‘They are not here tonight, your parents?’

‘Good grief, no.’ Edward shook his head. ‘Our dear Mama and Papa are pure establishment, my dear, and thoroughly disapprove of their only daughter’s views and activities, and of course Cuthbert and Leonard do exactly as they are told.’

‘But not you?’

‘No, not me.’ He smiled. ‘In our family there are two black sheep, not one.’

In spite of his air of casualness she felt that the split in the family bothered him, and now she said quietly as people began to walk to the dining room, ‘I’m sure your parents love you and Clarissa as much as your brothers.’

‘Possibly.’

The tone of his voice brought her eyes to his face. ‘What does that mean?’

‘Ruby—’ He stopped abruptly. ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter. Come on, let’s get some food.’

‘Tell me.’ She resisted moving as he put his hand under her elbow to usher her towards the door.

‘It’s nothing – just that as you know our childhood was different to the one you experienced. Our parents had children to carry on the family name as was expected of them, but neither my father nor my mother was interested in us as people. We were given into the care of the servants from the day we were born and brought down from the nursery for a few minutes each evening, and even that was too much for them in Clarissa’s case. They had expected a daughter who would be sweet and malleable and not say boo to a goose, and they got Clarissa.’ He smiled.

‘But they still love you, all of you.’

‘Cuthbert and Leonard have fulfilled their obligations and therefore remained in favour, but I don’t think my parents love them in the sense you mean any more than they love Clarissa and me. It’s simply not like that, Ruby. The two of them live their lives exactly as they please – my father has his hunting and fishing and mistress, and my mother enjoys the social scene and her friends and trips to Paris and Italy.’ He shrugged. ‘Don’t look so shocked, they’re products of their class. Their parents behaved in the same way and their parents before them.’

She wanted to ask, ‘And you? Is that how you see love and marriage and family life?’ but instead she said, ‘Is that what Cuthbert and Leonard want?’

‘I have no real relationship with either of them so I have no idea of their feelings, but Cuthbert married a lady of my parents’ choice some years ago and no doubt Leonard will do the same at some point. They are dutiful sons,’ he added mockingly.

‘It’s all very cold-blooded.’