Page 8 of A Sense of Fate
‘An eligible male friend, one assumes,’ Archie replied casually, ruthlessly suppressing a bolt of jealousy. ‘Did this paragon of ecclesial virtue find favour?’
‘Actually, he isn’t in holy orders.’ Flora wrinkled her brow. ‘I’m not sure what he does for a living, and nor do I much care. We didn’t talk for long and then I left as soon as the wedding breakfast came to an end, despite Mama’s best efforts to persuade me to stay for the night.’
‘Does this person have a name?’
‘He does, and he claims to be an acquaintance of yours.’
‘Really?’
Archie felt mildly alarmed. Could the devious Latimer have sought out one of Archie’s enemies in order to drive a wedge between him and Flora? It occurred to him that her father might well have heard rumours about Flora being his ward and misinterpreted the nature of their friendship. Having a daughter living beneath a marquess’s protection would, he conceded, cause problems for the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral.
Paint Archie in a bad light in Flora’s eyes and she might become disenchanted with her independent lifestyle. And God alone knew, there were plenty of skeletons that had been put into cupboards during Archie’s youthful escapades, although that was a common claim amongst his set. Young men in privileged positions were rather expected to sow their wild oats. But, he reasoned, that had all came to a spectacular end when he fell from Magda Simpson’s bedroom window twelve years previously. He had lived like a monk—well, relatively speaking—since that time.
‘Yes, he is a Mr Elroy Conrad. He says you were at Oxford together.’ She paused, looking at Archie askance. ‘What is it? You look very dark and dangerous all of a sudden, and I am naturally terrified.’
‘You. Terrified of me?’ He shook his head and smiled. ‘Hardly. Nothing frightens you.’
‘Spiders do.’
‘Apart from spiders.’ He paused to stare out the window, drumming the fingers of one hand restlessly against the squabs. ‘Elroy Conrad is a name I never expected to hear again, and I would strongly advise against furthering your acquaintance with the man. He is not to be trusted.’
‘Now you reallyarescaring me. I have absolutely no interest in knowing him better. He was far too self-assured for my taste, but now you have invoked my curiosity. Besides, if Papa wants me to like him, then contrary creature that I am, I will immediately push in the opposite direction.’
‘Which would be very sensible in Conrad’s case.’
‘Papa will be thinking of his own interests, not mine. Anyway, what did Mr Conrad do that so offended you?’
‘He cheated at his exams.’
Flora tutted. ‘Such a thing is Not Done, I take it.’
‘Absolutely not. No gentleman would resort to such tactics.’ Archie paused to rub his chin, briefly wondering how much more to tell her before deciding upon transparency. If her father did push Conrad at her then Archie must do everything in his power to set her on her guard. ‘Conrad’s family come from Yorkshire. They are well-to-do middle class people who made their money in steel, as I recall. Nothing wrong with that. Times are changing and it’s the merchant classes who rule these days, at least insofar as monetary wealth is concerned.’
‘But such men will never be true gentlemen in the eyes of the impoverished aristocracy,’ Flora said with an impish smile. ‘You and the countess are in accord in that regard.’
‘I hope I am more modern in my views than your former charge, but yes, class will out and Conrad has none. How he got into Oxford in the first place was a mystery to us all. He was, to put it charitably, intellectually challenged, and Oxford has exacting entry standards.’
‘If his family is so wealthy…’
‘Precisely. We assumed they had bestowed some sort of legacy…anyway, Conrad struggled and resorted to cheating but was never thrown out, which rather supports our theory.’ Archie paused, absently plucking at the fabric of his trousers. ‘He was also a very close friend of Magda’s.’
‘Ah.’ Flora nodded her understanding. ‘Before you took to warming her bed, one assumes.’
‘Really, Miss Latimer,’ Archie said, pretending to be shocked. ‘I cannot think where you learned such language.’
Flora grinned. ‘I probably picked it up from you or Luke. But go on, I am enthralled.’ She leaned towards him, her shoulder pressing against the top of his arm, her eyes sparkling with mischief. ‘You presumably displaced the unfortunate Mr Conrad in Magda’s affections.’
Archie shrugged. ‘It’s every man for himself in such circumstances. All’s fair, as they say, but when a gentleman is, as you so charmingly put it, displaced, he should withdraw gracefully. Conrad, however, didn’t take rejection well and swore to get his revenge. I have never been able to prove it, but I have obviously had a great deal of time to reflect upon the circumstances surrounding my fall from Magda’s window and…’
Flora gasped. ‘You think Conrad tipped her husband off to your affair?’
‘The possibility has occasionally crossed my mind. I have always blamed Magda herself for encouraging me into a compromising situation when she knew her husband was coming home, but if she was acting when she ordered me out of her window, she was very convincing. Perhaps another party was involved, and perhaps that party was Conrad.’ Archie shifted his weight and winced when the carriage lurched through a pothole, accidentally making contact with Flora’s thigh.
‘Here.’ She bent and lifted his injured left leg gently onto the seat opposite them. ‘Don’t you dare stand on ceremony with me, Archie Felsham! That will be much more comfortable, since you won’t feel the jolting so much.’
‘Thank you.’ Archie smiled, hating the fact that he’d shown any weakness in front of the lively young woman who was in danger of becoming the focal point of his life. It made him feel less than a man. ‘Conrad is in banking, I believe. I heard it mentioned somewhere that he holds down a position in Coutts Bank in the Strand, managing investments. One imagines that his family pulled strings to make that possible also.’
‘Which makes his friendship with my father that much harder to explain.’ Flora paused, her expression pensive. ‘But then if Mr Conrad is of a religious persuasion—’
