attention moved away from her. She was happy to let the conversation ebb and flow around her, quietly hoping to avoid drawing attention to herself. However, when the ladies retired she found Lady Preston at her side.
‘I am glad to see Adversane has put off his mourning, Miss Halbrook.’
Lucy thought the matron sounded anything but glad, but she murmured a response. Lady Preston followed her to a sofa, sat down beside her and proceeded to quiz her. The interrogation was subtle, but no less thorough. Remembering Ralph’s instructions, Lucy kept her answers vague where they referred to her association with him, but she saw no need to prevaricate about her family. After all, it would take very little enquiry for anyone to discover that her father had died a poor man.
‘So this is a very advantageous match for you,’ concluded Lady Preston. ‘You are very fortunate that Adversane is happy to take you without a settlement of any kind.’
Lucy was about to make an angry retort when she heard Caroline’s cheerful voice at her shoulder.
‘We think it is Ralph who is the fortunate one, ma’am, to have found a woman to make him happy. Lucy, my love, do come and try out the duet again with me....’
Caroline carried her off to the piano, saying as they went, ‘Pray do not mind Lady Preston.’
‘I do not. It must be very hard for her to see someone in her daughter’s place.’
‘It is a place she wants Charlotte to fill,’ retorted Caroline. ‘However, the child is far too young.’
‘But she is very pretty, and she will be quite beautiful in a few years.’
Caroline’s shrewd look, so like her brother’s, rested upon Lucy for a moment.
‘Ralph has been caught once by an empty-headed beauty. He will not let that happen again. This time I believe he has found real affection and I for one am very glad of it.’
Lucy felt the warm blush of embarrassment on her cheeks and was thankful that Caro had turned her attention to the piano. She wanted to tell them that it was all a pretence, that Ralph cared not one jot for her. However, she was not free to do so, and if she was honest she did not wish the pretence to end, for when it did she would have to leave Adversane, its owner and his family and she was beginning to realise how hard that would be.
The gentlemen joined them shortly after, Sir James leading the way. He was hardly inside the door when he addressed his wife in ringing accents.
‘I say, my dear, Adversane tells me the Players will be performing here on Midsummer’s Eve. Is that not good news? I am particularly fond of a good play.’
Ralph glanced around the room, watching to see how the others took the news. Adam was looking particularly solemn and went to sit with his wife. Lady Preston’s lips thinned.
‘Life must go on, I suppose,’ she muttered.
‘Indeed it must, ma’am,’ agreed Harry in his cheerful way. ‘The Ingleston Players lost a great deal of income from last year’s cancellation.’
Charlotte looked up.
‘Oh, are they are paid, then, for their trouble?’
Margaret nodded.
‘Yes, they are local people who give up their time and Adversane rewards them handsomely for coming here. The tradition started in our grandfather’s day. The library is turned into a theatre for the first part of the evening and all our neighbours are invited to attend the play. Ralph lays on a good supper for everyone, including the Players, and then afterwards the Players go back to Ingleston to enjoy the Midsummer’s Eve celebrations and the rest of us dance in the white salon until the early hours.’
‘I know.’ Charlotte nodded, her blue eyes sparkling. ‘It is indeed the most wonderful evening. Last time I was allowed to watch the play, although I did not understand it all.’
‘Thank heavens for that,’ murmured Caroline to Lucy, sitting beside her at the piano. ‘It was Vanbrugh’s The Provoked Wife. Not at all suitable for a child of fifteen!’
‘And this time you shall be allowed to dance as well, my sweet,’ announced Lady Preston, ‘It will be good practice for your come-out next year.’
‘Unless she snabbles a husband before that, eh, Adversane?’
Ralph closed his lips firmly as Sir James dug an elbow into his ribs.
Charlotte giggled.
* * *
Singing and music filled the remainder of the evening, until the arrival of the tea tray. Finding herself momentarily alone, Lucy moved to a quiet corner of the room, from where she could observe the rest of the guests.
Mr Colne followed her.
‘Am I disturbing you, Miss Halbrook?’
‘By no means.’
‘You were looking very pensive,’ he said, pulling up a chair beside her. ‘I hope you are not worrying about what we said earlier.’
‘Not at all. I was thinking how sorry I shall be to leave all this.’
Harry’s glance followed hers to where Ralph was standing with his brothers-in-law.
He said quietly, ‘If it is any comfort to you, I think your presence here has done Ralph a great deal of good. He has been looking much happier of late.’
‘That is not my doing, Mr Colne. It is because he has company.’
‘Perhaps. It has been a difficult two years for him. When Helene died he blamed himself. He is not one to share his feelings. Rather, he shut himself away with his grief and his pain. It is good to see him going into society again.’
‘And this...’ she dropped her voice ‘...this charade—my pretending to be Ralph’s fiancée. Are you sure you do not think it is...deceitful?’
The sombre look fled from Harry’s eyes and he laughed.
‘You have met his sisters and seen the way Sir James thrusts Charlotte into Ralph’s path at every turn. They are all determined to see him wed again. How much worse would it be if you were not here?’
‘And the fact that I look like Lady Adversane?’
He regarded her for a long moment.
‘Try not to let that worry you.’
She leaned a little closer.
‘But it does, Mr Colne! You see, Ralph insists that I wear identical gowns, that my hair is dressed the same as hers. I am very much afraid that he is grieving for his lost love—’
‘Ralph never loved Helene, Miss Halbrook. That is a good part of the reason he feels so guilty about her death.’ He smiled, and she found herself blushing, as if Harry Colne had discovered some secret. ‘You need have no worries on that head. Now if you will excuse me, my wife is looking tired. I must take her home.’
She
