Mr Far rant has a fishing-house down there--just beyond the edge of our land--and for some reason I felt compelled to go and explore it.

I don't know why. " The memory of Lord Henry's magnificent physique came back to Polly, as it had done countless times in the past week.

"I.

wish--oh, how I wish I had not gone in there! " Lucille's lips twitched.

"Come, now, it cannot be so tragic! Was Lord Henry in the fishing-house?"

"Yes!" Polly raised stricken brown eyes to Lucille's blue ones.

"But he was not fishing! That would have been quite innocuous! Oh, Lucille--' Lucille raised her eyebrows.

"I see! I have not been in the house, but Nicholas mentioned it had a plunge pool below the balcony. They used to swim in the river in the hot summers, he said, but..." Her eyes widened.

"Oh, glory, Polly, do you mean to say that Lord Henry was in the pool?"

Polly nodded.

"Yes, but--' " But? " "He was getting out of the pool--' Lucille clapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes enormous.

"Oh, Polly! Was he-- Did he-- Was he undress edT " Completely! "

Polly admitted. She saw Lucille's appalled gaze and added miserably, "I know! And what did I do but stare in the most shameless manner imaginable! I do not know what came over me precisely! But, Lucille, I could not tear my gaze away!"

Lucille, with her superior experience and understanding of such matters, rather thought that she could understand how Polly had become so transfixed.

Despite her years, Polly was rather an innocent, as no doubt she ought to be.

It seemed to Lucille that the Earl and Countess of Sea grave had gone to great lengths to protect their only daughter, with the result that Polly seemed like Sleeping Beauty, quite lacking the innate, age-old understanding of the games played between the s.e.xes.

Polly seldom flirted or practised her charms on any of her admirers.

She seemed quite unawakened, and yet there was something about Lord Henry March night which obviously stirred her, and it clearly both intrigued and frightened her.

Lucille's sense of humour began to get the better of her, despite Polly's tragic expression.

"I imagine Lord Henry must have been well worth looking at!" Lucille said, trying not to laugh.

"Lucille!"

"Well?" Lucille's blue gaze was amused.

"There is no harm in admitting it, Polly! Leastways, not to me, though I dare say your mama would not approve! Come, it is not a tragedy!

Lord Henry is a very attractive man, and you have a tend re for him...

It would be more worrying if the sight of him had left you unmoved! But whatever happened next?"

"I ran away," Polly said baldly.

"Which was how I came to trip and fall, and Lord Henry came after me--'

" Fully dressed by now, I hope! " "Yes, indeed! But when he offered to help me I was all missish, for I was so embarra.s.sed to have stared so, and so confused... I have never felt that way before, at least not with anyone else..." Polly's voice trailed off hopelessly. There was a moment's silence, then Lucille patted her hand.

"Listen, Polly, there is nothing to be ashamed of in your behaviour.

Such matters are not discussed, I know, but your reaction to Lord Henry was entirely natural!" She looked at Polly's woebegone face and smiled encouragingly.

"You have nothing to reproach yourself for."

"No," Polly said wretchedly, 'but Lord Henry already has a low enough opinion of me, Lucille! He will be thinking me the veri est light skirt! I did not tell you before, but do you remember the morning you went on the picnic, and how poorly I was feeling? " At Lucille's nod she rushed on.

"I.

became intoxicated with the fruit punch at Lady Phillips's Ball the night before, and then I tried to tell Lord Henry that I wished us to be friends, but I got it all wrong and he ended up kissing me on the terrace and it was dreadful--' Lucille was looking thunderstruck.

"Wait, wait! What on earth were you doing drinking the punch?"

"I thought it was fruit cup," Polly said, suddenly and unaccountably wanting to giggle.

"It was a very hot night, you see, and the drink was so refreshing...

Anyway, such a pea goose as I was, I did not realise that I was intoxicated! So when I had the chance to speak to Lord Henry I felt marvellously brave, but he did not interpret my words in quite the way I wished and before I knew it he was kissing me--' Suddenly she felt the laughter welling up again, and once she had started she could not stop. Lucille put her cup down and sat in amused bewilderment.

"Polly, Polly! Whatever happened?"

"I told you," Polly said, between giggles, 'he kissed me! " "And you said it was dreadful." Lucille finished.

"Well, no..." Polly's giggles started to subside at last. She wiped her eyes.

"The kiss itself was not dreadful, it was quite delightful..."

Again, her voice faded away as she remembered the stirring of her senses, so intriguing and yet so frightening.

"I wanted him to go on kissing me for ever," she finished naively.

"Well, what is so wrong with that?"

Polly's eyes were enormous.

"But, Lucille, a lady does not kiss a gentleman before they are married!"

She frowned.

"And then, when he rescued me at Hamp stead Wells..." again she found herself repressing a giggle at Lucille's rapt expression 'why, I positively threw myself at his head! He must think me very fast! " "I doubt it," Lucille said drily.

"It all sounds highly comical to me and hardly the stuff of which loose women are made!"

Polly, to her own surprise, started to laugh again,

"Yes, I do see what you mean! Although I have to say that there were certain similarities between my conduct and that of Lady Bolt at Richmond!"

"No, truly? I have underestimated you, Polly!"

"That is what Lord Henry said!" Polly admitted with a giggle, provoking a look of speculative amazement from her sister-in-law.