Page 86 of Rivals at Ashmore Castle

But she missed her boys, and escaped as often as she could to the nursery. Little Heiko was just a year old, a delightful child, full of chuckles and taking his first staggering steps, beaming with surprised delight in his own prowess. He looked very solemnly and a little warily at Kitty when he first saw her, but instinct told him this was a mother, and somewhat warmer and softer than his own, so she soon conquered him.

She was bouncing him on her knee, watched indulgently if cautiously by his nanny, when Giles came in.

‘I thought I’d find you here,’ he said. ‘I’m escaping from the wedding talk. I must say, Usingen is being very generous, paying for everything. And it can’t just be because he’s eager to be rid of Linda. I think he’s doing it to please my mother. Despite continued close exposure to her, his ardour doesn’t seem to have dimmed. And he’s obviously devoted to Heiko.’

‘There’s nothing surprising about that. He’s a dear little boy.’ She jiggled the baby a little and sang two lines of ‘Goosey Goosey Gander’ to him.

Giles smiled indulgently. ‘He doesn’t speak English, you know.’

‘Words don’t matter at this age. He likes the tune and the rhythm.’

‘You’ve become a very wise little matron all of a sudden.’

‘Not “all of a sudden”. I am a mother of two, remember.’

‘How could I forget? My two sons are my greatest accomplishment, and I have you to thank for them.’

She was pleased with the compliment, and his kindness made her think of Linda. ‘Do you think Linda will be happy with Cousin Pippi?’ she asked.

‘Well, he’s very rich and a prince. That will make her happy.’

‘Please be serious.’

‘I was being. I can’t see why they shouldn’t both be happy. Pippi wants someone to run his houses, oversee his children, entertain his guests and do him credit on public occasions. Linda knows exactly how to do all those things. And she’s the daughter of an English earl, which means a lot in Germany. In exchange, she gets an establishment, a position in society, and all the money she can spend.’

Kitty frowned. ‘But what about…love?’

He didn’t mock her concern. ‘I’ve had a talk with Linda. In the absence of a father, I thought it was incumbent on me to make sure she knew what she was doing.’

‘Oh, Giles, how brave of you!’

He laughed. ‘Well, I am fond of the old girl – a little – in a way. Ties of blood and so forth. Anyway, we had a very frank talk. She said she and Pippi understood each other very well. He wants a mature woman, not a young girl who’ll bring all sorts of emotional demands to disrupt the calm tenor of his life. And she is equally glad not be bothered with “all that nonsense” as she puts it.’

‘It sounds so cold!’ Kitty said, dismayed. ‘I can’t believe any woman wants to live a life without love.’

‘But some women are like that. My mother is a prime example. And Linda’s very like her. There are other things that are more important to them than love. And they are single-minded in pursuing them.’

She shook her head but said nothing, looking troubled. He said carefully, probingly, ‘Kitty, I know you know that I didn’t marry you for love. Even at the time I felt bad about that. It seemed to me wrong – caddish – potentially unkind. But I had no choice. You know that too. And I know your parents forced you to accept me.’

She glanced up at him and down again. He couldn’t fathom what she was thinking. He felt his way forward over the thin ice, half wishing he hadn’t ventured out on it. But there were things he ought to say, and how often did the opportunity arise? ‘My parents’ marriage was arranged, but I hope I’ve done better than them. I always wanted to make you happy. And it hasn’t worked out so badly, has it?’

She continued to look down. He hadn’t got it right yet. He went on with a touch of desperation. ‘You make me happy.’

Now she looked up properly. ‘Do I? Really?’

‘Really,’ he said. She had stopped bouncing Heiko, who was on the verge of objecting vocally to her lapse in attention. He leaned down and plucked the boy up, set him against his shoulder, marvelling at how small and light he was compared with his own boys. He knew Kitty liked the gesture, liked seeing him cradle the child with parental skill. His own father had never picked him up. Giles didn’t want his boys to grow up seeing him only as a source of rules and painful interviews.

Perhaps it was because he had had a father and mother who never expressed affection that he had found it so difficult to do so himself. But that didn’t apply any more. He could love his boys as openly as he wanted. He could even tell them he loved them. And he knew that was because of Kitty. She had rescued him from his flawed nature: the least he could do was to rescue her in return.

‘You make me very happy,’ he said. ‘We are a real family, don’t you think?’

‘I wish Linda could have that too,’ she said, generous in her happiness.

‘I don’t know why you should care so much about Linda’s well-being. But if it makes you feel better, she did hint that she wouldn’t mind having another child one day, and that she thought Pippi wouldn’t object. So there must be some affection between them.’

‘Oh,’ said Kitty, and looked relieved. ‘I’m glad.’

‘So will you dance at Linda’s wedding with a light heart?’