did not hesitate to ask that all important question.
‘There has never been any doubt in my mind that the Sixth Viscount Greythorpe was indeed Helen’s sire,’ Lady Pelham answered, the conviction in her voice unshakeable. ‘My sister’s behaviour might not have been altogether wise, though understandable in the circumstances. Married to a highly cynical and unapproachable being, many years her senior, was it any wonder she responded to the gentle attentions of the young man commissioned so early in the marriage to paint her portrait? Charlotte freely admitted that she sought the artist’s company frequently during those few weeks he stayed at Greythorpe Manor. But she swore their association never went beyond mild flirtation. It was perhaps unfortunate that Helen was conceived at that time,’ Lady Pelham felt obliged to concede. ‘More unfortunate, still, was that she should have been cursed with the red hair that has not infrequently crowned the heads of certain members of our family down the generations, myself included.’
‘It does seem strange that the late Lord Greythorpe didn’t appreciate this fact himself,’ Annis remarked.
‘He might well have done so,’ Lady Pelham acknowledged, after a moment’s intense thought. ‘A gentleman prone to moods of deep depression he might have been, but I never heard it said he lacked intelligence. He might have taken into account too that it is not uncommon for two people with very dark locks to produced auburn-haired offspring. It was just unfortunate that the artist himself had Titian hair.’
‘Unfortunate, indeed,’ Annis agreed. ‘But if, as you say, Helen feels no bitterness towards her late father’s family, why is she so unwilling to accept the invitation to visit the ancestral pile?’
‘Oh, she isn’t wholly against the notion,’ Lady Pelham corrected gently. ‘It is simply that we had previously accepted an invitation to spend a few days with a friend of Helen’s in Devonshire at the end of February, which was the time Lord Greythorpe proposed for the commencement of the visit to Hampshire. So I wrote back explaining this, and suggested a shorter visit might be more appropriate for Helen’s first stay at Greythorpe Manor.’
‘Is Helen against a protracted sojourn in the country?’ Annis queried when her godmother relapsed into silence.
‘Oh, no. I think, had circumstances been a little different, she might well have been quite happy to oblige her half-brother,’ Lady Pelham revealed, her expression suddenly grim. ‘As things stand, however, it doesn’t suit Helen at all to remain away from Bath for a lengthy period at present.’
Annis’s attention was well and truly captured, for she felt that at last they had arrived at the crux of the matter. Consequently she did not hesitate, yet again, to have her curiosity satisfied.
‘Because shortly before we received Lord Greythorpe’s invitation, Helen’s path was, regrettably, crossed by a handsome, silver-tongued young rogue, who has been paying her marked attention ever since,’ her godmother revealed without a moment’s hesitation.
Annis wasn’t slow to comprehend. ‘A fortune-hunter, ma’am?’
‘Undoubtedly!’ Lady Pelham concurred. ‘Surprisingly, Helen has yet to see him for precisely what he is. However, as you know yourself, she is not prone to folly, and is mature for her years. It is my belief that, given time, she will overcome this foolish infatuation of hers and common sense will prevail, providing she is granted that all important time.’
Once again, Lady Pelham rose from her chair, only this time to pace about the room, clearly revealing her troubled state of mind. ‘My one great fear is that, if forcibly removed from Bath, while she remains utterly besotted, she just might be persuaded into an elopement. Then, I’m afraid, there would be nothing either her trustees or I could do to prevent that young ne’er-do-well, Mr Daniel Draycot, from getting his hands on at least part of her inheritance.’
Such was her perturbed state, she appeared to find it necessary to adjust one of the ornaments on the mantelshelf a fraction of an inch, only to return it a moment later to its former position. ‘You see, my sister Charlotte was determined that Helen, like your own mother, should marry for love. Helen will come into her inheritance unconditionally upon marriage, at least the money left to her by her mother, which is not insubstantial.’
Although Annis perfectly understood her godmother’s concerns, she still considered the problem could be easily resolved. ‘Why not simply do what Helen herself wishes, ma’am, and write to Lord Greythorpe suggesting a shorter visit later in the year? Surely that will satisfy all concerned?’
‘That is precisely what I did do, my dear, and my reply most definitely did not satisfy his lordship. He sent me this in response.’
Lady Pelham went over to the escritoire, and, quickly locating a certain letter, promptly presented it for Annis to read. A moment later she watched her goddaughter’s finely arched dark brows snap together, and the green flecks in the strikingly lovely grey eyes intensify, as they avidly scanned the missive written in a bold and unmistakably masculine hand.
‘The arrogance of the man!’ Annis tossed the letter aside in disgust. ‘Who on earth does he imagine he is, insisting his half-sister pays a visit when it suits his purposes? His maternal grandmother…?’ She paused to consult the missive once more. ‘This Dowager Lady Kilbane is no relation to Helen, after all, so there is no necessity for Helen to be present at the proposed birthday celebration to be held at Greythorpe Manor early in the spring. If I were you, ma’am, when the carriage he clearly intends sending to collect you arrives next week, I’d send it back immediately, with a letter stating in no uncertain terms that you will decide when your niece shall visit Greythorpe Manor.’
‘Believe me, my dear, nothing would afford me greater satisfaction,’ Lady Pelham divulged. ‘I very much fear Lord Deverel Greythorpe is not unlike his father, imperious and uncompromising, having scant regard for the feelings of others. Sadly, though, he is well within his rights to insist upon Helen visiting whenever he chooses.’ She smiled as Annis’s expression turned to one of consternation. ‘The late Lord Greythorpe, for reasons best known to himself, never took steps to divorce my sister after their separation. When he died, guardianship of the daughter he never acknowledged as his own, along with everything else he possessed, passed to his only son and heir, the present holder of the title.’
Misguidedly, Annis had always assumed that, after Charlotte’s demise, Lady Pelham had become Helen’s guardian, and didn’t attempt to hide her astonishment. ‘I never knew that, ma’am,’ she admitted. ‘It makes one wonder what can have been in the late Lord Greythorpe’s mind. Why did he not transfer guardianship to you after his wife’s death, as he clearly wanted nothing to do with Helen?’
Lady Pelham’s smile was twisted. ‘Whatever the motive, I cannot imagine it was because he had his youngest child’s best interests at heart. No, it is much more likely that he succeeded in putting her very existence from his mind.’
As this seemed highly probable, Annis nodded, before something else occurred to her as rather odd. ‘Why, do you suppose, has the present holder of the title suddenly taken such an interest in his half-sister?’
Clearly at a loss to understand this herself, Lady Pelham shook her head. ‘I do know that he has travelled extensively and was abroad when news of his father’s demise reached him, which is perhaps why he waited almost a year before making contact at all. The ancestral home covers very many acres of Hampshire countryside. There is also a smaller estate in Derbyshire and a fashionable London residence, both of which he has visited in recent months. He must have been kept very busy since his return.’
As this, too, seemed a reasonable enough assumption to make, Annis didn’t dwell on it. Instead she asked, ‘Do you suppose that he, at least, now that his father is dead, is prepared to acknowledge Helen openly as his sibling?’
‘If that is his intention, it could do the child nothing but good. I wouldn’t attempt to suggest that Helen has suffered greatly as a result of her late father’s unnatural behaviour, but there have been occasions when some heartless wretch has questioned her birth within her hearing.’
‘We must