An Impossible Confession Read Online Free PDF Page B

heard someone at the door.’
    ‘I didn’t hear anything.’ He got up and went to see, looking out into the empty hallway. The sound of the reunion dinner carried clearly, but there was no sign of anyone. He closed the door again and returned to his seat, smiling. ‘Now then, where were we? Ah, yes, I was recommending Bourne’s nags. He always has the finestblood in his stables, and since Royal Ascot is the be all and end all of his existence, well, he usually turns out a liberal sprinkling of winners.’
    He sounded as if he knew Gregory well. Alarm spread unnervingly through her. Oh, surely fate couldn’t have been mean enough to thrust her into the society of a man who could tell her family all about her escapade! ‘Is – is Colonel Bourne a friend of yours?’ she asked, dreading what his reply might be.
    ‘He was, but now most definitely is not; indeed, there’s only one man on earth I like less.’
    Beyond the flood of relief that swept over her, she couldn’t help wondering why he apparently loathed Gregory, who was always so agreeable, charming, and generally likeable.
    He refilled their wine glasses. ‘Enough of Bourne, the thought of him gives me indigestion. Would you mind if I asked you a rather personal question, Mrs Brown?’
    ‘That depends on the question, sir.’
    ‘When we first met you said you no longer wore mourning because you’d been a widow for a number of years.’
    ‘Yes.’ Oh, please don’t ask me something that requires another fib.
    ‘It’s just that you’re still so young, you hardly seem more than nineteen, which makes me wonder how old you actually were when you married.’
    She made herself look directly into his eyes. ‘Looks are deceiving , Lord Drummond. I married at eighteen, was widowed at twenty, and am now twenty-three.’ Three more tarradiddles. She was thoroughly ashamed of herself.
    ‘I wonder if I was ever acquainted with your husband? What was his first name?’
    ‘I – I’d rather not talk about my marriage, Lord Drummond.’ She felt trapped and couldn’t think of any other way out.
    ‘Forgive me, I didn’t mean to tread upon painful memories.’
    Again she was saved from embarrassment by the arrival of the landlord, waiter, and maid, this time to clear away the first course and serve the dessert, apple pie and thick cream.
    Helen found herself relaxing again, thinking she’d parried all awkward questions quite well, but as he poured the last of thewine she soon realized she’d aroused too much of his curiosity after all.
    ‘You never did tell me where exactly you come from in Worcestershire, Mrs Brown.’
    ‘Didn’t I?’ She quickly sampled the apple pie. ‘I do believe this is as excellent as the first course, Lord Drummond.’
    He eyed her, swirling his glass of wine for a long moment. ‘I think it’s time to stop this verbal fencing, Mrs Brown.’
    ‘Verbal fencing?’ Her heart sank once more
    ‘Yes. So far tonight you’ve avoided giving me any information about yourself, apart from the facts that you’re twenty-three, a widow from Worcestershire, and you’re going to reside in Ascot. I have the uncomfortable feeling that you think I’m trying to subtly interrogate you, which, believe me, I’m not. My questions have all been asked in complete innocence, but your reaction to them suggests the existence of secrets you’re anxious to preserve at all costs.’
    She looked guiltily at him, not knowing quite what to say.
    ‘You’re perfectly entitled to your privacy, Mrs Brown,’ he went on, ‘and what you do, where you go, and who you go to are your business and no one else’s. Least of all mine.’
    She suddenly realized what he was thinking. He believed she was going to a secret rendezvous with a lover! ‘Lord Drummond,
    I rather fear you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion.’ ‘I haven’t jumped to any conclusion at all,’ he replied diplomatically .
    ‘Oh, yes, you have, you think I have a lover,’ she retorted with a