Page 53 of A Sense of Fate
‘Precisely, but you would have gone somewhere else and encountered all the difficulties I am attempting to save you from. And just so that you are aware, I have implied that you are my ward.’
‘Ha! As if anyone will believe that.’
‘Even so.’ He tilted her chin backwards with his index finger and smiled into her eyes. ‘Am I forgiven? Your father might assume the worst—in fact, I am sure he does, because it suits him to. That’s the way his mind works, but the villagers know better. I encourage my servants, or rather Pawson encourages them to ensure that word circulates of the platonic nature of your visits to Felsham Hall.’
‘I don’t like it, Archie.’
‘Which is why I didn’t tell you.’
‘You assume too much. I have escaped one controlling man and have no intention of replacing him with another. As to forgiving you, I shall think about it.’ She grinned at him. ‘Actually, when Papa made his accusations, I used them against him. If that’s what he thought, I decided that I might as well take advantage of my tarnished reputation. I told him that you had the power to spread word of his barbarous treatment of his own daughter, and that the newspapers would print the scandalous account of the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral’s behaviour if you were to send it to them.’
Archie threw back his head and roared with laughter. ‘You are my conscience, Miss Latimer.’
‘You would have done it for Melanie’s sake—gone to the newspapers, I mean, wouldn’t you?’
‘Not for her, no. But for you, my love, anything.’
‘There’s no point in trying to regain my good favours.’ She stood up but spoiled her attempt at feigned indignation by grinning. ‘No, don’t get up, Archie. I will sit down again and save you the effort, but not next to you. You are far too good at confusing me.’
‘Me?’ He flashed a wicked smile that made her scowl and then smile.
‘I asked Papa about his friendship with Conrad,’ she said, reseating herself across from him, and relating all that her father had said in that regard.
‘Did you believe him?’
‘Not for a moment.’ Flora flapped a hand. ‘Papa is very good at talking about charitable duty, but not so good at putting his hand in his own pocket. Besides, he claims the group of gentlemen have intellectual interests in common. Papa, to put it politely, is not a deep thinker. Bombastic and dictatorial is more his style.’
‘I think it unlikely as well.’
Flora was very interested in what Archie had to tell her about Conrad’s visit to him and his subsequent call from a Coutts’ representative.
‘Why on earth would Conrad question you about me?’ she asked, leaning towards him with her elbows planted on her knees.
‘I know. It’s preposterous, isn’t it?’
‘Stop making light of things, Archie!’ she cried crossly. ‘I suppose the ridiculous rumours about you and me had reached his ears and he wanted to discover if there was any validity to them. What did you tell him? I hope you set him straight.’
‘So that he could continue to plague you?’ He shook his head, sending dark hair flopping across his brow. ‘Not a chance. I simply refrained from responding to implications that he had no business voicing.’ Archie paused to rub his chin in a reflective manner and Flora sensed that he had found Conrad’s presence in his home offensive. She also realised that he had only received the man for her sake, and the remnants of her anger at his arbitrary behaviour drained away. She was unaccustomed to having anyone looking out for her interests with no expectation of reward or obedience in return. ‘I was surprised by the degree of his dislike for me, I will admit that much. He still bears a grudge from our college days.’
‘You beat him to all the attractive women, one supposes,’ she remarked with an impudent smile.
‘What a suggestion to make.’ He sent her a castigating look. ‘No, I think it was more a question of him resenting me because we didn’t include him in our set. Not because he was from the middle classes, but because he was trying to be something that he was not, which we all found rather tedious.’
‘And because he cheated at his examinations.’
‘And because of that,’ he replied, smiling at her. ‘Gentlemen do not cheat.’
‘Heaven forbid!’
‘I think your father told you a partial truth,’ Archie said after a short pause. ‘I believe there is a collection of gentlemen with whom your father and Conrad are involved. That would explain their unlikely alliance. But their common interests are unlikely to be charitable or intellectual.’
‘I agree, but how do we find out what the connection really is, and do we actually want to?’
‘You don’t need to be involved. In fact, I would prefer it if you were not, but I don’t think your father will give up on Melanie that easily.’ He paused. ‘Nor will Conrad admit defeat where you are concerned, especially if he thinks that I have engaged your affections.’
‘That I am committed to you?’ She laughed and shook her head. ‘If he believes that, then he surely ought to graciously withdraw.’
‘Any gentleman worthy of the name would do so, but as I say he is no gentleman and bears me a massive grudge.’
