Abigail's Cousin (6 page)

"I'll see you later, cousins. I must
return to the princess.
Will you see me back, Danvers!"

The woman
understandably winced as Sarah omitted her title, not in a gesture
of offensiveness, but a lack of consideration for other people's
feelings. At once Masham who had been hovering in the background
observing Abigail, sprang to attention and walking smartly to the
door in order to forestall Danvers, opened it, intoning:

"This way
ladies!"

Sarah was
irritated and after inviting Danvers to precede her, turned to
Masham, voicing her irritation, thus:

"You must come
to Holywell House, sir."

Masham unaware
of her mood, responds almost gaily:

"I should like
that, your ladyship." And to his credit his face does not change
when she adds caustically: "Lord! Indeed you should. We have many
doors there; inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs. Opening and
closing them will keep you occupied all day long."

Masham's face
changes as he takes in the snub, but merely says:

"As your
ladyship, pleases." whereupon Sarah triumphantly commands her
guide: "Come Danvers! Let us to her highness."

As Danvers and
Lady Marlborough proceeded down the passageway, Masham watched his
erstwhile tormentor particularly. He observed her proud bearing
until she had gone around the corner, her rustling bustle
disappearing at last and he reflected upon his latest encounter
with a lady whom he had set out to like. His aim had been
frustrated by the lady herself.

Whether he was
aware of it, someone had reminded those rising in the world to be
kind to people on the way up as they might be met with on the way
down. Lady Marlborough might well have heeded the advice for the
day would come when her star was dimmed and when Masham would have
been the one person to help her.

Standing
there, bemused by her disdain, Masham could not know that
paradoxically her negative attitude was to lead the way to his
future happiness.

As he
retreated to resume his duties in the prince's quarters, both
ladies had arrived back at the princess's door, Danvers excusing
herself to other duties, Sarah must perforce scratch the panel and
enter upon the princess's invitation. On entering she
complained:

"My dear Mrs Morley has so few staff to
attend her. Mr
s Danvers
left me at the door.

"That be one
reason why Mistress Hill will be so welcome, my dear Mrs Freeman."
To which Sarah replied:

"I hope my
cousin is pleasing to her royal highness."

Now both alone
and all polite pretensions suspended, the princess declared
roughly:

"She will do.
I daresay. Poor thing! Was it ye small pocks that caused those ugly
blotches on her face? It gives her a very red complexion."

"Nothing
passes by my dear Mrs Morley." responded Sarah ever obsequious
towards her royal friend, adding: "It mayhaps be also that Hill's
overly red complexion comes from her wilful exposure in the sun.
She does so like gardening. Indeed at Lady Ferrers, they gave her
her own garden. She seems to be convalescent to so many
plants."

Anne smiled at
her friend's faux pas having heard so many which had endeared her
to her commoner friend. She said:

"I can pity
her, dear Mrs Freeman, since I too am marked by ye pocks, but," she
paused laying both hands upon the surprised Sarah's arm, then
saying in mock reproof:

"But Mrs
Freeman! Seven whole days and not a sight of you. Very remiss."

"Lord!"
exclaimed Sarah, "My dear Mister Freeman insists on taking the
carriage, but this time, I withheld the services of Tom, my servant
on whom he depends to take him around London."

"I do
understand, Mrs Freeman." agreed the princess, "His lordship has so
many duties. What is he doing today?"

"If it is not
the House of Lords, he has urgent business at the bank. He says he
must pay a call upon Mr Godolphin. Oh, and I must not forget his
interview with Caliban."

"With the
king! I wonder why William wants to see him. I hope not to place
dear Mr Freeman in the Tower, again."

"Oh no, Mrs
Morley," said Sarah, "all that unpleasantness is in the past. They
are very good friends now."

"And I do hope
Mr Freeman stays very good friends with Mr Godolphin. He is such a
good man." The princess smiled warmly in talking of Godolphin and
Sarah braced herself for an oft repeated story. The princess liked
to recount the sayings of Charles II, and Sarah winced inwardly as
the princess spoke it:

"Our late,
lamented monarch once said of Sidney that he was never in the way
and never out of the way."

