“Poor Pelham!” Elizabeth said, with a sigh for her absent brother. “I am afraid he is very extravagant.”

“It’s his gambling debts, I take it,” opined Mrs Maulfrey. “My Aunt seemed to think that even your Portions ...” She left the sentence delicately unfinished.

Elizabeth flushed, but Horatia said: “You can’t blame P-Pel. It’s in the blood. One of us must m-marry Rule. Lizzie’s the eldest and the p-prettiest, but Charlotte would do very well. Lizzie’s promised to Edward Heron.”

“Not “promised”, dearest,” Elizabeth said in a low voice. “We only—hoped, if he could but get his Captaincy, perhaps Mama would consent.”

“Even supposing it, my love,” said Mrs Maulfrey with great good sense, “what—what, I ask of you, is a Captain of a Line Regiment when compared with the Earl of Rule? And from all I hear the young man has the most meagre of fortunes, and who, pray, is to buy his promotion?”

Horatia said, quite undaunted: “Edward t-told me that if he had the good fortune to be in another engagement there might be a ch-chance.”

Miss Winwood gave a slight shudder, and lifted one hand. “ will say I am unfeeling, my dear Lizzie, but it would not do at all. Why, how would you contrive on the young man’s pay? It is all horribly sad, but only think of the position you will fill, the jewels you will have!”

The prospect appeared to affect Miss Winwood with repulsion, but she said nothing. It was left to Horatia to express the sentiments of all three sisters. “Vulgar!” she said, “You are, you know, Theresa.”

Mrs Maulfrey blushed, and made a business of arranging her stiff skirts. “Of course I know that would not weigh with Lizzie, but you can’t deny it is a brilliant match. What does my Aunt feel?”

“Deeply thankful,” said Charlotte. “As indeed we must all be, when we consider the straits Pelham has placed us in.”