In Distant Fields (21 page)

Partita cared less, she liked being the centre of attention, so she kissed Teddy right back, not minding in the least if anyone was watching, which, of course, they were, because the moon was so bright.

Peregrine saw her first and at once felt a strange mixture of jealousy and relief before turning away and kissing Mollie; this meant that they in their turn were seen by Allegra and James, so that pretty soon everyone in that warm
dark sea was kissing and laughing, and then swimming off, only to come back and repeat the whole exercise. Meanwhile, behind the men's bathing hut, Livia was happily surrendering to Valentine.

The days passed blissfully. The sun remained high in a sky that only a dolt would describe as anything but azure. As the sea grew warmer by the hour, life at Waterside assumed a lazy, idle and gentle routine, of early morning swims, picnic lunches, long walks or rides along the strand and equally long lazy meals in the evening, followed by either parlour games or rounds of whist. No one there wanted it to end – why should they? It was an idyll because, quite apart from anything else, everyone seemed to be either in love, or on the very verge of it, so as the holiday grew to an end, it was not altogether surprising when Almeric invited Kitty for a walk.

‘Valentine has asked Livia to marry him,' he announced after some minutes' silence.

‘How delightful.'

‘I hope they are allowed to marry, but it will be a miracle if they are. Her family are such dyed-in-the-wool Catholics.'

‘Does that matter?'

‘In the case of the Catesby family it most certainly does. They find it difficult to forget the hard times.'

‘But that was all a long time ago, surely?'

‘I agree, Kitty – but try telling Mrs Catesby. I wish Valentine all the luck in the world, because he will surely need it.'

‘You really think she will forbid the marriage?'

‘I have no doubt that she will, just as I have every doubt that you will refuse what I am about to propose to you, Kitty.'

‘I think people should be allowed to marry whosoever they wish,' Kitty continued, sounding a little shocked at such old-fashioned prejudice.

‘So do I,' Almeric agreed, finding himself as always mesmerised by the upward curve of Kitty's mouth. ‘And that is precisely what I am determined to do. I'm determined to marry the girl I love. And I think you know who that is.'

Kitty turned away from him.

‘Kitty? Kitty, is something the matter?'

‘No. Nothing's the matter. Not really.'

‘So why – why the worried frown?'

‘Almeric – if you really are about to propose marriage, I'm not sure—'

‘No, of course I'm not. I'm about to suggest a game of French cricket. That's why I am carrying this – for you.'

He produced a ring box from his pocket, but Kitty put a hand on his, preventing him from opening it.

‘Almeric,' she said,' surely you should ask your father first? I feel sure that he will not wish you to marry Evelyn Rolfe's daughter.'

‘Your father is neither here nor there. Nor, as a matter of fact, is mine.'

‘My father is notorious. I might have children like him.'

‘Of course you won't. You're being absurd. And you're quite spoiling my proposal. I will start again.' Almeric cleared his throat. ‘I love you, Kitty Rolfe. I have loved you from the very first moment I saw you. I do not care about anything else – or anyone else, come to think of it. It's you I love, you with whom I fell in love, and you who I shall love to my dying day.'

‘Al—' Kitty began to plead, trying to stay determined to turn him down, but softening when she saw just how much she meant to him.

‘If you could see your way to loving me, Kitty, then I shall be the happiest man on Cod's earth.'

He opened the little red box in his hand.

‘This is an old family ring,' he said. ‘It belonged to my grandmother. She left it to me for my fiancée, for when I became engaged.'

‘Almeric,' Kitty said, transfixed by the beauty of the diamond, ‘Almeric, you could marry anybody.'

‘I know I could marry anyone, Kitty, but I don't want to marry anyone. I want to marry someone, and that someone is you, Kitty Rolfe.'

‘I really wasn't born to be a duchess – Al, really I was not.'

‘I have to disagree.'

‘I really am not suitable.'

‘It has nothing to do with suitability. This is to do with love, Kitty – and I love you with all my heart. I always will. I have never felt this way about anyone, and I never knew that I could. I never knew it was possible. So, Kitty? Kitty, darling Kitty – will you please,
please
marry me?'

