“Did you enjoy yourself in London?”
“I spent the entire time shopping,” Sybil Matherson replied. “I was practically in rags, and you know that I want you to admire me.”
As the Earl did not comment on this she added,
“I only came back late last night and, of course, have now driven over to see you only to be astonished when Whitlock told me that your daughter had returned unexpectedly.”
“The trouble with Whitlock is that he always talks too much,” the Earl remarked. “I was intending to see you this afternoon and tell you the news myself.”
“Oh, darling, that will be lovely!” Sybil Matherson exclaimed. “At the same time I could not wait until this afternoon to see you.”
The Earl’s frown had by now deepened.
He walked across the room to the window to stand with his back to the room look
