Amy gave him a look of surprise.
‘You are not on friendly terms with him?’
‘Well, we have drifted apart. For some reason he seemed to think that my companionship was not very profitable. So it was better, on the whole, that I should see neither you nor him.’
Amy was wondering whether he had heard of her legacy. He might have been informed by a Wattleborough correspondent, even if no one in London had told him.
‘Do your sisters keep up their friendship with my cousin Marian?’ she asked, quitting the previous difficult topic.
‘Oh yes!’ He smiled. ‘They see a great deal of each other.’
‘Then of course you have heard of my uncle’s death?’
‘Yes. I hope all your difficulties are now at an end.’
Amy delayed a moment, then said: ‘I hope so,’ without any emphasis.
‘Do you think of spending this winter abroad?’