The Best of Daughters by Dilly Court Page A

with a kiss. ‘And that must be the gown you almost lost. It’s lovely and so are you.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ she murmured, smiling up at him. ‘The cabby delivered it to our door.’
    â€˜I hope you tipped him well.’
    His infectious grin warmed her heart. ‘Thank you for everything you did yesterday.’
    â€˜It was a pleasure, Miss Lennox. And I hope you’ve remembered to save the first dance for me.’
    â€˜Move on there, old boy.’ One of Teddy’s friends shuffled up behind him. ‘Don’t hog the gorgeous Daisy. I want to give her a birthday kiss too.’
    Rupert held on to Daisy’s hand. ‘You’d better make certain the lady doesn’t object before you take liberties, old boy.’
    â€˜Move on, Tulley, old man,’ Teddy said, nudging his friend impatiently. ‘Let’s get the formalities over. I could do with a drink.’
    Rupert winked at Daisy as he walked away. ‘See you in a while, Daisy Bell.’
    She shook Tulley’s hand, keeping him at arm’s length. ‘Good evening, Bobby. Let’s keep this formal, shall we?’
    â€˜You’re a hard woman, Daisy Lennox. A dashed heart-breaker.’
    â€˜Except that his is made of India rubber and it bounces back every time,’ Teddy said, chuckling. ‘Do hurry up, Tulley. A chap can die of thirst standing here.’
    When the last guest had been welcomed Daisy moved away from her parents and was immediately claimed by Rupert. His smile was replaced by a look of genuine concern. ‘How goes it?’
    She glanced around, making certain that no one was listening. ‘It’s awful. Mother is beside herself although she’s putting on a good show tonight, and poor Father hasn’t said much, but I know he’s desperately worried. I could kill that wretched man Carlton.’
    â€˜You and several hundred others, I should think.’
    â€˜I know. It’s terrible. Father is going to sell the London house in the hope of paying back at least someof the money that Carlton embezzled. We’re leaving for Rainbow’s End at the end of the week.’
    â€˜I’ve always loved that name. When I was a boy I was convinced that a crock of gold was buried in your garden.’
    She smiled. ‘Yes, I remember. You and Teddy decided to dig up the vegetable beds and were severely punished. At least, Teddy was, and I suppose your father was furious too.’
    â€˜I couldn’t sit down for a week after the beating I received. But I still love that old house. I believe it used to be the dower house in the eighteenth century, but the dowager Lady Pendleton at that time considered it was too small and had another one built overlooking the lake.’
    Daisy sighed. ‘I can’t imagine what it must be like to have all that family history to fall back on. As far as I know my grandfather was a tea merchant and gambled away most of his money on the horses. Mother’s side of the family isn’t well documented although she’s convinced that they had blue blood running in their veins. She’s taking this very badly.’
    â€˜If there’s anything I can do? Please don’t be afraid to ask.’
    She met his anxious gaze with a smile. ‘You’re a good friend, Rupert.’
    He was about to respond when Beatrice rushed up to them, clutching an over-full glass of lemonade. ‘Rupert, dear Rupert. Mother won’t let me have a proper drink. Will you be a darling and put a dash of gin in my glass?’
    â€˜Certainly not,’ Rupert said, tweaking one of her curls. ‘This is Daisy’s party. We don’t want you falling down drunk and disgracing the family.’
    â€˜That’s rich considering the state we’re in at present.’ Beatrice tossed her head, scowling. ‘And the cost of all this would keep us for a year in the country. We’ll be living off bread and jam next