much, much more slowly. Here, for the first time in years, was a real chance: a chance to make a marriage that would be the envy of all his friends in Westminster and at the Carlton Club. Piers couldn’t entirely put his finger on it, but he felt sure that today, in some subtle way, he had advanced his case and improved his chances.
A bell above the door rang as he walked into Upton’s Stores. Mrs Upton, the shopkeeper, was chatting to a pretty young brunette whom Piers recognized as Laura Tiverton. Laura was a successful television writer who lived at Briar Cottage in Fittlescombe, who had inexplicably thrown herself away on a piece of local beefcake by the name of Gabriel Baxter. Gabe and Laura’s engagement party last week had been the talk of villages for miles around.
‘Is he really that ill, then? Shame,’ Mrs Upton could be heard saying to Laura.
‘I don’t know any details. But I saw the local GP making a house call to Furlings yesterday and again today. And he wasn’t at church last Sunday. That’s the first time he’s missed a service in more than ten years.’
Furlings was the ‘big house’, set on a hill above Fittlescombe with panoramic views of the village, the green and the South Downs beyond. Its master, Rory Flint-Hamilton, was the local lord of the manor. It must be Rory Flint-Hamilton they’re talking about,
Rory’s failing health had been the talk of all the local villages for months now – especially as his daughter and sole heir, Tatiana Flint-Hamilton, was a well-known party girl and all-round tearaway. If Tatiana and her fast crowd of London friends were to move into Furlings when the old man died, who knew what would happen to the grand old estate, never mind the village?
‘Has the young Miss been home, then? Tatiana?’ Mrs Upton asked.
‘Not as far as I know.’
An irritated look crossed Laura Tiverton’s face. Laura’s path and Tatiana’s had crossed last Christmas, when Tatiana had run off into the night with Laura’s then boyfriend, a little toad by the name of Daniel Smart. Laura was delighted to be shot of Daniel, but she was not a fan of Tatiana Flint-Hamilton. Few local women were.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
