He said that her mother had first taken London by storm when she was a debutante.
Later she captured the hearts of everybody at Ling Park when she had married Aletha’s father.
“Why did you never marry?” Aletha asked him towards the end of dinner.
She knew as she spoke that many women must have found him attractive and charming.
As he did not answer, she added,
“Was it because of Mama?”
“Partly,” Mr. Heywood admitted, “but when I was enjoying myself in London, I had no wish to tie myself down.”
“All you wanted to do, according to Papa, was to win races. And that is exactly what you did.”
“I won quite a number of races on some exceptional horses,” he said. “Then, as I expect you know, the crash came.”
“How could you have lost all your money?”
“Very easily,” he replied, “but, as you
