Darcy and I stood there, staring at each other. I couldn’t tell what emotion lay behind those alarming dark blue eyes. Not anger, surely. But fear? I mustered every ounce of self-control and put on a bright smile.

“Hello, Darcy! So my friends were right. They said they’d seen you in Ireland. I’m staying with pals in Dublin and I thought I couldn’t possibly be so close without looking you up. The gang in London all send their love.” I could hear that I was babbling but I couldn’t stop.

I thought a flicker of amusement lit his eyes for a fraction of a second.

“Good to see you, old thing,” he replied in similar tones. “I had no idea you were visiting Dublin. I’d ask you in, but it’s not exactly convenient.”

“Not exactly convenient?” Darcy’s father thundered at him. “It’s bad enough you turning up here out of the blue and foisting yourself upon me. The last thing I need at the moment is your absurd London crowd bursting in on us.” He turned back to me with a scowl. “And who might you be, young lady?”

“Oh, just one of Darcy’s many London friends,” I said. “We’re all so frightfully fond of him, you know.”

Before Darcy’s father could explode or lunge at me, Darcy edged past him and grabbed my arm. “Calm down, Father. She meant well. Go back inside.”

He forced me away from the doorstep. “Good of you to come, old thing, but in the circumstances I’ll walk you back to the village and see if we can find some means of transportation for you. I presume you didn’t drive yourself?”

“No, I came by taxi. A nice man called Barney.” I turned back to Darcy’s father, who was still glaring at us. “I’m so frightfully sorry to have disturbed you, Lord Kilhenny. Please forgive me.”

Lord Kilhenny shot me a final angry look then turned his back on me, disappearing into the darkness of the hallway. Darcy still had a firm hold on my forearm and propelled me up the flagstone path. We walked fast, without saying a word until we were back on the lane and out of sight of the lodge. Then Darcy turned to face me. His eyes were blazing. “Why did you do this, Georgie? I told you not to come. I told you that you and I must sever all ties. I thought I made that quite clear. Are you out of your mind coming here?” He was still gripping my arm so firmly that it hurt.