They did not have long to wonder for footsteps sounded on the boards in the passageway. Mr. Fumble threw open the door and beamed at them.

‘Well now,’ he boomed cheerfully. ‘More guests, caught up by this nasty weather. Getting to be quite a crowd, it is.’

A woman’s voice spoke behind him, tone sharp. ‘Do get out of the way! We are freezing and require a fire, if you please.’

Audrey frowned. Surely she recognized that voice? Those arctic tones sounded horribly familiar… Looking towards the door, she felt her heart sink when a tall, imperious figure swept into the room, followed by what appeared to be a small crowd. Warmth flooded Audrey’s cheeks at the sight of Lady Judith Allingham, who stopped abruptly when she saw the occupants of the parlor. Reluctantly, Audrey’s eyes travelled beyond her to focus on the tall, familiar figure that followed in her ladyship’s wake. The Earl of Allingham looked at her, his expression shifting to a mixture of bewilderment and dismay as recognition set in. Beside him, a young lady was pushing back the hood of her cloak to reveal a pretty round countenance and behind them, two women stood uncertainly, their serviceable cloaks indicating their positions; servants of the new arrivals, probably a pair of maids. The sudden influx of people made the walls of the small parlor shrink even more.

Perfect, Audrey thought with an inward groan. Just… perfect!

It seemed that she would not be allowed to lay aside her unfortunate memories just yet. Not when Lord Allingham, her rejected suitor, had come to join the party.

Naturally, it was Lady Hathaway who recovered from her surprise first. She tucked her embroidery back into its bag and rose to her feet with a smile of greeting. ‘Ah, Lady Allingham, what an unexpected pleasure even if it is under such unfortunate circumstances. I see that you have been caught out by the storm, just as we have. Won’t you come in and take this chair? You look dreadfully chilled.’

Audrey watched a number of expressions flitter across Judith Allingham’s face. It must be perfectly obvious to everybody that she was both taken aback and displeased to discover the small family party already ensconced in the parlor, especially this particular family, but there was not a great deal she could do about it. And no matter how proud or difficult one might be, it would have surely been impossible to respond ungraciously to such a gracious offer. Bless Mama, Audrey thought with a sudden rush of fondness. I swear, she could charm the bad humor out of even crusty old Lord Sedgwick, who has grown quite famous for giving setdowns to everybody he encounters. Lady Allingham hesitated for a moment longer, then inclined her head, moving forward to sink into the newly vacated chair.

‘Lady Hathaway,’ she observed with grudging gratitude. ‘How kind of you. And how unexpected, finding you in such a place.’

‘We live close by,’ Isabella explained. Audrey had already felt her sister’s quick, measuring glance upon her. No doubt she was wondering how Audrey would fare during this unexpected meeting with her rejected swain. Typically, Isabella’s crochets disappeared as she slipped smoothly into her charming social persona. Not for the world would she allow her family to go unsupported against the likes of Judith Allingham. ‘Little Paddocks is no more than six or seven miles away, but we became stranded here last night.’ Her eyes went to Allingham, who was hovering just inside the door, apparently unsure if he should enter the room completely. The girl beside him clung to his arm, as if she had just discovered herself in a den of iniquity and was in danger of keeling over from the shock. Or she could just be frightfully cold, Audrey reflected wryly, looking at her tired, rather pinched face. Isabella was clearly determined to turn the entire encounter into a normal, social occasion for she rose and held out a hand. ‘Hello, Lord Allingham. How delightful to see you again. And… Lady Fielding, is it not?’

Lady Fielding nodded and blushed prettily and Audrey finally remembered who she was; Elizabeth Fielding, the sole daughter of a duke and one of the Season’s most sought after debutantes – at least for the brief time she had participated in it - thanks to the sum that her father would be settling on her upon her marriage. Lady Fielding had not had a great deal of opportunity to partake in the entertainments on offer, having contracted pneumonia at the beginning of May thereby retiring to the more wholesome air of the countryside to recover. Her presence beside Allingham could only mean that she was either a very close friend of the family, or that Allingham had recovered from Audrey’s rejection of him well enough to offer for somebody else. Audrey sincerely hoped it was the latter. This meeting must be uncomfortable enough without worrying if he was still mourning his thwarted plans. She rose from her own chair, determined to follow Isabella’s lead and treat this encounter as if it were the most natural thing in the world. ‘Lady Fielding. Won’t you sit by the fire?  My mother is quite right, it is a good deal warmer here and I am sure you must be chilled.’

‘Thank you,’ the girl murmured with a shy smile, moving forward to take the proffered seat. She appeared to relax, just a little, probably reassured by this normal exchange of pleasantries. Hostelries such as The Drunken Maiden were hardly the kind of places the daughter of a duke would be likely to find themselves. She probably thought she would be spending the night in a rowdy taproom, populated by rogues and scoundrels. The two maids continued to hover by the door until Lady Allingham irritably waved a hand at them.

‘For heaven’s sake, Bartlett, go and see to my things at once.’ Both maids scurried off immediately.

After Lady Fielding had been settled, Audrey turned back to Allingham and gave him a determined smile. It had been four months since she had seen him, surely time enough for old wounds to have healed? It wasn’t as if he had been passionately in love with her, after all. They had only known each other for a matter of weeks before he had made an offer. Indeed, he probably would not have been so forward if she had not determined to kiss him that night. The memory of why she had chosen to kiss him made her wince inwardly, a reflex action by now, and she pushed all of the associated feelings of those disastrous few days aside. That was then, this was now and she had done nothing wrong, after all. Rejecting a suitor was as much a part of the Season as were the entertainments on offer.

‘And how are you, Sir?’ she inquired politely.

‘Very well, thank you. And you?’ It was difficult to determine anything from the shuttered look on his face. His expression had always been so open that this new restraint was unnerving.

‘Oh, I am quite well, as you can see. You have come from London? I am surprised you made it this far.’ She wondered what it was that brought them to this part of Somerset. The Allingham estate was not in this county.

‘Not from London, but from Hampshire. We should probably have stopped some way back but Mother believed the roads would improve.’ If the tone of his voice was anything to go by, he and his mother had shared words on the subject for there was still an undercurrent of considerable irritation. ‘It is very good to see you all again. You are each of you looking in excellent health.’

‘The snow had stopped,’ his mother said sharply. ‘How was I to know that the conditions would worsen as we continued on?’

‘Because I told you so?’ Allingham said dryly.

Judith Allingham’s blue eyes snapped. ‘We were already late. Lady Forbes is expecting us.’

‘You are staying with Lady Forbes?’ Lady Hathaway inquired quickly.

‘Lady Fielding’s aunt,’ Lady Allingham answered, glancing at the girl. Her expression softened a little. Clearly she thoroughly approved of Lady Fielding. ‘I did not want Lady Forbes to worry about her niece.’