‘Would my aunt agree, I wonder?’
‘Oh, I should think she would,’ replied Lady Godmanchester, feigning innocence.
There was a pause. Elizabeth gazed into space, thinking, and then smiled wearily at Lady Godmanchester. ‘Forgive me. I must seem churlish to even hesitate at such an offer. Please, blame it upon a poor night’s repose and my own “indisposition”.’
‘Of course.’ Lady Godmanchester patted Elizabeth’s uninjured hand.
‘I will come, if my aunt permits, and do so with gratitude, my dearest of friends.’
‘Oh Elizabeth, I am quite excited about the thought of showing you Thornby, and most importantly, you can meet306baby George. It is very unfashionable to say so, but I do so miss him.’ She sighed. ‘London would not be good for him, with all the noise and so many diseases in the air. Country air is so much sweeter. He is such a darling baby, too. I am sure you will fall in love with him, and he says the drollest little words. Let us go and speak to Lady Chalford. We might even be able to set out the day after tomorrow.’
‘She’s doing what?’ Sir Lucius exclaimed, frowning at Lord Godmanchester.
‘Helen invited her to Thornby Park. It seems Miss Ashling was all for bolting back to Sussex, which was causing great fluttering in the Chalford dovecote, and since I had been trying to get Helen out of London anyway, Helen thought it a tidy solution – which in many ways it is. Less gossip all round, and a feasible reason, just about, for Miss Ashling’s withdrawal.’
‘I see.’ The frown did not lift. ‘She wouldn’t see me this morning, when I went to try and explain, to apologise. At least at Thornby she won’t be able to avoid—’
‘Lucius, I am sorry, but you can’t come to Thornby.’
‘But surely—’
‘You are my closest friend, Lucius, and I would do anything for you, except upset my wife, especially while she is in a delicate condition.’
‘But I have no intention of upsetting her.’
‘If you come to Thornby Park, can you imagine what it will be like if Miss Ashling will not leave her room lest she meet you, takes her meals apart also? As a hostess, as a friend, Helen will be in a hellish predicament and will307be distressed. If I have to choose between my wife and my friend, then … There is no choice, can be no choice. I am truly sorry.’ Godmanchester ran a hand through his hair.
Sir Lucius gave a twisted smile and laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘You are the best of fellows, Giles, and honourable in the extreme. It has always been one of the things I most admired in you. I may not like your decision, in fact I am damned put out by it, but I do not hold it against you, nor think it damages our friendship. It does, however, put me in a tight spot. If Miss Ashling were returning to Sussex, then I should seek her there, but as it is I am prevented from doing the one thing I want – in fact, need – to do. She may not forgive me, but, by Heaven, she must be brought to realise that I never intended her hurt, even before I …’
‘Fell in love with her. I know, my dear Lucius.’
Sir Lucius sighed. ‘I never thought it would happen, Giles. It crept up upon me.’
‘It does that, my friend.’ Godmanchester smiled.
‘But you were fortunate. Your Helen returned your affection, or at least was prepared to do so. Elizabeth Ashling views all men as perfidious and none more so than me.’
‘Write to her. Just not quite yet, though.’
‘It isn’t the same, and what hope have I that she will not tear whatever I scribe to her into pieces without ever reading a word?’
‘I know Helen would try and persuade her to read it, and then, perhaps, she could be brought round to seeing you.’
‘But you know as well as I do, it is not just seeing me308that I want, not really. What do you give for my chances, Giles?’
‘Oh, never say die, Lucius. You can be a jolly persuasive chap when you want. She may yet come round, and I know Helen was convinced that she was not impervious to you before she found out about the horse and then the source of her appellation.’
‘I’d give a monkey to find out who told her about the horse, indeed who knew, other than us.’
‘Well, they never heard it from me.’ Godmanchester sounded aggrieved.
‘Of course they didn’t, so don’t fly up in the boughs about it.’
‘Well, if you ask me, the likeliest person to tell Miss Ashling anything unpleasant is the Rendlesham woman. Seems they were at daggers drawn through their first Season. Or rather,’ Godmanchester revised his statement, justly, ‘she cordially disliked Miss Ashling, until such time as she snapped up her marquis. Just shows that Rendlesham was even more of a fool than we thought him.’
‘Is that possible?’
‘In view of his remarriage, yes.’ Godmanchester grinned. ‘If she found out anything, she would be certain to make trouble with it. Now, as for you, stay up in Town, act as if nothing has happened, so that the gossips will find it harder to concoct a farradiddle just too close to the truth for comfort, then write that letter, and let time and Helen do the rest. Oh, and I am going to tell another lie.’
