“I should like to thank you, too,” Frederica said, with a warm smile, “but I don’t dare! Was it a bore?”

“Oddly enough, no. A new experience! I’ve never before attempted to impart my skill to another, and I’ve discovered that either I’m an excellent teacher, or that I had a remarkably apt pupil. But I didn’t come to talk about driving. What have I done to vex you, Frederica?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I am vexed, but I’m not perfectly sure that it was your doing,” she said frankly. “The thing is that people seem to think that we are possessed of a handsome fortune. Cousin, did you set that rumour about?”

“Certainly not,” he replied, his eyebrows slightly raised. “Why should I?”

“Well, you might have done so to be helpful, perhaps.”

“I can think of few things less helpful.”

“No, nor can I! Besides, it is so odiously vulgar! I detest shams! It makes it seem as though I had been cutting a wheedle, to achieve a brilliant marriage for Charis. As though such shifts could succeed!”

He smiled. “Oho! Would you employ them if they could?”

The smile was faintly reflected in her eyes, but she shook her head. “No — contemptible! Don’t you think so?”

“I do, but you appear to have suspected me of selling just such a contemptible bargain.”

“Yes, but I knew it must have been with the best of intentions,” she assured him.

“Worse! You believe me to be a flat!”

She laughed. “Indeed I don’t! I beg your pardon — but if you didn’t set the story about, who can have done so? And — and why? I promise you, I’ve never tried to make people think we are wealthy, and nor, I’m very sure, has Charis. In fact, when Mrs Parracombe talked of Graynard, saying how much she would like to see it, and speaking as if it were a ducal mansion, I told her it was no such thing.”

“Now I know why I fell under suspicion!” he murmured provocatively.

It was so unexpected that it surprised a tiny gasp out of her.

“I am continually shocked by the on-dits people don’t scruple to repeat to innocent maidens,” pursued his lordship, in a saddened voice.

“If it comes to that,” retorted Frederica, with spirit, “I am continually shocked by the things you don’t scruple to say to me, cousin! You are quite abominable!”

He sighed. “Alas, I know it! The reflection gives me sleepless nights.”

“Coming it rather too strong, my lord!” she said, before she could stop herself. She added hastily, as he put up his brows in exaggerated incredulity: “As Harry would say!”

“No doubt! But such cant expressions on the lips of delicately nurtured females are extremely unbecoming.”

Well aware of this, she was just about to apologize for the lapse when she caught the gleam in his eye, and said, instead: “Odious creature! I wish you will be serious!”

He laughed. “Very well, let us be serious! You want to know who is responsible for the rumour that you are very wealthy — ”

“Yes, and what’s to be done about it!”

“Nothing. As to who may have started the rumour, I know no more than you do, and can perceive no reason why you should be thrown into high fidgets over it. If we are to be serious, let me advise you to discourage Ollerton’s advances to your sister!”

She looked quickly up at him. “Why?”

“Because, my innocent, he is what we call a man of the town.”

She nodded. “I’m glad to know that, for it’s what I thought myself. Though I must own he has been very civil and obliging, and has a well-bred ease of manner — except that now and then he goes a little beyond the line of what is pleasing. However, there are others, who are even better-bred, who go a long way beyond it!”

“So there are!” he agreed. “Who introduced him to you?”

“Mrs Dauntry, at Lady Jersey’s party. Which is why I concluded that I must have been mistaken in him.”

“Did she indeed?” he said. “Well, well!” There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes, which she tried in vain to interpret. He flicked open his snuff-box, and took a meditative pinch, and suddenly laughed. Meeting her enquiring look, he said: “Who would have thought that your adoption of me would have provided me with so much entertainment?”

“You did!” responded Frederica unhesitatingly. “I didn’t know it at the outset, but I am very sure now that you adopted us merely to infuriate Lady Buxted!”

“And can you blame me?”

An involuntary chuckle escaped her. “Well, perhaps not as much as I ought! But you did think it might amuse you!”

“True — and so it did! What I did not foresee was that I should find myself taking so much interest in the fortunes of the Merrivilles!” He paused, but before she could retort in kind, demanded abruptly: “Who was the rum touch I saw escorting your sister yesterday? A counter-coxcomb in a striped waistcoat?”

“Mr Nutley!” she uttered, in despairing accents.

“Who the devil is Mr Nutley?”

