A Civil Contract (37 page)

‘To add to Giles’s consequence? Not for the world! He’s by far too top-lofty already – believes himself to be of the first importance!’

‘Young varmint!’ said Mr Chawleigh fondly. ‘I’d like him to have a proper title, though. Ay, and I’d like to see you made an Earl, my lord, and I don’t deny it.’

‘If you set such store by titles, sir, why don’t you get one for yourself?
I
think you should be an alderman!’

He spoke at random, merely to divert Mr Chawleigh’s mind, but he instantly perceived that he had unwittingly hit the mark. Mr Chawleigh stared at him very hard, and said: ‘Now, where did you come by that notion, my lord?’

‘Ah!’

‘Well, maybe I
will
be an alderman before I’m much older,’ admitted Mr Chawleigh. ‘But don’t you go blabbing about it, my lord, because it ain’t certain, mind! I’m not saying anything but that there is a vacancy, which everyone knows, now that poor old Ned Quarm’s stuck his spoon in the wall, and it
might
be that I’ll be voted for.’

‘I won’t breathe a word to a soul,’ promised Adam. ‘Alderman Chawleigh! I must say, I like it!’

‘You think it sounds well, my lord?’ asked Mr Chawleigh anxiously.

‘
Very
well! I can fancy myself saying
my father-in-law, the alderman
, too. We shall be all odious pretension – and quite insufferable when you become Lord Mayor!’

Mr Chawleigh was so much delighted by this sally that he was still chuckling when Adam took leave of him.

It was four o’clock when Adam reached Fenton’s again, and, in his valet’s opinion, much too late to set out on his journey. ‘For we shan’t be at Fontley before two or three in the morning, my lord, not travelling by night, and everyone will be abed and asleep!’

‘Yes, but if I put off the start until tomorrow my guests will have left before my arrival, and I shall never be forgiven,’ argued Adam. ‘But if they know that I travelled all night to make my apologies in person they will look on me with much more kindness – I hope! Good God! They won’t have heard the news! Oh, that quite settles it! I shall be instantly absolved! And, in any event, I want to go home!’

It was a little before nine o’clock on the following morning when Jenny called Come-in! to a knock on her door. She was seated at her dressing-table, while Martha Pinhoe set the final pins in her smooth braids, and it was in the looking-glass that she met her errant husband’s guilty but laughing eyes. Her own twinkled in spite of herself, but she said severely, as she turned in her chair to face him: ‘
Well!
A pretty way to use me, my lord!’

‘I know, I know!’ he said penitently, coming across the room to kiss her. ‘But even if I’d remembered what the date was, which I own I didn’t, I
couldn’t
have come! Have you heard the news?’

She put up a hand to clasp his shoulder for a moment. ‘I should think everyone in the house has heard it by now. When did you arrive?’

‘Just before three. I drove into the yard, so that I shouldn’t rouse you all. My dear, I do beg your pardon! Infamous of me to have abandoned you! Did you desire Lambert to take my place?’

‘He wasn’t here,’ she replied. ‘
Or
Charlotte,
or
your mama!’

‘Oh, good God!’ he exclaimed, aghast. ‘You don’t mean to say that Charlotte is confined already?’

‘That’s just what I do mean to say. And not a word of warning to me – not that I blame her for that, because she was in the very act of stepping into the carriage when she felt her pains begin. Lambert sent over one of the grooms directly, of course, but there we all were, sitting in the Long Drawing-room, and expecting every minute to see the Membury Place party walk in. And the end of it was poor Lydia hadn’t
one
member of her own family at her engagement party!’

‘Except you!’

‘That’s different. Well, it was a sad disappointment to her, but she behaved beautifully – except for saying, right in front of everyone, that it would have been worse if Charlotte had had the baby in the middle of the party! Did you ever? We must send over to find out how Charlotte does. Why did Papa wish you to go to town, Adam?’

