The Parliament House

    'I could have waited for a more appropriate time.'

    'Every second spent with you is appropriate,' he said with clumsy affection. 'In dining with you, I show no disrespect to Bernard. He will ever be in my thoughts.'

    'Did he have a family?'

    'A wife and three children.'

    'This will be a fearful blow to them.'

    'I advised Francis Polegate not to send word by letter. Such bad tidings ought to be delivered in person so that he can soften their impact and offer condolences. He rode off to Cambridge this morning.' 'Where will the funeral be held?' she asked.

    'At Bernard's parish church,' he replied. 'I've taken it upon myself to arrange the transfer of the body when the coroner releases it.'

    'That's very considerate of you.'

    'He was a good friend, Dorothy. He'd have done the same for me.'

    'Heaven forbid!'

    The arrival of the next course prompted them to change the subject. They talked about their first meeting at Newmarket races and noted how many happy times they had spent together since. Sir Julius was eager to see even more of her but Dorothy was cautious. Feeling that their friendship was moving at a comfortable pace, she was content to leave things as they were. At the same time, however, she did believe that one important step could now be taken.

    'When will I be able meet your family, Sir Julius?' she said.

    'As soon as you wish,' he told her, delighted at what he perceived as a real advance. 'My younger daughter, Susan, lives with me and is in our London abode even as we speak.'

    'She has not yet married, then?'

    'No, Dorothy.'

    'Does she have prospects?'

    'Yes, she is being courted by the young man who designed our house here. The problem is that Susan will not commit herself wholly to him while she has to look after her aged and infirm father.'

    'You're neither aged nor infirm, Sir Julius.'

    'My daughter treats me as if I were.'

    'How will she respond when she is introduced to me?'

    'Susan will be unfailingly polite,' he said, 'but you will still need to win her over. She's rather possessive, you see. Though I may be her father, she sometimes treats me like an errant child. I mean that as no criticism,' he added, quickly. 'Susan is very dutiful. When my dear wife died, it was she who took on the task of caring for me.'

    'What about your other daughter?' 'Brilliana?'

    'Was it not her place to look after you?'

    'It never even crossed her mind.'

    'Why not?'

    'Because she had other imperatives in her life,' he explained. 'My daughters are like chalk and cheese, so unlike every particular. Susan is selfless and tender-hearted - Brilliana has inherited my defects.'

    'I refuse to believe that you have any.'

    'Oh, I do, alas. I can be headstrong and stubborn at times. Outspoken, too. Above all else, I like to have my own way. In those regards, Brilliana takes after her father.'

    'How will she look upon me?'

    'With utter amazement.'

    She stifled a laugh. 'Am I such a freak, then?'

    'No, Dorothy,' he said, taking her hand, 'you are the most remarkable woman in London and, therefore, Brilliana will refuse to accept that her gnarled old oak tree of a father could hold the slightest attraction for you.'

    'Then I will have to convince her otherwise,' she resolved. 'I look forward to meeting your daughters, Sir Julius. The younger one sounds like a paragon of virtue, and, in spite of what you say, I'm sure that the elder has many fine qualities. I like them both already.'

    'And they are certain to like you - in time.'

    Brilliana Serle looked at herself in the mirror as she tied her hat in place, tilting it at a slight angle to give her a more roguish look. Now in her early thirties, she was a woman of startling beauty enhanced by clothing of the very highest price and quality. Her husband, Lancelot, came into the hall and stood behind her.

    'Do we really need to go to London today?' he asked.

    'We do.'

    'But I have business in hand here, Brilliana.'

    'Then it can wait,' she said with a peremptory wave of her hand. 'You read that letter from my sister. She and Father had a distressing experience yesterday. They saw a friend murdered before their eyes in the street. They require solace. I'd be failing in my duty if I did not instantly repair to the city to provide it.'

    'Can you not go without me?'

    'No, Lancelot.'

    There was a note of finality in her voice that he did not dare to challenge. Lancelot Serle was a tall, spare, nervous individual with features that could have been accounted handsome but for the blemish on his cheek. The little birthmark was all the more visible against the whiteness of his skin, and looked, at first glance, like a blob of raspberry preserve that he had forgotten to wipe away. There was, however, no blemish on his financial situation. He was a man of substance with a palatial house set in the middle of a vast estate. His combination of wealth, social position and readiness to obey Brilliana's every whim had made him an irresistible choice as a husband.

    'We do not want to be in the way, my love,' he said.

    'What a nonsensical idea!' she exclaimed, rounding on him. 'We are family, Lancelot. We could never be in the way,'

    'I do not recall that Susan actually solicited your help.'

    'Then why else did she write to me?'

    'Merely to keep you informed.'

    'I know when I am being summoned, so let's have no more evasion. The chest is packed, the coach is ready and we are going to drive to London. After all,' she said, leading the way to the front door, 'it will not only be a case of offering our commiserations.' 'Oh?'

    'We can satisfy our curiosity at the same time.'

    'About what?'

    She stamped a foot. 'Really! Do you listen to nothing I say?'

    'I do little else, Brilliana.'

    'Then you must surely recall that father has befriended a lady, a certain Mrs Dorothy Kitson.'

    'I recall mention of her,' he said, following her out of the house, 'but I assumed that the relationship would have expired by now. With respect to my father-in-law, he's a most unlikely suitor.

    The roughness of his tongue would put any woman to flight within a week.'

    'He seems to have curbed that roughness. I want to know why.'

    The footman was waiting by the door of the coach and she took his hand so that he could help her into the vehicle. While she settled down and adjusted the folds of her dress, her husband took the seat opposite her so that he would travel backwards. Serle wore exquisite apparel but he could not compete with her finery or with the array of jewellery that set it off. A whip cracked above them and the horses pulled the carriage in a semicircle. They were soon rolling steadily up a long drive through an arcade of poplars.

    'How much do we know about Mrs Kitson?' he asked.

    'Precious little.'

    'Has your sister actually met the lady?'

    'Not yet - but Susan has grave reservations about her.'

    'Why?'

    'Because she has led Father to tell so many lies.'