Kitty looked down at the ring that the Duchess had given Almeric.

‘But of course I will,' she found herself saying. ‘However could I possibly not?'

Partita was sitting outside trying to paint a watercolour of the seascape when she learned of Almeric's proposal from her sisters, who had both hurried out of the house to break the news.

‘But of course you knew about it already, so why are we bothering?' Cecilia grumbled, sitting down under a parasol.

‘No I did not know about it!' Partita returned, splashing her paintbrush crossly in a jar of water. ‘I had no more idea than you had.'

‘Somebody must have known,' Allegra said. ‘It certainly wasn't either of us—'

‘Although it should have been,' Cecilia interrupted. ‘Seeing as we are
older
.'

‘Somebody must have known, because Al has given her Grandmother's engagement ring.'

‘Perhaps Almeric told Mamma,' Partita reasoned, staring out to sea as she tried again to compose her painting.

‘I think it's perfectly beastly,' Cecilia continued. ‘The least Al might have done was wait for us.'

‘It is so unfair that Al can propose when he likes, and James can't propose to me because he has no beastly money,' Allegra said sadly. ‘Papa will not hear of me marrying until James has prospects.'

‘I don't think Papa minds as much as James. He wants to keep you in a fitting manner,' Partita announced, washing some blue from her paintbrush with a flourish. ‘But perhaps now Almeric's proposed it will spur the others on,' she suggested, tilting her head to one side to view what she had just painted.

‘I don't think anything would egg James on,' Allegra replied, swatting at a fly that was pestering her. ‘And the sky simply is not that colour.'

‘It's my impression of the sky,' Partita told her firmly. ‘This is an impression, not a likeness.'

‘It's far too bright a blue,' Cecilia said, glancing at the watercolour. ‘What might egg James on – and anyone else for that matter,' she continued, sitting herself well back under the parasol and out of the burning sun. ‘What might egg him on is – a war.'

‘There's not going to be a war,' Partita said quickly. ‘And you'd better be careful, Cecilia, or you'll have to pay a forfeit.'

‘I'm not discussing the news, Tita, I am simply commenting in the most general of terms. Conversationally – the topic being if there is a war
men are inclined to get married quickly in case – you know – in case they don't make it back.'

‘Cecilia is right for once,' Allegra replied. ‘Everyone gets frightfully excited when there's a war and they do all sorts of things like proposing and getting married and having babies really quickly.'

‘How do you know?' Partita swilled her paintbrush angrily once again in her water jar. The thought that there
might
be a war was not something she wanted to contemplate on such a lovely day when everybody was having such a nice time. ‘You're just guessing.'

‘I listen to what people say, Tita. Unlike some I know. And I read. For instance, I read only recently that men never wish to marry anyone unless they absolutely have to.'

‘What on earth did you read that in?'

‘Something or other. It really doesn't matter
what
I read it in – what matters is the observation.'

‘So you would like a war just so that you could get married?'

‘I certainly do not want to sit on the shelf, thank you, Partita – which is what we shall all look as though we are doing if Almeric goes ahead and really does marry Kitty. No one wants one's brother to marry first; certainly we don't. Let us hope and pray for a long engagement.'

‘Of
course
he's going to marry Kitty!' Partita replied so angrily that both her sisters turned and stared at her. ‘Of course he is!'

‘Perhaps Papa will say no because of that awful father of hers,' Cecilia observed to Allegra, ignoring Partita's outburst.

‘Only if Mamma opposes,' Allegra replied. ‘You know Papa as far as Mamma is concerned.'

Allegra and Cecilia looked at each other and sighed, before parroting together: ‘
Whatever makes you happy, dearest dear – whatever makes you happy
.'

‘
Pas devant
,' Partita said, nodding at the gardener who was busy in the shrubbery to one side of the terrace. ‘
Pas devant le jardinier
.'

‘The main thing is, I do not happen to think Kitty is suitable,' Allegra said in conclusion, getting up and deciding the topic was now exhausted. ‘And neither of us do,' she added. ‘And the sea most certainly is not that
awful
bright colour, really it isn't, Tita.'