He glanced over his shoulder, to be sure that Martha had left the room. ‘He wanted me to sell my Consols. There was something of a panic in the City, you see. He and Wimmering were in the deuce of a pucker!’

Her eyes searched his face. ‘I’d a notion it might be that. I’ll be bound you didn’t sell, however, not feeling as you did!’

‘No.’ He laughed suddenly. ‘Though I didn’t feel very confident on Tuesday! Jenny, I have
such
a piece of news for you! It was as much as I could do not to wake you up when I came in, to tell you! I
bought
stock, and I
think
we shall find ourselves richer by twenty thousand, or near it!
Now
am I forgiven?’

‘Good gracious!’ she ejaculated. ‘Oh, my goodness, no wonder I thought you looked as if you was in high croak!’

They were interrupted by an impetuous footstep on the corridor, and by the entrance of Lydia, hard upon a perfunctory knock. ‘May I come in? Oh, so my dear brother is here, is he? How delightful! And how
very
obliging of you to have come in time to say goodbye to your guests,
dearest
Lynton!’

‘Now, I won’t have him scolded!’ interposed Jenny. ‘Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t have failed if he hadn’t had good reason to? Well, he’s been making his fortune on ’Change, love!’

‘Making his
fortune
? Adam, you’re cutting a wheedle!’

‘I’m not, but don’t cry it from the housetops! And where did you learn that excessively vulgar expression?’

‘From Brough!’ she replied, making a face at him. ‘Well, I’m
very
glad, even though I can’t help detesting you! Oh, Adam, it was the shabbiest party! You can have no notion! I don’t mean that the Adversanes are not the greatest dears, but to have only them, and the Rockhills – ! And to make it worse Julia behaved in the most odious manner!’

‘She had the headache, love.’

‘Having the headache is no excuse for saying you have a premonition of disaster at a betrothal-party!’ retorted Lydia. ‘Particularly when she must have known Brough’s brother was engaged in the war, and the Adversanes dreadfully anxious, though
they
never spoke of it! And for my part I don’t believe she had the headache at all! People who have the headache don’t sit down at the pianoforte and play dreary tunes.’

‘It
does
seem to have been a dismal party!’ said Adam. ‘Indeed, I’m very sorry, but do you think my presence would have enlivened it? And I wasn’t responsible for the absence of the others!’

‘No, but – Oh, well, I daresay it doesn’t signify, and at all events Brough and I laughed ourselves into stitches over it! Jenny, shall you object to it if I go away with Lady Adversane? The thing is that Lord Adversane and Brough mean to post up to London immediately, to see if they can come by any news of Vernon at the Horse Guards, but they don’t care to leave poor Lady Adversane alone at such a time, so of course I asked her if I might go with her to bear her company, and she said she would be very glad to have me, but only if you could spare me – which I told her I knew you would.’

‘Yes, to be sure I will,’ Jenny answered, getting up. ‘Is Lady Adversane down already? Adam, we must go downstairs at once! Oh, dear, as if it wasn’t bad enough that you weren’t here yesterday without me not being in the breakfast-parlour before the visitors!’

‘Well, she isn’t down yet,’ said Lydia. ‘She soon will be, however, because she was very nearly dressed when I went to her room. And Julia is having tea and toast in bed, which I’m heartily glad of. The gentlemen are all in the parlour, but they are reading the newspapers Adam brought from London, so you needn’t trouble your head about
them
. I’ll go and tell Anna to pack up my clothes.’

She hurried away. Jenny, snatching up the handkerchief laid out on the dressing-table, and thrusting it into her reticule, said: ‘Well, I only hope her ladyship don’t think this the most ramshackle house she ever was in! We’ve to breakfast early because she was wishful to be at home by noon, you know. Where are my keys? Oh, never mind! For goodness’ sake, my lord, go down to the parlour!’

