He was in his office, surrounded as always by untidy stacks of paper and looking worried and ill-kempt. His valet did his best to make him look like a suitable guardian to Jonathan and his wealth, but his best work could not last half an hour when Graves was in a distracted mood. He pulled at the sleeves of his coat, yanked at his cravat and ran his inky hands through his hair. It was always touching to see how he disliked being separated from his wife. He smiled on seeing Harriet though and invited her in. She sat down beside his desk and folded her hands in her lap. ‘I have come to apologise for taking Susan away yesterday, Graves. It was childish of me.’ He looked at her and sighed. ‘You could at least have brought her back in a better temper.’ Harriet confessed: ‘I hinted that her school might have some useful things to teach her.’ ‘And so instead of being her champion, you allied yourself with her oppressors. Well, at least I understand that scene on the stairs now. God knows, she is an intelligent child, too intelligent perhaps, but she will not see …’ He looked exhausted.
