“I’m not sure my father would approve of that.” Charles laughed.

“Have you heard anything from Isaac?” Jenna asked.

Nory shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it. There was nothing to discuss.

“Pippa saw him,” said Jenna.

“What? When?”

“She stayed on at the castle for an extra couple of days. She had business meetings with Lord Abercrombie or something. I think he’s keen to get her on board for castle events. And I think she needed to see your sister-in-law too. She’s really taken with Shelley. If it wasn’t for your brother and the children, I think Pip would whisk her away to work in Pip Land.”

“Did Pippa talk to Isaac?” There was absolutely no point in trying to appear nonchalant about her feelings for Isaac; Jenna had seen her snot-crying, after all.

“Well, you know Pip. Ever to the point. She apparently called him a fuckwit and told him if he let you go over some old paintings and a compromising position, he had manure for brains, and she’d expected better from a horticulturalist.”

Nory laughed in spite of herself.

“Good old Pip,” said Charles. “Ever the oversimplifier.”

“And what did Isaac say?” Nory was on tenterhooks. Her organs seemed to quiver with anticipation.

“Not much, apparently. He seems to be the strong, silent type. He said thank you and he’d bear it in mind.”

Nory balked. “That’s it? He’ll bear it in mind? I’m crying my bloody heart out over him, and he’ll bear it in mind?”

“Men show their emotions differently from women,” Jenna soothed. “And you said yourself he’s a very private person, and proud too. For all we know he might well be crying his bloody heart out on the inside.”

“Oh, god! It’s such a mess.” Nory covered her face with both palms.

“We saw Guy,” said Charles. “That is to say, we helped him move into an apartment. He’s hell-bent on winning Camille back. It seems that after more than a decade of marriage he’s finally realized he’s in love with his wife.”

“Let’s hope Camille doesn’t discover she feels the opposite!” said Jenna.

“Or maybe let’s hope for her sake she does,” added Nory.

Charles shot her a look.

“It’s not that I want Guy to be unhappy. I just don’t want him to be happy at Camille’s expense,” she explained.

“But Guy is our friend,” said Charles, as though unable to comprehend anything other than absolute loyalty no matter what. “We have history.”

“He is and we do. But I don’t think we should ignore behavior that hurts people out of loyalty. That’s how bad things are allowed to happen,” said Nory.

Charles scoffed.

“If friends don’t hold each other accountable, then maybe they’re not really friends,” Jenna ventured.