Page 62 of The Duke's Carriage Window
A deep voice rose from behind Meredith. “The lady said to let her go.”
The two men glanced up. One paled slightly, the other one laughed in defiance.
“This has nothing to do with you, Lord Grey.”
“Is that so?”
Meredith could breathe again and recognized the voice now. Felix Hawkins, the Marquess of Grey. He would chase these horrid men away.
“She’s not claimed by any man,” the second gentleman said to Felix. “She’s open to spreading her favors and her legs. We have a right to her.”
At this, Felix laughed. “Oh, that’s rich. You have a right to her? No, you do not, and your insults will deal you only one favor … from me. But I’m feeling generous today, so I will thrash you here rather than kill you in a duel.”
“Hold on—” The first gentleman blustered as he backed away. “You wouldn’t hit a gentleman in Gunter’s.”
“No, I probably would not hit a gentleman. Fortunately for me…you aren’t one.” That was the only warning that Meredith had for what came next.
Felix swept her to the side with one arm while he swung a balled fist at the first man’s face with the other. The dull sound of flesh impacting against flesh made Meredith’s stomach turn. Several women screamed as the man Felix hit flew over the table behind him, sending it toppling to the ground with a crash of glass.
The second man spun to face Felix with a snarl and tried to land a blow. But Felix was ready. He ducked backward, light on his feet as he taunted the other man.
“Come on now, Lauder. Show me what all those expensive boxing lessons have done for you!”
Lauder raised his fists as the two began to circle one another. By now, most of the shop patrons had fled in terror. Meredith and Mrs. Petersham rushed to get out of the way of Felix and Lauder.
The waiter waved his arms frantically, as if somehow that would gain their attention. “Sirs! Please, I beg you, stop!” He tried to get between them, but in his haste he slipped upon a sponge cake that had fallen from a nearby table and landed on some broken glass. The waiter cried out in pain, and Meredith hastened to the poor man’s side with Mrs. Petersham to examine his injuries.
“Please, let me help you,” Meredith told the man. He nodded shakily as Meredith fetched some clean cloth from behind the pastry counter and cleaned the man’s wounds. She didn’t know too much about wounds, but she did know the basics of bandaging after one of Uncle Ben’s new grooms had been bitten by one of the horses. She tried to bandage his arm while staying out of the way of the fight.
The shop was all but empty of patrons now as Felix and Lauder continued to exchange punches. The man who had been knocked down earlier now got to his feet and prepared to lunge at Felix from behind.
Meredith screamed a warning, but was too late. Felix was hit in the back by the man, taking them both to the ground. They tumbled on the ground until the man was on top of Felix, hitting him twice and drawing blood.
Felix grinned through bloodied teeth and grabbed the man’s head, driving his own forehead into the man’s nose. It stunned the man, who rolled off Felix, clutching at his bleeding nose.
But the fight was far from over. Meredith and Mrs. Petersham helped the waiter to his feet to get him out of the way before the two men grabbed Felix and tossed him into the glass display cases of pastries nearby.
The waiter groaned in despair. “Not the pastries…”
“Look out!” Mrs. Petersham pulled the waiter and Meredith away just as Felix dove past them back into the fray. But no sooner had he done so than he took another blow to the stomach and doubled over.
“They’re going to kill him!” She had to stop the fight somehow. Meredith released her hold on the waiter so she could run to Felix’s aid, only to be stopped and hoisted off her feet by someone. She squealed as she was set gently down next to a tall man’s hard body.
“Stay here!” Darius shouted at her. He and Warren seemed to have materialized out of thin air, and now dove into the chaotic fight. They tackled the two other men, knocking everyone to the floor with another crush of bodies.
“Darius?” Meredith said and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh no…”
The day had gone from bad to worse … much worse.
Five minutes earlier, Darius’s coach had been passing by Berkley Square.
“Seems something strange is happening at Gunter’s,” said Warren, leaning closer to his window for a better look.
“They haven’t resorted to some silly form of human advertising, have they?” Darius asked. Ever since London started taxing advertising posters, businesses had been finding ways around it. Usually with a sign, but once he’d seen a man wearing a ridiculously oversized hat with the store’s services written on it.
“Not unless their intention is to scare off customers.”
“What?” Darius pushed the coach curtains back to get a look. Men and women were rushing out of the confectioner’s shop in an obvious panic. Just then, a crash loud enough to be heard on the street caused the young ladies to scream.