Meanwhile Almeric was having to deal with a totally separate problem rather than whether or not his sisters considered his beloved Kitty was suitable enough to be his wife. In response to Almeric telling Valentine his own proposal had just been accepted, instead of learning similar news from his friend, Valentine had just informed him that Livia and he had decided to elope.

‘But whatever for, Valentine?' Almeric asked, aghast. ‘People like us don't do things like that, believe me.'

‘We don't have any option, Al,' Valentine assured him cheerfully. ‘Mrs Catesby simply will
not entertain the notion of someone of a different faith marrying her daughter, particularly not the son of a theatrical manager.'

‘Nonsense, Valentine. Maybe a hundred years ago – maybe fifty, say – but not nowadays, surely? People nowadays are far more liberal altogether.'

‘In government perhaps, Al – but not as far as families such as the Catesbys go. It's not just her mother; I know my father thinks everyone gets married far too young nowadays and because of that they live to regret it, although what it is really is that marriage hasn't really suited
him
. He says it's because when he was a child he was always on tour with his parents, which made it difficult to settle down with anyone.'

‘As far as I can gather, old friend, life in the theatre is altogether different from life elsewhere, but much as I don't want to sound like your pater, I really think you should take a pull and think all over again about what you intend to do – or not to do, more to the point. There are some things one doesn't do, old thing, and eloping happens to be one of them.'

Valentine looked at his friend affectionately. Almeric was the best sort of friend any young man could have, steadfast, loyal and honest, but due both to his character and his upbringing sometimes he was oddly remote, however forward-thinking and modern-minded he tried to be.

‘You are absolutely right, of course, Al,' Valentine said to him finally, putting a hand on
his arm. ‘But you see, you are a son of a duke while I am only the son of a theatrical manager, and a philandering theatrical manager at that, and even worse, a philandering theatrical manager's son who is determined to be an actor. I don't really need the rule book. I can throw the rule book away.'

‘You can't,' Almeric replied. ‘No one can. We've had relations who have tried to do just that, and they always ended up in the soup.'

‘Yes, but that is the difference, old friend,' Valentine replied with a smile. ‘Given my circumstances I already have at least one toe, if not a whole foot, in the soup bowl.'

‘But what about Livia? This really will put her beyond the pale, Val, believe me.'

‘She's as determined on it as I am, Al. Besides – suppose the gloom merchants are right and there is going to be some sort of a war? Much the best thing to snatch at whatever chance we have of happiness, wouldn't you agree? Aren't your feelings just the same as my own, truly, are they not?'

Almeric looked reflective. Such thoughts had been circulating in his own mind only too recently.

‘I love Livia, Al, and that's all that matters – and she loves me. We know her family aren't going to allow it, so we have no alternative. It won't be the end of the world, believe me. The end of the world is a long, long way off.'

Valentine gripped Almeric's arm hard, as if to convince himself of the truth.

‘When are you planning on it, Val? Not before the end of the holiday?'

‘Of course not. That really would not be the done thing; might upset your mother.' Valentine smiled. ‘Not the done thing at all.'

‘But nothing to be done before the pirates sail off?'

They both raised a hand in their pirates' salute.

‘
We sail under the black pirate's flag …
'

‘And when you come to think of it, Al, when you really come to put the grey matter to work, deciding to run off with Livia is really quite a piratical act, is it not?'

Almeric agreed before raising yet another thorny subject.

‘Are you all right for the necessary? I feel sure certain chaps up in Gretna Green, in Scottish land, might need their palms a little greased. One's heard some of these padres can take ruthless advantage.'

‘You sound just like your old man,' Valentine laughed. ‘The very double. But there's no need to worry on my account. I have a small inheritance from an old actress who shall we say was a
friend
of my father's.' They both smiled. ‘For some reason or other she left me a tidy little sum a few months ago, and so I shall be well able to afford to keep Livia in some sort of style – whatever happens. Or doesn't happen.'