“Shame on you and the Duchess for
holding out on me,” said Fortie, smacking his lips
with a sharp glint in his eye. He didn't
notice the children at all. Bullmina held his attention as she circled around the
humans with great excitement.
Bullmina
barked and jumped up at the Duke, wondering why he hadn't greeted her as he
usually did.
“Sit!” commanded Fortie, continuing to inspect Bullmina
thoroughly with his eyes. Thanks to her
training sessions with Sebastian and Patrick, Bullmina
immediately complied and sat like the princess she was. “What a fine girl,"
said Fortie, kneeling down and running his hands over
the Bulldog. Bullmina
didn't flinch at all over being thoroughly inspected by an unknown set of
hands, as long as the Duke and Duchess were there. "I say, your
Lordship," remarked Fortie, probing Bullmina's jaws and checking her teeth, "this one’s
quite a stunning bitch. Has she whelped a litter yet?”
At this point, seeing the look on
Lady Evelyn’s and the Duke’s face was all it took. “Yes indeed.
I’ll take the bitch,” said Fortie with a
leering smile of satisfaction in his beady blue eyes.
Freddie's mouth fell open.
"Why is that skinny man
going to take Bullmina?" asked Millie
innocently, looking up at her two brothers.
She had no idea what her little game was about to cost her aunt and
uncle and the rest of the family.
"Hush Millie!" hissed
Beatrice from behind them.
"But I want to keep Bullmina!" stomped Millie. "Funston loves her and so do I."
Thomas looked down at the
ground. His shoulders trembled as he
tried to hold back his tears.
"Take the child away,"
insisted the Duchess, her voice cracking as she tried to maintain her
composure.
Beatrice immediately stepped
forward and tried to lead her little sister away. Millie began to protest, "No, no,
no!"
Bullmina
could sense the tension now. At first
she tried to go after Millie, but Fortie kept an eye
on her. "Sit and stay!" he
commanded.
Then Fortie’s
footman pulled out a spiked choke chain and lead. Fortie obviously
meant business. He would take no
resistance or disobedience at all.
"Look!" cried Millie,
kicking and struggling in Beatrice's arms.
"They're taking her away!
No, no, no! Bullmina! Don't take her away!" Millie began to
sob.
Freddie wiped a tear from his eye
and put his arm around his younger brother Thomas's shoulders as they watched Fortie's footman slip the sharp chain around Bullmina's neck.