Allestree frowned, concentrating his attention on the picture again. “It’s a wretched business,” he observed.
Gerty walked to the window and looked out; when she came back her face was flushed. “Robert, do you know I’m afraid that I did something wrong the other day,” she broke out; “I’m nearly sure I did!”
He looked at her smiling grimly. “You forgot about the scale of domestic necessities then, Gerty?” he said.
But she ignored him. “I went to see Rose some time ago, just after Margaret told me, and I talked—I talked too much.”
“The unruly member, alas!” he mocked, laughing now.
“I did,” she replied. “I told her about Fox and Margaret—and Robert,” Gerty paused and dropped into a convenient chair, “Robert, she turned as white as a ghost! Is it possible, do you think it’s possible that she loves Fox? I never thought of it until Lily Osborne told me so last week.”
“Mrs. Osborne—why do you listen to Mrs. Osborne?” Allestree broke out, with a fury which astounded Miss English; “she has no right to speak of Rose Temple, it’s—it’s an outrage!”
Gerty stared at him a moment in silence, her face reddening still more with the horrified recognition of another blunder; of course she knew that he had always loved Rose, in fact she had discounted his devotion as too stale an affair to be really vital. “I know Lily Osborne is a cat, of course,” she said slowly, “but then one can’t be rude without any given reason. She didn’t say a word against Rose, and I suppose it’s natural enough if Fox has admired her; everybody does.”
But Allestree was not appeased. “Mrs. Osborne!” he broke out again, “of all women—Mrs. Osborne! Gerty, don’t you let her say a word to you again.”
“Good heavens, Robert, I shan’t dare squeak after this!” Miss English retorted plaintively; “and, of course, Mrs. Osborne will marry White and, they say, he’s going to lose his place in the Cabinet. What on earth has she been doing about the Russian and German ambassadors?”