Free An Indelicate Situation (The Weymouth Trilogy) by Lizzie Church Page B

Jones had very quickly managed to introduce her to the more exciting potential offered by a rich and adventurous gentleman such as himself to a fascinating young lady such as she, as opposed to the distinct lack of potential offered by a former landscape engineer who had tied up all his capital in developing the town. In persuading th e young lady of the error of her ways Mr Rowley - Jones had succeeded in establishing himself for ever in Kathryn’s mind as a gentleman worthy of a good deal of gratitude. And indeed, at that moment she was thanking God for his surfeit of prize - money - ever of prime interest to the selfless Miss Brewer - his adventurous spirit and his dark, seductive eyes – the same seductive eyes that were still fixed admiringly on the vision of loveliness that he could obviously see before him . Poor Mr Staveley possessed none of the advantages of Mr Rowley Jones, and yet it was he who, just at that moment, was clasping Miss Brewer’s delicate hand in a desperate attempt to main tain his p osition in the set .
    Captain Wright having wandered away for a moment in order to find her some lemonade, Kathryn was able to watc h the three protagonists at her leisure , which she d id with a good deal of interest. She could see that Mr Staveley was perfectly innocent of Mr Rowley - Jones’ presence not four yards from where he was currently standing – but that Miss Brewer most certainly was not. She could also see that Miss Brewer was flirting outrageously with her bear - like companion – fluttering her fan tremendously , half smiling as she lowered her eyelids when he happened to look in her direction (which was not often, to be sure, as Mr Staveley was finding it necessary to study the couple before him for most of the time in case he should show himself up and quite lose his way), and taking his hand for a moment longer than was strictly necessary, at every opportunity.  And before her brother - in - law had returned to her side, lemonade duly acquired, she had fully determined that the charming Miss Brewer was makin g good use of Mr Staveley in a most un generous attempt to gener a te some jealousy in the hitherto unconquered heart of Mr Rowley - Jones. Kathryn saw and determined all of this inside five minutes and it came as quite a surprise to her to realise that none of the other p rotagonists appeared to have t he slightest inkling of what was going on at all .
    ‘I can see that there will be some heartbreak t here,’ she remarked to her husband, once the dance was over and he was safely restored to her side. ‘Poor Mr Staveley is no match for the likes of a Rowley - Jones and yet she is leading him on quite tremendously. The wretched man can hardly believe his luck. It doesn’t seem quite fair on Miss Brewer’s part.’
    Andrew had managed to catch the eye of Mr Rowley - Jones and they were just then in the process of exchanging familiar little bows.
    ‘Oh, I shouldn’t worry about it over much, my dear,’ he assured his wife airily. ‘ Mr Staveley will quickly get over his disappointment, that’s for sure. It is Mr Rowley - Jones who perhaps deserves your sympathies the more. After all, if you are right and Miss Brewer really has set her cap at him then the poor man will need to look to himself if h e is going to survive the onslaught . Now – would you care to do me the honour of standing up for the next dance with me, or would you prefer just to call it a night and go along straight home ?’

Chapter 10
    In recognition of her largesse in welcoming them twice into her dining room, Mrs William was soon possessed of an invitation from Mr and Mrs Berkeley to take her place amongst the guests at a garden party in the grounds of Belvoir House. It is probably not necessary to report that Mrs William was overjoyed by this attention, which, for her, marked her family’s acceptance into the highest echelons of the society that remained in Weymouth now that Royalty no longer patronised the