“You have, Georgy,” Apple broke in, controlling her amusement, “and I’m truly grateful to you. But the thing is, I’m afraid Alex has not met with success and anything Mr Vergette told him is probably confidential. Otherwise, I dare say he would have told me himself in his letter.”
“Well, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Alex could not let this pass. “Wouldn’t mean to, but I know you, Georgy, and the last thing we need is for you to come out with anything about Vergette before my mother. Or my father, come to that. If they’re going to accept Apple for a friend of yours, we can’t risk them hearing anything untoward.”
Both girls blinked at him. Georgy recovered first.
“A friend of mine? What in the world are you at, Alex?”
Rather to Alex’s relief, for the coming discussion might well be prolonged, Berryman entered the room.
“Dinner is served, my lady.”
Although the females were agog, Alex waited until the first course had been laid out and their plates filled before resuming the subject, first checking that only the butler remained in the dining parlour.
“Had it in mind to ask that nurse of yours to stay here and look after Apple, but that won’t fadge now the Greenaways know she’s here.”
“Good heavens, no. Besides, I have promised the servants a holiday since both Rob and I will be away.”
Ignoring this interjection, Alex swept on. “Could send her to stay with the Reddicliffe at her cottage.”
“But it’s poky, Alex. There’s no room.”
“Room enough to put young Apple up for a week or two. Saw that when I went to fetch the woman. But that ain’t it.”
He took a mouthful of roasted fowl and washed it down with a swig of wine. He found Apple regarding him with a frown.
“Why don’t you like that scheme? I think it’s a very good notion, if Reddy will have me.”
“Of course she would. Pay her to have you if need be. But I’ve had a better notion. Came to me when I was changing. Going to take you to Dymond Garth with us.”
Apple’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth and she stared at him, speechless. Georgy gave a shriek.
“Have you run mad, Alex? What in the world would Mama say? She’d be horrified by Apple’s conduct, you know she would.”
“Won’t know anything about it. Unless you tell her, and you’d better not.”
Georgy remained unmoved by this stern instruction. “How horrid you are! Of course I should say nothing about all that. But even so…” She faded out, evidently turning the thing over in her mind.
Alex didn’t wait for her to arrive at her own conclusions. “Thought it all out. We’ll say you met in Bath. Where did you say you went to school, Apple?”
“Miss Godfrey’s, but this is impossible, Alex. We never met the girls from the exclusive academies, and they wouldn’t have noticed us if we had.”
Georgy flushed and took refuge in her wine for a moment. Faintly amused, Alex pressed his advantage.
“Don’t matter a whit. My mother won’t know that. You’ve only to claim acquaintance somehow. Georgy was at some fancy school there for a couple of years, and you could readily have crossed paths. Leave you to work out a story to suit between you.”
“We might very well do that, I suppose,” said his sister on a doubtful note. “Though Madame Fribourg would have frowned on us consorting with girls from the merchant class.” She then threw a hand to her mouth, gazing at Apple in consternation. “Oh, I beg your pardon, Apple. That was tactless of me.”
Alex cast up his eyes. “See what I mean, little sister? Mouth like a runaway horse!”
Before Georgy could protest, Apple cut in. “But what you said is the truth, Lady Georgiana.”
“Don’t call me that! I don’t deserve such a hateful reproach!”
Apple relented, putting out a hand to her. “No, you don’t. Forgive me.”
“Well, I will if you’ll forgive me.”
