Free A Particular Circumstance by Shirley Smith

of this month and no doubt you will wish to return to England as soon as may be. There are certain legal formalities to be gone through, now that your brother is dead. My condolences to you and Mr George Westbury.
                            Edward Brown
    ‘But, Mr Brown,’ Kitty demanded, ‘if the baby in the picture did not perish with his parents, what did happen to him?’
    ‘I know that he was cared for by one of the relatives until he was of age. He married Isabel Andrews, an American lady, and Hugo Westbury is his son, the grandson of Charles. Lady Mary’s body was recovered from the wreck of the Golden Maiden but Charles was apparently lost at sea. I know not what happened to the other brother, George. Perhaps the one person to explain the mystery must be Sir Benjamin Westbury. He hopes to be back at the Hall on Friday next and I think that would be the time to visit him.’
    The discussion ended there for the moment and the party continued with cards and some music provided by Kitty and Charlotte, who sang very prettily and were accompanied by their mother at the pianoforte. Even Lavinia was persuaded to give them one or two songs in her rich and distinctive contralto voice.
    Imperceptibly, the evening was darkening into dusk and while his aunt was singing, Matthew sat side by side with Kitty near the window.
    ‘It was quite a surprise to hear of Ann West’s engagement, Kitty,’ he teased her. ‘You shouldn’t let her beat you to the altar, you know. You ought to bring some lucky young man up to scratch yourself.’
    He expected her to laugh and disclaim coyly at his gentle teasing, but to his utter astonishment, Kitty flushed deeply and lowered her eyes miserably. There was a silence and then she said unhappily, ‘Mama thinks I would do well to accept Andrew – Mr Preston, that is.’
    Matthew thought of the gawky young curate with the bobbing Adam’s apple and felt uncomfortable as he realized that Kitty, the normally open and cheerful Kitty whom he liked so much, was hurt and upset by his crass remarks. He tried to make light of it by saying, ‘Good Lord, and here was I thinking you’d be the bride of an earl at least.’ She glanced at him quickly, her full lips trembling a little, but said nothing because Lavinia had been persuaded to sing one last song and everyone was quiet.
    Afterwards, as Annie served the tea, he continued the conversation with Kitty very briefly. ‘I am surprised by what you have told me, Kitty. I cannot recall the Reverend Preston ever singling you out particularly.’
    Kitty said bitterly, ‘Oh yes, we see him at church every Sunday, of course, and Charlotte and I are both Sunday school teachers. Mama and the vicar, Mr Swift, are on the board of governors at the workhouse in King’s Lynn. Nothing has been said yet, but he seems in favour of Andrew Preston’s suit and Andrew often visits us after evensong on Sundays.’
    Matthew thought again of the wispy-haired curate with his spindly legs and worthy but dull personality. ‘Good Lord, Kitty,’ he exclaimed impulsively, ‘you cannot marry him. It would be a disaster. The fellow is an absolute bore.’
    ‘I know,’ Kitty said, twisting her fingers in her lap. ‘But Mama says that the other ladies in Felbrook all like him.’
    ‘Then let one of them marry him,’ Matthew said, smiling at her.
    ‘It is all very well for you to say that, but Uncle Bertram is also in favour of my accepting Mr Preston. He thinks that Mr Preston has excellent prospects for advancement. According to Uncle Bertram, we are soul mates.’
    Her pretty lips twisted scornfully and Matthew said with some concern, ‘You are not engaged to the fellow, are you?’
    ‘No,’ Kitty said, but she said it with the sort of hopeless sigh which implied that it was only a question of time before the masterful Uncle Bertram would get his own way. ‘Uncle Bertram thinks that if a young lady does not take sensible opportunities for an