Page 37 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

‘I don’t know, old dear. What have you done?’ Richard asked calmly.

‘Perhaps the setting was a little – romantic.’ He gave a stilted description of those evenings.

Richard laughed mirthlessly ‘And this was you not encouraging her?’

‘It was just conversation. I never so much as touched her hand! And she knew I was married. How was I to know she was – harbouring thoughts? I thought she was more sensible than that!’

‘I applaud your modesty, if not your common sense. You’re not as handsome as me, but you’re not bad-looking, and you’ve got a title. You really didn’t think she fancied you?’

Giles was silent. His experience with women was very slight in any case. And since he had fallen hopelessly in love with Nina, he had shut thoughts of love and romance out of his head. Being immune to anyone else, he had arbitrarily assumed no-one else could fall in love with him. ‘What am I to do?’ he said.

Richard was still thinking. ‘You don’t suppose . . . ? Are you thinking she married Uncle Fergus simply to get back at you?’

It was what he feared. ‘I can’t believe that of her,’ he said uncomfortably.

‘Poor old Uncle. You can see he’s as in love as it gets.’

‘Should I tell him?’ Giles said miserably. ‘Perhaps I ought to.’

‘That his new-wedded bride wants to be off with a raggle-taggle gypsy? Are you mad?’

‘But if she’s deceived him—’

‘I dare say most people getting married are deceived one way or another. The poor old beast is blissfully happy – why spoil it for him?’

‘Then what can I do?’

‘Nothing. Just behave yourself from now on. Exemplary uxoriousness is to be your motto – if you can pronounce it.’

‘She said now she’s my aunt, I’ll have to come when she summons me.’

Richard laughed. ‘Good Lord! Yes, I’d forgotten that! She’s your aunt – how delicious! Mine too, if it comes to it. But look here,’ he grew serious, ‘even if there’s nothing you can do, there’s not much she can do. You can avoid her. They might not spend much time in England, and then there’s his estates. And even when they’re in London – well, you don’t come up very often. I’m more likely to bump into them than you. And I think I can be trusted to resist her charms.’

Giles said nothing, thinking what a mess it was, how many people stood to be hurt, and how unfair it was that it should fall to his blame: he had never meant any harm.

Richard patted his arm, guessing his thoughts. ‘I know, you’re feeling unjustly put-upon. You really are rather dim when it comes to people, aren’t you?’

Giles looked cross. ‘For instance?’

‘For instance, keeping me standing out here. The damp is taking the starch out of my collar-points.’

Giles was forced to smile. ‘Let’s go in, then. And thanks for listening to me.’

‘Think nothing of it. You’re as good as a one-act play any day.’

Alice and Rachel met at the side of the ballroom at the end of a dance. ‘I’ve been dancing with everyone I can,’ Rachel said, ‘to allay Mama’s suspicion. I don’t want her to guess Angus was here.’

‘Where is he now?’

‘He said he was leaving, after we had our talk. But I haven’t seen Mama and the prince anywhere.’

‘They left when the ball started.’

Rachel looked disappointed. ‘Then he could have stayed! We could have danced together.’

‘I think you’re forgetting his father and mother were here too.’

‘Oh dear, yes. So he couldn’t have. Why are people so difficult?’