Black Sheep Part II

Abby visits Mrs Grayshott to see young Oliver, who is still weak from the voyage, and she learns that Miles is in fact a skeleton in her own family's closet. Rowland, Fanny's father was engaged to Celia, a shy quiet girl, and Miles who had fallen in love with her as a very young man, persuaded her to elope with him. She is shocked, but he tells her that her father who was a very strict and snobbish man, wanted to hush things up. Celia was the kind of girl who gave way to the stronger will and she accepted the end of her romance and married Rowland and then seemed to adore him and do everything he wished. Miles tells her that his own father was equally strict and snobbish, and he sent his wayward son to India and all but disowned him. He himself was not that sorry, and found that he had a talent for business and did well in India. Abby finds herself liking Miles, he is free of hypocrisy and she likes him better for not being smooth and sly, like his nephew. Selina likes him too, thinking that he seems a nice man and that it was not right of his family to disown him as they did. Stacy manages to pursue his relationship with Fanny, and is embarrassed by the presence in Bath of his uncle whom he regards as a failure. Fanny adores him and is upset when Abby tells her firmly that at 17, she's too young to marry, and that she would not allow her to get married until she had been out in society a year or 2 and met other suitors. She is good friends however with Lavinia, Oliver's sister and she tries to cheer him up as he is depressed about his failure in India. Oliver finds himself falling in love with her...