Her face lit up when she saw Kent. “I did not think I would see you before tonight,” she cried, running into his arms and hugging him tight. “Oh, I am so glad to see you! I am always glad to see you, but today has been especially trying. There is such pandemonium upstairs, for Susan is to attend the ball too, although only until supper.”
“Is she having trouble deciding on a gown for the occasion?”
“No, for she only has one ball gown, but as to hair and decorations and bracelets and gloves and… well, you can imagine. Shall we sit in the window seat, and you can tell me all that you have been doing?”
“I have been plying my father with brandy and extolling your virtues and convincing him that life in Branton with you as my wife will be the making of me. I also remarked that Mr Vance, a kind and generous man, had liked you well enough to leave you ten thousand pounds in his will. As a result, Father has mellowed sufficiently to agree to make over the sum of ten thousand pounds to me instead of an allowance. So we shall not be entirely destitute.”
“And not dependent on your father, either,” she said. “That is important. I have news of that type, too. I looked at the papers relating to my trust fund, and two years ago, when it was set up, it was worth seventeen thousand pounds.”
“What! Then we are rich!”
“Not quite, but we will be, for my trust fund includes a half share in a water-driven mill, and if we install a beam engine—”
Kent gave a great shout of delight. “What an amazing girl you are, Katy Parish. Our own mill!”
“If we can buy out the other owner, or convince him regarding the improvements, yes. I have a share in a coal mine, too, and you know how profitable that can be, if it is the right sort of coal.”
“I did not know,” he admitted, “although coal was much spoken of at Branton. I have so much to learn about this business, and I cannot wait to get started. When can we be married, my love? Soon, I hope.”
“In another month, it will be a year since Papa died. That would be an appropriate time, do you not think? We can talk to Mr Dewar on Sunday about the banns, if you wish.”
“I do wish,” he whispered, gently stroking her cheek. “I wish it very much, my sweet Katy. Our marriage cannot come too soon for me so that we can begin our new life in Branton.”
He bent his head to kiss her and the music room fell silent.
***
Michaelgazedathisreflection in the mirror with a frown. “I cannot get this neckcloth straight tonight. Something about it is askew, and nothing I do seems to improve matters.”
“Would you like me to try?” Luce said.
“How humiliating, to have to depend on one’s wife to dress one with the proper symmetry,” he muttered. “Now, if James Neate were here…”
“He is better employed where he is,” she said sharply, her deft fingers pulling the linen at his neck into some sort of order. “He is not really a valet, however convincingly he portrays one.”
“I know, I know. We must hear some news of poor Miss Peach’s murderer soon. She cannot have been at that tower for weeks without someone seeing her, or noticing something amiss. And yet… no one did. It is no more than half a mile from Welwood village, yet no one saw her. Where did she buy food? Was she stealing it?”
“Michael, you have gone over all this a hundred times already. You will not find any different answers now. Let James do his job. He is very good at sitting unnoticed in corners of taprooms and listening in to conversations. Whatever she was up to, if it can be found out, he is the man to do it.”
“But it makes no sense,” he said, tugging at the neckcloth again.
“Michael, hush,” she said, pushing his fingers away from the neckcloth and setting it straight once more. “Stop fretting over all this. It is not like you to take this so to heart.”
“Miss Peach was my responsibility. We brought her here to give her a pleasant holiday, and now she is dead and it is all my fault. If I had caught the murderer, she would be alive today. She would be here tonight, watching everyone in their silks and jewels, and gathering stories to take back to her sister in Harrogate.”
“Michael!” she said sharply, grabbing hold of his lapels to force his attention. “It isnotyour fault. No one could have done more to uncover this murderer than you have, and Peachy chose to go off by herself and not tell anyone what she was up to. You cannot protect someone who does not want to be protected. She had a wonderful time chasing round after the murderer or the smugglers or whatever it was she was doing, and she would certainly not have wanted to stay safely at home and miss all the fun. Now, tonight we are going to help Mr Bertram Atherton and Miss Beatrice Franklyn celebrate their forthcoming marriage, and you are going to dance with me at least once, and take me in to supper, and you are going to enjoy yourself, do you hear me?”
He grinned suddenly. “Yes, wife. It shall be just as you say. After all, with a splendid dinner followed by a ball, how could I not enjoy myself? If you are not already engaged, madam, might I secure your hand for the supper dance?”
“I am not already engaged, sir, and I should be delighted to keep the supper dance for you.”
“Then, Mrs Edgerton, shall we go down and await the arrival of the principal guests?”
He bowed and held out his arm to her, and with a little curtsy, she rested her hand on his arm. Lord, he was a lucky man! He wished sometimes… often, in fact… that he could come out with the glib words he heard on other men’s lips.You look lovely tonight… you are an amazing woman… I am the luckiest man alive… you are the sun that lights up my life and I adore you.But somehow the words would never come. He could only hope that she saw the adoration in his eyes that he could never express in words.
Slowly, they made their way down the stairs, following a little stream of others, passing the display of armoury on the half-landing, flanked by the two Chinese urns. Michael glowered at them as he passed by.
“The axe in the urn,” he muttered under his breath. Those urns had caused him so much trouble, and as for the armoury—!