The gentlemen were still eagerly reading the London journals when Adam joined them. He made his apologies, but was assured he had no need to make them. ‘My dear Lynton, it would have been rather too much to have expected you to leave London before the result of this battle was published!’ Adversane said. ‘We are very much obliged to you for having posted down to bring us the news so quickly. A great victory, is it not?’ He smiled understandingly, and added: ‘You have been wishing yourself with the Regiment. We have searched for mention of it in the dispatch, but the Duke merely commends Major-General Adam, amongst the other generals. You knew that the 52nd was a part of his Brigade, of course?’

‘Yes, sir, I knew that, but very little more, I’m afraid. We were certainly not engaged on the 16th or the 17th. What part we played, or any of Clinton’s Division, at Waterloo I can’t discover – though I have a feeling that Hill’s Corps was not in the thick of the fighting. The centre was held by the 1st Corps, the Prince of Orange’s: I don’t think there can be any doubt of that.’

‘Enlighten our ignorance!’ Rockhill said. ‘Mine, I blush to confess, is profound. Why is there no doubt?’

‘Well, didn’t you notice that the names that
are
mentioned in the dispatch all belong to the 1st Corps? I don’t mean the list of commendations, but in the Duke’s account of the action? And I can’t but think it significant that amongst the list of generals who were killed or wounded there’s not one from Hill’s Corps. Old Picton killed; Orange, Cooke, Alten, Halkett all wounded! That tells its own tale:
they
were standing the shock, not Hill’s people.’

Lord Adversane began to look rather more hopeful. The ladies came in, and in the general exchange of greetings, and comment on the news, Brough seized the opportunity to draw Adam a little aside, and to say, in his lazy way: ‘Very soothing, dear boy: I’m obliged to you. Did you mean it?’

‘Yes, I promise you I did.’

‘Pretty heavy, our losses, ain’t they? Ever known so many generals to be hit? Looks bad to me.’

‘Of course it’s bad! Douro calls our losses
immense
, and if
he
uses such language as that –’ Adam broke off. ‘Well, we shall see when the lists are published!’

Brough nodded. ‘Just so! All well with you, Dev?’

‘More than well. I’ve been repairing my fortune: I’ll tell you about it later.’

‘Chawleigh nudge you on to a sure thing?’

‘No, far otherwise! I flew in the face of his advice, and nicked the nick!’

‘You don’t mean it? Well done, dear boy!’ Brough gripped his arm for an instant above the elbow, giving it an eloquent squeeze. ‘Couldn’t be better pleased if I’d made my own fortune! Used to count you the unluckiest fellow of my acquaintance, Dev, but I’ve been thinking lately that you ain’t.’

‘Good God, I never was! They used to say of me that I’d as many lucky escapes as Harry Smith!’

‘Shouldn’t be at all surprised: I’ve seen one of ’em myself,’ Brough said cryptically. He continued, almost without a check: ‘No objection to Lydia’s going off with m’mother, have you? Mama don’t show it, but she’s devilish anxious, you know.’

‘Of course I’ve no objection, you gudgeon!’

‘Taken a great fancy to Lydia,’ said Brough, his eyes turning towards that damsel involuntarily. ‘Won’t get a fit of blue devils if she has her with her – no one could! Made a hit with m’father too: he told me last night she was as sound as a roast! Myself, I think he’s a shocking old flirt.’

There could be no doubt that the Adversanes approved of Brough’s engagement. Adam thought that Lydia, never a comfort to the Dowager, was already a comfort to her mother-in-law, and would soon become more a Beamish than a Deveril. Once, her overriding ambition had been to restore the fortunes of the Deverils: he recognized, a little ruefully, that she was more concerned today with the fate of her future brother-in-law than with her own brother’s affairs.

