But she turned her back on the place and headed back in the growing gloom with no real sense of disappointment. She had gotten this far—and this place held nothing but melancholy, as sad and abandoned as the places in the village where the men used to gather and socialize.
Enough despair for one day. Time to go back to Sarah, and try to scrape up enough hope to carry on her own fight.
'NOW WE MUST PLAY THESE cards slowly and carefully, girls,' Alison said, as the three of them sat over a light luncheon of potted-shrimp sandwiches and teacakes. The girls had taken up smoking while in London, and were indulging in malicious enjoyment as they ruined their leftovers with ash and stubs. So much for the stepsister grazing on what was left. Oat-bread and bean soup was more than good enough for her.
Alison reflected for a moment on the quiet occupant of the kitchen. That wretched girl Eleanor didn't seem any the worse for having been left on her own for longer than usual, and in fact, the absence seemed to have made her more subdued. This was a pleasant development. More than that, it now seemed more likely that Alison would find a way to render her into a helpless object without having to resort to any of Locke's complicated schemes.
While she had initially been in favor of the idea, Alison dislike complication intensely. The simpler the plan, the better, for the less there was that was likely to go wrong. She didn't like the idea of bringing in a stranger, who certainly would be a criminal, and thus, unreliable. Criminals often thought they would be clever and turn on the one who had hired them.
The more she thought about it, the more she began to believe that in dealing with the girl Eleanor, it was probably better not to bring Locke or any of his friends into it at all. After all, she
She took a reflective sip of her tea, and returned her attention to the subject at hand.
'By now, the first letter will have been received up at Longacre Park,' she continued, 'But we must not give an appearance of being too eager to make this connection. The opposite, in fact; the last thing we wish is to make it seem as if we are pursuing the Fenyx family. Remember, I allegedly married far below me, and I might find that fact uncomfortable. In fact, we must appear to be—'
'Diffident?' suggested Carolyn. 'Shamefaced?' was Lauralee's choice.
'Diffident,' Alison replied decidedly, which made Carolyn smirk and Lauralee pout a trifle. 'These days there is nothing shameful about repairing a great line's fortunes by marrying into trade. The only shame comes about when one tries to push in before one is invited, or to use one's name and connections as a kind of commodity.' She pursed her lips; frowning only made the brow wrinkle. 'You see, Lauralee, we must appear to be
'Retiring and modest,' Carolyn supplied, with a glance at Lauralee. 'No flirtations. Friendly wallflowers, so to speak.'
'Exactly right.' Alison bestowed a smile of favor on her elder-born. 'You must appear to be grateful without fawning, and without any hint that you intend to take advantage of the new situation.'
'New situation?' Lauralee laughed, and flicked her cigarette ash into the remains of her buttered toast. 'Any parties we're invited to will be rather thin on male company! Unless you want us to cozy up to grandfathers and schoolboys.'
Alison stared at her in astonishment. ' 'Cozy up!' Where did you get that expression? You've been going to too many American cinema shows, young lady—'
'Well—' Lauralee flushed, and looked at her in defiance Alison quelled the defiance with another look.
'No 'well' about it.' Alison sketched a sign in the air, and Lauralee squealed in pained surprise as her mother administered a mild correction. 'Let that be a lesson to you: no slang, no impudence. You will maintain impeccable manners from this point on. No, you will not be courting old men or schoolboys. You will be comforting Reginald Fenyx, who is returning to Longacre in extremely fragile condition on medical leave. You will be compassionate, understanding, and willing to listen to or do anything he asks, which likely won't be much. You will become indispensible to him. And I don't care which of you does it, either, so long as one of you gets him to the point where he cannot do without you, at which point we will ensure he asks for your hand. I will be assisting considerably, of course,' she added. 'Let's just say he'll be plagued by things he would rather not see, and the only time he will be
