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Authors: Nicola Slade
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should she invite Charlotte, whom she has never seen before in her life?’
‘Well, Lily,’ Barnard Richmond weighed in with well-meaning goodwill, rolling an anguished eye nonetheless at Charlotte as he spoke. ‘I daresay her ladyship means it as a compliment to you, my dear.’ He floundered as he met Lily’s scornful gaze. ‘I mean, er, I expect she is merely being kind to our dear Charlotte.’
Charlotte hastened to his rescue. ‘Of course she is, Lily dear,’ she said in a soothing tone. ‘Why, she is naturally aware that, apart from taking tea at the Deanery the other day, you are not officially visiting at the moment, because of dear little Algy being so very young. I believe Lady Granville only decided to invite me as a very poor second choice.’ Lily’s brow showed signs of looking less thundery so Charlotte persevered. ‘It is only that she wishes to show me her garden, after all. I have observed that dedicated garden lovers will seize on the most unlikely persons to enthuse about their plants and walks and shrubberies and so forth, and I believe the invitation to tea was a mere polite afterthought. Besides, you must not forget that I am quite unusual in these parts; someone who has come from the other side of the world. She probably thinks I’m something of a curiosity. Like a talking pig.’
Charlotte was saved from Lily’s astonished demand as to her meaning, by the appearance of Kit Knightley, whose conversation with Barnard had been interrupted by Lily’s call.
‘Pray forgive me, Mrs Richmond.’ The gleam in his blue eyes indicated to Charlotte that he had overheard her surprising simile, but he merely smiled at Lily and bent over her hand. ‘I must tear myself away from this felicitous occasion. I am glad to have seen my godson safely baptised and must thank you once more fordoing me such a great honour in making me a sponsor.’
Mollified, Lily said her farewells and Barnard clapped his old school friend on the shoulder and muttered, with rough but sincere affection, ‘My very best wishes to Mrs Knightley, my dear fellow. I hope to hear that she goes on well.’
The twinkle in Kit’s eyes dimmed as he answered with a wordless nod and reached out a hand to clasp that of his friend. He turned to Charlotte and she read the distress in his face with an answering dismay. Kit’s invalid wife, Elaine, was Charlotte’s dearest friend in the entire world, and Elaine’s health, which had always been precarious, had sharply deteriorated in the last couple of months.
‘Come and see Elaine, Char,’ he said, holding up a hand to stop the anxious flow of questions that sprang to her lips. There was a roughness in his voice as he added, ‘I know it’s Christmas and I expect you’ll have little time to spare from the jollifications at the Manor, but…. Make it soon.’
Chapter 4
N EXT AFTERNOON SAW Charlotte set out in the brougham borrowed from the manor, ready to make a call in state upon her illustrious neighbour.
‘Walk, do you say?’ Lady Frampton was scandalised at the idea. ‘Lord above, gal, what in the world can ’ave got into you? There’s a murderer loose about the countryside, you could come upon him at any turn of the road. And anyway, you h’ought to know by now that there’s a time and a place when it’s not done to go walking about so free and easy as you do.’ She shook her head in stern admonition. ‘And going to visit ’er fine ladyship for the first time, is one of them times. No, Char, I mean it, I’ll make Barnard put his foot down, you see if I don’t. Besides, you’ll give offence, make no mistake about it, and raise eyebrows too, if you swan in to Brambrook Abbey with your hem trailing mud and your boots in a state, not to mention your bonnet soaking wet. I know you like walking, though Gawd knows why you should is beyond me. But it ain’t done, Char, mark my words.’
So here I am, sighed Charlotte, condemned to propriety. The manor groom clucked
‘Well, Lily,’ Barnard Richmond weighed in with well-meaning goodwill, rolling an anguished eye nonetheless at Charlotte as he spoke. ‘I daresay her ladyship means it as a compliment to you, my dear.’ He floundered as he met Lily’s scornful gaze. ‘I mean, er, I expect she is merely being kind to our dear Charlotte.’
Charlotte hastened to his rescue. ‘Of course she is, Lily dear,’ she said in a soothing tone. ‘Why, she is naturally aware that, apart from taking tea at the Deanery the other day, you are not officially visiting at the moment, because of dear little Algy being so very young. I believe Lady Granville only decided to invite me as a very poor second choice.’ Lily’s brow showed signs of looking less thundery so Charlotte persevered. ‘It is only that she wishes to show me her garden, after all. I have observed that dedicated garden lovers will seize on the most unlikely persons to enthuse about their plants and walks and shrubberies and so forth, and I believe the invitation to tea was a mere polite afterthought. Besides, you must not forget that I am quite unusual in these parts; someone who has come from the other side of the world. She probably thinks I’m something of a curiosity. Like a talking pig.’
Charlotte was saved from Lily’s astonished demand as to her meaning, by the appearance of Kit Knightley, whose conversation with Barnard had been interrupted by Lily’s call.
‘Pray forgive me, Mrs Richmond.’ The gleam in his blue eyes indicated to Charlotte that he had overheard her surprising simile, but he merely smiled at Lily and bent over her hand. ‘I must tear myself away from this felicitous occasion. I am glad to have seen my godson safely baptised and must thank you once more fordoing me such a great honour in making me a sponsor.’
Mollified, Lily said her farewells and Barnard clapped his old school friend on the shoulder and muttered, with rough but sincere affection, ‘My very best wishes to Mrs Knightley, my dear fellow. I hope to hear that she goes on well.’
The twinkle in Kit’s eyes dimmed as he answered with a wordless nod and reached out a hand to clasp that of his friend. He turned to Charlotte and she read the distress in his face with an answering dismay. Kit’s invalid wife, Elaine, was Charlotte’s dearest friend in the entire world, and Elaine’s health, which had always been precarious, had sharply deteriorated in the last couple of months.
‘Come and see Elaine, Char,’ he said, holding up a hand to stop the anxious flow of questions that sprang to her lips. There was a roughness in his voice as he added, ‘I know it’s Christmas and I expect you’ll have little time to spare from the jollifications at the Manor, but…. Make it soon.’
Chapter 4
N EXT AFTERNOON SAW Charlotte set out in the brougham borrowed from the manor, ready to make a call in state upon her illustrious neighbour.
‘Walk, do you say?’ Lady Frampton was scandalised at the idea. ‘Lord above, gal, what in the world can ’ave got into you? There’s a murderer loose about the countryside, you could come upon him at any turn of the road. And anyway, you h’ought to know by now that there’s a time and a place when it’s not done to go walking about so free and easy as you do.’ She shook her head in stern admonition. ‘And going to visit ’er fine ladyship for the first time, is one of them times. No, Char, I mean it, I’ll make Barnard put his foot down, you see if I don’t. Besides, you’ll give offence, make no mistake about it, and raise eyebrows too, if you swan in to Brambrook Abbey with your hem trailing mud and your boots in a state, not to mention your bonnet soaking wet. I know you like walking, though Gawd knows why you should is beyond me. But it ain’t done, Char, mark my words.’
So here I am, sighed Charlotte, condemned to propriety. The manor groom clucked
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