Page 93 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

‘Married?’ cried Aunt Caroline. ‘But surely not to— She’s surely not a—’

‘Mon dieu, quelle farce,’ Grandmère muttered.

‘Oh, Uncle, how lovely!’ Kitty said bravely, remembering how kind he had always been, and how she had not been deemed worthy of Giles by her mother-in-law.

Giles said slowly, ‘Let me be clear. You want to marry one of my servants? Why on earth would you do that?’ His eyebrows went up. ‘Were you interfering with her? In my house?’

Sebastian rose to his feet. ‘I am very fond of you, Giles, and I believe you have had a hard row to hoe in many ways, but if you ever speak in that way again, I shall strike you.’

Aunt Caroline said anxiously, ‘No, no, we don’t mean to be unkind, Sebastian dear, but are you really going to marry her? When? How?’

‘On Monday at eleven o’clock, at St Luke’s Church in Chelsea. She’s been staying in a hotel in Sydney Street for the three weeks while the banns were read. I’ve been at my club,’ he added, with a hard look at Giles.

‘But – but why all the secrecy?’ Aunt Caroline asked.

He spread his hands. ‘Because I anticipated exactly the sort of reception you’ve just given me.’

‘Well, what do you expect?’ Giles said roughly.

‘I hoped that you might be happy for me. She is the daughter of a respectable tradesperson, and only undeserved ill fortune forced her to go into service. She makes me very happy, and I hope to use my own position to make her happy in return. And I will bring her to visit you if you can be trusted to treat her as a lady should be treated.’

Kitty said, ‘I am very happy for you, Uncle, and I would really like to meet her. Well, I mean, I’ve met her, of course. At Ashmore. Obviously. She seemed . . . seems . . . She does wonderful work! Invisible stitches. And she was very kind to me when I tripped on that hole in the carpet—’ She stopped, confused, afraid she had not helped matters.

‘Which she subsequently mended, if I’m not mistaken,’ Giles concluded. ‘Really, Uncle, can you honestly propose bringing her as your wife to Ashmore, where she was a servant?’

‘That’s up to you,’ Sebastian said. ‘I have no need of you, or Ashmore. I have my own house, my own fortune. You need never see either of us again. I only wanted to give you the opportunity to behave graciously. Any one of you who wishes may come to the wedding. We will go away on honeymoon directly afterwards. When we come back, you may acknowledge us, or not, as you please.’ He turned to leave, then turned back. ‘Has none of you ever been in love? When you love someone, it doesn’t matter who they are. You ought to know that. Shame on you, all of you. I’ll see myself out.’

He left a silence behind. Kitty was tearful, Aunt Caroline uncomfortable, Giles grimly thoughtful.

Grandmère said, ‘I suppose it cannot signify a great deal who Sebastian marries. He is not in society.’

Kitty looked hopeful. ‘So you will receive her? Be nice to her?’

She wrinkled her nose. ‘Nice? Oh, that word! Perhaps one day it might be possible. Giles is right, you cannot walk out of the back door as a servant and come straight in at the front. There must be time for edges to be worn smooth. Timing is everything.’

Richard came in, followed by Forbes.

‘Luncheon is served, my lady,’ Forbes announced to Aunt Caroline.

‘Was that Uncle Sebastian I saw leaving?’ Richard asked.

‘I’ll tell you everything over luncheon,’ Kitty promised.

‘I suppose we must be grateful he did not propose to bring her to the ball this evening,’ Grandmère said.

‘Bring who?’ Richard asked.

‘Oh, that ball!’ Giles exclaimed, rolling his eyes in despair. ‘For one comfortable moment I’d forgotten about it.’

‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Kitty said, in a small voice. ‘And I know the girls are.’

Dory was waiting on a bench in Berkeley Square’s central garden. She stood up, seeing his expression as he approached. She put her hands into his. ‘No good?’

‘I’m afraid it will be just you and me at our wedding.’

‘I’m sorry to be the cause of a rift with your family,’ she said.

‘You’re not the cause. It’s their bone-headed stupidity that’s to blame. I should apologise to you.’