As though she had read his thought, Jenny said, later, when she stood beside him, waving farewell to Lydia: ‘Well, one can’t help but feel moped, and that’s a fact, as Papa would say! but she’s going to be as happy as a grig. What’s more, we won’t lose her, as we might have done if she’d got herself riveted to someone you weren’t acquainted with, and maybe wouldn’t have liked above half. How comfortable it will be! Not that we don’t go on very well with Charlotte and Lambert, but – Oh, my goodness! Charlotte! If I hadn’t forgotten all about it! Well, what a topsy-turvy day this is, to be sure! I must –’ She stopped, for they had walked back into the house together, and she saw that Julia was coming down the stairs. She said immediately, in her most prosaic voice: ‘Good-morning, Julia! I do hope you slept well? You are just too late to say goodbye to Lady Adversane and Lydia, but they left all kinds of messages for you. Brough and his father set out for London half-an-hour ago, to try if they can learn any more news of the battle, you know.’

Julia, standing with one hand on the baluster-rail, lifted the other to her brow. ‘The battle – the battle – the battle! No one can talk of anything else!’

‘Well, it’s natural the Adversanes should be anxious,’ Jenny said. ‘Adam, do you take Julia into the Green Saloon! I must scribble a note for Twitcham to carry to Membury Place.’

She went away, as she spoke, walking down the vaulted corridor with a brisk step. In strong contrast, Julia came slowly down into the hall, seeming almost to float over the stairs.

Adam stood, looking up at her, struck, as he always was, by her exquisite beauty and the grace of her every movement.

Her eyes were fixed on his face; she said: ‘You should not have returned so soon. I’m still here, you see. But I shall soon be gone.’

He moved towards her, saying: ‘I’m very glad that you are still here. I hoped you might be, so that I could beg your pardon. An infamous host, am I not? I promise you, I’m very conscious of it, and don’t at all think I deserve to be forgiven – for I can tell you won’t accept the battle as an excuse!’

‘Did you think I should? I know you too well! You didn’t wish me to come to Fontley, did you? You should have told me so.’

‘My dear Julia – ! No, no, you are quite mistaken!’

‘Ah, don’t talk like that!’ she said impulsively. ‘Not to me! Not to me, Adam!’

He was considerably taken aback. The throbbing note in Julia’s voice indicated, even to his inexperienced ears, that she was dangerously wrought up. He remembered having been told by Lady Oversley that her sensibility made her subject to hysterical fits, and he devoutly hoped that one of these was not imminent. With a lively dread of being precipitated into a dramatic scene in the most public place in the house, he said: ‘Come into the saloon! We can’t talk here.’

She shrugged, but allowed him to shepherd her into the saloon. He shut the door, and said: ‘Now, what is it, Julia? You can’t suppose that I fled from Fontley because you were coming to visit us!’

‘You can’t bear to see me here! You once told me so –’

‘Surely not!’ he expostulated.

‘You said it was painful: is it still so painful? Why did you allow Jenny to invite me? How could I know –’

‘Julia, for God’s sake – ! You’re talking nonsense, my dear – indeed, you are! I left Fontley because Mr Chawleigh sent me a most urgent message, and for no other reason. I had thought to be back again in good time for Lydia’s party, but circumstances intervened which made it impossible. It was very bad of me – and I am deep in disgrace with Lydia! Poor girl! she was set on having all of us at her party, and in the end not one of us was present!’

‘Lydia!
She
was not mortified by your absence! No one thought you had stayed away because
she
was here! I would not have believed that you would offer me such a slight! You might have written to me – one line only, telling me not to come, and I should have understood, and made an excuse to remain in town! But to go away as you did – You might as well have declared to everyone that you preferred not to meet me! Lady Adversane is not so stupid that she didn’t guess. She was delighted, I daresay! They don’t like me, either of them. They made that plain enough! And Brough has always detested me! Nothing could have been more marked than their attentions to Lydia, and their incivility to me. Jenny and I were left quite out in the cold – until Rockhill took pity on Jenny, and talked insipidities to her. There was nothing for me to do but to occupy myself at the pianoforte, which I was able to do without fear of interrupting conversation, since no one paid the least heed.’