“The young lady arrived this afternoon, sir.” Trenter was all a-twitter.
“The young lady arrived—which young lady, may I ask?”
“Miss Ford, sir.”
Gordon’s forehead wrinkled. He had heard the name in some connection. Ford ... Ford? It was familiar.
“No, sir—Miss Diana Ford from Australia.”
The cousin! Mr. Selsbury inclined his head graciously. The instincts of hospitality were not entirely atrophied, and the Selsburys were a race of courtly men.
“Will you tell Miss Ford I am returned and will be glad to see her in The Study?”
Trenter’s face twitched.
“She’s in The Study, sir,” he almost pleaded. “I told her that nobody ever went when you were away and that I kept it locked.”
Gordon was taken aback. It is disconcerting to a host to find his hospitality anticipated and taken as a right.