was only when he touched upon the subject of the duration of her stay that she interrupted the easy, inconsequential flow of chatter.
“I don’t know,” she said with a worried frown beginning to mar her white forehead, “for I’ve only come to see my father’s solicitor and collect the legacy he wrote to me about. But now the fellow says that he has to make further inquiries and pursue several leads in his investigation. It begins to appear, he says, that my father left that which he wished to leave to me with friends somewhere upon the continent. Well,” she said defensively, although Lord Leith had not uttered a word of censure, “it does stand to reason, since he spent so much of his life in foreign parts, that whatever it was that he put aside for me would not be here in London. But the worrisome thing is that he doesn’t know how long it will take to locate this friend, or friends. The whole of Europe is in such upheaval, you know, since Boney’s been shackled on Elba. It makes no sense for me to go haring back to Yorkshire when I might get a note asking me to return at any moment. And I cannot say that my presence here is mak ing anyone comfortable.
“You needn’t deny it,” she said quickly as he began to speak. “I’m not like London misses, you see. I’m a sad disappointment to old Ollie—that is, Sir Selby—and I know I’m driving your aunt to distraction,” she added.
“I won’t attempt to deny it,” Lord Leith replied as her eyes flew wide. “You are. ” “But,” he said, rising and pacing as he spoke, as though he were speaking to himself, “it would be a bad idea to fly off home, as you said. It would cause Ollie to feel he had failed you if you took up residence in a hotel, as I hear you had planned to do. For both Ollie and my dear aunt are conventional souls, and it is decidedly not conventional for a young female to stay in lodgings when she has either family or friends in town. It is their conventionality that is the clue,” he mused aloud.
“I cannot pretend to be what their conventional souls expect of me,” Miss Eastwood cried in agitation. “Indeed, I can’t understand it either. Perhaps I can in your aunt, but Ollie’s known me since I was in leading strings and he never disapproved of me before.”
“ Yorkshire is n ot London,” Lord Leith said softly, “and you were never grown up before. You are all of nineteen years now, aren’t you?”
“Next month,” Miss Eastwood said glumly.
“Ah, well, and I expect that Ollie’s grown very staid now that he’s a titled gentleman,” Lord Leith commented.
“Indeed not,” she defended quickly. “He’s still the best of fellows and I am sorry to trouble him so.”
“As I am,” Lord Leith said, standing over her and looking down solemnly, “Because he’s a dear friend of mine as well. And when he’s upset, so is my aunt. So I’m going to poke my nose in where you may feel I should not. But I’d like to offer some advice.”
“Please do,” Miss Eastwood said, looking up at him anxiously.
The tall gentleman hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision. He pulled a chair up beside the young woman and spoke to her in confidential tones.
“I think the best course for you would be to capitulate. No, don’t grow angry. I don’t mean that you must change yourself or your ideals. But much of what they object to is only surface anyway. For neither of them has spoken ill of your manners, or your speech, or even your future plans, have t hey? I thought not. But they are two old dears, and have grown, as I said, very conventional. All you have to do is seem to comply with their wishes. There is nothing deceitful in that, either to them or to yourself.”
He gazed into her eyes and went on, “While you await word of your legacy it can do no harm to put on a few of the rocks my aunt thinks suitable, can it? And how can it harm you to attend a few parties, stand up with a few gentlemen, a nd seem to enjoy
“I don’t know,” she said with a worried frown beginning to mar her white forehead, “for I’ve only come to see my father’s solicitor and collect the legacy he wrote to me about. But now the fellow says that he has to make further inquiries and pursue several leads in his investigation. It begins to appear, he says, that my father left that which he wished to leave to me with friends somewhere upon the continent. Well,” she said defensively, although Lord Leith had not uttered a word of censure, “it does stand to reason, since he spent so much of his life in foreign parts, that whatever it was that he put aside for me would not be here in London. But the worrisome thing is that he doesn’t know how long it will take to locate this friend, or friends. The whole of Europe is in such upheaval, you know, since Boney’s been shackled on Elba. It makes no sense for me to go haring back to Yorkshire when I might get a note asking me to return at any moment. And I cannot say that my presence here is mak ing anyone comfortable.
“You needn’t deny it,” she said quickly as he began to speak. “I’m not like London misses, you see. I’m a sad disappointment to old Ollie—that is, Sir Selby—and I know I’m driving your aunt to distraction,” she added.
“I won’t attempt to deny it,” Lord Leith replied as her eyes flew wide. “You are. ” “But,” he said, rising and pacing as he spoke, as though he were speaking to himself, “it would be a bad idea to fly off home, as you said. It would cause Ollie to feel he had failed you if you took up residence in a hotel, as I hear you had planned to do. For both Ollie and my dear aunt are conventional souls, and it is decidedly not conventional for a young female to stay in lodgings when she has either family or friends in town. It is their conventionality that is the clue,” he mused aloud.
“I cannot pretend to be what their conventional souls expect of me,” Miss Eastwood cried in agitation. “Indeed, I can’t understand it either. Perhaps I can in your aunt, but Ollie’s known me since I was in leading strings and he never disapproved of me before.”
“ Yorkshire is n ot London,” Lord Leith said softly, “and you were never grown up before. You are all of nineteen years now, aren’t you?”
“Next month,” Miss Eastwood said glumly.
“Ah, well, and I expect that Ollie’s grown very staid now that he’s a titled gentleman,” Lord Leith commented.
“Indeed not,” she defended quickly. “He’s still the best of fellows and I am sorry to trouble him so.”
“As I am,” Lord Leith said, standing over her and looking down solemnly, “Because he’s a dear friend of mine as well. And when he’s upset, so is my aunt. So I’m going to poke my nose in where you may feel I should not. But I’d like to offer some advice.”
“Please do,” Miss Eastwood said, looking up at him anxiously.
The tall gentleman hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision. He pulled a chair up beside the young woman and spoke to her in confidential tones.
“I think the best course for you would be to capitulate. No, don’t grow angry. I don’t mean that you must change yourself or your ideals. But much of what they object to is only surface anyway. For neither of them has spoken ill of your manners, or your speech, or even your future plans, have t hey? I thought not. But they are two old dears, and have grown, as I said, very conventional. All you have to do is seem to comply with their wishes. There is nothing deceitful in that, either to them or to yourself.”
He gazed into her eyes and went on, “While you await word of your legacy it can do no harm to put on a few of the rocks my aunt thinks suitable, can it? And how can it harm you to attend a few parties, stand up with a few gentlemen, a nd seem to enjoy
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