Page 33 of A Single Thread of Moonlight

I glanced to the side of my plate where a small card, embossed with gold, declared tonight’s menu. My eyes widened as I took in the endless list of dishes: Mulligatawny soup; turbot with lobster sauce; crimped cod and oyster sauce; fried, filleted soles; fillets of beef with vegetables; mutton cutlets and tomato sauce; lobster rissoles; oyster patties; partridges with herbs; larded sweetbreads; roast hare with game sauce; chicken with watercress; salad; artichokes; stewed celery. I hadn’t even come to the list of desserts yet. It was a far cry from Mrs Turnbull’s cooking.

Plate after plate was laid out on the sideboard and served to us. I had a hearty appetite, but even I began taking only a few mouthfuls of each dish the further we waded in.

It took a long time.

As etiquette dictated, I split my time making conversation between Lord Wynter and the colonel on my other side. The colonel was a nice man, but extremely dull. He wanted to discuss nothing but fishing, despite my claiming little knowledge on the subject. Rather than putting him off, he decided to educate me on the differences between fishing for trout and fishing for perch. I made certain to cast shy glances across the table at Stefan at intervals, and more often than not, he was already looking at me. Nicholas was attentive, checking that my glass was filled, that I was served the best of everything, leaning a shade closer than was strictly proper.

Eventually, the chatter opened up, with people speaking across the table to one another.

“Miss Fox,” Agatha cooed from her position beside Stefan, “do tell us, how did you and Lord Wynter meet? I’m sure we’re all dying to know.”

Like her mother, Agatha was making the mistake of thinking this would quench rather than fire Stefan’s interest.

“I cannot quite remember how old I was – I believe I was around … six or seven?” I looked to Nicholas for guidance. I had absolutely no idea what he had already told people.

“You were six,” he said firmly, “and I was ten. It was over the summer, when we were staying in Sussex. Miss Fox was our neighbour – her own home was next door to the house we had taken for the summer.”

“I thought you said your home was in Yorkshire, Miss Fox?” Stefan frowned.

I tried not to wince. “I did,” I improvised wildly, “and it is … but we often summer in our Sussex home.”

“And so it went, every summer for some years,” Nicholas agreed swiftly. “You’ll remember, Grandmother – which summers did Mother and Father take me?”

“I believe it was ’87 to ’91,” the dowager countess replied crisply.

“A shame you couldn’t join us,” her grandson said.

“You know I do not like the seaside, Nicholas,” Lady Wynter replied. She paused majestically. “I do not care for sand.” The words rang out, and Lady Bell nodded enthusiastically at this wise pronouncement.

Jack sputtered into his wine glass, and the dowager countess’s steely glare swung in his direction.

“Lord Wynter was awfully grand at first,” I said. “He didn’t want to associate with a provincial little girl. But I won him over with my charm.”

Nicholas snorted. “Your charm? Is that what you call following me around like a shadow?”

I tutted. “Ah, but then things changed, didn’t they? You went through your awkward phase, and I was the only one to take pity on you.”

“It’s hard to imagine Lord Wynter having an awkward phase,” Lady Bell tittered.

“I don’t know about that,” Jack put in. “I for one would love to hear all about it, Miss Fox.” He was sitting back, his wine glass cradled in his hand and a look of great enjoyment on his face.

Lord Wynter’s jaw twitched.

“He was so sweet,” I said. “Ever so gangly and shy, and” – I turned to face him – “do you remember? There was that whole summer you carried that teddy bear everywhere with you, you couldn’t stand to be parted.” I was enjoying myself now, watching to see how he would react to being teased.

“His name was Edward,” Nicholas said easily, though his eyes promised murder later on.

Jack gave a bark of laughter, and Sophia choked on her drink.

“My, my,” Helena said drily. “How lovely to have such a long acquaintance.”

“I’ve been fortunate,” I said. “I don’t have a wide acquaintance outside of our country circles, but – after some persuasion – my father has agreed it’s time for me to make my come out in society. He was quite nervous about it, and so knowing that there is someone watching out for me has reassured him greatly. Lord Wynter has been extremely kind in arranging things for me.”

“I’m sure Wynter was more than happy to help such a lovely young lady,” the colonel said gallantly from beside me. The wine we’d been drinking with dinner had only added to his rosy complexion and he beamed at me like a benevolent Santa Claus.

Nicholas nodded. “When I heard from Miss Fox’s father that she was coming down to London for a few weeks and didn’t know a soul, I couldn’t resist taking her under my wing.”

I cleared my throat. “Of course, my formal come out will not be until next season.”