That Would Be a Fairy Tale - By Amanda Grange Page 0,49

disliked you because you didn’t come to look at the Manor. Everyone else came to look. They commented on its grandeur, and its picturesqueness, and its lovely views. But none of them bought it. Then you did. But you purchased it as though it were something of no consequence. You didn’t even bother to come to look at it yourself, and that hurt me. You sent your agent to look at it instead. You didn’t value the Manor as I wanted you to. And so I thought you were a man without heart or soul.’

He let out a long sigh. ‘What you say is true, up to a point - but only up to a point. The reason I didn’t come to look at the Manor was because I never meant to settle here. I simply needed a grand house in which to set the stage for another robbery to take place. That being the case, one house was as good as another.’

Her spirits lifted as she realized he was not the insensitive person she had supposed. But then they quickly sank again as she took in the full implication of his words. ‘Then you don’t intend to settle here?’ she asked. Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. ‘You will be going back to London once you have caught the thief?’

And why did that thought make her stomach clench? she wondered.

But before Alex could answer her, the door opened and Roddy entered the room.

Cicely stepped away from Alex, immediately brought back to her senses. She was in a small room far from the main body of the company with a gentleman. If word of it got out, it would give rise to gossip of a malicious kind, and although she was too well liked in the neighbourhood for it to do her any real harm, still it was something she would rather avoid.

‘I must go,’ she said.

She suited her actions to her words and slipped out of the room.

‘Sorry,’ said Roddy sheepishly.

‘Your timing is atrocious,’ said Alex, trying to make the remark humorous, but with an edge of tension in his voice.

‘It’s just that your guests seem about ready to leave.’

Alex nodded. ‘I’ll join you in a minute,’ he said.

Roddy left, and after straightening his bow tie Alex followed him out of the room.

Only to bump into Lord Chuffington.

‘I say,’ said Chuff Chuff, ‘have you seen my fiancée anywhere?’

‘I didn’t know you had a fiancée,’ remarked Alex.

‘Good lord, yes. Had one for ever.’

‘Congratulations,’ said Alex, keen to make up for his earlier unjustified resentment against all of the landed classes by being particularly affable to Lord Chuffington. ‘And when is the wedding to be?’

‘Oh, soon,’ said Chuff Chuff amiably, ‘Not easy - funerals and what not - but all that’s over with now. Dare say it will be any time now.’

‘I wish you every happiness,’ said Alex. ‘As to having seen your fiancée, I won’t know whether I’ve seen her or not until you tell me who she is.’

‘What? Oh, yes, it’s Cicely. Cicely Haringay.’

Alex felt every limb grow still. ‘Cicely Haringay?’ he repeated.

‘Yes. You know. Used to own the Manor. Lives down at the Lodge. Moving to Parmiston soon, though, of course. Wouldn’t want to live at the Lodge for ever.’

‘No.’ Alex’s voice was faint. ‘I don’t suppose she would.’

‘Used to better things,’ said Chuff Chuff.

Alex forced the words out. ‘As you say. She’s used to better things.’ Then, rousing himself, he said, ‘No. I’m sorry, Chuffington, I don’t know where she is.’

‘Oh, well. Better cut along then.’

And so saying he ambled off in search of Cicely.

Leaving Alex feeling as though Chuffington had struck him a body blow. Chuffington? Engaged to Cicely? It couldn’t be.

But why couldn’t it be? They were two of a kind. Both from the landed classes and both from the same neighbourhood, it was just the sort of marriage that was taking place all the time.

Cursing himself for having thought . . . but never mind what he’d thought. He’d been a fool. Cicely was engaged to Chuffington. He refused to recognise the hollow emptiness that swept over him, or acknowledge what it meant. Cicely was to marry Lord Chuffington. And that was the end of it.

‘We failed.’

Eugenie sounded as tired as Alex felt. He had just said farewell to the last of the guests who had spent the evening at the Manor for the ball, whilst his house guests had retired upstairs to bed. Now Eugenie and Alex, together with Roddy, were