Amy (The Daughters of Allamont Hall Book 1) by Mary Kingswood

Author:Mary Kingswood [Kingswood, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sutors Publishing
Published: 2016-06-28T04:00:00+00:00

11: A Posy

The carriage had barely begun to move before Dulcie began.

“I am ashamed of you, Amy!” she said. “So selfish, when you know how much he means to Connie. What were you about, to be keeping him talking the whole evening in that self-important way, as if you are the only person in the world who matters? I should never have believed it of you if I had not seen it with my own eyes. I thought you were the most generous of all my sisters. I am disabused of that notion, and no mistake!”

She went on in this vein for the entire journey home, while Connie wept. Again and again Amy wished she had thought more quickly and gone with Belle, Grace and Hope in the coach. But Dulcie had practically pushed her up the carriage steps, and given the signal to shut the door, so there had been nothing to be done about it. Never had the drive home seemed so long.

“Why do you say nothing?” Dulcie snapped. “You do not even apologise! It is intolerable, Amy.”

“I am sorry to disoblige a sister,” she said, her voice choked with tears. “I did not mean to… but I do not see what I could have done. I did not make him sit beside me. It was his own choice.”

“You are not, I hope, about to pretend that he prefers you again? Because we have already had enough of such nonsense.”

“But he told me so!” she cried in anguish, her tears flowing.

After that, there was silence in the carriage, apart from the sobs of Amy and Connie.

~~~~~

At Staynlaw House, Ambleside’s reflections on the evening were more pleasurable. He took the stairs two at a time, humming softly. In his dressing room, he struck a pose before the full-length mirror.

“I believe, Herbert, that you may soon congratulate me.”

“Ah, is that so, sir? A successful evening, I take it?”

“Very successful indeed. She was as happy as I’ve ever seen her. I think I may try to see her alone before too long. It is time, I believe. Yes, it is very much time.”

Herbert coughed discreetly.

“You wish to say something, Herbert? You may speak your mind.”

“It is Timms, sir.”

“Oh, I cannot discuss domestic difficulties now. Tomorrow, if you please.”

“Nothing like that, sir, no. Timms was in the village this evening, you being out and all, sir. He happened to be in the Hardy Arms, and who should be there but Mr Wills’ man, Mr Simons, visiting his father, who lives here. Mr Simons told me that Thornside is all upside down at the minute, being as Mr Wills is expected back from London on Friday, and is expected to be paying court to a young lady, with a betrothal to be announced very soon.”

“Is that so? But there are many young ladies in the neighbourhood, Herbert.”

“Exactly what I said myself, sir, but according to Mr Simons, this particular young lady is recently out of full mourning.”

“Hmm, but even so, that description might still apply to more than one young lady.

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