“Naturally I’m not going to marry an apoplectic idiot like George. What I mean is, I didn’t know the correct reply from the book of etiquette. I could only just say flatly: ‘No, I won’t.’ What I ought to have said was something about being very sensible of the honour he had done me and so on and so on. But I got so rattled that in the end I jumped out of the window and bolted.”

“Really, Bundle, that’s not like you.”

“Well, I never dreamt of such a thing happening. George⁠—who I always thought hated me⁠—and he did too. What a fatal thing it is to pretend to take an interest in a man’s pet subject. You should have heard the drivel George talked about my girlish mind and the pleasure it would be to form it. My mind! If George knew one quarter of what was going on in my mind, he’d faint with horror!”

Loraine laughed. She couldn’t help it.

“Oh, I know it’s my own fault. I let myself in for this. There’s Father dodging round that rhododendron. Hallo, Father.”