“You look like you’ve been through the wringer,” Pat said. “He’s in a bad way.”

“It’s a bad business.” Bill sat, heavily. “I’ve sent him to beg his father to talk to me. God, Pat, I don’t know what to do. I can’t cope with this.”

“It seems to me you can make a jolly good case to investigate Haworth’s dealings.”

“While he continues torturing the family, and Jim—” He broke off with a strangled noise.

“Honestly, you ought to leave,” Pat said. “You look shocking. You are going to have a nerve-storm if this keeps up.”

“Jimmy will collapse before I do. He’s coming apart at the seams and all I can do is watch.” Bill rubbed his face with both hands. “Oh, the devil. It’s not your problem, old thing. You ought to go.”

“I shall. Fen’s invited me to stay at her place for a while. She needs a change of scene herself and she doesn’t want to go back to London until the inevitable fuss has died down, and she’d like me to teach her to shoot—” Pat became aware she was explaining too much, and stopped.

“Well, that’s good,” Bill said, noticing nothing. “Yes, it will be unpleasant for her, I dare say, jilting a third chap.”

“Actually, Jimmy ended it.”

Bill blinked. “He did?”

“With the admission that he was entirely at fault, of course. He told her Haworth was right and that he’s been in love with someone else all along, which is of course dastardly, but at least Fen knows that it isn’t anything to do with her. Not that it must be very nice to be sought after for one’s money, but—”

“Sorry, sorry,” Bill said. “He told Miss Carruth what?”

“Oh, a lot of romantic stuff about how he hadn’t realised he was dreadfully in love with this other girl until it was too late. You must surely know about her? Or is he keeping this a deep dark secret from everyone?”

Bill cleared his throat. “I’d an idea, yes.”

“It seems grossly unfair to her, though I suppose she must be unsuitable in some way.” She paused so Bill could fill in the gaps. He did not. Men had no idea how to conduct a conversation. “The main thing is, the fault’s all on his side, and he’s promised to say as much in public, so hopefully Fen’s reputation won’t suffer too badly. Even so, there will be a great deal of talk, and I imagine people will blame her anyway. So she intends to lie low a while, and I’m going to lie low with her. Metaphorically, I mean.”

“Right. Yes. Good.”

“You aren’t even listening,” Pat said resignedly. “Anyway, I imagine the Wittons will want Fen out of here as quick as they can. She’ll head down south today, I should think.”