– Miss Salton! – suddenly came the voice of the butler from behind the closed door. – May I come in?
– Yes, yes, of course! – replied the girl.
Vivian's last sentence made her turn pale with horror, and she decided to give her friend a short pause, realising how difficult it was for her to share such intimate secrets.
The door to the chambers opened and Mr. Anderson entered the room, holding a silver tray in his hand.
– Another gentleman to see you, Miss," he announced courteously, and approached the lady of the house.
– What an interesting day! One day you have no guests, the next you have three! – Vivian smiled falsely.
– You're right, my dear! – Charlotte giggled. She took a beautiful business card from the tray, ran her eyes over it, and on her face Vivian read a look of real alarm.
– It's my husband, isn't it? – Mrs. Wington asked almost inaudibly.
Charlotte glanced at her friend and silently handed her the card.
But Vivian did not need to read the name written on that neat gold-patterned rectangle. She knew him.
– He's here… He's come for me," the girl smiled bitterly, and her fingers clutched convulsively at Charlotte's delicate palm.
– Jeremy! I didn't expect to see you here! – Anthony exclaimed in surprise when he saw his best friend enter the lobby of Lillehus.
Mr. Wington gave the servant his hat and cloak, and the friends hugged each other tightly.
– You have come straight from the hunt! – young Cranford said cheerfully, only now noticing that Jeremy was dressed in a dark hunting suit, stained in places with brown mud. His boots were covered with dried forest soil.
– You wrote that you were back, so I thought I'd take my time and meet you," Jeremy said cheerfully. – But where are our beauties?
– Miss Salton is choosing a hat for her walk, and your husband is helping her. We're going for a walk in the garden, you see.
– Oh, splendid. Then my unexpected arrival is not so out of place… Are you the butler? – Jeremy turned to Mr. Anderson, who had come out of the next room. – Would you give your lady my card?
– If you say so, sir. – Mr. Anderson took the card from his new guest and headed for the stairs.
– 'Ah, yes, my sincere condolences: I learnt of your father's death in this morning's paper, a fortnight late,' Anthony hastened to say to his friend.