‘Boys?’ said Lord Riddlethorpe with mock indignation. ‘They were men.’
‘They were silly little boys, for the most part,’ she said.
The two men laughed.
Just as Lord Riddlethorpe had launched into another reminiscence about the Earl of Somewhere-or-Other and his dalliance with a barmaid at The Eagle, Spinney approached the summer house and coughed politely.
‘Begging your pardon, my lord,’ he said quietly, ‘but you asked to be informed when your guests began to arrive.’
Lord Riddlethorpe fairly leapt out of his seat. ‘Splendid!’ he said. ‘Come on, you lot, let’s go and meet ’em.’
And with that, he was off, with first Harry, then Lady Hardcastle, then me trailing in his wake as one by one we struggled up from the table and followed him out and across the grass back towards the house.
I gave Spinney an embarrassed smile as I passed him, but he winked and leaned in to whisper, ‘Just you enjoy it, my dear. Anyone who says you shouldn’t is only jealous.’
I touched his arm in thanks, and hurried off to join the others.
By the time Lady Hardcastle and I rounded the corner of the house, Lord Riddlethorpe was already hugging someone of about Lady Hardcastle’s age whom I presumed to be his sister. She was a small woman, with a warm smile and a ready laugh that had already burst forth twice before we reached them. Her eyes were quite the darkest I’d ever seen, but with a twinkle that hinted that her brother’s sense of mischief and his enthusiasm for life might be a family trait. The long, straight nose was definitely a family trait, and might have made another woman plain and unattractive. But set in such a brightly animated face, it lent an air of elegant beauty.
Rounding the motor from the other side was a tall, slender lady who, by contrast, looked as though she would regard a smile as a bitter betrayal by her face. Her clothes were elegantly cut in the latest fashion, and her expression was one of studied contempt and boredom. Lord Riddlethorpe had said they would be fun, I thought.
Another lady had shuffled across the rear seat of the motor car and found herself at the opposite door to the one where the chauffeur was waiting to help her, so she struggled out unaided and stood behind the laughing woman, shyly waiting to be greeted. She was plump, with a pretty face but a frightened expression, and though she was taller than the laughing lady, and significantly heftier than the haughty one, she seemed somehow smaller than them both. Where her two friends looked poised and confident, she was much less sure of herself, and her timid manner and posture conspired to diminish her appearance.
Lord Riddlethorpe greeted the other two ladies warmly and turned to gesture Lady Hardcastle towards them. ‘Emily,’ he said, ‘allow me to introduce my sister, Jake, and her friends Roz . . .’ – the haughty lady nodded a greeting – ‘ . . . and Helen . . .’ The timid lady smiled shyly. ‘Lady Lavinia, Mrs Rosamund Beddows, and Miss Helen Titmus, allow me to present Emily, Lady Hardcastle.’ There followed a round of handshaking and how-do-you-do-ing, which made it look as though Lady Hardcastle were passing along a receiving line. Lord Riddlethorpe was clearly impatient to be done with all the formalities, and as soon as Lady Hardcastle had shaken the last hand, he said, ‘And Harry you all know.’
Harry waved and offered a cheery ‘What ho’, before Lord Riddlethorpe strode off, leading his guests to the house. Lady Hardcastle gave me a wave and a grin to let me know I was on my own again, and I turned back to the motor car, intending to tell the chauffeur how to find his way to the servants’ entrance. I suspected that he already knew, but it never hurts to offer some friendly help. It was at this point that I noticed that there had been another passenger in the front seat of the motor.
‘How do you do?’ she said quietly. ‘I’m Betty. Betty Buffrey. I’m Mrs Beddows’s lady’s maid.’
‘The thin one?’ I said, and she nodded. ‘How do you do? I’m Florence Armstrong. I work for Lady Hardcastle. Call me Flo.’
‘Righto, Flo,’ she said.
‘Did the other two not bring their maids?’
‘Miss Perrin, her ladyship’s lady’s maid, travelled ahead by train. She should already be here. Miss Titmus doesn’t have a maid. I gather she makes do with a cook, a housekeeper, and a maid-of-all-work.’
‘Ah,’ I said. ‘I’ve not met Miss Perrin yet. All in good time, eh?’
‘She’s nice enough,’ she said. ‘And this is Finlay Duggan, Mrs Beddows’s chauffeur.’
He touched his cap. ‘Call me Fin, miss,’ he said.
‘I take it you both know your way around,’ I said.
‘Yes, thank you,’ said Betty. ‘We’re regular visitors, aren’t we, Fin?’
‘Aye, that we are,’ he said, lifting baggage from the boot of the motor car.
Evan Gudger was making his way across the drive with an exaggerated lack of haste.
‘Hey, Evan!’ called Fin. ‘Get a move on, ya lazy wee beggar! I haven’t got all day. I’ve got to get back to London.’
I smiled at Betty. ‘Shall we leave the boys to it?’ I asked. ‘I’ll help you upstairs with your bags. We’re sharing a room.’
‘Oh,’ she said, smiling for the first time. ‘That will be lovely, I’m sure.’
‘Come on, then,’ I said. ‘Maybe we can cadge a cup of tea on the way.’
Chapter Four
I helped Betty settle into our room. I learned she usually had it to herself on visits to Codrington Hall, but she had assured me that it was going to be ‘perfectly delightful’ to have a companion for a change. She was certainly friendly, and gave every impression of being the sort of kind and generous person that one would be happy to have around. I decided that sharing accommodation with her would be ‘perfectly delightful’, too.
I had been extremely keen to find out more about her mistress, but I didn’t want to put her in the position of having to be disloyal to her employer, given that I’d already made up my mind that Mrs Beddows was almost certainly not a nice person. Instead, I tried to find out more about our host’s household, but Betty maintained an air of professional discretion and told me only that they were ‘efficient’, ‘hardworking’, and ‘friendly . . . for the most part’. I was about to press her on the final caveat when I caught sight of the small clock on the mantel and realized that I ought to be helping Lady Hardcastle to get dressed.