The men had joined the ladies after half an hour or so, and instantly ruined the comfortable atmosphere they’d developed. Jimmy had given every impression of being made of wood, barely speaking either to his fiancée or to his old friend. Bill had seemed preoccupied to the point of rudeness; Pat hoped he wasn’t thinking about work. Miss Singh had relapsed into silence as soon as the men were present; by contrast Lady Anna had dropped her cold, brittle anger in favour of smiling flirtation with Jack Bouvier-Lynes as her husband looked on, smiling too. It had been a relief when Mr. Bouvier-Lynes had proposed a round of cards and taken himself, Haworth, Jimmy, and Mr. Keynes off. Bill had gone to bed.

This ill-assorted gathering was not at all what Pat had expected or wanted and she gave some serious thought to making her excuses and leaving. It would be rude to Jimmy, but frankly, he deserved it after his inexplicable silence at Haworth’s astonishing behaviour. The man might be his brother-in-law but that was no excuse for tolerating such poor manners.

Especially to Miss Carruth. Pat could quite understand that Jimmy had found her irresistible: the laughing eyes, the generous mouth, the soft and very lush curves. Not an intellectual, perhaps, but very pleasant, and Jimmy was hardly over-burdened with brains himself.

Only, Jimmy did not seem to find her irresistible. He’d barely spoken to her, and he’d apparently given no thought to her entertainment. Pat wondered how long her sparkling humour would last if she were left with Miss Singh and Lady Anna for three endless weeks of thumb-twiddling. It seemed a rash way to treat a fiancée upon whom one was depending for financial rescue, especially one with a history of bolting.

Maybe Jimmy was hoping she’d bolt, since he didn’t seem charmed by her chatter. Pat wasn’t a lover of empty nonsense either, but it was hardly the worst characteristic one could expect in an advantageous marriage. It seemed greedy to demand perfect compatibility if one’s prospective spouse also had a kind heart, overflowing coffers, and that bosom. Not that it was any of Pat’s business, because the woman was marrying Jimmy. Lucky bloody Jimmy.