a tolerable green spring muslin while Amy was in little more than a rag.
He was saved when Beryl bustled into the room, followed by Chart Ashby bearing the tray, and an older lady carrying a plate of cakes. A cruel aunt instead of a stepmother.
"Tea!" the older woman declared with a degree of emphasis which seemed uncalled for.
They all sat as tea and cake were dispensed. Chart noticed that both the sister and the aunt raised their cups to their lips as if the china contained a sacred beverage. After the first taste they sighed softly in unison. He glanced at Amy, but she held her cup and saucer forgotten in her hands.
"Do you not care for tea, Miss Amy?" he asked.
She started and looked down. "Oh, yes." She sipped and then smiled. "It is good, isn't it?"
It occurred to him at last they perhaps were not able to afford tea. True, it was expensive, particularly since the war, and was always kept in a locked caddy, but he'd never known anyone before who could not afford it. Even the tenants at Hey Park would have an ounce or two in a tin for the occasional cup.
A proposal hovered on his lips. He could put an end to this here and now - provide tea, wine, and good food; dress Amy as befitted her station; and hire servants so she ceased such foolish, dangerous activities. But she deserved better than such a hurly-burly offer.
He realized Chart was adroitly holding up their end of the conversation and began to take part himself. The sister and aunt were less honest than Amy and attempted to keep up appearances, but he still gathered a bleak picture of their situation. He couldn't help but wonder if they would be better advised to sell up and live in modest comfort, but it would be time to look into such things when he was part of the family. They were obviously in need of proper advice. The new baronet was a mere schoolboy, and the trustee lived in Cumberland and paid little attention to their affairs. Harry gathered he was a poet of sorts.
He'd bring in his father's man-of-business and the Hey Park steward to assess the situation and decide what should be done for the best.
Amy relished her tea, even though she knew this whole event was a disaster. It was as Beryl had said; it would be so much harder to go back to herbs after savoring bohea. Moreover, Beryl and Aunt Lizzie were enjoying this little party so much that they would stretch it out as long as possible, when Amy knew she needed to have Harry Crisp leave.
She just couldn't seem to stay sensible, especially when he touched her.
She recognized the warning signs. Yesterday he may have treated her as a brother - for most of the time, anyway - but today he had a different look in his eye. If she wasn't very careful he would propose to her, and she didn't want to have to hurt him by a refusal. To worry her more, there was always the danger that she wouldn't manage to refuse him at all.
If he were to touch her, perhaps kiss her...
"Amy!"
Amy looked up suddenly and would have spilled the tea if there had been any left in the cup.
"What were you about?" Beryl asked. "It looked as if you were trying to read your future in the leaves."
They had played that game in the good old days. She grinned and peered into the cup. "Let's see. Goodness, I have a very twisty road here. Life is going to be complicated in the future, I fear. But I have a tree. That," she said with a flashing look at Harry, "means sturdy good health."
He leaned over to look. "How can you see a tree in all that? It's just a splattering of tea leaves."
"Oh ye of little faith. I can see a tree. And a road."
"And what of marriage?" he asked lightly. "Is that not what all young ladies seek in the leaves?"
Amy realized she had allowed herself to slide into warmth again and drew back, but he had his hand on her cup and she could not retreat far without a struggle. "A ring signifies marriage," she said.
He looked and then smiled at her. "I see a very clear ring."
"Oh, Amy," declared Beryl. "How lovely!"
"It is marred by a cross," countered Amy.
Beryl's face fell. "Oh dear."
Harry shared an indulgent glance with Chart Ashby. "And what