‘It’s not really different. Lizzie is a guest in my parents’ house. It’s my duty to see that she enjoys herself.’
‘Well, she very obviously did that! And so did you! Jiving, for God’s sake!’
‘Not many people can jive so well these days. I was having fun. It’s hardly a crime.’
‘It’s not very polite when you know I can’t do it.’
‘It’s not hard. I could have taught you if you’d let me.’
‘I wouldn’t waste my time!’
‘That’s your choice. Occasionally having a jive at a party is mine.’
‘At least I don’t spend it dancing with other men.’
‘Are you accusing me of being unfaithful? Because I danced twice with another woman?’ Hugo asked quietly.
Electra laughed. ‘I’m certainly not doing that! Not with that little nobody.’
Lizzie didn’t wait to hear more. She went out of the door and back to the dance as quickly as she could. She met Alexandra and Meg coming out of the door.
‘Oh, I thought you’d gone in,’ said Meg.
‘I got a bit – er lost,’ said Lizzie, relieved to see them. ‘Let’s go upstairs together.’
Chapter Fifteen
Lizzie was extremely relieved she wasn’t obliged to have breakfast in the dining room the next morning, with Lady Lennox-Stanley and Electra. The kitchen option, with the cook, Mrs Cannock, was much more fun.
The four girls all sat up one end of the kitchen table. Vanessa was obviously a great favourite with the cook.
‘If you girls don’t mind serving yourselves,’ said Mrs Cannock, whom Vanessa called ‘Canny’. She was busy with scrambling eggs for the dining room. ‘I’ve done you some sausages, as requested, Miss Nessa, and I’ve got some fried bread going if you fancy that.’
‘Canny’s breakfasts are guaranteed to cure a hangover, if you’ve got one,’ said Vanessa, holding a spitting frying pan and sliding sausages on to plates. ‘I don’t know why greasy food helps, but it does.’
Lizzie didn’t have a hangover in the alcoholic sense. But she still felt dreadful after the previousevening and what she’d overheard. She ate a sausage slowly and refused fried bread.
It was all she could do not to leap to her feet when Lady Lennox-Stanley and Electra came in. Fortunately, they were both very preoccupied.
‘There you are, Vanessa! I hope you’re not getting in Mrs Cannock’s way,’ said her mother, obviously for form’s sake, not because she greatly cared if her cook was inconvenienced. ‘We have an emergency.’
‘Yes,’ Electra went on. ‘The florist I booked for tonight has let me down and we’ll need you to do the flowers. No one else has time. The party has to be perfect for our announcement.’
‘We can help Vanessa with the flowers, Lady Lennox-Stanley,’ said Alexandra. ‘Lizzie is really good at them.’
Lady Lennox-Stanley frowned at Lizzie and then smiled at Alexandra. She could obviously smell aristocratic blood, thought Lizzie, and didn’t like to waste smiles on common people.
‘I’ll help if I possibly can,’ said Electra. ‘They need to be first rate. A lot of important people are coming, and these details are important. Now I’d better check aboutThe Times…’
Lady Lennox-Stanley and Electra swept out of the kitchen again, like a pair of dogs, working as a team.
‘I’m not awfully good at flowers,’ said Vanessa. ‘And I promised I’d tidy the barn.’
‘I’ll do them,’ said Lizzie. ‘If you give me the things, and maybe the flowers. Will your mother have bought flowers?’
Vanessa shook her head. ‘Not if she was expecting a florist to just bring arrangements.’
‘You want to take Lizzie to see Mr Dudley,’ said Mrs Cannock. ‘He’s the head gardener. Here …’ She handed a tureen of scrambled egg to a waiting maid. ‘Take the towel; the dish is red hot. It’s the only chance of getting it to the dining room in an edible condition.’
