Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Konami and Kazuki Takahashi, and this work is only a very appreciative celebration, from which we hope to derive no profit of any kind.
Later on, Pegasus couldn't have said what he'd had to eat at that luncheon.. Moon-calf, it seemed like, as he remembered the calf-like expressions on Yami's and Yuugi's faces. - Even Margaret had seemed more than a little moon-y, turning her big, brown eyes toward him at every opportunity, like Mary's little lamb, waiting to be led to the slaughterhouse. - He was losing his touch, he told himself as they rode back to the Jardine house. Whatever had possessed him actually to kiss her? Was he getting too old for the con game? - Pegasus hadn't missed the googly look that had come into Yuugi's big, violet eyes, every time he'd looked at his "brother". He hadn't missed the way Yami had responded, going all pink and googling back at him, cuddling up with him at the castle, and then doing it again once they were all in the pony cart going home. He wanted to know what they'd been saying to each other, he wanted to know what had happened between them when they'd been alone in that - What was it called? - North Tower room, or whatever Yuugi had said it was. But at the same time, none of that mattered. He knew enough of what was going on, just from the looks that came into their eyes whenever they looked at each other. Which was practically constantly. And the way their hands always brushed, accidentally-on-purpose, if they so much as passed a napkin across the table, was disgusting. What the hell was Yami thinking, to let a flirtation go this far?
And he wasn't letting himself be buttonholed either, was he? "A conversation," and, "we need to talk," and "Donald and I need to discuss our plans for returning to India": Pegasus kept throwing out suggestions, but everyone else in the party seemed determined to shoot them down. "Oh not so soon surely, Colonel," Yuugi protested (calfishly). "It seems like you just got here." While his mother, fluttering her eyelashes unmercifully, told him she thought he was the one who needed to talk, with her, "perhaps in the blue drawing room; James never goes there." As if places where her husband didn't go would naturally be the ones that drew him most this afternoon.
Pegasus heaved a sigh. "I think I should like to," - He began the sentence, then cast his mind around desperately, as he tried to think of something he'd plausibly want to do, right after an outing, that would include Yami, but not Yuugi or the increasingly intrusive Margaret. - "I should like to discuss gifts, with Donald," he said at last. "You know your son brought a trunk full of gifts for his family," he told Margaret, "but it got lost somehow, and he has nothing for any of you. And I should like to give a few things myself too, it is the least I can do, to show my appreciation for your hospitality. I think a trip to the village, just the two of us, might be in order."
"Oh, Donald, how sweet of you." Margaret threw a quick, fond look over the back of the seat (and Yami and Yuugi jumped apart quickly, Pegasus would have bet on it). "Your presence is gift enough, dear, you should know that." She looked back at Pegasus. "And Max dear, we feel like you're a member of the family already. How funny," she added playfully, "to have a son your age. It makes me feel quite old."
The obligatory response came naturally to him: "Old, not you." - They were pulling up in front of the house now. Every nerve in Pegasus' body screamed, demanding that he grab Yami and make a run for it to someplace private. But he resisted. - "You are young as the flowers of spring. My dear Margaret, if I did not know better, " he lied charmingly, "I would take you for Ya - ahh, Donald's little sister."
"Oh Max!" she cooed, and turned a shade pinker (thus proving, Pegasus thought, that there was no such thing as too big a lie, when flattering an infatuated Countess). "But you mustn't talk that way, you know." As she spoke, Margaret was getting out of the pony cart, assisted by a footman. Pegasus threw a glance over his shoulder; Yami and Yuugi were out already, and moving off toward ...somewhere. He'd have given good money to find out where they were going, and what they were going to do when they got there, but there was a footman standing by to help him out as well. And as soon as he got out of the cart, Margaret was right there again and taking hold of him. "I'm an old married woman." - Would he ever have predicted that there'd come a time when he wouldn't want to flirt with a mark this gullible? Was that even possible? "And I'm very happy with James, Max dear." The lady was like a barnacle; she stuck to his side all the way up the walkway and into the big house, where she let go of him only so she could divest herself of her coat - and his - and her other outside-garments. "You mustn't take my flirting seriously."
Her flirting? Was the woman a complete bonehead? "One can't help hoping," - Pegasus had both her hands pressed between both of his, he was looking down into her eyes with a fond expression; after so many years on the con, it all came naturally, no matter what was going through his mind. - "in the presence of such a lovely woman as yourself."
"Oh Max!" A sigh, a blush; any other time he'd have been delighted at this success, he'd have been climbing over himself to capitalize on it whatever way he could. But right now, Pegasus' priorities were elsewhere.
"I'll be back in India with my regiment next month," he said, "but my heart will be here in Scotland with you." He could still find Yami, he thought; his partner hadn't had time to get far away yet.
"Max!" It was Margaret who was speaking, but there seemed to be two voices. Distracted as he was, Pegasus didn't realize the Earl had come in until he spoke again. "You're back early from your outing," James said, sounding pleased. "I had thought you'd be gone all afternoon."
"Oh James dear, we had meant to be." Margaret pulled her hands away from Pegasus', and turned to face her husband, her face pinker than ever. "It was ever so cold up at the castle, what with half the walls being gone, and you know there's no trees up there for shelter. The wind bombarded us the whole time we were there."
"And have you finished the work you were doing?" she asked. She was hooked onto her own husband's arm now; this was his chance to make an escape, Pegasus thought.
