on her arm with every step the baron takes towards them. Now he’s giving her an insecure look but he doesn’t protest, but also doesn’t quite manage to look composed when he leaves only moments before the baron smiles at her and introduces himself less formally than the official announcement earlier.
Lack of formality appears to be his flair generally as he half turns to look after Gregory, and Darcy is trying to suppress a blush because she’s fairly sure that is a lewd look. It gets worse, he turns back to her, with a sociable smile as if he knows her, and winks. “A common ride has it’s advantages at times, doesn’t it?”
The blush breaks through, at least, luckily for her it does look like a blush, not the deep scarlet of fury she’s feeling. He dares to admit to it? Wait. He shouldn’t, right? For a second she looks at Arthur, does she remember the etiquette correctly? No help, she can’t ask and she could swear there is something about him that makes her… it’s not really infuriated she realises. No, she just has to defend Gregory, with all she got, even if she might misstep with the etiquette. She can do this, she can be brave for him, even if there are people around.
So she makes sure to audibly gasp and reprimand him for such an accusation. She had hoped that would make him back off, maybe get some unwanted attention on him. Instead, he seems to enjoy this, doesn’t flinch as some of the people standing closer turn their attention on them and nigh conversationally responds. “The truth doesn’t need an apology. It has come to my attention that even here the little knightling likes to visit his lady’s rooms.”
This time the gasp is real. Because no, Darcy cannot refute that one, but she must! Alright, she knows what to do, it’s how it goes in all the books. Her honour is insulted, she has only one way to cleanse it. “Slander! I demand a duel! I will not have my honour tarnished like that!”
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Arthur feels his heart beat so fast he feels light-headed, and hopes he doesn’t look as pale and wide-eyed as it feels he does- this is really bad! A duel?!
Murmurs are spreading through the on-lookers, and then the duchess arrives and demands to know what’s this about a duel, and Arthur can see Darcy stand up straighter and tell her that the baron insulted her honour, and Arthur nods in agreement when the duchess’ gaze falls on him.
The baron… looks pleased? There’s something about him that makes Arthur’s skin crawl. Something about his smile that looks pleasant, but there’s something mocking lurking under it, something… greedy? Maybe Arthur’s imagining that, but… but he’s rarely been this scared of someone.
Anyway, the baron tells the duchess he has nothing to apologize for, and he will gladly duel the young lady if she so wishes- and he manages to make ‘lady’ sound like an insult, like he doesn’t think Darcy is one. But he does leave, with a… a conspiratorial nod at them, and that smile still on his face, when the duchess kind of tells him to with a look.
As he gets farther away, Arthur feels like he can breathe again.
Darcy apologizes for the commotion, and the duchess waves her off, frowns after the baron- Arthur kind of thinks maybe she doesn’t like him much.
Then she turns back to them and asks them to walk with her- which, yes, that’s a good way to get away from all the people watching them and murmuring curiously to each other. As they walk, the duchess explains that Darcy doesn’t need to duel. As a woman, no one’s going to think less of her if she takes things to court instead. Or she could announce that the baron insulted her in the paper, though apparently, then the baron might be able to sue her for slander. So she really recommends that Darcy hand the matter to her solicitor and seek redress through the legal system.
But Darcy shakes her head- and while Arthur really doesn’t like the idea of a duel, he likes the idea of a court case just as little. It’s not an option, they can’t afford an investigation into their household. And Gregory did sneak over to Darcy’s room, surely an investigation would turn up the servant he asked. Arthur wishes he’d stopped Gregory somehow from doing that. Though they still couldn’t afford that investigation. They might find out who Arthur really is, and that Gregory’s powers are demon-based, and see how dubious Darcy’s claims to her title are- after all, yes, she is the heir, but her mother was kind of officially dead when she was born…
When she sees that she can’t convince Darcy to change her mind on the duel, the duchess sighs and offers them that they can have it on her grounds, and she’ll supervise, so at least nobody can make trouble about the duel itself. Since those are kind of more and more frowned upon, though not quite outlawed for the nobility yet…
The duchess says they should do it the next day, after most of the guests have left. Darcy will have to designate a second, and so will the baron, and the seconds will have to officially work out the details- and the weapons, whether it’s going to be pistols or swords. She can provide those, too, to make sure there’s no tampering. She tells Darcy that since she holds her title in her own right, and she was the one to challenge the baron, she’ll have to do her own fighting. Her knight can’t do it for her, and even if he could, he couldn’t use his aberration.
Darcy immediately straightens up and declares that she wasn’t going to, she can fight her own battles! Then she blushes and apologizes for her lack of decorum, but the duchess smiles and says that that’s not necessary- she appreciates that, also that Darcy handles her own affairs in her holdings and doesn’t always send for help from the order.
There’s a bit more polite talk, and then the duchess takes her leave, and Arthur steps closer to ask Darcy whether she knows how to use a sword or a pistol.
She doesn’t, but then Gregory is there, still pale, his eyes huge and miserable, and he apologizes for his past getting them into trouble, it’s all his fault!
And, well… the sneaking-to-Darcy’s-room is. And maybe the not-telling-them, or at least not telling Arthur, so he didn’t know to be on the lookout for any trouble of this kind on the guest list… But saying that would make Arthur feel like an awful friend, and anyway, Darcy is already reassuring Gregory that he doesn’t have to worry, she’ll take care of it, she’ll protect him!
