Page 134 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

‘But he was very attentive to her,’ Dory noted. ‘Perhaps he was smitten.’

‘He has engaging manners,’ Sebastian said. ‘But I hope he does take to her. It’s time he got married.’

‘You think everyone should be married,’ Dory said fondly.

‘I would like everyone to be as happy as I am. And now I suppose I must leave you with Hatching,’ he said. He met her eyes, and a message passed between them. For decency’s sake he had to let Crooks put him to bed in the dressing-room, but he would not stay there once the servants had gone.

The trouble started at breakfast. Dory was down early to spend as much time with Sebastian as possible before the men went out. Miss Rowsham was the only other lady down, and Dory, accustomed to observing the gentry and analysing them, guessed she was hoping to further her cause with Richard. He, however, having helped her at the sideboard, went and sat down on the other side of the table and talked to Lord Ravenscar. Dory helped herself to eggs and sausages and, looking round to see where Sebastian was sitting, encountered a very frosty glance from Sir John Bayfield, instantly withdrawn. She supposed he merely objected to females coming down early to breakfast on a shooting morning and paid no attention, sitting down beside her husband.

But then Lady Bayfield came in, scanned the room, and said, in a penetrating voice, ‘Oh, Mrs Tallant, how early you must have risen. But I suppose it is old habit with you.’

Dory, startled, didn’t know what to say. Miss Rowsham, across the table from her, gave her a puzzled look, but said nothing. But then Lady Bayfield sat down next to Sir John, stared straight at Dory with a brittle and glittering smile, and said, ‘By the way, I happened to tear the hem of my gown just a little last night. I wonder if I might ask you to mend it for me.’

Beside her, Dory felt Sebastian draw a sharp breath, and Richard’s head flicked round to look at her.

Lady Bayfield went on without pausing: ‘I would ask my own maid, but she is not skilled with the needle. I’m persuaded it would be nothing to one of your experience.’

Kitty had come in, and from the door she said, in a high, tense voice, ‘Mama, Mrs Tallant is my guest.’

‘To be sure, dear,’ Lady Bayfield answered, still staring at Dory. ‘You always were a little too liberal in your ideas.’

Dory felt Sebastian about to explode, but she knew that would only make things worse – a horrible scene at breakfast, news of which would spread through the house and thence to how many other houses? She caught his hand under the table and squeezed it hard in warning, and said lightly, ‘I would oblige you, Lady Bayfield, but I don’t ply the needle any more.’

‘Indeed?’ said Lady Bayfield archly. ‘But I am reliably informed you made the gown you had on last night.’

Kitty had moved to Dory’s shoulder and was about to speak, but Richard intervened in a light, quick voice. ‘It always amazes me you ladies have the time to learn so many accomplishments. My sisters used to paint screens, and Kitty embroiders prettily – you made all the baby’s shirts, didn’t you, Pusscat? Smocking, now – how ever you do that I can’t think, it looks so complicated. And my mother used to do tapestry-work. You are in the Tapestry Room, aren’t you, Lady Bayfield? The chair seats there are some of her work – Princess Usingen as she now is.’

It was, in fact, a lie – his mother had despised needlework of all sorts, but it silenced Lady Bayfield and deflected the company, and Sebastian started up a conversation with Lord Ravenscar about the day’s prospects, so the moment passed. Soon afterwards he rose to leave the room, and invited Dory by a crooked arm to go with him.

Out in the hall, he felt her trembling slightly and wanted to go back into the breakfast room and wring Lady Bayfield’s scrawny neck. ‘She’s just one horrible old woman,’ he forestalled her.

‘Her maid must have got it from someone in the servants’ hall and told her,’ Dory said, in a flat voice. ‘It won’t stop there. She’ll tell Lady Denham and Lady Ravenscar.’

‘To hell with them,’ Sebastian said robustly.

‘That’s all very well, but it will keep happening,’ she said. ‘This is what I was afraid of.’

‘Who cares what a few superannuated hags think?’

‘Do you mean to avoid all company for the rest of our lives? And what if they dig up worse things?’

‘Darling, we are what we are,’ he said, looking down at her. ‘Have courage. They’ll soon forget about it. It’s a five-minute wonder.’

‘Yes, but it’s my five minutes,’ she said, trying to hold on to her sense of humour. ‘You’ll be out with the men – I’ll have to sit in the drawing-room all morning being insulted or ignored.’

‘Don’t sit there, then. Come out with me.’

‘Is it allowed? I thought shooting was for men only.’

‘Ladies shooting is rather frowned on, though one or two do it. But quite a few ladies go out and stand behind the guns. Particularly if they’re conducting an affair with one of them. Or hoping to. I remember in earlier days Sibella Bissell used to go out and stand behind her husband – she even used to load for him. And I’ll bet Miss Rowsham would love to go out and further her cause with Richard. She won’t like to be the only one, though, so if you tell her you’re going she’ll be your friend for life.’

‘But won’t it just prove to – certain people that I’m not a lady?’

‘Not a bit. You’re a newly married lady, so your wanting to be with me won’t surprise anyone.’

‘Will it please anyone, though?’ she asked.

He gave her a tender smile. ‘It will please one of the guns immensely,’ he said.