Page 37 (1/2)

“We’ll look after you,” his sister pro her head upon his shoulder “Harold and I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Max, I promise”

The springover London, the product of its coal fires and factories Once Marietta and Lil had reached Vauxhall Bridge the air seemed fresher Below the nine cast-iron arches, the Thahters and boat their trade

Lil, who had been hurrying along in Marietta’s wake, co that Vivianna should not have sent her out when Lil needed to be in Berkley Square to help with the baby, stopped and stared in delight

“Oh, but this is pretty!”

“There you are then,” Marietta said “Now, do coet to Vauxhall Gardens before dark”

Lil’s save way to a frown “Why couldn’t we have taken a hackney,me”

“That’s because you’re wearing those half-boots you bought at the warehouse in Regent Street You know they’re too small for you”

Lil tossed her head “I want to lookin that”

Marietta sood I believe you’ve grown very lazy living here in London You’ve forgotten what it’s like at Greentree Manor, where you can walk for le soul”

“I was born in London,” Lil retorted, and tugged at her gloves, straightening the wrinkles froers

“Then iton over the bridge towards the gardens on the other side She could see the glea pavilions above the trees and her heart lifted—Vauxhall, which had grown a little shabby over the years, had been recently refurbished “Look,” she said, pointing “Will we stroll down the Grand Walk, Lil? Or perhaps we can lose ourselves in the Dark Walk At one time that was closed down, you know, the Dark Walk, because that here so many ladies lost their virtue”

Marietta did not say it aloud but the thought of entlehs and whispers of lovers down the centuries, had always appealed to her

Lil barely glanced up Her fair hair was plaited and fastened neatly on her crown, and her sht Marietta, she scrubbed the

“London wasn’t so good to ht, as if she had no intention of saying anything more on the subject

Marietta did not know a great deal about Lil’s past, apart from the fact that Vivianna had found her in York and insisted she be given a home at Greentree Manor, to which Lady Greentree had acceded Lil had been a fixture there ever since That she had had an unhappy childhood was perhaps not surprising, and it explained her single-minded determination to adhere to the rules Marietta sensed that Lil believed that, if she was very, very good and never stepped outside the boundaries, then nothing bad could ever happen to her again