“What is it?” asked Miss Charing rather huskily.
“Send that dashed notice to the Gazette, and get married,” replied Freddy.
Something that sounded suspiciously like a sob broke from Miss Charing. “Oh, no, no! Freddy, pray do not! You know it was all my doing! You never wanted to be engaged to me!”
“No, I didn’t,” he acknowledged. “Thing is, changed my mind! Haven’t said anything, because, to tell you the truth, I thought Jack was right: got engaged to me to make him jealous.”
Miss Charing blew her nose. “I did. I was utterly wicked, and shameless, and stupid!”
“No, no! Very understandable thing to do. Devil of a fellow, Jack! Trouble is—wouldn’t make you a good husband, Kit. Been worrying me for a long time. Thought you was in love with him. Don’t mind telling you it was as much as I could do to keep a still tongue in my head when he asked you to marry him tonight. What I mean is, like you to have everything you want. Wished it was me, and not Jack, that’s all.”
Miss Charing raised her face from her handkerchief. “I was never in love with Jack in my life!” she said. “I thought I was, but I know now it was no such thing. He seemed just like all the heroes in books, but I soon found that he is not like them at all.”
“No,” agreed Freddy. “I’m afraid I ain’t either, Kit.”
“Of course you are not! No one is! And if somebody was, I should think him quite odious!”
“You would?” said Freddy hopefully. “I must say, Kit, I think you would too. Well, what I mean is, if you ever met anyone like that fellow the Fish talked of—fellow who snatched up some female in the middle of a party, and threw her on his horse—dashed embarrassing, you know! Wouldn’t like it at all!”