And now she wondered just what they would think when they knew of their betrothal. They would say that he was marrying beneath him, probably, for even though he was not now to be a peer, he was still the son of an earl. They would say, too, that he should marry a woman of fortune, now that he had none of his own, and he was handsome enough and charming enough to be successful, if he would set his mind to it. He did not have to settle for Winnie Strong, daughter of a baronet of little wealth and no importance. Perhaps it would have been better if Walter had come here by himself.
And better yet if she could stop brooding and be conversable, as was expected of her, but her mind was blank. For some minutes she sat in silence, half listening to the swirl of conversations going on around her, and half occupied with her own thoughts. So she was startled when Mr George Atherton, was sitting nearby, called across to her, “I believe congratulations are in order, Miss Strong. I wish you joy.”
“You know?” Winnie said, startled.
“My dear, everyone knows of your good fortune.”
“George, dear,” his wife said, waving frantically at him from across the room.
Taken by surprise, Winnie burst out, “Well, I do not know how, for it has all been a great secret, and we only came here today to tell his father of it.”
There was absolute silence in the room. Mr George looked panicked, then glanced across at his wife, who sighed and shook her head slightly.
“Oh, I see,” Winnie said, laughing. “You are thinking perhaps of Mr Lomax. No, that is all off, and now…”
Her words trickled away into the silence. Everyone stared at her, astonished. Then, slowly working it out, they looked at Walter and back again at Winnie. Only the earl, not as quick on the uptake, still looked puzzled.
Olivia was shocked out of her torpor. “You are going to marryher?”she said, with as much disdain as if Winnie had been an opera dancer. “Whatever for?”
“For the usual reason,” Walter said calmly, rising to his feet, “that she makes me very happy, and my life would be miserable without her. Father, I apologise for springing this on you. We had hoped to find you alone to tell you discreetly, but it is true — Winnie and I are engaged to be married.”
“And how long has this been going on?” the earl said, frowning.
“I am not sure what you mean by‘going on’,”Walter said.
“When did you propose?”
“Oh… a little over a week ago.”
“And she accepted you then?”
“She did, but—”
The earl rose from his chair and positioned himself directly in front of Walter. “So you have been engaged for more than a week… my eldest son is engaged for a full week and does notthink to tell his own father? But I cannot discuss this now, not when I have guests. You will wait for me in my study, and I shall arrange for Miss Strong to be conveyed home.”
“No, Father, we arrived together, and we will leave together. You talk to us both or not at all.”
For an instant, the two men glared at each other, father and son, their eyes locked together. Walter was slightly the taller, with the broad shoulders and well-built figure of the habitual sportsman. The earl was armoured with the dignity of his rank, and centuries of haughty expectation of instant obedience. But he was not a belligerent man, so after a few moments, he nodded curtly.
“In my study, then.”
Winnie wished she could curl into a tiny ball and hide under the furniture. Oh, to be a mouse in truth, and scuttle away to a safe hiding place! Instead, she had to accept the arm that Walter offered her and allow herself to be led from the room past the shocked faces of all of them.
They had only just left the room, and were still in the passage leading to the great hall, when they heard quick footsteps behind them. It was Mrs George, with a warm smile on her face.
“My dears, what wonderful news! I am so happy for you both. You must not let Rennington browbeat you, you know. He will come round to it soon enough. He is a bit lost at the moment and it makes him tetchy, but his tempers never last long. You must both come to Westwick for dinner very soon.”
And then, with a quick wave, she was gone, dashing back to the drawing room.
“She is right, of course,” Walter said. “You must not look as if the weight of the world has dropped on your shoulders, my darling. You were so happy on the way here.”
“But I could not bear to be the cause of a rift between you and your father.”
“Then you must give me up at once,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her gently. “Go on, jilt me.” Another kiss. “I am waiting.” Another longer kiss.
She pulled away from him, laughing delightedly. “Silly man! I waited ten years for you, and nothing in the world would induce me to give you up now. If you want to be rid of me, you will just have to jilt me yourself.”
He answered that without a word being spoken, so it seemed to Winnie that they were in perfect accord on the subject, but he continued to reassure her for some time. Only when they heard voices emerging from the drawing room did they reluctantly break apart. Passing through the great hall, they came to the library and the study beyond. A little while later, the earl found them sitting decorously side by side on a sofa, not so much as holding hands.
