#hundy

After spending time with Hodgson, Dundy unconsciously picks up some of his propensity for sharing fun facts. Not to the same degree, of course, but occasionally Fitzjames will be talking to him (or bitching as the case may be, the two of them commiserate often) and he’ll find himself mentioning some obscure, often tenuously related fact that he learned from George previously. James just responds with a vaguely amused look and some good-natured teasing about him spending too much time around Terror’s second lieutenant.

Dundy’s favorite gift he ever received was an ornately carved, beautifully inlaid cane that Hodgson bought for him. Le Vesconte had always been somewhat preoccupied with his appearance. Although he took the premature greying of his hair in stride, he worried that it made him look old beyond his years. This was only compounded by the fact that, upon their return, he was forced to use a cane to compensate for his missing toes. Although he was well-aware that the expedition could have turned out far worse—he could have lost his life rather than just his youthful mobility—it still stung to be a man of hardly forty and already doddering and grey-headed. He tried to pretend that it didn’t affect him, even joking about it from time to time, but Hodgson could see right through his self-deprecating humor. Although George couldn’t do much about the root cause of the issue, he could try and make the man feel better. He set out to buy him a much fancier, more a la mode cane than the one he had been using previously, something more suitable for a young man of their set. He finally settled on a very contemporary, ivory and gold inlaid piece that he was sure Dundy would love. He was right, of course. Le Vesconte adored it, not just because it was a beautiful gift but because of the wonderfully sweet gesture behind it as well.

When they make it back to England, Hodgson tries to teach Dundy to play the clavier. It obviously involves a lot of sitting very close together and George gently adjusting his posture, leaning over to show him how to play certain notes, and even placing his hands directly over Dundy’s to help him with certain techniques. For all George’s hard work though, Dundy never really seems to get any better. No one can tell if this is just because he’s not very good at playing piano or if he wants to keep George by his side “helping” him.