give my brother some papers. Is Flora behaving herself?’
Alice suppressed a gurgle of laughter. ‘She’s being an angel.’
Hoskins opened the front door, staring at a point somewhere above their heads with an impassive expression.
‘Good night, Hoskins,’ Rory said easily. He proffered his arm to Alice. ‘It’s starting to snow again. We could share a cab.’
The steps were coated in ice and Alice accepted his help. ‘Thank you, but I haven’t far to go.’
‘I believe you’re residing in Queen Square. It’s quite a long walk on a cold and wintry night.’
‘Alice. There you are. I’ve been waiting for a good half-hour.’
To Alice’s dismay Horace appeared as if from nowhere. Snowflakes sparkled on his top hat and the shoulders of his caped greatcoat.
‘I didn’t ask you to meet me,’ she said angrily. ‘I’m perfectly capable of finding my own way home.’
Horace uttered a whinnying snort. ‘Now, now, my dear, we’re about to become engaged, so I am in some way responsible for your safety.’
Rory’s expression gave nothing away as he released Alice’s hand. ‘May I be the first to congratulate you, sir?’
‘And who may you be?’ Horace demanded.
‘This is ridiculous.’ Alice looked from one to the other, shaking her head. ‘We do not have an understanding, Horace. That was my aunt’s idea and had nothing to do with me.’ She could feel the cold seeping through the worn soles of her boots and she shivered. ‘I thank both of you gentlemen, but I wish to be alone.’ She marched off, leaving them standing on the pavement.
‘Where is Horace?’ Jane stood in the dining-room doorway, hands clasped together as if in prayer. ‘He was told to meet you and bring you home.’
Angry words rose to her lips but Alice could see her mother standing behind Jane with an anxious look on her pale face. ‘I don’t need my hand held by him or anyone, and he seems to think that I’ve agreed to our engagement.’
‘You have no choice,’ Jane said coldly. ‘You obey me in this or I wash my hands of the pair of you. Horace needs a wife and you and your mother need a home.’
‘Have you no pity, Jane?’ Beth’s voice broke on a sob. ‘How can you be so hard-hearted?’
Jane turned on her in a swirl of black silk. ‘My heart was broken when my dear Robert departed this world. How dare you question my judgement? You ruined my brother with your spendthrift ways, and your daughter seems to take after you. She would be a fool to turn down an offer from a man like Horace.’ She pointed a shaking finger at Clara, who was standing by the open front door. ‘Close the door, Snippet, you foolish child.’
‘Yes, ma’am, but I think I see Mr Hubble walking through the snow.’ Clara clapped her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. ‘Oops. He’s come a purler.’
Jane strode across the floor to push Clara out of the way. ‘Horace Hubble, get up this instant and stop acting the fool.’ She waited until he had limped into the hall before slamming the door. ‘Just look at you, Horace. You’re plastered in snow.’
Alice covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard not to laugh.
Horace shot her a baleful look. ‘I suppose you think it’s funny, but I could have broken a limb.’
‘Well, you obviously didn’t,’ Jane said impatiently. ‘I gave you explicit instructions to wait for Alice and see her safely home, instead of which you act the fool, sliding around in the snow like a five-year-old. I despair of you sometimes, Horace.’ She turned on her heel and marched into the dining room. ‘And don’t think you can stay for dinner because you are not invited. Having two extra mouths to feed is an expense I could well do without, and you have an appetite like a horse.’
Alice felt almost sorry for Horace, who hung his head, looking sheepish. The tip of his nose had turned from red to blue and he was shivering convulsively. He clutched his top hat to his chest. ‘That’s rather harsh, Cousin. A drop of hot toddy would save me from catching a chill and it’s a long walk to West Smithfield.’
‘I do not hold with strong spirits, as you well know. A glass of sherry wine on special occasions is acceptable, as is communion wine, but strong drink is the work of the devil. Now go home and leave us to have our meal in peace.’
Horace made a move towards the door, ramming his slightly battered hat on his head. ‘I suppose you’ll pray for me when I’m dying of lung fever,’ he grumbled.
Clara opened the door for him and he left the house still muttering.
‘Bring the soup, Snippet,’ Jane called from the dining room. ‘We’ll dine now.’
Alice nodded to Clara. ‘I’ll hang my things up. Better do as my aunt says.’
Clara skipped off, no doubt to relate the goings-on above stairs to an interested Mrs Jugg.
Having divested herself of her outdoor garments, Alice entered the dining room to find her mother already seated at table.
Beth looked up and smiled. ‘How was it today, dear? Was the child better behaved?’
‘Never mind that now.’ Jane glared at Alice from her place at the head of the table. ‘I think you owe me an explanation as to your behaviour, young lady. Why did you refuse Horace’s offer to walk you home? Are you going out of your way to be difficult?’ Alice took her seat at table. ‘No, Aunt, but I’ve considered the matter carefully and I want nothing to do with Horace. I cannot stand the man and I’d rather live under a railway arch than tie myself to a creature like him.’
Beth gasped, staring at her sister-in-law wide-eyed. ‘She doesn’t mean it, Jane. Alice must be tired after a long day at the Dearborns’ establishment.’
‘That is no excuse for out-and-out rudeness. You will apologise, Alice.’
Alice could see that her outburst had upset her mother and she regretted her hasty words. ‘I am sorry if I offended you, Aunt Jane. But I dislike Horace intensely and I cannot see myself married to him.’
‘Whether you like or dislike your future husband is immaterial. You know my terms. You either accept them or you leave my house. Do you understand?’
After dinner, which as usual was badly cooked and meagre, Alice and her mother huddled by the fire in the dining room. Jane had gone to her room, warning them not to waste expensive candles by staying up late.
‘I am sorry, Mama,’ Alice said softly. ‘I was angry but I shouldn’t have spoken out against Horace like that.’
‘He isn’t the ideal husband,’ Beth agreed, sighing. ‘I’m sure he has many excellent qualities, but for a start he is much too old for you. I wouldn’t want to see you married to someone like him, even if it meant that we were to live in luxury.’
‘I can’t do anything until after Christmas, but I’ll start looking for a better-paid position so that we can find a room to rent, although I’ll
