Spoiled by Ann Barker

beauty, she was too good-natured to take him away from Jennifer, even though she was sure that she could do so if she exerted herself. But it did seem a little hard that plainer girls were finding their life’s partner before her. It was particularly difficult to tolerate when they stood before her with the kind of triumphant air that Jennifer was displaying at that moment.
    â€˜Please don’t give it another thought,’ she replied airily, pouring the tea which had just been brought in. ‘It is not as though he is the only beau I have had, after all.’
    â€˜No, there was Morrison, wasn’t there?’ said Maria. Both the two visitors giggled. This time, Evangeline really was annoyed. Morrison had jilted Eustacia Hope, now Lady Ilam, at the altar nearly two years before. After this disgraceful behaviour, he had fled to London where he had attached himself to Evangeline, and then returned to the district as a guest of her family. As soon as she had realized that he was a jilt, she had dropped him like a live coal. Lord Ilam had seen that the fellow had left the district immediately. By no means everyone knew the whole story, however, and unfortunately there were those who had chosen to believe that Morrison had run away to escape from Evangeline.
    â€˜How sad to be so devoid of news that one feels bound to bring up something that happened years ago,’ she remarked, trying not to show how irritated she was feeling.
    Miss French looked annoyed at this remark, but merely said, ‘You
cannot expect us not to take an interest in you, Evangeline. After all, you are a local celebrity.’
    â€˜Like our new curate,’ Maria put in helpfully.
    â€˜You have met Mr Buckleigh, then,’ said Evangeline.
    â€˜Yes, just now in the village,’ replied Maria Barclay. ‘He really is exceedingly handsome, isn’t he?’
    â€˜If one can tolerate the contrast between his hair and his eyebrows,’ Evangeline agreed.
    â€˜You, of course, had a chance to meet him before any of us,’ said Jennifer. ‘He told us that you had taken him up in your carriage.’
    â€˜Yes. We met him at an inn on the way from Sheffield. We dined together then he travelled on with us in the morning.’
    â€˜You have stolen a march upon us, then,’ said Miss Barclay, in rather a sulky tone.
    â€˜Oh, pooh, what is one carriage ride?’ responded Jennifer. ‘We have had the most charming conversation with him outside the church just now.’
    â€˜Indeed,’ Evangeline responded dubiously. She had had a number of conversations with him, some of them flirtatious, some angry, some passionate, and some whispered. She could not recall any that could have been called charming.
    The two other ladies must have caught something of the ambivalence in her tone, for Miss French said, ‘Oh dear, Evangeline, you must be losing your touch! I showed him my engagement ring and, when he heard that Maria was not spoken for, his eyes fairly gleamed.’
    â€˜I very much doubt that,’ said Evangeline, thinking only that from what she knew of Michael, she could not imagine him being so hopelessly indiscreet with such a silly young woman on such slight acquaintance.
    â€˜Well, really!’ exclaimed Maria Barclay. ‘Just because you are so pretty yourself, you cannot imagine any man taking an interest in another woman whilst you are about.’
    â€˜No, not at all,’ Evangeline protested.
    â€˜I dare say you think that he is yours for the taking,’ declared Miss French indignantly, springing to her feet.
    â€˜If that is your view, then I can’t deny you the right to express it,’ Evangeline replied, reaching the limit of her patience.
    â€˜Come, Maria, we will bid Evangeline farewell,’ said Jennifer, seeing that they were not going to find out anything else. ‘Obviously Evangeline still thinks that she can snare any man she wants. Well, she