explanation to be given. She was quieter than usual, but she was perfectly
pleasant. I prayed she had written to her father.
Perhaps Lawrence was mistaken. If there was a snobbish bone in Amelia’s body, I
had yet to see it. As for Thomas, he told Miss Crislock about the exciting climb
he and his friends had accomplished just three months before up Ben Nevis in
Scotland.
Amelia said, “I was concerned, naturally, that he would become light-headed with
the increase in altitude, but he did marvelously well, only spraining his little
finger when he grasped a rock and it came loose too quickly. It didn’t impede
his ascent at all.”
“It was very cold on top of Ben Nevis,” Thomas said to Judith. “You could see
your breath, and here it was the middle of August. I’ll tell you we were all
wrapped up to our noses. When we reached the top, one of the lads broke out a
bottle of champagne and we toasted each other. Of course, with my sprained
little finger, it was difficult to hold the glass, but I managed.”
“Did the champagne freeze?” Miss Crislock asked.
“We drank it far too fast for that to happen,” Thomas said. “I choked only once,
but the champagne was very cold, naturally, perhaps too cold for a throat such
as mine.” Thomas then gave us all the most beautiful smile. “Amelia insists that
she always sip the champagne first to see that it isn’t overly chilled.”
I happened to look over at John, who was staring at his brother, his jaw nearly
dropped to his chin. I suppose the brothers really didn’t know each other all
that well since John hadn’t been about much in the past years. “Thomas,” I said,
“I believe Amelia has played a jest on you. She is simply using your throat as
an excuse to drink more than her share of champagne.”
“Is that true, dearest? Are you a tippler?”
“Not yet,” Amelia said.
“Ah,” said Miss Crislock, “I shall never forget the first time Andy had an after-dinner
glass of port with her grandfather. The dear man was so very pleased.”
There was just a small silence before I laughed and took another bite of the
delicious chicken breast roasted in cream and curry sauce.
After dinner, Miss Gillbank took Judith away. Thomas and Amelia were speaking
quietly in the corner, probably about her unexpected nap in that empty room and
what it could possibly mean. John picked up a book on the exploits of some
Frenchman called de Sade. I don’t know why he was reading it, as he certainly
didn’t seem to be getting any pleasure from it. Every time I looked at him, he
seemed to be perfectly appalled.
My husband said, “Andy, would you please join me in the library for a moment?”
I kissed Miss Crislock good night and walked to my husband.
Now was the time he would make his confession, bless him. I couldn’t wait to
hear his excuse about keeping mum about a second wife and a female offspring
only six years removed from her Season in London. I was coming to realize that
there wasn’t all that much difference between younger people and older people.
Lawrence had kept something from me, and now he had to clear the slate and offer
an abject apology. How many times had I done the same thing from the age of
three onward?
There was only one branch of candles lit in the vast library. It was dark and
shadowy and strangely cozy with a healthy fire burning in the fireplace. I
watched him take a turn about the room, walking in and out of the shadows. He
seemed inordinately worried, or perhaps, he was reticent. Did he think I would
rip up at him? I started to relieve his mind when he came back to me, took both
my hands in his, and said, “I suppose you must see me as a miserable man.”
That was a different approach and really quite disarming. “I don’t believe so,”
I said.
“I kept something very important from you.”
“Yes, but I imagine that you will now tell me why, and it will make sense to me,