He had certainly found Miss Gaydon’s to be a pretty face, and behind the beauty was a swift comprehension, so lacking in many of the girls brought out into society. It was both unusual and appealing, and also entertaining. Mr Newbold had thus conducted one of his more cerebral flirtations with Miss Gaydon, and only gradually realised that he was interested in more. He had seen the banter of youth make her smile, but not affect her heart. He did not play that game, nor try to ‘storm her’ with the wooing of a man of experience, rightly thinking she was not ready for such. Yet what she had said at the Soughtons’ dinner gave him pause. She accounted him a friend, but was not going to wed just for friendship. If he wanted her, and he was coming to the conclusion that he did, he must reveal more of his own feelings. This was difficult, because he had spent years concealing them to great effect, and, if he were honest, he was only half sure of them. When he was with her he felt a degree of pleasure that made him contemplate a future with her as lady of his house, the woman he would live with upon a daily basis, and yet when apart he did not pine for her, think constantly of her. He wondered if he had become, at heart, a bit of a cold fish, incapable of deep passion.

So Mr Newbold arose in the morning pensive, and broke his fast in a brown study such that afterwards he could not say what had been placed before him.

Henrietta was not focused upon herself. This made life much the easier, since she was still in a muddle, torn between what she was increasingly sure she wanted, and a deep-seated belief that it was unthinkable, and also probably unthought by Charles Henfield. By setting herself the task of promoting the romance of her cousin and ‘nice Lord Martley’, she could put her own thoughts to one side, and be guilt free. That she was going against the wishes of her aunt was irrelevant, because whatever stood in the way was old and dusty, and no doubt inflated beyond all proportion. After all, what could one girl do that would set another at loggerheads with her for life? Snatching a dancing partner from under one’s nose, spilling cherry compote over a favourite gown – these were not worth decades of animosity.