“Now tell me the truth this time,” she said. “Why the sudden interest? Is your heart engaged?”
“No, no, of course not, Grandmama. I have never seen her until an hour or so ago,” Lord Wynchingham replied. “Her father was a friend of mine and the girl is my Ward.”
“It all sounds very normal,” the Dowager said tartly, “and I don’t believe for one moment that you are telling me the truth or at least not all of it. I have known you for many years, my dear boy. It is not like you to take an interest in any respectable girl, however pretty she may be.”
“You make me sound like some kind of dissolute monster,” Lord Wynchingham complained.
“Oh, I suspect you are well on the way to becoming one,” his grandmother replied. “However, this chit of a girl brings me fresh hope.”
She paused for a momen
