Page 34 of A Sense of Misgiving
‘Not if they value their positions.’
‘Even so.’ She looked away from him and tidied her coverlet, even though it was perfectly aligned. ‘We ought to restrict our interaction to the rooms downstairs.’
The more agitated she became, the more he appeared to enjoy himself at her expense. ‘Where would be the fun in that?’
‘You are impossible!’ She turned away from him, blushing and conflicted. ‘Go away, you devil, and leave me to my leisure time.’
‘If you insist.’
He levered himself elegantly from the window-ledge and paused directly in front of her. Her mouth went dry and her breath hitched in her throat. She felt sure that he would touch her, and equally sure that she wouldn’t prevent him. But he did not. Instead, he simply shook his head and walked towards the door.
‘I hope to see you and Grandmamma at dinner,’ he said.
And then he was gone. Leaving nothing behind him to speak of his presence, other than a lingering aroma of horses and sandalwood soap. Flora blew air through her lips, hoping it would cool her burning cheeks, and then threw herself fully clothed onto her bed, disadvantaged and discomposed.
Far from standing on her principles, she had given in to Luke like one of the pathetic little creatures with no mind of her own that she so despised. She was now the outright owner of a fashionable collection of clothing and had allowed a single gentleman to purchase it for her. There was a name for women who did such things. She had accepted all the benefits that a kept woman looked upon as her right without providing any services in return. She was shocked at just how cheated she felt. Papa would be appalled at the changes in her. Luke’s accusation that she still clung to certain aspects of her strict religious upbringing had, she knew, persuaded her to accept his generous gift without putting up more of a fight. A small part of her scandalously hoped that he would eventually expect something from her in return. Inexperienced though she was, she had recognised temptation and regret conducting full scale warfare in his expression and, incredible though it seemed, she realised that he wanted the same thing too.
‘Not so much like my father after all then,’ she said aloud, smiling up at the ceiling.
Chapter Eight
‘I’m glad you two arrived early,’ Luke said, handing glasses of whisky to Archie and Alvin, as well as to Paul. ‘Congratulations upon your impending fatherhood, Alvin.’
The others echoed Luke’s sentiment and raised their glasses to Alvin.
‘Didn’t waste much time there, old chap,’ Archie remarked, downing a large swallow of his drink. ‘Glad you haven’t lost sight of what’s important.’
‘Not sure about that, but I do know that the thought of all that responsibility scares me rigid.’ Alvin took a healthy swig of whisky. ‘When I think of some of our antics when we were up at Oxford, I start to understand how our own fathers must have felt.’
‘Perhaps it will be a girl,’ Luke suggested.
Alvin screwed up his eyes. ‘That will be even worse.’
‘Speaking of Oxford,’ Paul said, glancing at Archie, ‘I spoke with Mary yesterday, and during the course of our conversation she offhandedly told me that she was glad to see you brought back to life.’
‘The hell she did!’
Luke looked appalled but Archie appeared only mildly concerned.
‘Who told her?’ Archie asked. ‘Miss Latimer, I would imagine.’
‘Not a chance!’ All heads turned in Luke’s direction and he realised he had spoken more assertively than had been his intention. ‘Her absolute discretion can be depended upon,’ he added in a more moderate tone. ‘Don’t look at me in that fashion, you blithering fools,’ he added when Archie and Alvin both treated him to speculative looks. ‘The chit is desperate to avoid returning to her over-zealous father, so it’s within her interests to protect this family’s secrets.’
‘Can’t blame her for having had enough bible-bashing,’ Archie remarked languidly.
‘For what it’s worth, Archie, Mary told me that she had reached that conclusion without anyone’s help. She nobody’s fool. She knew you had supposedly died from a fall from your horse, which is the story we put about, and reasoned that your injuries are consistent with those of a man who’d survived such a fall. She thought it too much of a coincidence that your father’s French nephew, the man whom you are now supposed to be, would have suffer from a similar disability.’
Luke chuckled. ‘My sister is too clever by half.’ He glanced at Alvin. ‘Has Emma put it together, too?’
Alvin shrugged. ‘If she has, she hasn’t said anything to me. But then again, she’s been distracted ever since she found out about her condition.’
‘And now denying you your rights, old chap?’ Archie asked, with a ribald grin. ‘Well, if you will insist upon entering into a love match, you only have yourself to blame.’
‘Ha! Wait until it happens to you.’ Alvin returned Archie’s smile with a smugly satisfied one of his own. ‘And my personal affairs are none of your damned concern.’
‘I won’t ever marry,’ Archie said, sounding unnaturally serious. ‘Well, not for love anyway. Who’d have an old cripple like me?’
‘Who would have put up with you before you became a cripple?’ Luke countered, lightening the suddenly sombre mood with his irreverence as he idly reached a hand down to scratch Romulus’s ears.
