The Transformation Of Miss Ashworth. Anne Ashley

her in the least. He recalled vividly now that he had found the totally feigned manners irksome in the extreme. It simply hadn’t suited Beth at all to act the helpless, languishing damsel. It was different now, though, he realised. During their years apart she had developed her social skills, and her manner no longer seemed artificial. Undeniably it was some achievement, and one of which he would have wholeheartedly approved had he not the increasing suspicion that she was determined to keep him at a distance.

      This strong impression was endorsed moments later, when they continued their stroll through the gardens, and Beth inadvertently stepped on a large pebble and momentarily lost her balance. Instinctively he grasped the upper part of her right arm in order to steady her, and just as quickly she wrenched it out of his gentle clasp, as though the heat from his fingers had seared through the material of the long evening glove, burning her flesh.

      She recovered her poise almost at once, the frantic look of a creature caught in a trap instantly fading from her eyes. ‘Forgive me, I’m not usually so clumsy.’

      He experienced a stab of irritation at the needless withdrawal. Exerting the praiseworthy self-control for which he was much admired, he none the less suppressed his annoyance in a trice. ‘On the contrary, I clearly remember you being exceedingly accident-prone as a child,’ he countered. ‘I distinctly recall rescuing you from countless scrapes. I was obliged to climb numerous trees in order to assist you down. I even plunged into the river, here, to save you on one occasion, when you ventured too close to the bank, remember? And ruined a pair of brand new boots for my pains!’

      Philip could only stare in wonder as he watched a smile, full of that roughish charm he well remembered, light up her face like a beacon. He had seen it numerous times in his youth, and realised quite suddenly how much he had missed not seeing it in recent years. It worked on him like a physic, instantly lifting his spirits from the merely contented frame of mind he’d been in for far, far too long.

      ‘Great heavens! I’d quite forgotten all about that!’ Her spontaneous gurgle of mirth was further proof, had he needed any, that beneath the demur, ladylike surface trappings lurked, still, that impish and intrepid spirit of yesteryear. ‘Poor Philip, you must have found my company confoundedly tiresome on occasions.’

      ‘Far from it,’ he was swift to assure her. Then, after considering for a moment only, he quite deliberately added, ‘Only after you’d returned from that seminary did I find your company less than agreeable.’

      Study her though he did, he could detect nothing to suggest she was in the least offended by the disclosure. Her smile had faded in an instant, true enough, but her expression gave him every reason to suppose she was more intrigued than anything else by the candid admission, before she eventually asked, ‘Why so?’

      ‘Because I found your behaviour during those few years leading up to your eventual departure from the Grange quite artificial,’ he told her bluntly, fervently hoping that by so doing it might result in a resumption, at least in part, of the relationship they had once shared, which had been based on mutual trust, deep affection and honesty.

      He chose not to dwell on the reasons why he should wish for a resumption of their past close association as he gave voice to his earlier thoughts. ‘You attempted to ape the manners of your cousin Eugenie, and it simply didn’t work. It just didn’t suit you to play the simpering miss.’

      One finely arched brow rose, as blue eyes studied him keenly. ‘I cannot recall you regarding Eugenie in the light of a simpering miss,’ she reminded him, with just the faintest trace of pique in her voice. ‘In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I seem to recall your remarking once that her manners and conduct were beyond reproach.’

      ‘And so they were,’ he readily concurred. ‘And perfectly natural too. From the cradle your cousin had been strictly reared. You were not. Eugenie’s behaviour was scrutinised at all times for the slightest imperfection. You, on the other hand, were allowed to do more or less as you pleased. I thought at the time that it was not the wisest thing your father ever did, allowing his sister to persuade him to send you away to a school that was renowned for turning out débutantes who all behaved exactly the same. No doubt it was beneficial for some; for others, like yourself, it was nothing short of disastrous. The Colonel would have done better either to engage a stricter governess-companion to instruct you on how to comport yourself, or to send you to a school where standards were not so rigidly high. ’

      He watched as she turned her head and stared intently in the direction of the neat yew hedge that divided the formal gardens from the shrubbery. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, Beth. Believe me, it wasn’t my intention.’

      ‘You haven’t offended me,’ she said at length. ‘You’ve merely given me pause for thought. No doubt I shall mull over what you’ve told me at my leisure, and decide if there is some justification for the criticism.’

      Once again he became the object of a level blue-eyed gaze.’ At the risk of inviting further criticism, dare I ask how such an arbiter of conduct in the fair sex rates my behaviour now?’

      Although half-suspecting her of mockery, he decided to be totally frank. ‘If what I have observed since your arrival here is a true representation of your character, and I would be most surprised if it was not, I should say you’re a young woman who conducts herself to please no one but herself, who is now totally without artifice and who is more than capable, still, of exuding an abundance of natural charm, when the mood takes her.’ He took a moment to slant her a quizzical smile. ‘You certainly had Charles Bathurst clinging to your every word during dinner.’

      ‘What utter rot!’ she exclaimed, while eyeing him uncertainly, as though unable to make up her mind whether his intention had been to compliment her or not. ‘It was simply that, apart from Ann and myself, no one sitting close to him attempted to engage him in conversation very much at all. The vicar and his wife, seated opposite, apart from one or two polite exchanges, virtually ignored the poor fellow throughout the meal. And your sister didn’t precisely exert herself to converse with him very often, either.’

      ‘Mmm…I have frequently remarked upon it that dear Constance is not altogether wise on occasions,’ Philip responded, as he began to guide Beth along one of the paths that led back to the terrace. ‘There’s some excuse for the vicar and his spouse, I suppose. They’re good people, but the Reverend Mr Chadwick wouldn’t wish to offend the more influential part of his congregation by becoming too friendly with someone who was considered a bastard by the vast majority of the polite world for the first two decades of his life.’

      ‘Great heavens!’ He had captured her full attention, and it clearly showed. ‘I was wondering throughout dinner why it was I couldn’t remember old Eustace Bathurst ever mentioning he had a nephew. Not that I ever knew the old curmudgeon very well, of course.’ She frowned suddenly. ‘But surely he must have acknowledged him at some point, otherwise why did he leave his property, not to mention all his wealth, to his nephew?’

      ‘Poor old Eustace had been in an unenviable position,’ Philip began to explain. ‘I discovered from Uncle Waldo that not only was Eustace’s brother a key player in the scandal that took place almost four decades ago, Eustace himself was on friendly terms with the sixth Viscount Litton who, incidentally, remained until his death Charles’s mother’s legal spouse. It appeared not to trouble Eustace a whit that his friend the Viscount, when in his cups, wasn’t above beating his young bride unmercifully for the slightest misdemeanour. Like so many others, Eustace considered it a wife’s lot to put up with a husband’s—er—peccadilloes’

      Disgusted, but intrigued, Beth demanded to be told more.

      ‘It was after she had suffered a particularly vicious beating, that the young Viscountess was attended by the newly qualified Dr Cedric Bathurst. They fell in love, and as soon as the Viscountess was restored to health they ran away to live under assumed names as man and wife. Some few years later the Viscount succeeded in locating his errant wife’s whereabouts. Charles had been born by that time, but even so the Viscount flatly refused to grant his wife a divorce, and made life so difficult for the couple that they were forced to flee yet again. Eustace had no contact with his