Grand Sophy Part VI

Sophy and Charlbury start off their trip to Lacy Manor, which is outside London. She tells him that the house is rather shabby and there are just a few servants care taking it, as Sir Horace has mostly lived abroad since his wife's death and his own diplomatic career meant that he was posted to the continent. When they arrive, she tells him that she has written to Sancia, and asked her to come and chaperone them. If she doesn't turn up Charlbury can stay at a local inn but the main thing is to make Cecy think that she is going to lose him and that he will be marrying Sophy. She shows her friend round the house and then abrupty shoots him in the shoulder. Horrified, he asks her what she's doing. Sophy binds up the wound but tells him that she had to give him a small injury to make sure that Charles did not punch him when he found that Charlbury had apparently deserted Cecy and run off with her cousin. He sees her point and the injury is relatively slight so he puts up with it. Charles gets a message from his friend Cyprian that he saw Sophy driving off in a chaise with Charlbury and furiously he returns home to see what is happening. He does not beleive that his cousin is eloping or trying to get Charlbury to compromise her. He is fairly sure that she would have brought in a chaperone. However he is angry... when he also gets a letter from Eugenia to say that she is going to bring Sophy home. However back at his house, he finds Sir Horace has just come back from Brazil. Sir Horace is unruffled by the news that his daughter has gone away, but tells Charles that he is not sure he wants to marry Sancia, now, and that if she's flirting with Sir VIncent, he would be happy to let her go. He was infatuated with her but he's not sure he wants to be tied down. Charles sets off himself for Lacy Manor and when he gets there finds that there are many other people who have arrived before him. Sancia is there, with her new husband, SIr VIncent, and Augustus who was visiting them, has come also. Sophy is dismayed to find that Sancia has married Vincent, but she hopes that her father wont be too unhappy. However, she did not anticipate the arrival of Eugenia, Bromford or Augustus. When Cecy meets Charlbury and sees that he is wounded, she immediately rushes into his arms, and they reconcile. SHe tells Augustus that she cannot marry him, and he is quite calm about it, as his love was always vague and poetical. Charles finds that Eugenia is nursing Lord Bromford, who caught a cold on the ride to Lacy Manor, and is now sneezing. She and he have an argument, he tells her that she should have been a litlte less nosy and interfering and that he would never beleive anything bad of Sophy, so he is angry at her spite. She breaks off the engagement, and he leaves her, feelng that at least she has found a husband in Bromford who will suit her prudish nature much better... This scene is one of Heyer's classic sorting out scenes, where she assembles many characters usually in a country house and sorts out their romantic problems in a fun way. Sophy tells Charlbury to take Cecilia back to London, and they can get formally engaged... while she plays hostess to the Talgarths, Augustus, Lord Bromford and Miss Wraxton. Charles seeks out his cousin and tells her that she can leave her guests, they have a chaperone and he is not going to hang around and get involved in any more dramas. He tells her that Sir Horace is back in London, and that he is going to marry her. She exclaims that he can't be in love with her and he replies, kissing her, that he dislikes her extremely.