"Oh, hello," I smiled a little, on my horse in the sun of the day, in the lawn spreading with horses and dogs, and Evelyn riding up in his red finery.

"It is a good day for it," Evelyn doffed his little cap. "I expect our friend Mr Pamuk will be joining us shortly."

"Our friend?" I raised my eyebrows, settling in the saddle of my hunter.

"He is your guest," Evelyn smiled.

I smiled, and then Mr Pamuk rode up, his hair as shiny as a horse's in dressage, and riding well.

"Lady Mary, I believe."

"Good day," I smiled a quick, flash of a smile, and turned my horse's reins, and when the siren went off, I followed the others in the hunt, mud spitting in divots, and my face grim.

"You do not enjoy yourself?" asked Mr Pamuk, riding on my left.

"I forget it is a hunt, to take the lives of animals."

"But surely," said he, "Yours is a hunting family."

"That makes it no more enjoyable," I said, grimmer still, and there rode ahead of either him or Mr Napier, and there in the end saw what the men had collected.

At dinner, bathed and changed, I stood in the drawing room with Mr Napier and Mr Pamuk to either side, and felt Edith's glare upon me.

"You must revel in the news, I hear it," said Mr Pamuk. "A countess to be one day - and the money and estate to go with it."

"I should think it very American," I said, "To remark on the money of it."

"Then I should be glad I am neither."

"Neither."

"British," Mr Pamuk smiled.

I turned to Evelyn, more coldly than I would like, for my expression still lingered on my opinion of Mr Pamuk, and Evelyn took it and it was too late for me to attempt a change, before the general opinion concluded bedtime was not too far away.

I rose the stairs, with Edith and Sybil in conversation with each other, and there met a parting of the ways in reaching my room, and Anna stood behind me helping me undress and tie my hair into a plait.

"You must be very pleased, my lady," smiled Anna. "A coup, indeed. The title, the money and the estate all."

I smiled perfunctorily, and bade Anna good night. I waited for Anna to close the door, then took a deep breath and walked towards the bed, climbing underneath it, and there I waited, in the mild stirring of dust, to eventually hear the footsteps of someone entering, pausing, and my heart stirring, the door closing after far too long.

When I awoke, I could hear the birds sing, and when I recovered quite awkwardly, full of exhaustion and no vigor, I saw my reflection, and Anna, upon entering, was as confused as could be expected.

When I bathed and dressed, and came down to meet the men off, Evelyn avoided my eye, and there Mr Pamuk stood awkwardly between us, as confused at Evelyn's disposition for it was clear there was a sudden gulf.

I addressed as such with Carson, discerning as he was.

"One cannot understand foreigners, my lady," said Carson, and I was no left more informed.

Then I made my way to the window from the library, seeing Mr Napier and Mr Pamuk depart. I saw Robert enter, his expression a little troubled at my next question.

"Did Mr Napier say anything to you of his disposition?"

Robert seemed to steeple his fingers at his desk.

"I can only hope, my dear, that you did not have expectations towards him. He is not good enough for you."

In exiting, to ponder those words, I saw Edith by the staircase. My expression must only have invited her arrival to me, where her expression, British as it was, was plain as day.

"I hope you enjoyed your night," said she, a smirk on her face, mild as it was. "I am sure many would be keen to hear of it."

I watched after her, walking up the stairs to flash a glance at me, and when I saw out the front door the motorcars quite departed, I bowed my head, and took a deep breath Thomas saw, and then I bid him good day, with no surprise showing if he felt it.

THE END