Page 72 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

She could obviously hardly bear to say the word. It sounded worse, somehow, in French.

‘I can’t believe it,’ Richard said slowly.

‘Believe! He means to divorce poor Violet and marry that child, and it will be the scandal of the year, of the decade. He will never be forgiven!’

‘You mean you will never forgive him,’ Richard suggested.

‘That is entirely beside the point. He and I – we are what we are. On n’y peut rien. But his music is everything to him. His career. Son éclat. If he marries that girl he will lose everything.’

‘I had no idea about this,’ Richard said.

‘Had you not?’

‘Of course not, or I would have said something. Like you, I was worried that he might make her his mistress.’

‘Oh, if it were only that!’ Grandmère cried. ‘No-one would care or even wonder.’

‘I would care,’ Richard said. ‘But she told me, and I believed her, that she would never do that. And she said that she had the measure of him.’

‘She is clever, I give you!’ Grandmère said bitterly. ‘To say no and no until in desperation he offers her marriage.’ She shook her head. ‘I never cared for Violet – I have no patience with those who use ill health to control others – but she and I, we knew our places. This girl – this terrible girl – seizes all for herself and cares for no-one else. She will ruin him.’

Richard sat forward urgently. ‘I don’t believe it’s her idea at all. And I don’t see how Sir Thomas can obtain a divorce anyway. Lady Burton will simply refuse, and that will be the end of it.’

‘He will persuade her,’ Grandmère said. ‘He will talk and talk and exhaust her and she will agree for the sake of peace. And then there will be newspapers and scandal and shame.’ She stiffened into an even more upright posture. ‘You must stop it!’ she declared.

‘Me?’ He looked appalled. ‘What can I do?’

‘Talk to the girl. It was you who brought her among us, I blame you for this. It must be stopped. He came to see me only yesterday, and said he was going to talk to Violet at the weekend, so there is just time for you to act. Make her tell him it will not be. You say she has influence over him. She must end it. Il est hors de ses sens.’

Richard looked grim. ‘I will talk to her, for you. But I offer no hope. I have no sway with her.’

Grandmère rose from her chair, and he rose too perforce. ‘Go now. Do not come to me and say that you have failed.’ He bent towards her to kiss her cheek in farewell but she pulled back. ‘No, I do not permit a salute from you until you bring me good news. Go!’

Molly Sands looked as anxious as Grandmère. ‘She came to see me yesterday evening. I was shocked. I had no idea.’

‘Grandmère is convinced it was all Chloë’s idea.’

‘That’s not what Chloë said. She said that Sir Thomas is determined on it. She says he has never offered to make her his mistress. He honours her too much.’

‘Honours her!’ Richard exclaimed.

‘She doesn’t know how much damage a divorce would do. I tried to explain, but she said that as Lady Burton she would have security, power and influence.’

‘Influence to do what? She would not be received in society.’

‘She’s not interested in society,’ Molly said. ‘It is only the music she cares about. She thinks he will use his fortune to advance her career.’

‘He can do that anyway,’ Richard said.

‘But as an unmarried female she can’t travel about with him freely.’

‘Oh, she sees that, does she?’ Richard said, with grim irony. ‘The decencies must be observed, of course! Miss Sands can’t be in close company with Sir Thomas Burton because there would be talk!’

Molly looked at him helplessly. ‘I’ve used every argument I can think of. Richard, do you think you could do anything? Could you perhaps talk to him?’

He recoiled. ‘I’ve no right. He would be outraged if I were to raise the subject.’

‘Then speak to Chloë!’