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conversation.
    At first, he was anxious in case they thought the rooms were too plain, but Charlie immediately bounced on the bed and declared it met with his approval. That was a relief.
    “Don’t worry, Charlie. I don’t think anyone likes him.” It was a strange thing for Joshua to admit. Usually, he had to hide his feelings. “What did you mean about giving him some home-brewed? Do you know boxing cant?”
    “That I do,” said Charlie. “I used to do a bit of bare-knuckle practice with the stable lad back home in Ireland – but only when Uncle Lucius wasn’t around. He is my pa’s brother. We used to live with him and Aunt Barleycorn, but they didn’t want Sophie and I couldn’t forgive them. My uncle wanted me to stay, but I promised pa that I would always look after her, and a man must honour his promises. That was when they gave up on me and wrote to Uncle Tom, telling him to come and collect us.”
    Never before had Joshua had cause to view his family through the eyes of other people. Whilst Aunt Jane and his father were at pains to make the visitors welcome, his siblings set them apart. His younger cousins did not know what to do, so they copied his sister’s manner. Caroline’s demeanour was so prim that she scarcely turned her head to acknowledge the newcomers.
    He felt ashamed of her reception, and determined to compensate for the lack of good manners. He could accept her remote attitude to him, but he resented it for Charlie and Sophie.
    It was obvious his sister overawed Lucy and Julia, with her superior notions of etiquette. Most likely, she would deem it her bounden duty to correct any deficiencies in Sophie’s character. He dreaded to think what his brother might do.
    When they took tea, he noticed his sister’s manner mellowed, and she went so far as to offer Sophie a seat beside her on the chaise longue. Instead, the girl sat on the floor, talking to the gundogs lying by the fire.
    It was evident from Charlie’s polite manner that he knew how to behave in company, whilst Sophie assured herself of a canine welcome by alternating every bite she took from the slice of fruitcake with a token piece for the dogs. Then she went back for a second and third slice.
    After she swallowed the last crumb and licked her fingers, she walked around the room running her hands over the polished furniture while her brother looked anxiously on. Then she sat on the hearthrug, facing the heir to Linmore.
    It was difficult to know what she would do next. As far as Joshua was concerned, his brother was the most repellent creature in existence – a parasite that would do anything to attract attention.
    Usually, Matthew Norbery liked nothing better than for the servants to gape at his latest fashionable attire. He feigned to deplore such reverence, coming as it did from half-witted yokels, but it fed his insatiable vanity.
    It was a new experience for Joshua to see his brother disconcerted by an eight-year-old girl, who fixed her gaze on him for quite ten minutes, with the intensity of a gundog watching its master.
    There was only one thing worse than not being of interest to anyone. That was for a newcomer to make Matthew the sole object of her curiosity. His agitation increased by the minute. Eventually, he jumped to his feet and flounced around the room, while Sophie lay on the floor, waiting for him to return to his seat. Then she yawned to show her boredom, which astounded the other girls. Seeing his sister’s look of horror, Joshua could imagine the scolding Sophie had in store.
    Eventually, Charlie nudged Joshua in the ribs. “I know what she’s doing, Josh,” he whispered. “Sophie has a habit of collecting things. She never takes anything of real value – just enough to cause annoyance. It was the same when Aunt Barleycorn was nasty to her. Sophie hid her spectacles in a flowerpot, and it took days to find them.”
    It was hard to imagine what his brother possessed that would be of interest. Well,