“And she has never returned?”
“I think her father heard from her once or twice. Then there has been silence.”
“It seems extraordinary!”
“It is not only extraordinary, but tragic. Willoughby is a man of immense wealth with an ancient and honoured title and who should by this time have at least one heir, if not a dozen of them!”
The way the Countess spoke made Sandra realise how deeply she felt about her grandson’s predicament.
She put out her hand to lay it on the old lady’s arm.
“I am – sorry,” she said, “so very – sorry for you, ma’am.”
“For nine generations the title has passed from father to son. And so now one tiresome Frenchwoman has destroyed what in my opinion is part of the glory of this country.”
“Cannot his Lordship persuade his wife to return home?”
“It is what I felt h
