A Civil Contract (38 page)

He had listened to her first in astonishment, and then in amusement, as it dawned on him that the real cause of her tantrum was not his defection but the attentions paid to Lydia. He did not for a moment suppose that the Adversanes had been uncivil, or even that Julia was jealous of Lydia. If she had been made much of, she would almost certainly have insisted that Lydia, celebrating her betrothal, must be first in consequence. She never tried to shine down her friends; Adam knew how prettily she would coax a shy girl out of her shell, and he guessed that had she found a vacant throne awaiting her at Fontley she would have handed Lydia on to it, with enchanting grace. The trouble had been that she had found Lydia already established on the throne. She had not stepped down from it; nobody had considered that she had any right to it. It was unlikely, too, that she had been accorded the admiration which she quite unconsciously expected. Brough had never been one of her court, and the Adversanes were naturally far more interested in their future daughter-in-law than in Rockhill’s wife. She had obviously spent a miserable evening, feeling herself neglected, and was now in a mood to pick out any grievance that offered, and to magnify it into a tragedy.

Adam had never before seen her in a pet, or imagined that she could behave like a spoiled child. He was not in the least angry with her, but he did think that she was being silly and tiresome. He wondered whether she often indulged in dramatic tantrums, and found himself feeling sorry for Rockhill.

‘I shall never come to Fontley again,’ Julia said.

‘Yes, you will,’ he replied, smiling at her. ‘You’ll come to Lydia’s wedding, in September, and see what a good host I can be!’

‘I never thought that you would wound me – and laugh!’ she said, turning her face away, her mouth trembling.

He was conscious, not of a burning desire to fold her in his arms and kiss away her melancholy, but of irritation. ‘Oh, Julia,
not
at this hour!’ he begged. He took her hand, and raised it to his lips, as she stared at him in amazement. ‘My dear, I beg your pardon, but you are being quite absurd! You know very well I didn’t run away because I didn’t wish to meet you!’

‘Ah, no! Not that, but because it’s painful to be reminded of the past, and the hopes we cherished! Was it that, Adam?’

‘No, Julia, it was
not
that,’ he replied firmly. ‘I wasn’t even thinking of you – in fact, I entirely forgot Lydia’s party!’

‘
Forgot?
’ she repeated, drawing her hand away, and almost shrinking from him. ‘How could you do so? It’s not possible!’

‘I found it very possible. I was engaged on an affair of so much more importance that it drove everything else out of my head. Shocking, wasn’t it? But I think you will understand, when I tell you that I had Fontley in my mind. You have always loved it, so you must be glad to know that I’ve managed to turn my small principal into quite a respectable fortune – large enough, at all events, to enable me to bring Fontley back to what it once was – oh, better than ever it was, I hope!’

‘Oh, no, no, don’t spoil it!’ she cried.

‘
Spoil
it?’ he said, thunderstruck.

‘You said once that I should find everything the same, but it’s not the same! Don’t make it smart, and new! Don’t let Jenny do so!’

He regarded her with a queer little smile. ‘I see. When you talk of Fontley, you think of the ruins, and the portrait of my stupid Cavalier ancestor, don’t you? But that’s not what I think of. The Priory is only a part of Fontley, you know, and not the most important part, either.’

‘What then?’ she demanded, bewildered.

‘My acres, of course.’

‘Oh, how much you have changed!’ she exclaimed bitterly. ‘You had nobler ambitions once!’

‘Well, it was certainly my ambition to command the Regiment one day,’ he admitted, ‘but I don’t think I was ever as romantic as you believed me to be. Perhaps we never had time to learn to know each other very well, Julia.’

She did not answer. Footsteps were approaching, and a moment later the door opened, and Jenny came in, a letter in her hand. She said cheerfully: ‘I don’t mean to interrupt you, but one of Lambert’s servants has this instant rid over, and you’ll want to know the news, Adam. Charlotte was safely delivered at eight o’clock this morning, and it’s a boy! Isn’t that capital? He’ll be able to play with Giles! Lambert says –’ She stopped, meeting Adam’s eyes, which were brimful of laughter, gave a gasp, and said unsteadily: ‘Now, Adam, for goodness’ sake – !’ She saw that Julia was looking blankly from her to Adam, and said apologetically: ‘I beg pardon! It’s just a silly joke – not worth repeating! Charlotte is feeling perfectly stout, and the baby is to be christened Charles Lambert Stephen Bardolph!’

