oblivious to her surroundings. ‘Nothing for me,’ she said, without looking up.
Jamie gave a sniff of disapproval. ‘What about this young lady? You must be Lady Pauline.’
Polly looked at him seriously for a little while and then her face broke into a smile, the same rather sweet smile that her father had. Her eyes danced behind the big glasses. ‘Doesn’t it sound silly? My name is really Polly.’
Jamie said, equally serious, ‘Then you’re Lady Polly. I like that. Would you like some orangeade?’
Polly said, ‘What I’d really like is a milkshake but I don’t think you have them over here. My cousin said you don’t have the same sort of things that we do and you don’t have drug stores and ice cream sodas and things?’
Jamie said, ‘We don’t, but Richard can rustle up a tasty milkshake. Chocolate?’
That settled, Jamie went off and came back with a plate on which resided some of Richard’s famous cakes.
Gus looked taken aback. ‘At this time of the morning? I only just finished having breakfast.’
Freya whispered to him, ‘You have to eat at least one, otherwise they’ll be offended.’
The door bells tinkled to announce another arrival. Babs looked up, and stared, her pencil poised above her notebook. ‘Isn’t that Vivian Witt, the film star?’
Freya swung round. ‘It is.’ She waved, gesturing to Vivian to join them. The actress came over, kissed Freya and was introduced to Gus and his family. She looked Gus up and down and said, ‘You’re very like your father. No, thank you, Freya, I won’t intrude. I’m waiting for a friend.’
Gus watched her as she sat down at a table by the wall, and said, ‘She’s as lovely in person as she is in her movies. Am I mistaken, or was there a chilliness about her?’
‘You’ll have to forgive her,’ Freya said. ‘I dare say she was startled to see the resemblance between you and your father. They didn’t—’ she hesitated. ‘They didn’t get on too well. But once she gets to know you, she’ll be fine.’
‘Does she live here?’ Babs said.
‘She has a cottage here as well as a flat in London.’
Polly stretched out a hand for a cake. ‘I suppose she gets away from her admirers here, it must be awful being a film star and everyone recognising you.’
Jamie was back with a pot of coffee and a gleam in his eye as he began his interrogation of Gus.
‘So, you’re Lord Selchester, the eighteenth Earl, isn’t it amazing, when we all thought there’d be no more Earls? What do you think of the Castle? How are you settling in? It’s such an excitement for all of us here to have a new Earl and an American one at that. But you’re so like the late Lord Selchester, we’d have known you anywhere.’
Gus took it all in good part, and also seemed to stand up to the curious stares of the people who had come into the Daffodil for their morning coffee. Freya could tell from the whispering and the glances that they all knew who he was. They were fascinated and the minute he left, they’d all be discussing him.
She said, ‘You have to get used to the fact that you can’t breathe here in Selchester without the entire town hearing about it.’
That caused a wry smile. ‘Just the way it is back home. Only we were never anyone particular. Not what you might call the cynosure of neighbouring eyes. Here I guess a new Earl rates quite highly on the interest charts.’
‘Yes, people will follow your every move until they get used to you. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a welcome committee waiting for you at the museum.’
He looked alarmed. ‘I hope not.’
‘Only joking, but everyone in the town will know everything you’ve done by the time you’re heading back to the Castle.’
Scene 2
Babs didn’t want to go to the museum. ‘I guess I’ll just wander around for a while.’
Freya took the others across the road, saying, ‘This is our bookshop. You’ll like it, Polly. It’s run by Dinah Lindsey, who’s an old friend
Jamie gave a sniff of disapproval. ‘What about this young lady? You must be Lady Pauline.’
Polly looked at him seriously for a little while and then her face broke into a smile, the same rather sweet smile that her father had. Her eyes danced behind the big glasses. ‘Doesn’t it sound silly? My name is really Polly.’
Jamie said, equally serious, ‘Then you’re Lady Polly. I like that. Would you like some orangeade?’
Polly said, ‘What I’d really like is a milkshake but I don’t think you have them over here. My cousin said you don’t have the same sort of things that we do and you don’t have drug stores and ice cream sodas and things?’
Jamie said, ‘We don’t, but Richard can rustle up a tasty milkshake. Chocolate?’
That settled, Jamie went off and came back with a plate on which resided some of Richard’s famous cakes.
Gus looked taken aback. ‘At this time of the morning? I only just finished having breakfast.’
Freya whispered to him, ‘You have to eat at least one, otherwise they’ll be offended.’
The door bells tinkled to announce another arrival. Babs looked up, and stared, her pencil poised above her notebook. ‘Isn’t that Vivian Witt, the film star?’
Freya swung round. ‘It is.’ She waved, gesturing to Vivian to join them. The actress came over, kissed Freya and was introduced to Gus and his family. She looked Gus up and down and said, ‘You’re very like your father. No, thank you, Freya, I won’t intrude. I’m waiting for a friend.’
Gus watched her as she sat down at a table by the wall, and said, ‘She’s as lovely in person as she is in her movies. Am I mistaken, or was there a chilliness about her?’
‘You’ll have to forgive her,’ Freya said. ‘I dare say she was startled to see the resemblance between you and your father. They didn’t—’ she hesitated. ‘They didn’t get on too well. But once she gets to know you, she’ll be fine.’
‘Does she live here?’ Babs said.
‘She has a cottage here as well as a flat in London.’
Polly stretched out a hand for a cake. ‘I suppose she gets away from her admirers here, it must be awful being a film star and everyone recognising you.’
Jamie was back with a pot of coffee and a gleam in his eye as he began his interrogation of Gus.
‘So, you’re Lord Selchester, the eighteenth Earl, isn’t it amazing, when we all thought there’d be no more Earls? What do you think of the Castle? How are you settling in? It’s such an excitement for all of us here to have a new Earl and an American one at that. But you’re so like the late Lord Selchester, we’d have known you anywhere.’
Gus took it all in good part, and also seemed to stand up to the curious stares of the people who had come into the Daffodil for their morning coffee. Freya could tell from the whispering and the glances that they all knew who he was. They were fascinated and the minute he left, they’d all be discussing him.
She said, ‘You have to get used to the fact that you can’t breathe here in Selchester without the entire town hearing about it.’
That caused a wry smile. ‘Just the way it is back home. Only we were never anyone particular. Not what you might call the cynosure of neighbouring eyes. Here I guess a new Earl rates quite highly on the interest charts.’
‘Yes, people will follow your every move until they get used to you. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a welcome committee waiting for you at the museum.’
He looked alarmed. ‘I hope not.’
‘Only joking, but everyone in the town will know everything you’ve done by the time you’re heading back to the Castle.’
Scene 2
Babs didn’t want to go to the museum. ‘I guess I’ll just wander around for a while.’
Freya took the others across the road, saying, ‘This is our bookshop. You’ll like it, Polly. It’s run by Dinah Lindsey, who’s an old friend
Similar Books
