Page 149 of The Mistress of Ashmore Castle

‘Angelica Kauffman? Elizabeth Siddal?’

‘Oh, Richard, do stop saying names,’ Linda said crossly, not having heard of either of those two. ‘A girl of Alice’s age can’t go to art school. I’m sure they don’t take girls anyway.’

‘The Slade School does,’ Alice said. She addressed Giles, and told him all the things she had told Richard.

He listened quietly, then asked, as Richard had, ‘Is this what you really want?’

‘Yes,’ she said, putting all her force into one word.

‘You don’t want to have a Season, like Rachel?’

‘Please, no!’

‘Well, I dare say art-college fees won’t come to as much as all Rachel’s clothes did, to say nothing of the ball. If you’re sure, then I see no reason why you shouldn’t go.’

She ran to him, put her arms round his neck, and pressed her cheek to his.

‘We’ll have to ask Aunt Caroline if she’ll have you,’ he said.

‘Oh, Giles! I can’t believe it! I can really go?’

‘I have no objection,’ he said.

‘Mother will never agree,’ Linda said. The temperature cooled.

The joy faded from Alice’s face, but then she squared her shoulders and said, ‘She doesn’t care about me.’

‘She cares about the family name.’

‘But there’s nothing disgraceful about it!’ Alice protested.

Giles intervened. ‘I expect she can be brought round. We’ll look into it. I’ll get Markham to make some enquiries – he’s the man for finding things out. We don’t know yet if they’ll take you, of course.’

‘For a fee, they’d take me,’ Richard said.

He still wondered about those drawings she didn’t want him to see. His guess would be that they were of some male figure, and that his youngest sister was suffering from a bad case of unrequited first love. Going to art school was rather an extreme way of dealing with it, but he couldn’t see that it would do her any harm – and, not being a boy, she couldn’t ’list for a soldier.

Rachel felt so much better now she was in England, as though it gave her some small amount of control over her life. It was a relief to be away from her mother and the prince – and to be closer to Angus. He had written of his delight that she was back, and had given his reassurances that he hadn’t changed and that all would be well.

His next letter, however, was more alarming. His father had been putting pressure on him to agree to the marriage with Diana Huntley.

Sir Gordon had summoned Angus to his study and told him that the usual family gathering would take place at Craigend at Christmas, and the guests would include the Huntleys. ‘And I expect you to get on with proposing to Miss Huntley,’ he concluded sternly.

‘But, Father—’

‘No more of that! No more “but, Father”! You are making a show of me. Sir Philip is starting to ask pointed questions. All this shilly-shallying is insulting to him and to the girl. I want it done before the Christmas party breaks up. I’ve agreed with Sir Philip that the wedding can take place in April. Easter is very late, on the twenty-third, so it had better be before that. The dowry will be partly in cash and partly in property, and Sir Philip is giving Miss Huntley, as a wedding present, a handsome house in Edinburgh, where you will live – in Queen Street, as it happens, just a few steps from my offices, where you will take up your position as my deputy. So you see, everything is falling most satisfactorily into place.’

‘But, Father, I don’t love her,’ Angus said desperately.

Tullamore made an impatient sound. ‘Love is not for young people to decide at a dance. Love is for grown-ups, Angus. It develops over time, when two people are well-matched and are set up in a proper, sensible fashion. Miss Huntley is suitable in every way. You and she will have everything you need, and you will be very happy together.’

The substance of this Angus told Rachel in his letter.

But I am determined not to ask her. Her father and mine can arrange what they like between them but if I don’t ask her it can’t happen. And I believe that if I am steadfast in refusing, they will have to give it up in the end. Then I’m sure Father will agree to my marrying you. But you must be steadfast too, my darling love, and not let them bully you into marrying anyone else. Promise me you will stay true to me. Remember, they can’t force you to marry against your will.

Rachel felt that she was safe enough at Ashmore, for with her mother abroad, no-one else had any interest in finding her a husband. The danger would be if her mother came home or, worse, if she summoned Rachel to go back to live with her abroad. Once she had left the country, everything would be harder, close to impossible.

‘If they try to make me go abroad,’ she wrote to Angus, ‘I will run away and find a way to get to you.’