“Yes, indeed. I shall be very happy to wait for you,” Mr Lomax said, his voice a mere thread. “Pray go and change, my dear Winifred.”
“Winnie!My name is Winnie, and I am not your dear. Have you forgotten that you broke off our betrothal and walked out of here in a fit of pique? After that, you really cannot expect to just carry on as though nothing has happened.”
“Certainly not, but I forgive you, my dear.”
Winnie gasped at the effrontery of it, but then she began to laugh. “Youforgiveme?How very, very entertaining. I donotforgive you, however.”
“Forgiveme?” he gasped. “What, pray, have I done that requires forgiveness, apart from offer you the consequence of my name?”
“Do you want me to list all your transgressions, Mr Lomax? Very well, on your own head be it. You believed foul rumours of me without making any effort to find out if they were true. You led me to expect an offer of marriage in London and then left town in haste, without telling me. Worst of all, you thenliedabout it. Did you imagine I would not know? That I would not care? As if all that were not bad enough, you have so little consideration for my feelings that you repeatedly call me by the wrong name when you know I dislike it, and you planned to let your mother continue to live in the marital home, without even consulting me. And perhaps I could have put up with all of that…perhaps… if you had not been such a terrible kisser.”
Now he was red-faced with rage. “How dare you, madam!”
“How dareyouinflict such an unpleasant experience on me, sir! I strongly suggest you practise a little before you attempt the manoeuvre on another young lady.” Seeing him quite speechless, she began to feel almost sorry for him. “Mr Lomax, I am very sorry you have had a wasted journey. I am truly grateful to you for ending our betrothal, for I might never have had the courage to break it off myself, and our marriage would have been a great mistake. We should not have suited.”
“You are not at all as I supposed,” he said, glaring at her. “You deceived me into thinking you a demure and unworldly young lady who needed my protection. Now I see you are disobedient and wild, and possibly much worse than that. On one point only we agree — we should never have suited. I am very glad to be undeceived regarding your true character. Mymother always had reservations, and now I see she was quite right. I bid you good day, madam.”
“Good bye, Mr Lomax,” she said calmly, making him only a small curtsy, for a bubble of anger still burned inside her.
“I am so sorry, Mr Lomax,” Mama said, intercepting him as he headed for the door. “Such a pity to leave now, when your charming company would be so welcome. You add such distinction to our gatherings. I wonder if…”
Her voice faded to a murmur as they reached the hall, Lily following in her wake, shutting the door behind them.
Walter, who must have crept in unnoticed, chuckled gently. “Well done, Winnie!”
Hebe emerged from the corner where she had been lurking, watching the whole spectacle unfolding. Her eyes were wide with shock. “Oh, Winnie dear, what have you done? To say such things to him!”
“He deserved it,” she said curtly.
“Burning all your bridges and no mistake, Winnie,” her father said quietly. “I am still not minded to approve your marriage to Walter, you know.”
“I know, Papa. We will wait until Walter is settled somewhere and has some employment.”
“Yes, I suppose it is inevitable, whatever I may think about it. Walter and I need to have a long chat, and perhaps see what your Uncle Alfred has to say. And Walter, you need to talk to your father and explain your new situation. This betrothal of yours cannot stay a secret any longer, I fear. But before all of that, you both need to stop dripping all over my rugs and get yourselves into dry clothes before you are both carried off with chills on the lungs. You will want to survive long enough to get to the altar, I imagine.”
***
Winnie passed the evening in a haze of delirious happiness. In the small corner of her brain that was still functioning, she noticed Papa was unusually serious, Mama was not speaking to her, Hebe glowered disapprovingly and Lily… there was something strange and excitable about Lily. Only Uncle Alfred beamed paternally at her and whispered his congratulations.
None of it mattered. Nothing at all mattered, for Walter loved her and her joy could not be punctured. She had the memory of his ardent kisses to warm her inside, and his words of love still ringing in her ears, and what more could she ask for? He came straight to her side in the drawing room that evening, sat beside her at dinner, lingered hardly at all with the gentlemen and then spent the rest of the evening playing backgammon with her in a corner, while music and conversation and the distribution of tea and cake swirled unnoticed around them. His eyes softened every time he looked at her, a little smile hovered permanently on his lips and from time to time his hand gently brushed against hers, almost as if by accident, sending a little jolt of fire through her. She was in paradise. Surely no one had ever been so happy as she was?
She had not been in her bedroom long that night, for Martha had only just left when Hebe came in and sat on the window seat beside her.
“You are in love with him.” She sounded surprised.
“With Walter? Yes. I have been in love with him for years.”
“I had no idea! How could I not know? How could you never show it, you unnatural creature? When he became engaged to the Franklyn girl, you should have had hysterics or gone into a decline, at the very least, but I never suspected a thing. I thought you were insane to throw over Mr Lomax and his four thousand a year for a man with nothing, but I understand it all now. And Walter loves you, too.”
“Yes!Is it not wonderful? To love and be loved in return… it is the most amazing thing.”
Hebe smiled. “It certainly is. I am so happy for you, Winnie, because no one deserves it more than you. And to hide your true feelings for so long… I could not have done so.”
“I am not like you, Hebe.”
“No. Is he really such a terrible kisser? Mr Lomax, I mean. I nearly died when you said he should practise! Was it horrid? I cannot imagine any kiss being horrid. William’s kisses are… glorious.” She gave a little wriggle of pleasure.
“And so are Walter’s.”
