she was standing on the very spot he had stood, and as she thought that, a sort of ache possessed her. She wished then she had not slipped away. Who knew what she might be doing now if she had stayed in his arms and seen him wake up? Of course, she was highly diverted by this new world she had been pitched into but it was not one of her own choosing. But she had chosen to go to that inn with him and chosen to let him make love to her and that seemed to make all the difference. She had been utterly in control and even at the moment of greatest license she felt she would have been able to stop things that she had she wanted. But she had not wanted to stop. She had made her decision and she could not regret it. All she could regret was that she would probably never have the chance to exercise such freedom again.
“You look very melancholy,” said Caroline. “Are you thinking of horrid stories of nuns being walled up for falling in love?”
“No, no,” said Griselda. “But that is horrid, absolutely horrid.”
“Be glad we live in a rational age,” said Caroline.
“Are you sure that we do?” said Griselda.
“That is an interesting question,” said Caroline, clasping her hands behind her back. “Perhaps not entirely. But it is best to comfort oneself with the idea that it is.”
“Might I ask something?” said Griselda. “About your engagement to Sir Thomas Thorpe. Why the uncertainty? Forgive me if this seems impertinent…”
“No, it is not at all. I am glad to be able to talk of it to someone impartial. We met at my brother-in-law’s house in Derbyshire in July – he was a fortnight there. My sister likes a very large company and I think he was invited to meet me, so we were much thrown together and we became friends. He asked my brother whether he had any objections to his taking the matter further, which of course he did not. After that he went to Priorscote to supervise the harvest, and I continued at my sister’s until August when we came here to Cromer. He wrote to my mother asking whether he might come and see us – and he has been here two weeks. The day before yesterday he asked me to marry him and I accepted. But it seems that his mother is against it.”
“How can she be?”
“Because – and this is what has so upset us – she maintains he is engaged to Lady Mary Liston, Lord Wansford’s daughter – his only child, in fact.”
“She’s an heiress, then?”
“To a very staggering fortune, yes. And Lady Thorpe seems to have influenced Lady Mary in some way, and made her believe that Sir Thomas is attached to her and that she must consider herself engaged. She wrote to me telling me that any proposal that Sir Thomas made to me was not honourable since he was not free to act.”
“How very frightening for you. What must you have thought?”
“I thought everything. I was quite prepared to end our engagement there and then but he came to dinner and when I saw him, I knew he could not be guilty of such a thing. He said everything that was proper and now I am entirely reassured. Of course, he does not require his mother’s consent but we shall endeavour to get her blessing. It may not be easy.”
“She will give it the moment she knows you,” said Griselda.
“I do hope so,” said Caroline. “For I have decided – and you must allow me to be impetuous here – that you must be settled in a good house with a good husband, not above ten miles drive from Priorscote, for I think you will make me a very good neighbour.”
Chapter 6
Tom could not sleep. He could not stop thinking about her. He felt that her touch had branded him and his body was covered with painful burns from which he could get no relief.
Despite a long late walk, he was not tired, and after hours of agonised tossing and turning, he eventually climbed out of his bed at three in the morning. He sat reading Shakespeare – Anthony and
“You look very melancholy,” said Caroline. “Are you thinking of horrid stories of nuns being walled up for falling in love?”
“No, no,” said Griselda. “But that is horrid, absolutely horrid.”
“Be glad we live in a rational age,” said Caroline.
“Are you sure that we do?” said Griselda.
“That is an interesting question,” said Caroline, clasping her hands behind her back. “Perhaps not entirely. But it is best to comfort oneself with the idea that it is.”
“Might I ask something?” said Griselda. “About your engagement to Sir Thomas Thorpe. Why the uncertainty? Forgive me if this seems impertinent…”
“No, it is not at all. I am glad to be able to talk of it to someone impartial. We met at my brother-in-law’s house in Derbyshire in July – he was a fortnight there. My sister likes a very large company and I think he was invited to meet me, so we were much thrown together and we became friends. He asked my brother whether he had any objections to his taking the matter further, which of course he did not. After that he went to Priorscote to supervise the harvest, and I continued at my sister’s until August when we came here to Cromer. He wrote to my mother asking whether he might come and see us – and he has been here two weeks. The day before yesterday he asked me to marry him and I accepted. But it seems that his mother is against it.”
“How can she be?”
“Because – and this is what has so upset us – she maintains he is engaged to Lady Mary Liston, Lord Wansford’s daughter – his only child, in fact.”
“She’s an heiress, then?”
“To a very staggering fortune, yes. And Lady Thorpe seems to have influenced Lady Mary in some way, and made her believe that Sir Thomas is attached to her and that she must consider herself engaged. She wrote to me telling me that any proposal that Sir Thomas made to me was not honourable since he was not free to act.”
“How very frightening for you. What must you have thought?”
“I thought everything. I was quite prepared to end our engagement there and then but he came to dinner and when I saw him, I knew he could not be guilty of such a thing. He said everything that was proper and now I am entirely reassured. Of course, he does not require his mother’s consent but we shall endeavour to get her blessing. It may not be easy.”
“She will give it the moment she knows you,” said Griselda.
“I do hope so,” said Caroline. “For I have decided – and you must allow me to be impetuous here – that you must be settled in a good house with a good husband, not above ten miles drive from Priorscote, for I think you will make me a very good neighbour.”
Chapter 6
Tom could not sleep. He could not stop thinking about her. He felt that her touch had branded him and his body was covered with painful burns from which he could get no relief.
Despite a long late walk, he was not tired, and after hours of agonised tossing and turning, he eventually climbed out of his bed at three in the morning. He sat reading Shakespeare – Anthony and
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