‘
What?
’ Adam exclaimed. ‘Jenny, you made that up!’

She chuckled, handing him the letter. ‘See if I did!’

‘Good God!’ he uttered, scanning the missive. ‘And why not Adam as well? Pretty shabby of them to leave me out, don’t you think? I shan’t send a christening gift. Did you ever hear such a collection of names, Julia?’

‘I suppose they will call him Charles,’ she replied. ‘Pray tell Charlotte how happy I am to hear that she has a son, and how sorry I was not to have seen her! I must run away now, and put on my hat, or Rockhill will give me a scold.’

She smiled brightly upon them both, and went swiftly out of the room. At the head of the staircase she met Rockhill, just about to come down. He smiled at her, saying softly: ‘What, my lovely one?’

Her face puckered, she clung to him suddenly, saying in a choked, passionate voice: ‘Take me away, Rock! I wish we hadn’t come! It’s dull and detestable! Please take me away!’

‘With the greatest pleasure on earth, my Sylph! I was coming in search of you to suggest that very thing. What a bore that we pledged ourselves to go on to stay with the Rossetts! I shan’t have you to myself for as long as five minutes: you will be swept from me, and wholly surrounded by tiresome admirers.’

She gave a tiny laugh. ‘Oh, no! How can you, Rock?’

He turned up her face, and kissed her. ‘Beautiful baggage!’ he remarked. ‘Go and put your hat on, my love!’

He sauntered on down the stairs, and was talking to his host and hostess when Julia presently joined him. She was looking quite ravishing, and had recovered her spirits sufficiently to be able to kiss Jenny, thanking her for an enjoyable visit, before turning to offer her hand to Adam, rallying him, with rather glittering drollery, on his haycocks, and adjuring him not to bury poor Jenny alive in the fens.

He answered in kind, escorting her out to where the chaise stood waiting. Standing just within the hall, Rockhill retained Jenny’s hand for a minute, saying softly: ‘A delightful visit, ma’am! I am so much in your debt! Pray believe that you may command my services at any time!’

‘I’m afraid it was dreadfully dull and flat,’ she replied.

‘Dear Lady Lynton, I assure you it couldn’t have been better! Do you know, I fancy we have nothing more to worry us? Goodbye – and a thousand thanks!’

He kissed her hand, and was gone before she was put to the necessity of replying. She went out into the porch to see the chaise drive off, and as soon as it had passed out of sight Adam turned, and came to join her, saying: ‘Thank God we have the house to ourselves again!’

Her eyes twinkled. ‘Well,
you
didn’t see so very much of the visitors!’

‘Very true. Poor Jenny, was it quite abominable? I think it must have been.’

‘Oh, well! It might have been worse,’ she said philosophically. ‘Brough took your place, and Lord and Lady Adversane are so kind and easy, you know, that they made it seem as if your not being at home was quite commonplace. Which I’ll take good care it don’t become!’

He laughed. ‘No, no, I swear I will never do so again! Come into the library! I want to tell you how I made my fortune!’

‘Adam, did you say it was
twenty thousand
?’

‘More or less, I think, if Consols recover to the extent Drummond believes they must. I staked everything I had, and still don’t know how I found the courage to do it.
What
a crazy gamble!’

‘I don’t see that it was that,’ she objected. ‘You always knew we should beat Bonaparte!’

He said wryly: ‘I wasn’t so pot-sure when I’d committed myself. Wimmering wanted me to sell as much as your father did.’

She listened in silence to the account of his three days in London, and at the end said slowly: ‘You will be able to do all the things you want to, then.’

‘Well, hardly that! Not immediately. But I can do enough to set Fontley on its feet, and once that’s accomplished I don’t fear for the future.’ He smiled at her. ‘Who knows? By the time Giles comes of age we may be as rich as Mr Coke! By the bye, your father is going to settle the mortgages on Giles.’

‘You don’t mean to redeem them?’ she said, surprised.

‘No. He doesn’t wish it, and – Oh, I don’t know how it comes about, but I found, when I might have done it, that I didn’t want to!’

‘I’m glad. He wouldn’t have liked it.’

‘No, I know he wouldn’t. I mean to try instead if I can’t persuade him to invest some of his wealth in my cut – only, if I
can
bring him round my finger we’ll make it a canal. You know, Jenny, that’s what’s needed in this district, not only for drainage, but for transport. I’m pretty sure it would pay handsome dividends. Do you think he might be interested?’