Sarah
commented dryly: "Yes, he does have a way with him." And the
princess confided: "And he does play a very good game of
Ombre."

In mock
reproof, Sarah said: "And when does Mrs Morley have time for
cards?" To which Anne gave a wistful look at her friend reminding
her:

"D'you
remember how we used to play through the night? Ombre, basset,
faro."

"Lord me!"
replied Sarah laughing: "The night I lost four hundred."

"I shall never
forget that, because my dear Mrs Freeman," Anne looked at Sarah
half reproachfully, almost not believing her recall: "threw ye
cards at ye wall. I needs must gather them next day in case
Mistress Bust saw them on ye floor."

"And the one
landing in the chamber-pot," recalled Sarah, don't forget
that."

The princess chuckled so much that she
could scarcely blurt out its conseq
uences, but finally got it out:

"I never did
explain away a certain stain upon ye two of diamonds." Then Anne
was suddenly serious saying: "But the next day, Mrs Freeman won
everything back."

"And two
hundred extra!" said Sarah triumphantly but she had said too much
as her friend petulantly commented: “There be someone here with ye
memory of ye elephant and, " Anne trumpeted at her friend, "did Mrs
Morley fly into a tantrum by hurling ye cards everywhere?"

Sarah with
somewhat forced merriment commented: “Well, leastways, Mrs Morley
need not pull cards from chamber pots or explain any funny
stains."

The princess's
irritation was momentary for she rocked with laughter at Sarah's
words and gestures one of which suggested the princess standing
there with a card allowing liquid to drain before putting it
hurriedly behind her at the sight of Mrs Bust.

Anne managed
to blurt out amidst bursts of laughter: "Mrs Morley hopes the new
bedchamber woman won't be so frightening." Sarah knew this was a
reference to her cousin, but said nothing to that effect and Anne
herself changed the subject by referring back to their
gambling:

“We never did
make that exchange, did we?" said Anne soberly: "Does Mrs Freeman
still have my note?"

Sarah hastened to reassure the princess:
"Mrs Morley's IOU is more precious to me than gold itself. I'm
going to keep it unless Mrs Morley insists on
exchangi
ng
it."

"Just when Mrs
Morley had plucked up courage to beg Sir Benjamin for a promissory
note, but at least you have spared me going to my escritoire."

Princess
Anne's gout often confined her to her day-bed for hours with little
relief. Movement provoked the pain to surface and Sarah could
sympathise with her friend and comfortingly, she assured her
friend:

"That settles
it. Mrs Morley must not leave her seat " But Anne declared bravely:
"I must pull ye cord for our tea." But Sarah performed that action
and on the appearance of Mrs Danvers in answer to the ring, Sarah
smiled at her query:

"Did her
highness wing?" and upon her disappearance to carry out the
princess's instructions, Anne chided Sarah about the mannerisms of
staff telling her she could not afford to notice others'
infirmities. It was the banter and badinage of old friends. Anne
added finally:

"Poor Mrs
Danvers! She's missing some teeth, poor thing. We should not mock.
How would Mrs Freeman sound with missing teeth."

But to Sarah's
suggestion she did not need to lose any teeth to mimic her
performance, the princess called a halt, as laughter worsened her
gout.

Sarah was able
to comfort her friend, saying: "My cousin has had dealings with a
well known apothecary, Thomas Culpeper, and, hopefully, can prepare
something to ease poor Mrs Morley's sufferings."

"Whatever she
hath cannot be worse than cochineal syrup. It tastes foul and makes
not a jot of difference. But I needs must on account of Doctor
Jennings. Mrs Morley doesn't like to hurt his feelings."

There was the
sound of the door to the ante-room opening and Mrs Danvers made her
appearance carrying a tray setting it down on a small side table
and at the sight of it, Anne clapped her hands, crying:

"Sweet Mrs
Danvers! How nice of you to bring marchpane cakes. Mrs Freeman was
ever a lover of marchpane." And after Mrs Danvers had poured the
tea into the cups handing them to the two women, the princess again
remarked with enthusiasm:

"Ye best China
tea for Mrs Freeman." And as Danvers withdrew, she added: "Your
cousin knows how to make ye tea, does she?" And Sarah made an
unspoken resolution there and then to get Mrs Chudleigh to train
her cousin. She smiled affirmatively to her friend and the two
women ate their marchpane and sipped their tea, each absorbed in
their own thoughts.

