Free The Lady in the Tower by Marie-Louise Jensen

indeed you?’ I asked in delighted surprise, examining his face to find the boy I had known four years ago. He stood up at once and bowed gracefully over my hand.
    ‘Enchanted, Mistress Hungerford,’ he said formally. Then he grinned and added: ‘Goodness, Cousin Ella, how you have grown up!’
    ‘So have you. You were eleven years old when you left Farleigh! You were called home because your mother was ill. Did she recover?’
    ‘She did, thank you, Eleanor. Though her health is not strong.’
    I couldn’t stop beaming at him. Sir Walter made an impatient sound in his throat. Recalled to my surroundings, I smiled at Gregory and moved on. I was delighted to see him again. It made the ordeal of meeting so many new people bearable.
    The introductions were almost done now. Cromwell was present, and I curtseyed to him, haughty and unsmiling. I was introduced to a small, weedy man with a nervous twitch who I had not seen before.
    ‘Father Bird, vicar of Bradford,’ my father said. I wondered what he was doing here. He did not strike me as a man likely to be interested in the joust.
    There was a young man beside the vicar, and when he stood up unhurriedly to bow to me, I saw with a small shock that it was the man who had asked for a kiss on the stairs. Did he recognize me too? I could not tell for sure, but as he bowed over my hand, he sent me a swift look under his lashes and I thought I saw amusement gleaming in his eyes.
    ‘ This, my dear Eleanor, is Viscount Stanton,’ Sir Walter said with emphasis, as though revealing a treat. I sent him a puzzled glance as I curtseyed. What was he to me? Obviously someone important, by my father’s tone.
    ‘I hope you are recovered from your indisposition,’ murmured Stanton languidly. He didn’t sound as though he hoped any such thing.
    ‘I am quite well now, I thank you, my lord,’ I replied, and then stood awkwardly silent, realizing that if he did recognize me he must know very well I had not been ill. I wished my father would move on, but he stood frowning at us, clearly expecting more.
    ‘Fresh air is beneficial to the health,’ remarked Stanton blandly. ‘You should try taking a walk each day. To the village and back, perhaps.’ There was no hint of a smile as he said this, but now I was certain he had recognized me. My heart beat quickly and I threw Sir Walter a frightened glance.
    ‘Thank you, but I prefer to ride,’ I said, flustered. Stanton merely bowed in response and turned away.
    At last my father showed me to a seat and I sank into it. I had a headache drumming at my temples where the wires of my new hood were pressing. I closed my eyes, breathing as deeply as my stomacher would allow, waiting for the giddiness to pass.
    ‘Are you ill, Cousin Eleanor?’ asked a solicitous voice. I looked up and found that Gregory had exchanged seats to sit by me.
    ‘Oh, it is only meeting so many new people.’ I smiled a little wanly. A thought struck me. ‘Cousin,’ I asked, ‘do you ride in the joust?’
    ‘But of course!’ he replied.
    ‘That is excellent,’ I told him. All at once the joust was something to be looked forward to after all. I could not ride myself, but I would be able to cheer my cousin on.

CHAPTER TEN

     
    Dear Eleanor,
    Thank you for the fruit and sweetmeats. Such a treat! Time passes so slowly, I sometimes feel I shall indeed run mad. Your notes and gifts are my only solace.
    Your loving Mother
    I struck a flame, set light to Mother’s note and watched it curl and blacken. With my father in residence at Farleigh and Maria snooping in my room, I was careful never to leave any evidence of our correspondence lying about. I dropped the ash into the grate and left the room, making my way down the stairs. I was to ride with Gregory.
    My greatest worry now was the whirl of gaiety into which I had been drawn. There were plays and concerts as well as endless banquets. My father required my presence at all of them, and Maria ensured that I