And so saying, he made his escape to the library, empty now and an oasis of tranquillity. With a sigh of relief, he sat down at his desk, opened his copy of Horace and set to work. He was so engrossed, he did not hear the door open or soft footsteps approaching him.
“So this is where you are hiding,” Miss Franklyn said in her clear voice, right in his ear.
He jumped half out of his skin and dropped his pen, splattering ink all over the page. “Pft! Now look what you have made me do! I shall have to begin again.”
“I am very sorry,” she said, not sounding at all contrite. “I do not know why you did not hear me, for I was not at all creeping up on you or trying to be quiet.”
“It is of no consequence,” he said resignedly. “What are you doing in here, Miss Franklyn? Did you wish to find a book?”
“I wondered what you were doing, that is all.”
“As I mentioned before, I am transcribing Horace.”
“Yes, but why?”
“It is for a treatise I am to present—” He realised abruptly how skilfully he was being drawn in. Here they were, alone in the library, and the door was closed, he now noted, and she was keeping him talking. What interest had she in Horace? Not the least in the world! “You should not be in here without a chaperon, Miss Franklyn. Allow me to escort you back to your mother.”
Before he could do so, the door opened and first Carter and then Bertram’s three sisters came in at a rush.
“There you are, Bea!” Julia said brightly. “We wanted to show you the new morning gowns in theLady’s Magazine. They are quite ravishing — do come!”
Bea laughed, perfectly aware of the deception, but allowed herself to be shepherded away with only a single backward glance at Bertram.
“I beg your pardon, sir,” Carter said, looking flustered. “I left William to watch the hall, but he was obliged to step downstairs for a moment, and the lady slipped past unnoticed. It will not happen again, I assure you.”
“Thank you, Carter. I appreciate your concern on my behalf, but it is quite unnecessary.”
“If you say so, sir,” the butler said, but he sounded unconvinced.
Bertram returned to Horace, and remained undisturbed until the dressing bell.
***
As the carriage made its ponderous way back to Highwood Place, Bea told her stepmother all that Bertram had said.
“I do think it is too bad of Papa to write to him in that way, as if I werejiltingWalter! As if I could possibly marry him after his circumstances have so materially altered. You do not think I am wrong to aim for Bertram instead, do you?”
“It is never wrong to aim as high as you can, Beatrice, and an earl is an excellent match for you, with your attractions. I confess I was disappointed that nothing came of your first three seasons in town, apart from the usual array of younger sons and other fortune hunters. You always said that Lord Birtwell was the most likely prospect, and you were proved right about that. But no, I do not advise you to marry an illegitimate son. That would be a sad come-down for a girl in your advantageous position. However, I have to say that Mr Bertram Atherton is likely to be a tougher nut to crack. Nor is he as promising a specimen, to my mind. He is not at all handsome.”
“Do you think so?” Bea said. “It is true that Walter is handsomer and more… more manly, perhaps, but there is something rather appealing about Bertram, especially when he removes his spectacles. Do you think he meant what he said, about never marrying? Perhaps I should try for Lucas instead.”
“No, no, no! Never accept a younger brother when the elder is unwed… or at all, frankly. It is far too uncertain. Besides, all men say that they will never marry, right up to the point when they propose. Mr Bertram Atherton is certainly your best hope here, but perhaps you would like to cast your net more widely? Not the season again, for there are far too many Honourables and Lady this and that for you ever to shine there, fortune or no fortune, not to mention a few outstanding beauties who attract all the attention. It is a pity about your nose… and thoseexcessive curls, and black, too. If only you had been fair! Golden hair does stand out in a crowd. But you have a trim little figure and are not at all shy, which is fatal with gentlemen. Nor have you ever been so foolish as to fall in love.”
“I should hope not, Mama!”
Her stepmother laughed. “No, indeed. That can only end in tears and regrets. But perhaps we should look to my family for a solution to the difficulty. Charity quite took you under her wing this spring, and she invited us to Brandlebury, did she not? Or at least… I am sure I can persuade her to invite us. Should you like that?”
Bea considered for a moment, but she was reluctant to abandon all possibility of securing Bertram. “Lord and Lady Ramsey are still in town at the moment, I believe, and Charity did not know where they would go after that. Let me see what I can do with Bertram, and if I make no progress, then perhaps we can go to Brandlebury in the autumn.”
“Very well, dear. That sounds like a sensible plan.”
Having thus reached an accord, the two ladies settled down to discuss the abominably provincial fashions of Mrs George Atherton and her daughters.
***
Bertram and his father went the following morning, as arranged, to see the earl and examine the accounts. Bertram’s mother decided at the last minute to accompany them.
“I shall sit with Caroline for a while, and perhaps look in on the Dowager, if she is awake.”
