that bothers me. I know you were able to make her forget what happened last night, but now that she’s seen the statue, what will happen when she comes face-to-face with me in the flesh? You saw how closely she examined me! Surely she’s bound to realize the statue and the man are one and the same?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t your face she was interested in,” the faun replied slyly.
“Very amusing, but you know what I mean.”
Sylvanus rubbed one of his horns thoughtfully, but then shook his head. “No, she won’t recognize you. When you’re a statue, your hair clings around your forehead, but when you’re as you are now, the first thing you do is push your hair back. You look quite different.”
“Different enough?”
“Yes. Anyway, the worst she will think is that you resemble the statue. Let’s face it, she’s hardly likely to leap to the conclusion that you and the statue are one and the same!”
“Unless she comes here at night again, and there’s no statue because I’m elsewhere,” Gervase pointed out, looking at the deserted plinth.
The faun had no answer for that. “Well, we’ll just have to hope she stays inside,” he said dismissively. “Look, what’s the point of picking over what might happen? We’ve got to concern ourselves with what is going to happen, and by that I mean your campaign of seduction. How are you going to go about it?”
“I still haven’t really thought.” Under normal circumstances Gervase wouldn’t have been too concerned about having only a few days in which to accomplish a seduction, but these were not normal circumstances, and he’d never before had to succeed with a woman because failure would mean an eternity of marble!
“You’d better decide quickly, because it will be much more difficult when your cousin arrives.” Sylvanus dropped the remains of the chicken behind the bench, and then drew a long breath. “If the lady were a nymph, I would simply chase and ravish her, but that’s what fauns are supposed to do, and anyway it’s what nymphs expect of us. They’re quite insulted if we don’t.”
“Most illuminating, but it doesn’t solve my problem. I can’t simply throw myself on Anne Willowby and expect all to be well. Damn it, I can’t even think how to approach her in the first place. Have you any ideas about what story I can concoct? My mind’s still a complete blank.”
The faun swung his hooves to and fro thoughtfully, and then wiped his hands on the front of the coat. “Well, I suppose you could pretend to be an agent from your father’s lawyers. I mean, she knows the deeds will have to be transferred if the marriage takes place, and so may not see anything amiss in such a story.”
Gervase stared at him. “That’s inspirational!” he declared.
“I do have some good ideas, you know!” Sylvanus replied crossly, but then shivered as a stronger gust of wind brought a scattering of rain right up to the bench. “Oh, this damp cold is torture! I can’t possibly stay outside another night. I’ll have to find that temple. I’m almost certain it’s somewhere below the castle itself. Are you coming to help me look? As we go along we’ll probably think more about what pretext you can use.” He got up to trot to the edge of the rotunda.
“I suppose so,” Gervase replied resignedly, and got up as well.
“Just watch out for that stupid dog,” Sylvanus warned, leading the way out of the maze.
Chapter Ten
Gervase and Sylvanus left the shelter of the maze and crossed to the gatehouse, where the noise of the stormy night was increased between the crowding walls of the castle. Water gurgled along gutters and down drainpipes, and ivy leaves shone in the swaying light of the lantern, which Anne had replaced on its hook. Everything seemed to be deserted, and there was no sign at all of Joseph’s lurcher.
Sylvanus sniffed the air again, and then followed his nose across the courtyard to the double trapdoors. Lifting
“Yes, but it wasn’t your face she was interested in,” the faun replied slyly.
“Very amusing, but you know what I mean.”
Sylvanus rubbed one of his horns thoughtfully, but then shook his head. “No, she won’t recognize you. When you’re a statue, your hair clings around your forehead, but when you’re as you are now, the first thing you do is push your hair back. You look quite different.”
“Different enough?”
“Yes. Anyway, the worst she will think is that you resemble the statue. Let’s face it, she’s hardly likely to leap to the conclusion that you and the statue are one and the same!”
“Unless she comes here at night again, and there’s no statue because I’m elsewhere,” Gervase pointed out, looking at the deserted plinth.
The faun had no answer for that. “Well, we’ll just have to hope she stays inside,” he said dismissively. “Look, what’s the point of picking over what might happen? We’ve got to concern ourselves with what is going to happen, and by that I mean your campaign of seduction. How are you going to go about it?”
“I still haven’t really thought.” Under normal circumstances Gervase wouldn’t have been too concerned about having only a few days in which to accomplish a seduction, but these were not normal circumstances, and he’d never before had to succeed with a woman because failure would mean an eternity of marble!
“You’d better decide quickly, because it will be much more difficult when your cousin arrives.” Sylvanus dropped the remains of the chicken behind the bench, and then drew a long breath. “If the lady were a nymph, I would simply chase and ravish her, but that’s what fauns are supposed to do, and anyway it’s what nymphs expect of us. They’re quite insulted if we don’t.”
“Most illuminating, but it doesn’t solve my problem. I can’t simply throw myself on Anne Willowby and expect all to be well. Damn it, I can’t even think how to approach her in the first place. Have you any ideas about what story I can concoct? My mind’s still a complete blank.”
The faun swung his hooves to and fro thoughtfully, and then wiped his hands on the front of the coat. “Well, I suppose you could pretend to be an agent from your father’s lawyers. I mean, she knows the deeds will have to be transferred if the marriage takes place, and so may not see anything amiss in such a story.”
Gervase stared at him. “That’s inspirational!” he declared.
“I do have some good ideas, you know!” Sylvanus replied crossly, but then shivered as a stronger gust of wind brought a scattering of rain right up to the bench. “Oh, this damp cold is torture! I can’t possibly stay outside another night. I’ll have to find that temple. I’m almost certain it’s somewhere below the castle itself. Are you coming to help me look? As we go along we’ll probably think more about what pretext you can use.” He got up to trot to the edge of the rotunda.
“I suppose so,” Gervase replied resignedly, and got up as well.
“Just watch out for that stupid dog,” Sylvanus warned, leading the way out of the maze.
Chapter Ten
Gervase and Sylvanus left the shelter of the maze and crossed to the gatehouse, where the noise of the stormy night was increased between the crowding walls of the castle. Water gurgled along gutters and down drainpipes, and ivy leaves shone in the swaying light of the lantern, which Anne had replaced on its hook. Everything seemed to be deserted, and there was no sign at all of Joseph’s lurcher.
Sylvanus sniffed the air again, and then followed his nose across the courtyard to the double trapdoors. Lifting
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