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‘What about Drew?’
‘What about him? He left me to you, didn’t he?’
‘But your feelings for him? Were they not sincere?’
‘Not sincere enough for me to face penury on his account.’
He laughed without humour. ‘You have certainly put me in my place.’
‘I am sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I am very fond of you, Mark. We grew up together, I am sure we will deal well together and you will not hold my lapse against me.’
‘No, of course not.’ What else could he say? He pulled the bell rope beside the fireplace. When a servant arrived, he bade her inform Lady Wyndham that Miss Isabel Cavenhurst was here and would she like to see her.
Two minutes later his mother bustled into the room. ‘Isabel, how nice to see you. I did not know you were here or I would have come sooner. Is your mother not with you?’
‘No, my lady. I am alone. I needed to speak to Mark.’
‘Without a chaperon? Dear, dear.’
‘I did not think of it. Jane never bothers.’
‘We do not count Jane.’ Her ladyship smiled. ‘But never mind, you are still engaged to my son, are you not?’
‘Yes, Lady Wyndham, I am.’
Mark could bear it no longer. He made his excuses and returned to the library, where he flung himself into a chair and, moaning, put his head in his hands. His mother’s words burned in his brain. ‘We do not count Jane.’ How could they be so disparaging? How could they take everything from her and give nothing in return? He loved her, he loved her quiet nature, her unselfishness, the way she cared for everyone, sacrificing her own happiness to do so, for her lovely expressive eyes when she looked at him, her sweet smile, her down-to-earth honesty, her courage. Whoever married her would be marrying a treasure and he wished it could be him.
He heard his mother taking leave of Isabel, then a footman escorting Isabel down the long gallery to the front door and then his mother came looking for him. ‘You left us rather hurriedly, Mark.’
‘I couldn’t bear to hear you speak of Jane in that off-hand way, Mother. She does count.’
‘Oh.’ She was thoughtful as she sat down beside him. ‘So it’s Jane. Oh, dear.’
‘Mother, you know I was relieved when Isabel said she wanted to break off the engagement, I told you so.’
‘Yes, but you did not mention Jane and I thought you were just putting a brave face on it.’
‘No, I meant it, but I could hardly jump from one engagement to another, could I? Jane would never have agreed in any case. I needed time. And now it seems I am not to be given time.’
‘Does Jane know?’
‘Of course she does not.’
‘Best she never does. You cannot get away from the fact that you are betrothed to her sister. Perhaps it would be better if you did not see Jane so frequently.’
‘That will look odd, considering we are both trustees of the Hadlea Children’s Home and have already been working on it for some time. It will look as if we have had a falling-out over it.’
‘So, you will go on torturing yourself when you should be making plans for your wedding. Isabel tells me she wants it before her parents leave for Scotland and I have said it would be best. I don’t know the date the move is planned, but these things take time and I do not suppose it will be before the six months of mourning is over.’
‘Isabel is a selfish little madam. She is only doing this because she doesn’t want to go to Scotland with her parents. She has no love for me, only what I can give her—she as good as said so.’
‘Oh, dear, I wish you had confided in me earlier, Mark.’
‘Why? What could you have done?’
‘I could have accepted the situation instead of agreeing with Grace that Isabel would change her mind and assuming she would. Isabel might then have realised there was no going back.’
‘Too late, Mama, and I doubt it would have made any difference.’
‘Perhaps not.’ She rose to leave him. ‘What are you doing with those?’ she asked, noticing the dusty books on the desk.
‘Some research into the Paget family. Halliday has told me Sir Jasper Paget was the previous owner of Witherington House and I thought I had come across the name somewhere.’
‘No doubt you have. There are graves in the churchyard and a tablet on the wall inside the church. You must have seen it dozens of times. It is over the pew next to ours.’
‘What do you know about them?’
