‘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.
‘I need to talk to you, James. About K— Miss Talbot. It’s terribly important, we must speak.’
Oh Lord. ‘Yes of course, old boy,’ Radcliffe said reassuringly. ‘But perhaps this is not quite the right location for a proper conversation – and from tomorrow I am away for a few days – can it wait a little?’
Archie rolled this around in his mind. ‘I suppose,’ he said at last. He fixed his brother with a stern look. ‘But I shan’t forget.’
Aunt Dorothy held her character through dinner, through the performances, through the carriage ride home – but as soon as they stepped over the threshold of Wimpole Street, she could not hold her tongue a second longer.
‘Is it done?’ she said. ‘Are you engaged?’
‘Not quite,’ Kitty answered, pulling at the buttons of her cloak. ‘But he did propose.’
Aunt Dorothy clapped her hands.
‘Did you accept?’ Cecily demanded. ‘Can we go home now?’
‘Almost,’ her sister promised. ‘I could not accept until he has his family’s approval – it would not be safe otherwise. I invited him to propose again once he has it.’
Her aunt nodded approvingly. ‘Quite so. I should not think the mother will object, if he’s insistent enough.’ She paused thoughtfully. ‘But you were right to be careful about the brother. Very watchful eyes, he has – and not at all pleased with you.’
‘There is not much he can do about it now, anyhow,’ Kitty said carelessly. Throwing herself into an armchair, she hoisted one leg over the arm and sank her body into it with most unladylike dishevelment. ‘It would take a miracle indeed to force Archie to go back on his word. A few days more and I will have caught our fortune good and proper.’
Cecily let out a small, judgemental sniff. ‘I am not sure I like the way you both speak of him. Like he’s a – a fox you’re hunting.’
Kitty was too pleased to be cross. ‘Cecy, we both know very well how much you will enjoy being rich. Think of the books!’
This appeal to Cecily’s intellectual self was felt to be less morally repugnant than previous arguments, and Cecily unbent enough to smile at the thought.
‘Besides,’ Kitty said, ‘all men of his sort are destined for loveless marriages of convenience, anyway. And if some woman is going to enjoy his fortune, why shouldn’t it be us?’
Kitty’s grin was all triumph. She could not suppose anyone in the world had ever felt as relieved as she did now. She had done it. Mr de Lacy – Archie – had proposed to her. No one could take that away from her – not even Lord Radcliffe.
12
Over the next two days it was clear. Radcliffe had, indeed, capitulated. Mr de Lacy and Lady Amelia had resumed joining the Talbot sisters for their daily walks without the expected chaperonage of their elder brother – although with enough attendants that any intimacies beyond the exchange of coy glances and secretive smiles were impossible. There had been no retaliation, no attempts to force Archie and Kitty apart again, no word from Radcliffe at all, in fact. Kitty had won – well, almost. Archie had yet to formally speak to either his brother or mother regarding their betrothal – both having reportedly left London for the weekend – but he had vowed, passionately and at length, to secure both their approvals when they returned.