“Oh, come off it,” Pat snapped. “I’ve spent more time with her than you have here, and Bill’s made three times the effort to stand up for her.” He winced. She pressed her advantage. “Really, Jimmy, if you don’t care for her you should do the decent thing and talk to her. And if you do, you should make some sort of show of it.”

“Has she said anything to you? About the engagement?”

“If she had I shouldn’t repeat it, any more than I should repeat your words to her.”

“No, of course not. But— Oh, God, Pat, I’ve made a bloody awful mess of this.”

“You have, yes.”

“No, you’ve no idea. Really, you don’t. This business with Fen is only the start.”

“What on earth is wrong?” Pat demanded. She was beginning to feel seriously worried.

Jimmy kicked a stone into the river. “I don’t know where I’d begin. Suffice to say, we’re in a dreadful hole, I need money, and this seemed the best way to go about it. Fen gets a coronet, I get the funds, everyone’s happy.”

“You don’t look happy. And nor does she. And I haven’t seen anything to suggest she’s on the hunt for a title.”

“Well, she accepted me.”

“Possibly she was under the impression you were a decent sort of chap,” Pat said icily. “I used to think that too.”

“Oh, don’t,” Jimmy said. “I know. I thought I was doing the practical thing. I thought I could be a good husband, I truly did, but everything’s gone wrong, and of course blasted Maurice is setting out to sabotage the engagement for the hell of it, and there’s damn all I can do about it.”

“You could talk honestly to Fen. She doesn’t know what’s going on, does she?” Jimmy shook his head. Pat clenched her fists, feeling an upswell of anger. “It won’t do, Jimmy. You can’t marry her for her money and foist your debts and troubles and Maurice Haworth on her without warning. You don’t have to tell me your secrets, but you have to tell her, and give her a fair choice. If she understood, perhaps she could help you. Stand by you. At least know not to be hurt when you throw her to the wolves.”

“Not all women are like you, old thing. I have no doubt you’d stand by your man and fight his battles. Fen’s more the taken-care-of sort.”