"Come, you know that I travel widely and have many interests. Lady Polly! I am only teasing you!"

It was in some ways fortunate that they came across Mr Far rant and Lady Laura at that moment. The were standing before a small flock of chickens, apparently engrossed.

"The best you could buy, sir," the poultry man was saying eagerly, 'and a better price you will not find---' "Henry!" Lady Laura said, in horrified tones. Her gaze travelled to Polly and a deep blush came into her cheeks.

"Lady Polly, I thought--' " I doubt Lady Polly wishes to hear your excuses now, Laura," Henry said, fixing his sister with a cold, quelling gaze.

"You have used her most shamefully. As for you, Far rant--' Henry's gaze turned to the unlikely Romeo '--I should have expected better of you!"

Charles Far rant started to stammer apologies and Laura to cry quietly.

The poultry man took his cap off and scratched his head at this unexpected turn of events. They were attracting quite a lot of interest. Polly touched Henry's arm. She had seen the Dit tons, with their unerring instinct for scandal, approaching down the row of stalls.

"This will have to wait," she whispered hastily.

"We must all pretend that we met up by chance, I think. Mrs Dit ton!"

She turned with a beaming smile to greet the lady.

"How glad I am to have found you again, ma'am! And only see, Mr Far rant and Lord Henry are here as well! How the good weather brings people out of doors!"

Henry was smiling a little at such inanity, but he followed Polly's lead easily enough.

"Far rant has told me that the Fairs here are renowned for their local colour, ma'am, and I thought to take a look. I am returned from Buckingham shire only yesterday..."

The image of Susanna Bolt came into Polly's mind again, incongruous amidst all the fresh air and sunlight. It could only serve to make her ill temper worse. Laura was sniffing a little and Polly took her arm, drawing her away from Miss Dit ton's prying eyes. Any enjoyment had gone from the day.

"I'm sorry," Laura whispered as Polly hustled her back towards the carriages.

"It was not that I did not trust you, but Charles said I was not to tell anyone! I have been very foolish..."

unlikely that Lady Laura would be permitted to remain in Suffolk now that this not-so-secret romance had been found to be nourishing, and Laura had not really done anything very bad. She looked at the girl's reddened eyes and noticed with a flash of irritation that Miss Dit ton was almost running in her attempt to catch up with them. The tears could not be concealed.

How then to explain them? Her talent for deception was being stretched to the limit.

"You should not believe all that the fortuneteller told you, Laura,"

she said loudly.

"I might have known that she would upset you!"

Miss Dit ton's avid face appeared over Laura's shoulder.

"Oh, whatever can she have said?" She asked eagerly.

"Dear Lady Laura, do tell!"

It was Lord Henry who answered, a hint of malice in his grey eyes.

"She told my sister to beware of false friends. Miss Dit ton, and to value true friendship above rubies!"

Chapter Ten.

QzrsQ It was a sad little party that made its way back to Wood bridge. Charles Far rant and the March nights had gone their separate ways, with Lady Laura still sniffing into her handkerchief.

Miss Dit ton spent the entire journey speculating spitefully about Laura and Mr Far rant, pressing Polly to give details of the encounter between them and Lord Henry, certain that it was less good-humoured than Polly insisted. Polly's head ached. She had no wish to be obliged to lie even more and it only made Laura's treatment of her seem more shabby. She had liked the girl and considered her a friend. It was lowering to imagine that she had been used to further the clandestine romance. As for Lord Henry, she did not wish to think of him at all, for all her thoughts were melancholy ones.

It was with considerable relief that they reached the gates of Dilling ham Court, and Polly insisted on leaving the Dit tons' coach and walking up the lime avenue to the house. As she approached the carriage sweep, she was startled to see a travelling coach on the forecourt surrounded by what seemed vast amounts of luggage. Polly's spirits lifted and her step quickened.

This had to be Peter and Hetty Mark ham, back from Kings mar ton.

That must mean that the two of them were reconciled, which was a much-needed piece of good news.

Polly found the whole family a.s.sembled in the rosewood drawing-room.

Miss Mark ham, a pretty girl with huge blue eyes and copious amounts of curling brown hair, was standing clutching Peter's hand and looking embarra.s.sed as she responded to the Dowager Countess's slightly frosty welcome.

"Hetty and I are to be married in six weeks' time," Peter was saying as Polly slipped into the room.

"We see no point in waiting any longer. After all, the wedding has already been delayed once."

The Dowager Countess blanched a little, startled into plain-speaking.

"Six weeks? There will be a lot of talk, Peter! Everyone will say that you have antic.i.p.ated your marriage vows and need to make a hasty match--' Hetty flushed bright red and muttered something incoherent.

For a fleeting moment she put her face in her hands, a gesture which Polly noticed with both concern and curiosity. Peter was standing his ground in the face of his mother's bluntness, although he too had reddened. There was a very curious atmosphere in the room, Polly thought. She took a chair un.o.btrusively by the fireplace and accepted a cup of tea from Lucille with a slight smile of thanks.

"Please, Mama!" Peter was saying carefully.

"I suppose we must resign ourselves to being the subject of ill-bred remarks, but I do not intend to let my life be governed by it!"

Polly and Lucille exchanged a look. It seemed to Polly that Peter had grown in stature since he had gone away. There was a protective element in his behaviour towards Hetty that was very obvious and must surely augur well for their future relationship. Miss Mark ham, in contrast, seemed to have lost much of her natural ebullience and vivacity but perhaps this could be put down to an embarra.s.sment at the rupture with Peter, now so fortunately overcome.

There was an awkward little silence that threatened to become prolonged.

Polly hastened forward to kiss Hetty and draw her over to the sofa where she started to ask about the journey and enquire into Mrs Mark ham's health.

Gradually Miss Mark ham relaxed a little and by the time the drinks were replenished, accompanied by some more of Mrs Appleton's delicious honey cakes, she was chatting almost as normal. It still seemed to Polly that there was something brittle in Hetty's manner and her eyes watched Peter almost constantly as if for rea.s.surance. Polly, tired by the events of the day and the difficult scene at the Fair, noted Hetty's change of manner but felt too weary to think about it properly.

It slipped to the back of her mind during the lively and enjoyable family dinner that followed, and it was only as she was brushing her hair before the mirror at bedtime that she remembered Hetty's tension and wondered at it. She could think of no explanation, however, and went to bed thinking that she must speak to Lucille about it. If anyone would know what was the matter with Hetty, it would be Lucille.

Polly would have been astonished to learn that a lone visitor called at Dilling ham Court that night, long after she was abed. Medlyn had taken the visitor's card along to the study where the Earl of Sea grave sat up late, poring over old estate maps. He ushered the man into the Earl's presence and accepted his master's instruction that he should then go to bed. He asked no questions and in the morning all recollection of the visit had slipped his memory.

When their business was finished, the Earl offered his guest a second gla.s.s of brandy and sat back.

"So, how does your suit prosper. Harry?" he asked idly.

Henry March night gave his lop-sided grin.

"Very badly, I thank you! Your sister is now convinced that I am a hardened rake and lecher! She has me pursuing Lady Bolt from Richmond to Buckingham shire! Never has the price of information been so high!"

"Lady Bolt ruining your reputation, is she?" Sea- grave asked with spurious sympathy.

"I thought she must have some information you wanted! I could not see you getting caught like that otherwise!"

Henry grimaced.