secret is safe with me, but why you should lead such an uncomfortable and degrading life schooling a parcel of misses is beyond me. Can I help in any way?’
‘Yes, indeed, and that is why I am come. First I must tell you about the Beverley obsession with Mannerling, an obsession I must admit of which, I hope, they have all been cured. You have no doubt heard from local gossip how they were vastly rich and proud and lived at Mannerling. They tried to reclaim it through marriage, but fortunately the two elder girls made suitable marriages for love. Their last attempt nearly ended in disaster, for Harry Devers was the target. But no doubt you have heard that scandal.’
‘Yes, I did. And I must admit I took against these Beverley girls. Such blatant ambition is so crude.’
‘And yet such ambition would not be considered crude in a man. Do you remember young Charlie Anderson? He was about to lose his home and estates and was at his wit’s end. He married a sugar heiress, a blowsy common girl from the West Indies. How clever of him, everyone said. What sterling behaviour!’
Lady Evans gave a reluctant laugh.
‘And my girls are as good as they are beautiful,’ pursued Miss Trumble. ‘Lady Beverley, perhaps because of such misfortunes, has become somewhat of a miser, and my ladies do not go anywhere. To that end I am come to beg you to send them invitations to your ball.’
‘I will do this for you, Letitia. I am now curious to see them. I will have a fair number of eligible men at the ball, but what hope have you when, as I gather, they have no dowries? It is very odd that the two married for love because, as you know, that usually only happens in books. Any man’s family will quickly find out all about the Beverleys and dissuade him if he shows any sign of taking an interest. But we will see. We were talking of young Harry Devers. Do you know he is expected home on leave?’
Miss Trumble’s heart gave a lurch. Barry had told her that but it hadn’t really seemed anything to worry about. Now she had a sudden vivid picture of the twins’ fleeing at her approach. But she said, ‘I doubt very much if we will see anything of him. He will not be at your ball, I hope?’
‘No, he will not. Mrs Devers called. She kept assuring me he was a sweet boy and a completely reformed character.’
‘That one will never reform,’ said Miss Trumble with a shudder.
Lady Evans rang the bell. ‘You must take tea, Letitia, and we will talk about the old days. So few of us left!’
Barry lounged outside, talking to one of the grooms, but privately wondering what was keeping Miss Trumble so long. He had thought it a bit forward of her to approach Lady Evans on the matter of invitations to the ball and had expected her to emerge from the house after only a few moments. But the sun sank lower in the sky, burning red through the skeletal branches of the trees bordering the drive, and still Miss Trumble did not appear.
It was a full hour later and he had already lit the carriage lamps when Miss Trumble emerged.
‘How did it go?’ asked Barry.
‘Very successful,’ said Miss Trumble, drawing the carriage rug up over her legs.
‘You just asked, just like that?’
‘Just like that,’ said Miss Trumble calmly. ‘Lady Evans is a friend of one of my previous employers and was always kind to me.’
‘Which employer was that, miss?’
‘Barry, would you be so good as to stop at the coal merchant’s in Hedgefield? I have a desire to order a quantity of coal.’
‘Coal is expensive, miss.’
‘Indeed it is, which is why Lady Beverley never has enough. We will let her assume it came from some mysterious benefactor.’
‘And I reckon you’d consider it impertinent were I to ask you where you found the money for such a luxury?’
‘Very impertinent. Drive on.’
The Beverleys were all in the parlour the following afternoon when Barry appeared carrying a scuttleful of coal. He proceeded to pile coal on the meagre
‘Yes, indeed, and that is why I am come. First I must tell you about the Beverley obsession with Mannerling, an obsession I must admit of which, I hope, they have all been cured. You have no doubt heard from local gossip how they were vastly rich and proud and lived at Mannerling. They tried to reclaim it through marriage, but fortunately the two elder girls made suitable marriages for love. Their last attempt nearly ended in disaster, for Harry Devers was the target. But no doubt you have heard that scandal.’
‘Yes, I did. And I must admit I took against these Beverley girls. Such blatant ambition is so crude.’
‘And yet such ambition would not be considered crude in a man. Do you remember young Charlie Anderson? He was about to lose his home and estates and was at his wit’s end. He married a sugar heiress, a blowsy common girl from the West Indies. How clever of him, everyone said. What sterling behaviour!’
Lady Evans gave a reluctant laugh.
‘And my girls are as good as they are beautiful,’ pursued Miss Trumble. ‘Lady Beverley, perhaps because of such misfortunes, has become somewhat of a miser, and my ladies do not go anywhere. To that end I am come to beg you to send them invitations to your ball.’
‘I will do this for you, Letitia. I am now curious to see them. I will have a fair number of eligible men at the ball, but what hope have you when, as I gather, they have no dowries? It is very odd that the two married for love because, as you know, that usually only happens in books. Any man’s family will quickly find out all about the Beverleys and dissuade him if he shows any sign of taking an interest. But we will see. We were talking of young Harry Devers. Do you know he is expected home on leave?’
Miss Trumble’s heart gave a lurch. Barry had told her that but it hadn’t really seemed anything to worry about. Now she had a sudden vivid picture of the twins’ fleeing at her approach. But she said, ‘I doubt very much if we will see anything of him. He will not be at your ball, I hope?’
‘No, he will not. Mrs Devers called. She kept assuring me he was a sweet boy and a completely reformed character.’
‘That one will never reform,’ said Miss Trumble with a shudder.
Lady Evans rang the bell. ‘You must take tea, Letitia, and we will talk about the old days. So few of us left!’
Barry lounged outside, talking to one of the grooms, but privately wondering what was keeping Miss Trumble so long. He had thought it a bit forward of her to approach Lady Evans on the matter of invitations to the ball and had expected her to emerge from the house after only a few moments. But the sun sank lower in the sky, burning red through the skeletal branches of the trees bordering the drive, and still Miss Trumble did not appear.
It was a full hour later and he had already lit the carriage lamps when Miss Trumble emerged.
‘How did it go?’ asked Barry.
‘Very successful,’ said Miss Trumble, drawing the carriage rug up over her legs.
‘You just asked, just like that?’
‘Just like that,’ said Miss Trumble calmly. ‘Lady Evans is a friend of one of my previous employers and was always kind to me.’
‘Which employer was that, miss?’
‘Barry, would you be so good as to stop at the coal merchant’s in Hedgefield? I have a desire to order a quantity of coal.’
‘Coal is expensive, miss.’
‘Indeed it is, which is why Lady Beverley never has enough. We will let her assume it came from some mysterious benefactor.’
‘And I reckon you’d consider it impertinent were I to ask you where you found the money for such a luxury?’
‘Very impertinent. Drive on.’
The Beverleys were all in the parlour the following afternoon when Barry appeared carrying a scuttleful of coal. He proceeded to pile coal on the meagre
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