"So-so," replied her husband. "It was getting hard to concentrate. You ladies are sensitive to the cold," - Here he threw a humorous look in Pegasus' direction. - "and have to bundle up to tolerate it, but I notice Max here, wasn't even wearing a coat. I call this weather brisk, isn't that what you'd call it, Max? And a good walk outside in the cool breeze refreshes the body and brightens the brain." Somehow he'd peeled his wife loose, and was moving inexorably toward Pegasus while Pegasus was still scanning the stairs and the doorways, trying to see which direction Yami had gone. "I was just going out for a walk," James said. "Max, perhaps you'd care to join me?"
A walk out in the cold was not Pegasus' idea of fun at the best of times, and having just come in from spending the whole morning with the cold wind blowing him this way and that, and not even with his coat on to protect him, he was quite ready to beg off, whether it made the Earl think less of him or not. "Well James, I don't know," he began. But as soon as he spoke, Margaret was right there beside him, speaking as well.
"James dear, we just got in," she said. "I am very sure Max doesn't want to go right back out. You'd rather have tea in the blue drawing room with me, wouldn't you Max?" she asked, and he could have sworn she batted her lashes at him as she said it.
"On second thought," - Pegasus held back the sigh that wanted to come out with the words. - "James, I think I will go with you," he said. "I could use the chance to stretch my legs after the ride in the pony cart." Then, turning to Margaret, "you understand, don't you?" he added. "I've gotten to spend the entire morning with you, but I haven't spent much time with your husband at all since I've been here."
When you're good, you're good, he told himself, as the Countess turned pink all over again, and released his hands, sighing flutteringly. Only a natural-born conman such as himself could get just the right tone, into what were, after all, some pretty banal words. Either that or the woman was just a total idiot. At any rate, he was free, for all the good that did him, free to spend his afternoon out in the cold wind, discussing Jardine family history with the Earl. Pegasus held back another sigh, as he turned to take the coat the butler was already rushing over with.
"Max, you understand history." A footman was helping James into his coat, and handing him a deerstalker-hat and a pair of heavy gloves. "Perhaps you can help me." The Earl took his guest's arm, unaware (of course) of all that was going through his mind, and led him out the front door and back into the cold. "I've come a cropper in the family history I'm writing," he said. "I can't seem to find the exact right word to describe King James V. What would you say, old man? Does "lubricious" do it? Or "venal"? I was also thinking of "praetorian"."
Pegasus glanced surreptitiously at the hall clock before the door shut behind them: 2:15 PM, and the sun wasn't likely to set for another two and a half hours yet. "Those all sound good," he told the Earl, thinking not of James V, whichever one he was, but of Yami, who must be behind closed doors with his little so-called "brother" by now, and doing god knew what with him.
It wasn't until after 6:00 that he was free again, not until he'd gone on a long walk with the Earl, up and down slippery hillsides, under leafless trees that did nothing to block the cold wind that battered them. - "You don't mind a little walking, an old military man like you?" Well he wouldn't if he was an old military man maybe, Pegasus thought wryly; being just a slothful conman instead, he was more accustomed to strolls along the Paris boulevards, than to forced marches through Indian jungles. "Oh but of course not," he'd lied smoothly in response. "Compared to the time we had to get from Madras to Jaipur," he said, throwing in the first Indian names he could think of, "this is nothing." The Earl bought it of course, unsuspecting and gullible as always (or too wrapped up in thoughts about his precious family history to care). And shortly thereafter, he suggested going back indoors. But he kept hold on Pegasus for a good hour longer after that, chit-chatting with him about ancient Scots and whatnot, and pouring him glasses of excellent whiskey, that his guest was way too frustrated to appreciate.
"Six o'clock," - James stretched lazily, but did not get up out of his deep leather chair as he spoke. - "I suppose we'd best be getting dressed for dinner soon, eh Max? Margaret will be expecting us to be at the table on time. Ladies set such store by these things, don't they?" He laughed a fond laugh. "But I've enjoyed our talk, Max. I don't get enough chances to talk to an educated gentleman such as yourself. Not many scholars in this part of Scotland don't ya know."
"Oh yes, it was a good conversation." Pegasus nodded politely. "Such interesting details you were telling, about, ...About..." - He cast his mind around, trying to remember one of the details that had flown right by him, as he stewed over where his partner might be, and what he might be doing. - "About James the First, wasn't it?"
"James the First and Sixth." James, who had been making movements preparatory to getting up out of his chair and going upstairs, settled back immediately. "Oh yes that's right," he said. "I was telling you about Alexander, the Fifth Earl's connexion with Maitland of Thirlstane, and how he practically ran the government after the King's association with Lennox was ended." There wasn't a word of that, that wasn't like Sanskrit to Pegasus, probably because he hadn't been paying attention the first time James went through it, and he sighed inwardly now, at the thought of going through it all again. He made another mental sigh, as he saw his host pick up the decanter and tip more whiskey into his glass. "A little more, Max?" he said.
"I do wish there was time," Pegasus murmured. "We shall have to do this again. Perhaps we can talk more after dinner when Margaret retires." - And after he'd had a chance to talk to Yami, he thought. He'd sit still for all the family stories the Earl wanted to spin, just let him set things right with his partner first. - "I'm a guest you know," he said tactfully. "I don't want to offend my hostess."
"Certainly, I understand." James, thank God, finally stood, and stretched again before heading toward the door. "You've made quite an impression on my wife," he said, clapping Pegasus on the shoulder. "She's completely smitten, it's lucky I'm not a jealous man." He laughed, and escorted Pegasus - At last! - out into the hallway where he could make his getaway.