Sherry stared at him. “It’s not possible! I never heard a word of this!”
“Not likely you would,” said Mr Ringwood. “True, for all you may not have heard it. Often thought you don’t pay enough heed to what’s dashed well under your nose, Sherry. Not surprised Kitten wouldn’t go to Sheringham Place. Don’t think her ladyship would have wanted her, either. If you don’t mind my saying so, my dear fellow, the odds are she’d have tried to bully Kitten.”
The Viscount’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, no, she would not!” he said. “She’d have had me to reckon with! And if I’d seen her, or anyone else, bullying my Kitten — ”
“Point is, you wouldn’t have been there to have seen it,” said Mr Ringwood dryly. “Don’t suppose you meant to stay at Sheringham Place, did you?”
“No, but — Well, naturally I should have gone down there from time to time, and — ” He stopped, looking sulky, and rather defensive. “So you think I was wrong to decide to take Kitten there, do you? Much you know about it!”
Mr Ringwood disregarded this rider, and answered frankly: “Yes, I do.”
“But, good God, man, what else could I have done?” Sherry burst out. “We could not have continued as we were! Dash it, we have not been married much above four months, and if you knew the half of the crazy things Kitten would have done had I not been at hand to prevent her — ”
“Ah!” interrupted Mr Ringwood. “Put your finger on it, Sherry, haven’t you? Didn’t do crazy things when you were at hand.”
“In the devil’s name, how could I always be at hand? Did you expect me to change my whole way of living, simply because I was married?”
“Expected you to settle down a trifle, dear boy. Never fancied the notion of it for myself, which is why I’ve stayed single. Seems to me a fellow can’t continue in the same way once he ties himself up. What do you mean to do now?”