‘Well, there’s no saying, but I should think he might. He likes engineering and water-works. But – when you wouldn’t let him help you to the farm you want – !’

‘This is different.
That
would have been a gift – and I have accepted too many from him;
this
will be a business partnership.’ He looked at her, his brows a little raised, a question in his eyes. ‘You don’t like it, Jenny?’

‘Oh, yes! Of course I do!’ she said, colouring.

‘But you don’t. Why are you looking so grave? What troubles you?’

‘I’m not troubled. I’m glad, if you are!’

‘If I am!’

‘If it’s not too late!’ she blurted out.

He was puzzled for a moment; then he said: ‘No. It’s not too late.’

She smiled waveringly. ‘It’s like you to say that. But if this had happened last year…’

‘I should have married Julia? I doubt it. I suppose I might have contrived to compound with the creditors, but I hardly think Oversley would have consented to such a poor match for Julia. He told me once that he didn’t think we were well-suited. In fact, we should have been very ill-suited.
She
would have discovered me to be a dead bore, poor girl, and I am much better off with my Jenny.’

She blushed fierily. ‘Oh, no – you don’t mean that! I do try to make you comfortable, but I’m not beautiful or accomplished, like she is!’

‘No, but on the other hand you don’t enact me Cheltenham tragedies when I’ve barely swallowed my breakfast!’ he said. He took her face between his hands, turning it up, and looking down at her for a moment before he kissed her. ‘I do love you, Jenny,’ he said gently. ‘Very much indeed – and I couldn’t do without you. You are a part of my life. Julia was never that – only a boy’s impractical dream!’

A little pang smote her; she wanted to ask him: ‘
Do you love me as much as you loved her?
’ She was too inarticulate to be able to utter the words; and, in a minute, knew that it would be foolish to do so. Searching his eyes, she saw warmth in them, and tenderness, but not the ardent flame that had once kindled them when he had looked at Julia. She hid her face in his shoulder, thinking that she too had had an impractical dream. But she had always known that she was too commonplace and matter-of-fact to inspire him with the passionate adoration he had felt for Julia. Probably Adam would always carry Julia in some corner of his heart. She had been tiresome today, putting him out of love with her; but Jenny did not think that this revulsion would last. Julia stood for his youth, and the high hopes he had cherished; and although he might no longer yearn to possess her she would remain nostalgically dear to him while life endured.

Yet, after all, Jenny thought that she had been granted more than she had hoped for when she had married him. He did love her: differently, but perhaps more enduringly; and he had grown to depend on her. She thought that they would have many years of quiet content: never reaching the heights, but living together in comfort and deepening friendship.
Well, you can’t have it both ways
, she thought,
and I couldn’t live in alt all the time, so I daresay I’m better off as things are.

She felt his hand lightly stroking her hair, and lifted her head. He was looking gravely at her, aware that she was troubled, yet not wholly understanding the cause. She gave him a hug, smiling reassuringly at him. She thought, and was comforted, that though she was not the wife of his dreams it was with her, not with Julia, that he shared life’s little, foolish jokes. Her eyes narrowed, twinkling, as she disclosed the latest of these to him.

‘I wouldn’t tell you till we were alone, but your mama writes that it is
exactly
as she foretold!’

The hint of anxiety in his face disappeared. Amusement took its place; he exclaimed appreciatively: ‘Charlotte’s child favours Lambert!’

She nodded, chuckling. ‘Yes, and she says the poor little thing is positively gross, and quite undistinguished, besides having,
already
, a – a decided air of self-consequence!’

He gave a shout of laughter; and the pain in her heart was eased. After all, life was not made up of moments of exaltation, but of quite ordinary, everyday things. The vision of the shining, inaccessible peaks vanished; Jenny remembered two pieces of domestic news, and told Adam about them. They were not very romantic, but they were really much more important than grand passions or blighted loves: Giles Jonathan had cut his first tooth, and Adam’s best cow had given birth to a fine heifer-calf.

Author of over fifty books, Georgette Heyer is one of the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, making the Regency period her own. Her first novel,
The Black Moth
, published in 1921, was written at the age of seventeen to amuse her convalescent brother; her last was
My Lord John
. Although most famous for her historical novels, she also wrote twelve detective stories. Georgette Heyer died in 1974 at the age of seventy-one.