A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting(24)

In the ensuing bevvy of greetings exchanged, Kitty slipped back to stand next to Mr de Lacy. She caught his attention by laying a hand upon his arm.

‘Would you escort me to the refreshments, Mr de Lacy?’ she asked softly. ‘I find myself quite parched.’

Tripping over himself with eagerness, Mr de Lacy rushed to agree – and not a moment too soon, for Kitty saw Captain Hinsley make to catch up with them. He was stalled by Aunt Dorothy, who embroiled him into her conversation with Lady Radcliffe, and Kitty took her chance, slipping out of the rotunda with Mr de Lacy in the opposite direction. They should not be gone more than ten minutes, and they would steer quite clear of the dark paths, or the close walks – or any place indeed that could impinge upon her honour or his. And yet, much could be achieved in ten minutes alone, even in a brightly lit, crowded garden. She waited until they were safely out of earshot before speaking.

‘I am most glad to have a chance to speak to you alone, Mr de Lacy,’ she said.

‘By Jove, so am I,’ he said, pressing her hand with his. ‘Absolutely marvellous evening, is it not?’

‘It is,’ she agreed. ‘But I was desirous of speaking to you as I am in most serious need of an advisor – and it is only you to whom I can turn.’

‘Goodness!’ He looked flattered and a little alarmed, for he was not much used to giving advice. ‘What can be the matter?’

‘My aunt tells me I must marry, and quickly,’ Kitty said, trying to convey in her voice a sense of barely repressed despair. ‘She has found a Mr Pears for me, who is certainly a good man, and a kind one, but I find it difficult to countenance.’

‘By George – why not?’ Mr de Lacy was agog.

‘You must know, Mr de Lacy …’ She paused and took a deep breath, as if to muster courage, satisfied to find his eyes fixed unblinkingly upon her face. ‘You must know – or I feel you must at least suspect – that my affections lie elsewhere …’

She let the statement hang in the air for the moment unattended, staring directly at Mr de Lacy so that he had no means of misinterpreting her words, and had the satisfaction of seeing his face flush a deep pink.

‘I own, I had – I had thought perhaps that was it,’ he breathed.

‘And so you see I am in quite the predicament,’ she went on. ‘Do I have the courage to refuse Mr Pears, when it is true that I do need to marry, in order to support my sisters? I have already confessed to you, Mr de Lacy, that the state of my father’s finances do indeed make marriage most essential. And yet to act against my heart …’

She would have liked her eyes to glisten with unshed tears, but alas, they remained bone dry.

‘Miss Talbot,’ Mr de Lacy said fervently. ‘Miss Talbot, what if – what if you were to marry me?’

She gasped dramatically at this most shocking turn of events.

‘Mr de Lacy,’ Kitty said. ‘Do you truly mean it?’

‘I-I think I do,’ he stammered. ‘In fact – I’m sure of it! You can’t be going around marrying people called Pear, it isn’t at all the thing. You must … you must know, that I feel very deeply for you? Why, I have loved you for years, Miss Talbot!’

Kitty did not feel the need to remind him that they had only known each other for weeks. She pressed her hand upon his, with feeling.

‘I am quite overcome,’ she breathed. ‘Oh, you have made me most happy, Mr de Lacy.’

‘Please,’ he entreated, ‘call me Archie.’

‘Archie. You must then do me the honour of calling me Kitty. But—’

‘But?’ he asked, anxious.

‘Oh Archie, I do feel we must be certain of your family’s approval. It does not feel right to make such a step without it.’

‘Of course, you are right!’ Archie hastened to agree. ‘Terribly improper of me, in fact – I should have spoken to my brother before – don’t know why I haven’t yet, I did mean to.’

‘Then we are in perfect agreement – as always.’

They smiled at each other – he, breathless with excitement, she with exultation. She had almost done it. She could feel victory within her grasp.

‘I couldn’t stop it, James, her aunt had me absolutely trapped,’ Captain Hinsley was saying at that moment to Radcliffe, who had a polite smile fixed upon his face. ‘But there they are! They can’t have been gone more than ten minutes. Nothing to worry about.’

Hinsley, thought Radcliffe darkly, had clearly not spent long enough in Miss Talbot’s company.

‘My dears, we were just beginning to worry about you,’ Lady Radcliffe called in greeting as Mr de Lacy and Miss Talbot approached.

‘I’m sorry, Mother, I was just escorting Kit— Miss Talbot, to procure some lemonade.’

A lesser man might have paled, but Radcliffe gave no discernible reaction to Archie’s slip of the tongue. His mother, equally well-bred, only widened her eyes a very slight amount, while Mrs Kendall had to look down to hide her smile. In their ten minutes alone, Archie had clearly been invited to use Miss Talbot’s first name. Fast work indeed. They must be separated again – at once.

‘Shall we dine?’ Radcliffe suggested loudly to the group, and Hinsley appeared immediately at Miss Talbot’s side to offer her his arm. She took it gamely enough – the offensive ground ceded, for the moment – and the group made off toward the supper-boxes. Radcliffe had just enough time to breathe a sigh of relief before Archie appeared at his left side, jaw jutting out determinedly.