but—”
“Geraldine!” Edgar appeared on the threshold. He was soaked to the skin and thoroughly muddied to the knees. “The Odonata! Daisy, I can’t thank you enough for drawing my attention. The Red-veined Darter … Oh, hello, Maud, you here? Nice to see you. Hello,” he added doubtfully to Raymond, “don’t believe I have the honour of your acquaintance. I’m disgracefully ignorant about the Odonata. It might be merely a Common Darter. However, if it isn’t the Red-veined, a rare visitor to Britain, I’ll eat my hat. And I found a nymph!”
Daisy and Geraldine exchanged glances. Though Daisy couldn’t be sure what Geraldine was thinking, she, too, might well have been wondering whether a nymph was preferable to a Camberwell Beauty.
“Yes, dear,” said Geraldine. “How nice. This is Mr. Raymond Dalrymple.”
Edgar nodded at the visitor, who had been stunned into silence by his appearance. “How do, my dear chap. I can’t be sure about the identification of the nymph but I’m sure I have a book on the Odonata.” He made for the appropriate bookcase. “Now let me see…”
“Lord Dalrymple,” Raymond said loudly, standing up, “I’ve come to you for information about—”
“Yes, yes, my dear chap, but not just now. Here it is.” He drew a large volume from the shelf. “Daisy, my dear, do you mind if I utilise a corner of the desk?”
“Not at all, Cousin Edgar. But mind you don’t get your book wet.”
“Wet?” The book thudded onto the desk. Edgar looked down at himself. “Goodness me, you’re quite right. I’d better go and change.”
“Lord Dalrymple, just a moment. I want to talk to you—when you’ve changed, of course—about the income and expenses of the estate.”
“Good heavens, I don’t concern myself with that sort of stuff. Rely on my lawyer and my agent, don’t you know.”
“Then I’ll speak to your agent.”
Edgar drew himself up and fixed Raymond with a commanding eye. “No, you won’t. Not unless and until you are legally declared to be my heir. Excuse me, please, ladies.” He turned and squelched out of the library.
The silence he left behind was broken by another distant mutter of thunder. A wave of cool air came in through the window. The sky had darkened. Raymond seized the excuse to take his hurried, discomfited leave.
“I hope we’ll be seeing you again,” said Geraldine untruthfully, offering her hand.
He took it and shook it gingerly, muttering something Daisy didn’t hear. He gave the dowager a half bow, Daisy a nod, and stalked out, not waiting for butler or footman to be summoned to conduct him.
The dowager rose. “This has been quite an instructive afternoon,” she said to Geraldine. “I trust your husband will not take a chill.”
“I doubt it. Edgar is quite accustomed to being out in all weathers. Won’t you stay for tea?”
“Thank you, no. Daisy, I shall doubtless see you in church tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid not, Mother. I’m leaving early. I promised Alec.”
“Indeed!”
Without further words, Daisy and Geraldine escorted the dowager to the front door. A bronze Daimler was just starting off down the elm avenue. Daisy recognised it. Now she knew for certain that it was Raymond Dalrymple who had abandoned her by the roadside.
Having seen her mother off in her far more modest car, Daisy and Geraldine retired to the latter’s sitting room and subsided, exhausted, into the comfortable chairs.
“Geraldine, I confess I didn’t altogether believe you when you told me Edgar was a good teacher. But after seeing him put Raymond in his place … And when he was dripping all over the carpet, too!” Daisy giggled. “Well, I’m sure he used to handle a classroom full of adolescent boys with the greatest of ease.”
“‘Instructive,’ your mother said. I can’t help wondering what she learnt.”
“It’s a bit of a poser, isn’t it?”
Ernest’s arrival with tea saved her from having to speculate aloud on
“Geraldine!” Edgar appeared on the threshold. He was soaked to the skin and thoroughly muddied to the knees. “The Odonata! Daisy, I can’t thank you enough for drawing my attention. The Red-veined Darter … Oh, hello, Maud, you here? Nice to see you. Hello,” he added doubtfully to Raymond, “don’t believe I have the honour of your acquaintance. I’m disgracefully ignorant about the Odonata. It might be merely a Common Darter. However, if it isn’t the Red-veined, a rare visitor to Britain, I’ll eat my hat. And I found a nymph!”
Daisy and Geraldine exchanged glances. Though Daisy couldn’t be sure what Geraldine was thinking, she, too, might well have been wondering whether a nymph was preferable to a Camberwell Beauty.
“Yes, dear,” said Geraldine. “How nice. This is Mr. Raymond Dalrymple.”
Edgar nodded at the visitor, who had been stunned into silence by his appearance. “How do, my dear chap. I can’t be sure about the identification of the nymph but I’m sure I have a book on the Odonata.” He made for the appropriate bookcase. “Now let me see…”
“Lord Dalrymple,” Raymond said loudly, standing up, “I’ve come to you for information about—”
“Yes, yes, my dear chap, but not just now. Here it is.” He drew a large volume from the shelf. “Daisy, my dear, do you mind if I utilise a corner of the desk?”
“Not at all, Cousin Edgar. But mind you don’t get your book wet.”
“Wet?” The book thudded onto the desk. Edgar looked down at himself. “Goodness me, you’re quite right. I’d better go and change.”
“Lord Dalrymple, just a moment. I want to talk to you—when you’ve changed, of course—about the income and expenses of the estate.”
“Good heavens, I don’t concern myself with that sort of stuff. Rely on my lawyer and my agent, don’t you know.”
“Then I’ll speak to your agent.”
Edgar drew himself up and fixed Raymond with a commanding eye. “No, you won’t. Not unless and until you are legally declared to be my heir. Excuse me, please, ladies.” He turned and squelched out of the library.
The silence he left behind was broken by another distant mutter of thunder. A wave of cool air came in through the window. The sky had darkened. Raymond seized the excuse to take his hurried, discomfited leave.
“I hope we’ll be seeing you again,” said Geraldine untruthfully, offering her hand.
He took it and shook it gingerly, muttering something Daisy didn’t hear. He gave the dowager a half bow, Daisy a nod, and stalked out, not waiting for butler or footman to be summoned to conduct him.
The dowager rose. “This has been quite an instructive afternoon,” she said to Geraldine. “I trust your husband will not take a chill.”
“I doubt it. Edgar is quite accustomed to being out in all weathers. Won’t you stay for tea?”
“Thank you, no. Daisy, I shall doubtless see you in church tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid not, Mother. I’m leaving early. I promised Alec.”
“Indeed!”
Without further words, Daisy and Geraldine escorted the dowager to the front door. A bronze Daimler was just starting off down the elm avenue. Daisy recognised it. Now she knew for certain that it was Raymond Dalrymple who had abandoned her by the roadside.
Having seen her mother off in her far more modest car, Daisy and Geraldine retired to the latter’s sitting room and subsided, exhausted, into the comfortable chairs.
“Geraldine, I confess I didn’t altogether believe you when you told me Edgar was a good teacher. But after seeing him put Raymond in his place … And when he was dripping all over the carpet, too!” Daisy giggled. “Well, I’m sure he used to handle a classroom full of adolescent boys with the greatest of ease.”
“‘Instructive,’ your mother said. I can’t help wondering what she learnt.”
“It’s a bit of a poser, isn’t it?”
Ernest’s arrival with tea saved her from having to speculate aloud on
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