“Well, now, Walter, what is all this about? Have we not had enough dramatic changes in our lives? Why hurtle to the altar in this harum-scarum manner? I do not like this sudden start, nor do I like being kept in the dark like this. Just because your circumstances have changed does not mean you can go off and do whatever you like.”
“Actually, that is precisely what it means,” Walter said with a slight chuckle. “There is still family affection between us, naturally, butlegallyI am not your son… I am the son of nobody. I could, if I wished, go off and do exactly as I like, without reference to you or anyone, but of course I would not do so. I still value your opinion.”
“And my money, I dare say. I still pay your allowance.”
“For which I am very grateful, but I hope one day to be independent of your charity.”
“You will never do so by marrying a daughter of Strong’s! There is no money there to keep you afloat. No offence, Winnie.”
“None taken, my lord, and we have no intention of hurtling to the altar. Our marriage will have to wait until Walter is established in a career and can afford to support a family.”
“Ah, you always were a sensible girl. Pour us all some wine, will you, for I need something to fortify me, after doing the pretty to guests and now this revelation.” The earl passed a tired hand across his face. “And why nottellme what you are up to?”
“Sir Hubert insisted on secrecy just at first,” Walter said. “He disapproves mightily of the entire business. I am not a fit husband for his daughter, you see.”
“What, a baronet objecting to an earl’s son? The man is getting above himself.”
Walter laughed. “He is perfectly right, Father. I cannot possibly afford to marry, so I have no business offering for Winnie at all. But… it has happened, and astonishingly, she has accepted me, so there we are. I am sure you will be glad about it in the end. She is far too good for me, you know, and a considerably better match for me than Bea Franklyn, fortune or no fortune.”
The earl’s lips quirked into a half smile. “There, I will agree with you. Winnie is such a sensible girl, she will keep your feet on the ground. I never understood what you were thinking with Bea Franklyn.”
“I was not thinking at all, to be honest. I never thought deeply about anything very much. What need had I to consider my future, when my whole life was mapped out for me from birth? I was destined for an idle life, waiting for you to die. A suitable wife was part of the plan, and Bea thrust herself under my nose. You had told me many times how Mother snatched you up when you were looking in quite another direction, and how happy that made you, so it seemed to me that I was merely following your example. I dare say we should have been contented enough, but there was no great affection between us. Not much on my sideand none at all on hers. But now! Everything is different now. I cannot be glad that someone took an axe to Nicholson, but his death and the discovery that he was never ordained has shaken me out of my rut. It may have taken away my inheritance, but it has brought me something infinitely more precious to me — my darling Winnie, and the freedom to choose my own path in life. I am going to go back to town in October with Mr Alfred Strong and take up a position in the Treasury, and in time, I shall marry Winnie and be blissfully happy.”
The earl nodded thoughtfully. “I thought perhaps you were snatching at the nearest female after Bea Franklyn rejected you, but now I see that is not so. But what about you, Winnie? Jane has been telling me all the ins and outs of this fellow you met in London. You were betrothed to him a matter of days ago, yet now you are to marry Walter.”
Winnie crossed the room to kneel before his chair and take his hand. “Dear Lord Rennington, I have been in love with Walter for years and years. He never saw me as other than a friend for most of that time, but when his betrothal ended and we were to go to London together, I hoped that finally he might see me as something more than a friend. When Mr Lomax appeared and still Walter gave me no sign, I finally despaired of him and accepted Mr Lomax. Happily for me, my betrothal gave Walter the nudge he needed, and when Mr Lomax jilted me, Walter was there to step forward. I am sorry we were obliged to keep it from you for a while. I hope you can forgive us, and wish us well.”
“I do wish you well… I wish you both joy. You will do very well together.” He sighed. “I only wish my own marriage were so happily settled. I am not used to this business of courtship. What did you think of Mrs Vaughn?”
“Buck-toothed,” Walter said at once.
“Walter!” Winnie cried. “She is not buck-toothed. She is a fine-looking woman, I thought.”
“No, she is a little buck-toothed,” the earl said, frowning. “Or at least, she seems to have too many teeth for her mouth. It is most disconcerting when she talks.”
“Really, my lord,” Winnie said. “It is character that counts, not teeth.”
“No, no, teeth are very important,” the earl said solemnly. “Hair and teeth and eyes and a good figure. And not weeping at every little thing. And not chewing with her mouth open, or slurping her soup, or—”
“Conversation,” Winnie said firmly. “That is what truly matters.”
“Ah, so you chose Walter for his powers of conversation, did you?” the earl said, his eyes twinkling merrily, and Winnie had the grace to blush. “There now, how pretty you are when you colour up like that. Walter, bring Winnie to dinner one day soon… Thursday, if that would suit. Then we can toast your future and plan a modest celebration of your betrothal. How lovely to have some good news for a change! Bring Alfred Strong with you, and he can tell me all about this Treasury position you seem so keen on. Now off you go and tell your Aunt Alice the news, and see if you can persuade her out of her room. It is time she rejoined the world.”
***
Winnie was both excited and nervous about the dinner at Corland Castle. For the first time, she would take her place amongst the Athertons as a future member of the family, but she knew that Walter’s choice would not receive universal approbation. However, she was received very cordially.
The company was small enough and intimate enough for complete informality at the dinner table, and with Mr Nicholson’s murderer safely behind bars in York, the atmosphere was light. Even Lady Alice felt well enough to emerge from her seclusion and join the company. Captain Edgerton kept them all entertained with his improbable tales, sometimes of India and sometimes of his murders and other investigations. Kent and Uncle Alfred sat on either side of Lady Alice, describing the various dishes to her, and cutting larger portions into smaller pieces for her to manage more easily. The genial Scot, Mr Alexander, managed to amuse Olivia, no easy task, while also conducting an intense discussion with Eustace. They made a strange pair, Eustace so dark and slender, and the Scotsman big and blond. Winnie had Lord Rennington on one side of her and Walter on the other, with Mrs Edgerton across the table, which arrangement she felt could not be bettered.
“You will be leaving Corland very soon, I imagine, Mrs Edgerton, now that the captain’s business here is concluded,” Winnie said during a lull in the conversation.
“We leave tomorrow to collect Miss Peach.”
“Your companion? She is not here?”
“She is at Pickering.”
“Pickering?”Eustace said, in astonished tones. “What is she doing there?”