----------------------------------------------

In the stables
of St James Palace, Tom, Lady Churchill's coachman sees to the
preparation of the carriage in readiness for the return journey and
looking up from his task of removing the oatbags from around the
horses' jowls, he observes her ladyship tripping down the
backstairs of the Palace evidently on the lookout for him. It seems
someone has sought a ride in her coach and is anxious for a
particular reason to notify her servant.

From yards
away he hears her commanding voice and wonders what immediately is
in store for him and is surprised to hear his sister mentioned:

"Mrs Lowther
has approached me with a view to accompanying you on the return
journey. You told me nothing of this, Tom."

Her servant
was surprised himself knowing his sister lived and worked in London
but having no idea until Lady Churchill mentioned the matter to
him. "I have no objection, ma'am, if you are willing to allow it."
She said abruptly: "If you'll have her sit beside you, Tom, I do
have no objection."

Lady Churchill
had scarcely spoken when Mrs Lowther appeared from the same
direction being followed by Abigail Hill and upon their approach
says: "Up you get, sister, upon the front seat with me. I'll show
you a view of London you can tell your friends about
hereafter."

Meanwhile
Sarah, greeting her cousin, does not wait for Tom to open the
carriage door but invites Abigail to enter: "After you cousin.
Let's get up and make ourselves comfortable, shall we." Then she
hands Abigail an etui telling her to stow it safely in the luggage
rack and having got in and closed the door mentions to her
companion in typical bombastic style the etui holds valuable
papers. "They're promissory notes," she says grandly, adding:

"Present those
at any bank and you can get banknotes in exchange." Sarah opined
and still in boastful mood declares: "That's the way business is
conducted these days. Soon we shall not need coin of the realm. We
shall all have notes issued by the Bank of England."

Abigail received all this information
meekly listening intently, venturing at last to say: "And his
lordship wil
l have more
notes than anyone."

Sarah is
puzzled: "How so, cousin?"

"Why, because
he owns the bank!" Abigail answers and Sarah wonders whether she
has said something in the past for her cousin to draw that
conclusion, explaining:

"Not owns, my
dear; his lordship is a director. He is one of many."

Sarah sticks
her head from the coach to enquire of Tom about departure and is
surprised the carriage is turning preparatory to departure, so
pushes the window up and settles down for the journey thinking to
explain to her cousin about his lordship's banking interests but
deciding perhaps that an imperfect knowledge is almost worse than
none at all.

After they had
been some time on the road, the ladies in the coach hear a noise
above and look up to see the hatch drawn back and hear Tom inviting
them: "Listen to that noise."

Sarah, anxious
to be on their way, responds: "Never mind about noise Tom. Know you
the way home?" To which Tom retorts: "If I don't ma'am, Beauty and
the Beast certainly do. You can trust them."

Abigail shyly
speaks: "What is that racket, you spoke about, Tom?" And she is
pleased to hear another voice echo her own question: "Yes, Tom.
Tell us!"

"And to
satisfy their curiosity, he himself had aroused, explained: "That
there noise, sounds more like a rumble now. That be the Pall Mall
Circus."

Sarah was
displeased with all this crosstalk and told her coachman abruptly:
"Close the hatch, Tom. This is not a sightseeing tour. Attend to
the road and we shall be home faster!"

Abigail is
disconcerted somewhat by Lady Churchill's lack of interest and is
only too pleased when having gone yet further and the throb of
London sounding louder, she hears Mrs Lowther's voice:

"What is that ahead, Tom? Do tell I!'
hearing the answer that it was the K
nightsbridge Crossing. Them's carriages you hear,
like ours, hundreds of 'em. Wheels on cobblestones! We've got to
make it across that big square." Then unintentionally making his
sister even more fearful, says: "Looks frightful for the first
time, old girl, but when you've crossed as many times as me, it's
no more than a battle which I always win. Leastways, I 'ave so
far."