Free Lady Flora's Fantasy by Shirley Kennedy

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    In his London lodgings, Sidney yanked off his Hessian boots and dropped them with resounding thuds upon his plush Axminster carpet. His valet had built a fire before Sidney sent him to bed. Now he stretched his long legs before it and remarked to his guest, "Well, Richard, it appears you were the darling of the ladies tonight, yet again."
    Richard, equally at ease in front of the fire, smugly replied, "I was, wasn't I?" Looking exceedingly pleased with himself, he took a leisurely sip from his brandy glass before remarking, "Did you see me with Lady Flora?"
    "I did indeed." All of a sudden, Sidney realized he had gripped the stem of his glass so tightly it might break. He forced himself to loosen his grip. "So how is your campaign to marry the beautiful Lady Flora proceeding? Do you still plan to capture the lady's heart?"
    "My campaign is coming along quite well, thank you." Richard's smile of satisfaction set Sidney's teeth on edge.
    Richard set his glass on the giltwood side table and clasped his hands dramatically to his heart. "Ah, my dearest Aphrodite," he mockingly recited, "ah, my powerful enchantress ."
    "Don't tell me she believed such garbage."
    "She's ready to fall at my feet, dear boy. I even quoted Euripides—that always impresses them." He waved his hand theatrically through the air. "'May you never launch at me, Lady of Cyprus, your passion-poisoned arrows, which no man can avoid.' A nice touch, don't you agree?"
    "If she believes your drivel, she's not as smart as I thought she was. You're an ass, Richard."
    Richard gave an elaborate shrug. "Am I really so terrible? After all, I plan to marry the chit, unless something better comes along. Not likely, though. Rumor has it her dowry is more than plentiful." He leveled a keenly curious gaze at his host. "You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"
    Inordinately annoyed, Sidney snapped, "I have no idea what Lady Flora's dowry is worth."
    Richard looked genuinely puzzled. "See here, Sidney...you don't have feelings for the young lady yourself, do you? Because if you do—"
    "Nonsense." Again, Sidney got a grip on his emotions. "Are you sure you know what you want, Richard?" Tonight I saw you dancing with the Countess de Clairmont, enjoying yourself immensely, if I'm any judge."
    "Ah, the countess." Richard broke into a delighted smile. "What a woman. That dress!" He kissed his fingers and flung the imaginary kiss into the air.
    "Isn't she more your style?"
    "Of course she is. I find her beautiful, delightful enticing—all that, but, alas, the lady is penniless. Therefore, voilá ! Lady Flora is more my style, that is–" he leveled a quizzical gaze at his friend "—are you sure you don't want her, Sidney?"
    Sidney sighed wearily. "She's all yours, if you can catch her. I could not care less." He was speaking the truth, he assured himself. He had already recovered from the sharp disappointment he'd felt tonight when Lady Flora waltzed blithely away with Richard without so much as a word. Actually, what he was feeling was not disappointment so much as a natural reaction to her rudeness, which, if it had been some other young lady, he would have felt exactly the same. Of course, what made matters worse was that Lady Flora and he had been getting along famously, or so he had thought, talking about their mutual interest in four-in-hand, enjoying a laugh or two. All that before Richard appeared, of course.
    The chit was besotted with Dashwood, that was obvious.
    And I don't give a groat .
    Why should he, a titled landowner, rich, passably good-looking, give a thought to a