"Is there anything up--between him and Diana?" she said in his ear.
Mr. Birch smiled again.
"I saw old Mr. Vavasour the other day--clients of ours, you understand. A close-fisted old boy, Miss Merton. They imagined they'd get a good deal out of your cousin. But not a bit of it. Oliver Marsham does all her business for her. The Vavasours don't like it, I can tell you."
"I haven't seen either him or Lady Lucy--is that her name?--since I came."
"Let me see. You came about a fortnight ago--just when Parliament reassembled. Mr. Marsham is our member. He and Lady Lucy went up to town the day before Parliament met."
"And what about Miss Drake?"
"Ah!--poor Miss Drake!" Mr. Birch raised a humorous eyebrow. "Those little things will happen, won't they? It was just at Christmas, I understand, that your cousin paid her first visit to Tallyn. A man who was shooting there told me all about it."
"And Miss Drake was there too?"
Mr. Birch nodded.
"And Diana cut her out?" said Fanny, bending toward him eagerly.