The Vanished Child Read online

  No answering sweetness in his: only tired, competent, amused. Perdita listened hard and heard no more than that.

  “Mrs. Fen goes after any man,” Efnie gossiped casually. “Mama says that she’s closer to Richard Knight than his own trousers.”

  “Oh, Efnie, no!” Perdita gasped.

  “At least Richard keeps her away from your Harry.”

  Perdita could not bear these things. “Efnie, Richard Knight was married to a woman he loved very much, and Harry is going to be married to me.”

  “Oh, excuse me, then!” Efnie laughed at her. “I didn’t know we were talking about marriage.”

  She couldn’t talk to Efnie.