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‘I… can see that.’
Looking at me strangely, Sir Philip edged away from the window where he had been standing, towards the only empty seat beside Ella on the sofa. Maybe he was thinking about protecting her from her seemingly deranged sister. Maybe he was thinking she could protect him. But I wasn’t having any of that! Quickly, I slid into the seat beside Ella before he could, and smiled up at him.
‘You must tell me all about him. Please, I have a ravenous desire for knowledge. Please oblige me.’
A peer of the British Empire couldn’t just ignore a plea from a lady, could he?
Approximately three hours later, I, Ella and Sir Philip left the drawing room, the latter with a slightly dazed look on his face. My aunt was just coming down from my uncle’s room, looking disgruntled. In all probability, she had just been refused money to buy sweetmeats for Sir Philip, after having discovered that we had no ingredients for proper snacks in the house.
Her face lit up instantly when she saw caught sight of the three of us standing in the hallway.
‘Oh, my dear Sir Philip,’ she trilled. ‘Are you leaving already? I’m so sorry for that. I was just getting something ready…’
‘Do not make the effort, Madam, I beg of you,’ he cut her off - and he actually sounded as if he were begging. ‘As you have noted, I am just about to leave. It has been a charming evening. Thank you so much for your hospitality. And thank you, Miss Ella, for your time.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ mumbled Ella.
‘And, um… thank you, Miss Lillian, for that… um… very interesting talk.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ I said with a smile. So what if it was slightly sadistic?
While Wilkins hurried away to snatch his hat and overcoat off the hanger, my aunt sidled up to me. ‘And? Were you near enough to the door to hear something?’ she asked in a low voice, not aware that I had been in the room the entire time. ‘What was the topic of conversation?’
‘Height, beauty and proportions, mainly, I think,’ I said.
My aunt’s eyes flicked to Ella, going up and down her figure proudly. ‘Oh! That is good, very good indeed! And what feature did he find particularly appealing? Her eyes? Her form?’
‘I think the chandeliers and windows were what he found most beautiful.’
‘Chandeliers? Lilly, what are you talking…?’
Quickly, she cut off as Sir Philip returned to us and performed another bow.
‘I take my leave of you, Madam. But I hope soon to return for a tête-à-tête with your beautiful niece.’
That remark wiped all annoyance from my aunt’s face and plastered it on mine instead. Darn it! I would have thought my three-hour intensive treatment might be enough to put him off. Apparently not. It wouldn’t be enough for Ella to have annoying relatives to chase him away. He would have to discover that she herself was deficient in some major way…
Doubtfully, I glanced at Ella’s beautiful face and demure demeanour. That was going to take some work.
When the door had closed behind him, my aunt clapped her hands, my comment about chandeliers long forgotten.
‘Girls!’ She exclaimed. ‘We have him! Ella, this man will be your husband as sure as grass is green and the sky is blue!’
Ella paled and grasped the wall to support herself. My aunt noticed neither.
‘When it rains, the sky is grey,’ I pointed out. ‘And when it’s hot in the summer, grass can grow brown.’
‘Oh, don't be a stick-in-the-mud, Lilly! The two of them will get their happy end, I’m sure of it! Just as will you and Lieutenant Ellingham. Did I tell you that he’s going to come around for a visit, too?’
‘What?’ I turned to face her, horror written all over my face.
Of course, my aunt didn’t take the trouble to read it. Or maybe she was an emotional illiterate.
‘Yes, yes. Isn’t it exciting?’ She threw her arms up into the air. ‘My two favourite nieces, married in one go!’
I started to object to this, wanting to point out that firstly, I wasn’t married yet, not even engaged, and secondly, I had never been her favourite niece, but she rushed off before I could say anything, probably to make some preparations for the arrival of Lieutenant Ellingham.
I didn’t know what she did.
I didn’t really care.
But I soon found out that she needn't have bothered.
The lieutenant didn’t arrive. We waited for an hour. Still he didn’t arrive. We waited for another hour. Still there was no sign of him. At Aunt Brank’s supreme command, I sat at the drawing room window, forced to look out for him. Only once did I actually see a flicker of movement out on the dark street - but when I looked, it wasn’t the lieutenant, but a rather large gentleman in a turban, stooping over something on the ground. Funny… from this distance he looked almost a bit like Karim.
The lieutenant, however, never came. I would have been ready to leave for a long time, but my aunt insisted Ella and I stay in the drawing room to greet our guest. After three hours, even she finally gave up hope and marched out of the room, muttering things under her breath that were definitely not ladylike.
Ella looked after her uncertainly, then peeked back at me.
‘What do you think could have prevented him from coming?’ She whispered as if he was in the room with us and could hear her if she spoke too loud.
‘I don't know,’ I said, the beginnings of a disbelieving grin on my face. ‘God’s mercy? A miracle? A nice, bloody train accident?’
‘Lilly! You shouldn’t say such things!’
I grinned at her.
‘Why? What’s wrong with God’s mercy?’
‘You know what I mean. Stop teasing me.’
‘Why, when it’s such tremendous fun?’ I sprang up from my seat and did a little twirl around the room, more graceful than I had ever done in a ballroom. ‘Can it be that I am free? What joy is this, what wondrous joy?’
Ella let out a little laugh.
‘Dear me, Lill, I had no idea you were so poetic.’
‘I’m not. Not when I’m sane, at least. But tonight I feel a mad happiness coming over me! Is this just a dream, or is he really not here?’
‘It’s one hundred per cent real.’
‘Really? You promise?’