AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Bath! I have never been to Bath. Is it true that it is full of quizzes, or is that nothing but a foul aspersion?”
That made her smile. “It is true enough that Bath has a large population of persons with too little to occupy their days — widows, retired military men, elderly spinsters and the like, and everyone meets in the Pump Room. It is hardly surprising that quizzing glasses are in frequent use, and gossip the order of the day.”
“What a delightful smile you have, Miss Whittleton. I wish I might see it more often.”
The smile vanished instantly, and she turned her head away again. Oh, the torture of being polite to such a creature! Did he imagine that such flummery pleased her?
Hyde Park was thronged with people, walkers and riders and smart carriages all mixed up together, and many vehicles stationary as acquaintances exchanged greetings. Their progress was slow and more than once they were brought to a halt altogether. Eloise had the doubtful pleasure of being ogled by complete strangers as they waited to proceed, but then two men she knew slightly bowed and doffed their hats to her. It was rather soothing to be the recipient of such courtesies, she found, instead of merely a passive companion to Lady Carrbridge.
“I believe you are enjoying yourself,” Mr Fletcher said, with his indefatigable smile. Oh, such easy charm these men had! So very agreeable, and yet so very black-hearted.
“The fresh air is pleasant,” she conceded.
“How do you like Hyde Park?”
“Greenery in the midst of the city is very pleasant.”
“Indeed it is,” he said gravely. “And the view is very pleasant also. Excessively pleasant, especially if I turn in one particular direction.” He grinned at her in a way that turned her stomach.
Eloise had nothing to say to such nonsense, looking determinedly away from him in annoyance. After a while, however, mindful of Connie’s request that she discover more about the family, she said, “You have learnt something of me, Mr Fletcher. May I hear something of you in return?”
“Of course. I grew up in the West Riding, but in January we moved to Hertfordshire, to Chadwell Park near Ware. I have one brother, who is a Fellow at Cambridge, and five sisters, the eldest married and the third recently engaged to the son of our Hertfordshire neighbours.”
It was the briefest of summaries. What would Connie wish to know? She was concerned there might be some less than respectable elements of the family, but how could she possibly discover it? The clue, she guessed, was in what was not said.
“Your married sister — does she live near to you?”
“No, she married a Yorkshire man.”
There was a hesitation in his manner, so she said boldly, “Is his estate anywhere near Lord Carrbridge’s seat at Drummoor?”
“He prefers to live in town,” he said.
Eloise guessed that much was being concealed, but she could hardly press the point without incivility, and besides, a married sister in Yorkshire was not a troublesome problem.
They proceeded slowly around the park, and when they returned to their starting point, he said, “Another circuit, Miss Whittleton?”
“You are most kind, sir, but I have neglected Lady Carrbridge for long enough. Please take me home by the most direct route.”
“How sorry I am to be deprived of your company so soon,” he said cheerfully, the glib words falling easily from his lips. “However, it shall be as you wish.”
Their progress through the busy streets was unconscionably slow, or so it seemed to Eloise, waiting impatiently to be freed from her captivity. They eventually drew up outside Marford House, and the groom sprang down to hold the horses, as Mr Fletcher handed Eloise down with his perpetual smile.
“May I hope to entice you to take another drive with me before too long, Miss Whittleton?”
The nerve of the man! Had she not made her feelings abundantly plain? Apparently not.
“No, sir, you may not. I am far too busy to neglect my duties again.”
The smile slipped only slightly. “You are a conscientious secretary, but surely even the most diligent may take an occasional hour to pursue an occupation of her own choosing?”
It was too good an opening. “Yes, indeed, but I do notchooseto drive with you, sir. I thank you for the excursion, and commend you on your driving skills. Good day.”
A quick curtsy and she was away, leaving him standing on the pavement, the smile wiped from his smug face. It was very satisfactory. And the best of it was that she need never see him again.
~~~~~
Will drove home in a towering rage. How dared that chit of a girl treat him like that! So ill-mannered, and who was she anyway? A glorified servant, that was all. He drove directly to the mews and stormed up the back stairs, scattering footmen as he went. Why were there so many footmen, anyway? There were twice as many as at Chadwell, and what need had they of so many?
