Page 24 of A Sense of Fate
‘There are exceptions to every rule. They’ve taken it upon themselves to look out for you, and so they should.’ She paused. ‘Some more than others,’ she added thoughtfully.
‘What do you mean by that?’
Stop fretting and tell me more about this Conrad person.’
Their tea had turned cold by the time that Flora had reiterated what Archie had told her about Conrad cheating at Oxford. Mrs Finch was highly incensed by that particular revelation.
‘Never trust a man who cheats.’
‘I don’t trust him anyway.’ Flora bristled. ‘He called upon me, fully expecting to be made welcome and for me to fall at his feet in gratitude for being singled out, the odious creature! The question is, why did he go to the trouble?’
‘I dare say Lord Felsham will have done some delving in order to protect your interests.’
Flora sighed. ‘I know what you are thinking and you are quite wrong.’
‘Perhaps, but don’t let your desire for independence cloud your judgement. Lord Felsham is a proud and powerful man. You have made a lot of improvements to his life, but he will never be able to protect you in the way that a complete man would, which no doubt deals a severe blow to his masculine pride.’ Flora nodded and rolled her eyes. ‘It’s only natural that he should want to repay you by keeping you safe in other ways. Proper gentlemen are taught from the cradle to respect and protect the weaker sex.’ Mrs Finch let out a raucous laugh at variance to her ordinarily dignified behaviour. ‘You and I both know that there is nothing weak about us but their collective vanity would never recover if we told them that particular truth. Male pride is a fragile beast at the best of times, and it requires constant cosseting; always remember that.’
‘I hardly need such a reminder—but anyway,’ Flora said, glancing out the window and gathering up her possessions as sleet rattled against the glass. ‘I had best be on my way before the weather gets any worse.’ She leaned over Mrs Finch and adjusted the rug across her knee. ‘Do you have everything you need?’
‘I shall be fine. Stop fussing. Be careful driving that flimsy contraption in these conditions. Oh, and enjoy yourself at Felsham Hall tomorrow. I look forward to hearing all about it the moment you get back. I now live vicariously through your salacious exploits.’
‘Then you will be sorely disappointed. I am taking my maid with me and everything will be very proper.’ She kissed the old lady’s wrinkled brow. ‘Send the girl who comes in and cleans for you if there is anything you need during this cold spell. There is snow on the way, or so I have been told.’
‘Perhaps you will get stuck at Felsham Hall,’ Mrs Finch said with a mischievous chuckle.
Flora let out a resigned sigh. ‘You are a wicked woman, Mrs Finch.’
Flora was still laughing as she donned her coat and gloves and ventured outside to reclaim the gig. Mabel seemed oblivious to the cold and obligingly walked on after Flora had climbed onto the boxset and encouraged her forward with a slap of the reins against her generous rump.
By the time she reached home and surrendered Mabel to Will’s care she was chilled to the marrow.
‘We were getting worried about you,’ Will, a man of few words and a remarkably incurious character, said as he unharnessed Mabel.
‘Mrs Finch detained me,’ Flora replied by way of explanation as she hurried into the warmth of her kitchen.
In next to no time she was toasting her extremities in front of a good fire, having consumed a bowl of Beatrice’s vegetable soup accompanied by hot bread straight from the oven. Zeus was on her lap and the third of her grandmother’s diaries was to hand. The warmth made her drowsy after her busy day and her eyelids drooped. The words in the diary swam before her eyes and she didn’t absorb any of them.
‘It’s no good, Zeus,’ she told the cat. ‘An early night is called for.’
Chapter Six
Archie fretted about the bitterly cold conditions as the sleet continued to fall. Thankfully it didn’t settle and turn icy, nor did the promised snow materialise. Even so, he worried that Flora would be deterred from keeping their engagement, and his disappointment if that situation arose would be out of all proportion.
‘I’d best go along with the coachman,’ Pawson said, a little too eagerly. ‘Just in case the weather creates any impediments.’
‘And to ensure that Flora brings her pretty maid along with her, presumably.’ Archie chuckled at his man’s half-hearted denials. ‘Don’t hold out too much hope. Flora’s never felt the need for company before.’
Pawson grinned. ‘Perhaps she’s got wind of your evil intentions and will feel the need for moral support.’
Archie glowered at his man but made no response, not bothering to explain that his intentions with respect to Flora were surprisingly chaste for a man with a reputation to live down to. Anyway, he didn’t care who Flora brought with her, just as long as she came herself. His desire to see her, to spend an afternoon in her exclusive company, had driven all other thoughts from his mind.
Archie had been looking forward to her visit for days like a gauche youth entering into his first romantic entanglement. He almost laughed out loud at the thought of being out of his depth in any woman’s company, but facts had to be faced. Flora possessed the ability to surprise and unsettle him. He never quite knew what she would say or do next, and he rather enjoyed being caught unawares by her spontaneous behaviour, pithy retorts and the manner in which she didn’t hesitate to take him to task if she decided he had acted out of turn.
Few others would dare.
Archie found the challenge exhilarating. When Flora was at her most provocative, he even managed to forget about his incapacity for an hour or two and absolutely no one else had ever achieved that particular feat. Not even Eloise, the pretty French nurse who had catered for more than just Archie’s medical needs, and whose attentions, inventiveness and athleticism had helped preserve his sanity during his recuperation. He had wondered at one point whether he’d actually been in love with the chit. She had certainly dropped heavy enough hints about the prospect of matrimony, but something held Archie back and he had left her behind when he returned to England, handsomely recompensed for her services.
He knew now that what he had felt for Eloise had not been love, and understood why he had decided against legalising their relationship. Everything in his life up to now had been a rehearsal, a means of marking time until he met Flora. Now all he had to do was exercise a little more patience, wait until the time was right and try to persuade her that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with an incomplete man.