“Our neighbour! A very worthy young man, but quite ineligible, and nutty upon Charis! He — he languishes! Besides sending her flowers, and lying in wait for her to step out of the house with only Owen to escort her!” replied Frederica bitterly.

“Good God! Has she a tendre for him?”

“No, of course she has not! The thing is that she cannot bring herself to repulse him! And if you think you can convince her that it would be kinder by far to do so now than later I can only say, cousin, that you don’t know her! She has a great deal of sensibility, you see, and — ”

“A great deal of folly!” he interrupted impatiently.

“Yes, that too,” she agreed, sighing. “I wish she wasn’t such a goosecap, for I daresay anyone might impose upon her. I own it has me in a worry very often.”

He nodded, but said: “It will do her no good to be seen in Ollerton’s company, but he won’t go beyond flirtation: I’ll see to that!”

“Thank you — but he has done nothing to warrant — I mean, I don’t at all wish you to say anything to him! It would be refining too much upon too little.”

“Oh, it won’t be necessary for me to say anything!” he replied, with one of his sardonic smiles. “In common with the rest of the world, he believes her to be under my protection. It is possible, however, that he may also believe me to be an indifferent guardian. That can be remedied. Do you go to the Crewes’ assembly? I’ll escort you — exercising a benevolent surveillance! I might take you both to the play, or even drive you round the park, at the hour of the Grand Strut.”

“You are very obliging! We are indeed honoured!”

“Yes, I rarely drive females.”

“You will find it another dead bore, I daresay!”

“Possibly, but I shall be upheld by a feeling of virtue.”

“Ah, but the novelty of that will soon wear off!” she pointed out.

The sardonic expression vanished. “Very good, Frederica!” he said approvingly. “I don’t think it will bore me to drive you round the park.”

“Well, that’s a comfort, to be sure! But there’s not the least need for you to include me in your benevolence! Take Charis up beside you now and then, and I shall be excessively grateful!” She tried, unsuccessfully, to repress a mischievous chuckle, and added, with disarming candour: “You can’t think how much against the pluck it goes with me to administer to your vanity, cousin, but I haven’t spent all these weeks in London without realizing that your consequence is enormous!”

“Viper!” said his lordship appreciatively. “I will endure the company of your beautiful but bird-witted sister, but on the condition that the tedium of these sessions will be relieved occasionally by your astringent quality. By-the-by, does rumour lie, or is my equally bird-witted young cousin growing extremely particular in his attentions?”

“No — though in some ways I wish it did!” replied Frederica. “But as for growing extremely particular —! He seems to have conceived a violent passion for Charis the instant he laid eyes on her. I must say, I wish he were not so very handsome! I am afraid he is the only one of her admirers for whom Charis does cherish a tendre, and I can conceive of nothing more unsuitable! Nor, I fancy, would Mrs Dauntry welcome such an alliance.”

“Certainly not. One of the tightish clever sort, my saintly Cousin Lucretia!”

“Well, you can’t blame her for wishing her son to contract an advantageous marriage,” said Frederica reasonably. “It is precisely what I want Charis to do, after all! I don’t desire to offend you, my lord, but I cannot think Endymion an eligible parti! It is all very well for his mama to talk of his being your heir, but who is to say that it will ever come to that? You are not in your dotage!”

“Thank you!” said his lordship, in failing accents.

Her eyes twinkled responsively, but she said politely: “Not at all! The thing is, however, that when Endymion is Charis’s escort I can be easy in my mind. He treats her with the greatest respect — almost with reverence!”

“Yes, he always was a slow-top,” he commented. “Poor girl! Is Buxted also dangling after her?”

“Oh, dear me, no!” she replied, casting down her eyes, and folding her hands primly in her lap. “Lord Buxted, cousin, has a decided preference for me!”

He burst out laughing. “No, has he Indeed? I pity you, then, but think the better of him! What do you find to talk about, I wonder?”

“Why, I am not obliged to find anything! He is never at a loss. When we have commented on the political situation, and he has been so kind as to draw my attention to some article in one of the newspapers which I might not have read, he has always plenty to tell me about himself, and his estates, and his reflections upon various subjects.” She broke off, chuckling, but said penitently: “But I ought not to make game of him! He is very kind, and has a great deal of sense, even if he is atrifle prosy!”