Page 52 of A Sense of Misgiving
‘Please, don’t go on my account. I have nothing to say to Luke that’s you’re not welcome to hear too.’
‘I have had more than enough of his company for one morning. You’re welcome to him.’
Paul left the room and Luke felt fully aware of Flora’s presence as a temporary silence descended over it. He had seen her the previous day, walking alone around the lake, and the desire to join her had almost overwhelmed him, accounting in part for the amount of brandy he had consumed in the hope that it would distract him. He also knew that she had attended Evensong alone and he’d been unaccountably worried when she was late returning from the service. The presence of his friends had prevented him from sending for her and asking her why she had been delayed. She was a servant in his household, he had been obliged to remind himself, and what she got up to in her leisure time was absolutely no business of his.
‘You look a little ragged, if you don’t mind my remarking upon the fact,’ Flora said, her lilting cadence breaking the silence, a teasing smile touching her lips.
‘Blame Archie.’
She canted her head, looking sceptical. ‘And you have no willpower of your own?’
‘Not where Archie’s concerned. We none of us have. He’s like a force of nature, and you just get swept along with whatever it is that he decides to do. And since there isn’t that much he can do nowadays other than drink…’
‘Don’t expect me to feel sorry for you. I am convinced that he wouldn’t use his disability to coerce you into draining your cellars.’
Luke shook his head cautiously to avoid agitating his headache. ‘He doesn’t need to. Our friendship goes back too far and—’
‘And you thought you had lost him, so you grasp every opportunity to celebrate his resurrection.’
‘Something like that. Do sit down, if that beast will leave you be.’ Luke snapped his fingers at Romulus who dutifully fell back on the rug, tail flapping, adoring eyes fixed upon Luke.
‘Goodness, how did you make him do that?’ Flora asked, smiling at the silly mutt. ‘He never listens to a word I say.’
‘He knows you are a soft touch.’
Flora arched a well-shaped brow as Luke took the chair across from her. ‘And you are not?’
He smiled. ‘You’ve found me out.’
‘Luke, I need to tell you about something that happened yesterday,’ she said, turning serious.
Luke’s stomach lurched as he leaned forward. ‘What is it?’
‘My father. I went to church yesterday evening and he was there.’
‘How the devil…? What did he want? I presume you spoke with him.’
‘I received advance warning that I would be waylaid in the porch on the way out, so I was prepared after a fashion.’
Luke gave a grim nod, in no mood to tease her about her sixth-sense.
‘I heard someone come into the service just after it had started, but I didn’t know it was him at the time. I’m just grateful that Mrs Ingram didn’t happen to be in the porch when I was obliged to confront Papa.’ She gave a rueful smile. ‘I was not very polite to him, I’m afraid. Mr Ingram didn’t know how to react, but you can be sure that his wife would have taken Papa’s side, what with him being such an important figure within the church.’ Flora chuckled. ‘I don’t think she likes me much anyway because I refuse to try and make your grandmother attend service.’
‘What happened?’ Luke could see that she was still agitated following the confrontation, but resisted the urge to lean forward and give her hand a reassuring squeeze. He had been doing that too often recently. ‘Did he try to make you return with him?’
‘Oh yes. He said he was in the district on church business, but I didn’t believe it for a moment. When I stood up to him, he actually tried to meet me half way by admitting he had been too strict and that if I returned with him, he would not force me to marry Mr Bolton.’
Luke snorted. ‘How very charitable of him.’
‘Quite.’
Luke listened, his anger causing a rich burn to radiate through his body as Flora continued to relate particulars of the exchange. He suspected that she was underplaying the fear she had felt to sparehisfeelings.
‘I am absolutely sure that he will try to blacken your name, using the information he thinks he holds against your late father.’ Flora tossed her head. ‘It is beyond frustrating that he would not tell me where he had acquired that information. Not that I expected him to, since I am convinced he could only have been told in confidence.’
‘In his professional capacity?’
‘Yes, and the consequences for the church would be far-reaching if he was found not to have kept a parishioner’s confession to himself.’
