bit his lip.
“May I say how honoured I am by your hospitality?” Lord Cheriton said, to gloss over what was obviously an uncomfortable moment. “But I would be interested to know what you intended to do with the wine if the house was eventually to fall to the ground.”
“We may live here without permission,” Wivina replied in a reproving tone, “but that does not entitle us to drink wine that does not belong to us or to dispose of anything that we cannot replace.”
She looked at Lord Cheriton almost pleadingly as she said,
“I know we are trespassing, but I have done my best to preserve what I could from falling into disrepair. I have tried to keep the house clean and to keep it alive as long as I can.”
She spoke with such earnestness that he answered equally seriously,
“No one could have done more and may I say I consider it was right of you to come here and make a home for those who had no other home of their own.”
He saw by the sudden light in her eyes that it was what she wanted to hear. He was sure it had worried her to know that she was, as she said, a trespasser.
He rose to bring the bottle of claret from the sideboard and pour them each a glass.
“I say, this is good!” Richard exclaimed. “If you stay long enough we may be able to sample all the different wines there are below.”
Lord Cheriton did not reply and they talked of other things until after they had all had two helpings of the chicken, then Richard said,
“Do you think, sir, it would be possible tomorrow, if your horses are rested, for me to have a ride on one of them? Your servant said he did not think you would mind.”
“I am sure Captain Bradleigh has to continue his journey,” Wivina said quickly, “therefore, you must not tire his horses unnecessarily.”
“Unnecessarily!” Richard exclaimed. “Do I ever get a chance of seeing horses like those? You are only trying to please Farlow by getting rid of Captain Bradleigh. You are going to marry him, but surely that need not stop me from having a ride?”
For a moment Wivina went very white, then she said in a low voice tense with emotion,
“I am not going to marry him! I have told him so and I have told you the same thing!”
She rose from the table as she spoke, and taking her empty plate and Richard’s, she said,
“I will go and see if the next course is ready.”
She went from the room and Richard smiled almost cheekily at Lord Cheriton.
“She will marry him in the end, whatever she says,” he remarked, “and when she does, he says, he will send me to Oxford.”
Lord Cheriton was just about to reply when Wivina came back into the room.
The next course was strawberries from the garden with the thick cream which Richard had bought from the farm.
There was a big bowl of them and Lord Cheriton helped himself liberally before he sat down again at the table.
As if he felt there was something a little uncomfortable in his sister’s silence, Richard said to Lord Cheriton,
“Nickolls has been telling me about the battles you fought in and how brave you were. He says that both you and he belonged to one of Wellington’s Commands, which was called the ‘Loathsome Leopards’.”
Wivina gave a little cry and looking at Lord Cheriton, she exclaimed,
“Now I know what was worrying me!”
“What was that?” he asked.
She blushed as if she had spoken without thinking, then replied:
“You might – think it rude.”
“If you are referring to the fact that I look like a leopard,” Lord Cheriton replied, “may I say I am well aware of the resemblance and I am in fact rather proud of it!”
“Of course you are!” Richard said enthusiastically. “Nickolls says the ‘Loathsome Leopards’ were the bravest soldiers in the whole of the Duke’s Army and that the French were terrified of you.”
“It is certainly true that they were frightened of us,” Lord Cheriton admitted, “and we did very well at Salamanca.”
“I want to hear all about
“May I say how honoured I am by your hospitality?” Lord Cheriton said, to gloss over what was obviously an uncomfortable moment. “But I would be interested to know what you intended to do with the wine if the house was eventually to fall to the ground.”
“We may live here without permission,” Wivina replied in a reproving tone, “but that does not entitle us to drink wine that does not belong to us or to dispose of anything that we cannot replace.”
She looked at Lord Cheriton almost pleadingly as she said,
“I know we are trespassing, but I have done my best to preserve what I could from falling into disrepair. I have tried to keep the house clean and to keep it alive as long as I can.”
She spoke with such earnestness that he answered equally seriously,
“No one could have done more and may I say I consider it was right of you to come here and make a home for those who had no other home of their own.”
He saw by the sudden light in her eyes that it was what she wanted to hear. He was sure it had worried her to know that she was, as she said, a trespasser.
He rose to bring the bottle of claret from the sideboard and pour them each a glass.
“I say, this is good!” Richard exclaimed. “If you stay long enough we may be able to sample all the different wines there are below.”
Lord Cheriton did not reply and they talked of other things until after they had all had two helpings of the chicken, then Richard said,
“Do you think, sir, it would be possible tomorrow, if your horses are rested, for me to have a ride on one of them? Your servant said he did not think you would mind.”
“I am sure Captain Bradleigh has to continue his journey,” Wivina said quickly, “therefore, you must not tire his horses unnecessarily.”
“Unnecessarily!” Richard exclaimed. “Do I ever get a chance of seeing horses like those? You are only trying to please Farlow by getting rid of Captain Bradleigh. You are going to marry him, but surely that need not stop me from having a ride?”
For a moment Wivina went very white, then she said in a low voice tense with emotion,
“I am not going to marry him! I have told him so and I have told you the same thing!”
She rose from the table as she spoke, and taking her empty plate and Richard’s, she said,
“I will go and see if the next course is ready.”
She went from the room and Richard smiled almost cheekily at Lord Cheriton.
“She will marry him in the end, whatever she says,” he remarked, “and when she does, he says, he will send me to Oxford.”
Lord Cheriton was just about to reply when Wivina came back into the room.
The next course was strawberries from the garden with the thick cream which Richard had bought from the farm.
There was a big bowl of them and Lord Cheriton helped himself liberally before he sat down again at the table.
As if he felt there was something a little uncomfortable in his sister’s silence, Richard said to Lord Cheriton,
“Nickolls has been telling me about the battles you fought in and how brave you were. He says that both you and he belonged to one of Wellington’s Commands, which was called the ‘Loathsome Leopards’.”
Wivina gave a little cry and looking at Lord Cheriton, she exclaimed,
“Now I know what was worrying me!”
“What was that?” he asked.
She blushed as if she had spoken without thinking, then replied:
“You might – think it rude.”
“If you are referring to the fact that I look like a leopard,” Lord Cheriton replied, “may I say I am well aware of the resemblance and I am in fact rather proud of it!”
“Of course you are!” Richard said enthusiastically. “Nickolls says the ‘Loathsome Leopards’ were the bravest soldiers in the whole of the Duke’s Army and that the French were terrified of you.”
“It is certainly true that they were frightened of us,” Lord Cheriton admitted, “and we did very well at Salamanca.”
“I want to hear all about
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