That makes Gregory protest that he should be the one fighting, he’ll do it, it’s his job to protect her, and it takes a bit to explain to him that he can’t, that’s not how the rules work.
And, no, they can’t just disregard the rules, no matter how stupid he thinks they are, or how much a knight is supposed to duel for the honour of his lady.
Darcy insists that she’ll do it, it’s her duty as the baroness. Arthur finds that a bit admirable- in her place, he’d be terribly scared. He is terribly scared. Darcy, though, seems to be a lot less scared of this duel than she was of going to the ball in the first place.
Still, Arthur finds himself pointing out- how are they going to do this? She can’t use her powers and she said she didn’t know how to use swords or pistols. What if she gets shot? Maybe… maybe that wouldn’t kill her (his voice squeaks at the idea), but then she’d heal and how would they explain that? And also, if she loses, what would that mean for her reputation?
But he doesn’t see a way out of this duel, unless… He tilts his head as a thought comes to him. It’s not like the baron has a very high horse to sit on, reputation-wise, given what they know of him? But if they expose him, they’d risk exposing themselves…
Darcy gives him a surprised look- how does he mean?
Of course, Arthur blushes, darts a look at Gregory, says, that, well… with how Gregory knows the baron… And he really doesn’t want to get into any more detail than that, doesn’t even want to think about any more detail than that, feels the cold, sick squirm in his stomach.
But Darcy looks still confused and says she still doesn’t fully get this prostitution thing, but it’s men, there can’t be anything illegal, right? The books only ever talk about women fallen on ill luck.
Arthur’s face only turns more red and he darts another glance at Gregory- but Gregory is busy ducking his own head and studying his boots and hunching his shoulders, so… so despite how uncomfortable it makes him, Arthur takes a deep breath and shakes his head, tells her that no, it’s illegal, it’s very illegal. So if it comes out, Gregory would be in trouble, too.
That makes Darcy look at Gregory, asks him that if it’s illegal, does that mean that he did something bad? Or is it the baron who did something bad?
Gregory winces at her first question, but then lifts his head, tells them the baron is bad, that he’s violent and hurts people and sometimes the ones that go with him don’t come back, aren’t seen anymore.
Arthur shivers at that- a nobleman like that, yeah, he could do pretty much what he wanted with street whores, he thinks but doesn’t say.
Darcy, meanwhile, straightens up again, declares again that then she’ll protect Gregory, and he won’t have to be scared of the baron anymore!
Gregory mumbles something, like he wants to deny that he’s scared even though it’s blatantly obvious that he is, but Arthur’s busy wondering whether they might be able to do something on the legal front after all, if the baron is that bad. But they’d need a lot of evidence, or a witness of equal rank or something, nothing that they could get before the next morning, in any case. So they’ll have to go ahead with the duel, which still leaves the question: how? And someone’ll have to be the second…
Gregory straightens up at that, says that he’ll do it! If he can’t be the one to do the duel, at least he’ll be the second!
But Darcy is shaking her head- no, this is about him, about protecting him. She looks at Arthur, and what’s he supposed to say when she says that she trusts he can do it? Of course he can’t say no then- and scared as he is, and unsure of the etiquette and everything… he wants to protect Gregory, too!
Gregory tries to argue again, but Darcy only shakes her head and looks resolved, and so he subsides.
Of course, that still leaves the question: swords or pistols? And with either- how can they possibly win this duel?
Pistols, Darcy decides- at least with those, all she has to do is point and pull the trigger, she thinks sword-fighting is probably more difficult. On consideration, Arthur agrees- also, it’d be easier for her to give herself and her powers away with swords, he thinks. But while pointing and shooting ought to be pretty easy, that doesn’t mean hitting the baron will be- or not getting hit herself.
What if she wears black? Darcy asks. Then maybe no one can tell if she’s hit, and she’ll just go again.
Arthur’s pretty sure that you can still tell if someone’s been hit by a bullet, even if they wear black, and… you can go again?
Darcy confirms that yes, you can ask to re-duel if both parties miss. And, no, she’s not going to leave it at a draw- she wants to make sure that baron leaves Gregory alone!
Preferably by killing him, Arthur understands, and for once… doesn’t argue. It’ll be chancy enough to win this to be particular about how they do it. And… and the baron creeps him out and he wants him to go away, too.
So they’ll have to make it look like he misses his shots, too- what about his illusion magic? Darcy asks Arthur, making him blink and consider.
It isn’t very strong… he couldn’t make a whole illusion of Darcy… but if all he has to do is hide some blood and torn fabric and a bullet hole… Maybe he can do that? Just… just, what if it isn’t her body where she’s hit? What if she gets shot… in the head? …That would probably kill her?
Arthur feels worry and fear gnaw at him as he considers all the many, many ways this could go terribly wrong. And Gregory is equally upset at the thought, tells Darcy he loves her, he can’t lose her!
Arthur feels a bit uncomfortable with that passionate declaration in front of him- that should be something private, shouldn’t it?
But Darcy stomps her foot and says she just won’t get shot in the head, and that’s that!
Arthur doesn’t see how, but since Gregory isn’t getting anywhere with once more arguing that he should be the one taking the risk, she shouldn’t have to do this for him, Arthur has to concede that he can’t come up with a better idea than hers, and there isn’t really a way out of this duel.