she whispered. By her side to support the lampshade with his impressive tail-coated bulk was William, looking like a plump penguin with aspirations of being a sea lion. Then she sobered, remembering that these two were not the figures of fun of Georgeâs beloved caricatures but real people, who had just thrown their housemaid out in cruel circumstances. Moreover, this was the household where, presumably, Isabel would be living, at least at first. Would she turn into a Swinford-Browne by nature, as well as name?
She forced herself away from this unwelcome thought and back to the ball. She was surprised to see how many people here were strangers to her. True, most of what might be termed Ashden society was present, even the Minister, and she had to repress a desire to interrogate him then and there on his views of the plight of Ruth Horner. The Reverend Frederick Bowles and his wife had lived in Ashden only slightly longer than the Swinford-Brownes, having moved from somewhere in North Kent. Caroline rather liked him, but both of them seemed to behave like Martha and Moses, the figures in the Rectory weatherhouse that adorned their drawing-room windowsill â they popped out anxiously from their home from time to time and scuttled back inside for safety as soon as they could. Caroline decided the strange faces must be brewery staff, or Robertâs friends. It underlined the fact that Isabel was entering upon a new and very different life. Then she saw Reggie. Her first impression was that he was dancing with another maypole, but perhaps that was simply the effect of the painfully (literally, it appeared) narrow yellow skirt, and tall sparkling bandeau doing its best to look like a tiara. The Honourable Penelope Banning, she presumed. She quickly turned away to see what her sisters might be doing, telling herself she must keep an eye on Felicia â¦
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Felicia sat close to Aunt Tilly. If Caroline were nowhere to be found then Aunt Tilly was her natural choice, for there was little chance that Tilly would leave her on her own, exposed. She felt her feelings must be written all over her face. If he came over to her, she felt she might faint from sheer pleasure. Someone was coming, but it wasnât him. It was the schoolmaster Philip Ryde, for whom she worked two afternoons a week teaching religious instruction. He would ask Aunt Tilly for her permission to request Felicia to dance. She looked in alarm at her aunt, who ignored her plea, or did not see it for what it was. So Mr Ryde asked her to dance, although she knew perfectly well heâd rather be dancing with Caroline. She smiled, rose, and gracefully stepped on to the floor, realising with gratitude that it was a military two-step and she would not need to talk to him for very long.
âYou look very charming tonight, Miss Lilley.â
She instantly froze inside. She liked Philip Ryde, but she wished he wouldnât say things like that. It meant nothing, for everyone knew he adored her sister, so she never knew what to reply. She whispered theonly thing she could think of.
âThank you.â Then she was seized and clutched, pushed and pulled, as they marched up and down. Oh, that it were quickly over. Oh, that she were like Phoebe sitting out. Lucky, lucky Phoebe â¦
Â
Phoebe sat scuffing the toe of her satin shoe crossly, in the happy knowledge that Mother could not see what she was doing under the pink satin dress. In fact, Mother was getting up to dance. A tango ! That would set Ashden twittering for weeks. The doctor and the Rectorâs wife doing the tango. Phoebe didnât care as Felicia did about sitting on her own. To her, the women and girls looked like the chattering parrots in London Zoo, and the men like the penguins. Perhaps finishing school was going to be a mistake if it was merely lots and lots of dances, as Felicia had warned her. She had insisted on going there to escape from Ashden, but she could see it was going
She forced herself away from this unwelcome thought and back to the ball. She was surprised to see how many people here were strangers to her. True, most of what might be termed Ashden society was present, even the Minister, and she had to repress a desire to interrogate him then and there on his views of the plight of Ruth Horner. The Reverend Frederick Bowles and his wife had lived in Ashden only slightly longer than the Swinford-Brownes, having moved from somewhere in North Kent. Caroline rather liked him, but both of them seemed to behave like Martha and Moses, the figures in the Rectory weatherhouse that adorned their drawing-room windowsill â they popped out anxiously from their home from time to time and scuttled back inside for safety as soon as they could. Caroline decided the strange faces must be brewery staff, or Robertâs friends. It underlined the fact that Isabel was entering upon a new and very different life. Then she saw Reggie. Her first impression was that he was dancing with another maypole, but perhaps that was simply the effect of the painfully (literally, it appeared) narrow yellow skirt, and tall sparkling bandeau doing its best to look like a tiara. The Honourable Penelope Banning, she presumed. She quickly turned away to see what her sisters might be doing, telling herself she must keep an eye on Felicia â¦
Â
Felicia sat close to Aunt Tilly. If Caroline were nowhere to be found then Aunt Tilly was her natural choice, for there was little chance that Tilly would leave her on her own, exposed. She felt her feelings must be written all over her face. If he came over to her, she felt she might faint from sheer pleasure. Someone was coming, but it wasnât him. It was the schoolmaster Philip Ryde, for whom she worked two afternoons a week teaching religious instruction. He would ask Aunt Tilly for her permission to request Felicia to dance. She looked in alarm at her aunt, who ignored her plea, or did not see it for what it was. So Mr Ryde asked her to dance, although she knew perfectly well heâd rather be dancing with Caroline. She smiled, rose, and gracefully stepped on to the floor, realising with gratitude that it was a military two-step and she would not need to talk to him for very long.
âYou look very charming tonight, Miss Lilley.â
She instantly froze inside. She liked Philip Ryde, but she wished he wouldnât say things like that. It meant nothing, for everyone knew he adored her sister, so she never knew what to reply. She whispered theonly thing she could think of.
âThank you.â Then she was seized and clutched, pushed and pulled, as they marched up and down. Oh, that it were quickly over. Oh, that she were like Phoebe sitting out. Lucky, lucky Phoebe â¦
Â
Phoebe sat scuffing the toe of her satin shoe crossly, in the happy knowledge that Mother could not see what she was doing under the pink satin dress. In fact, Mother was getting up to dance. A tango ! That would set Ashden twittering for weeks. The doctor and the Rectorâs wife doing the tango. Phoebe didnât care as Felicia did about sitting on her own. To her, the women and girls looked like the chattering parrots in London Zoo, and the men like the penguins. Perhaps finishing school was going to be a mistake if it was merely lots and lots of dances, as Felicia had warned her. She had insisted on going there to escape from Ashden, but she could see it was going
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