The Regency (91 page)

In a very oblique way, she had talked to Docwra about
it, wondering if there were any way of persuading Lucy to
intervene on Roland's behalf; but Docwra had shaken her
head without much hope. It seemed strange to her that
Lucy should care so little about Roland, considering he was
Captain Weston's child, when she so doted on Thomas. But it
seemed that she had relegated him in her mind to that limbo
occupied by the children of her marriage, Chetwyn's children,
whom she did not love, and could not care for. To Lucy,
Roland was Chetwyn's heir, the new little Lord Aylesbury,
and therefore Chetwyn's child. Docwra saw it, though she did
not understand it.

But for the fortnight of their stay at Wolvercote, Miss
Trotton begged a holiday for Roland, and Mansell granted it,
glad of the time to himself, since he had a passion for fishing,
and the lakes at Wolvercote were well-stocked. He went out
early every morning with his tackle, a bound volume of
Juvenal's poems, and a cloth-wrapped nuncheon of cold meat,
cheese, and bread, and did not come back until after dark.

Miss Trotton had the pleasure of seeing pale, spindly
Roland gradually straighten up, like a flattened plant, reach
ing towards the light and air. It was interesting to her to
observe the growing friendship between him and Thomas, and particularly the way Thomas, four years the younger,
shielded and protected Roland, while treating him with all
the deference due to his rank. He was like a mediaeval squire
serving his knight — a servitude of dignity and affection.

When they returned to London, it was to the old house
in Upper Grosvenor Street. The talk was of Bonaparte's
invasion of Russia, and how his huge army had penetrated all
the way to Borodino, about a hundred miles from Moscow,
where an indecisive battle had been fought, resulting in huge
slaughter on both sides.

The news from the Peninsula was not good: Wellington's
force, marching on Burgos, had outstripped its supply train, including the guns and ammunition, by several days. By the
time they had joined up again, the French in the fortress had
had time to organise their defences, and resisted the siege. Meanwhile the other two French armies were marching up
from Andalusia and Catalonia towards Madrid, obviously
bent on retaking it.

Wellington, faced with the overwhelming numbers of the
French, recalled Lord Hill from Madrid, met him on the road
with his own force, and began to march back to Portugal to
make winter camp. The disappointment in London was
enormous, for everyone had thought victory in Spain was within
reach, and now it seemed nothing had been gained, and that
Wellington had been driven back exactly to where
he had
been two years ago.

Danby Wiske, in his letter to Lucy, painted the picture in
more hopeful colours. 'We've shewn that despite their numbers,
the French can do nothing against us. Soult and Joseph,
to protect Madrid, have had to give up all the country south
of the Tagus, and there the Spanish irregulars have taken
control, and are even organising themselves into regular
armies. We took twenty thousand prisoners at Madrid, three
thousand guns, and all the French stores, and while we Over-winter comfortably in Portugal, they will have a thin time of
it in Spain.

‘We must win in the end, dearest Lucy — it pains me that it
will take longer than
I
had hoped from earlier events, delaying
the time that
I
can come back to you for good.
I
carry the
memory of your sweetness close to my heart, and if the power
of love can protect a man against shot and shell, you need
have no fear for my safety.’

The long-dreaded letter from Captain Haworth had also
arrived, in which he spoke of his hope that Africa was still
making her way to him, and of his own enquiries, which he sent with every dispatch that left his ship; but his grief and pain were too plainly to be felt under the hopeful words for
Lucy to be able to bear to reread it.

Town was still thin of company in the middle of October,
when Lucy had an unexpected visitor.

‘A Mr Morpurgo, my lady,' Hicks said with an anxious eye.
‘Morpurgo? Oh, yes, I remember, the midshipman.’

‘
He asked after Miss Africa, my lady,' Hicks said dolefully.
‘Oh, Lord!'

‘
Yes, my lady.
I
didn't like to take it upon myself to say
anything, my lady.'

‘
You'd better send him up, Hicks. I wonder how it comes
that he hasn't heard about her? He was serving aboard
Haworth's ship.’

A few moments later, the young man came in, looking
brown and salt-bleached, his front hair almost white, his eyes very blue. He was twenty-two now, very much a man and not
a boy, his face firm with the experience of command.

‘
Lady Aylesbury, it's very good of you to receive me,' he
said with a graceful bow.

‘
Not at all, Mr Morpurgo. It's kind of you to call. I suppose
you bring a letter or message from Captain Haworth?'

‘
Well, ma'am, no doubt if he knew I was here, he would
charge me with his compliments to you,' Morpurgo said, 'but
in fact I parted company with the Commodore back in May.
He was pleased to make me Acting-Lieutenant, and put me in
command of one of the prizes —
I
suppose you heard about
our action off Palermo, ma'am?'

‘
Yes, we read about it. It must have been very exciting,'
Lucy said.

‘
It was, ma'am; and we took three prizes. Mine, the
Zephyr,
was badly holed, some of them below the waterline, and I
had the d . . . a hard time of it getting her back to Gibraltar.

Several times I thought we were for the bottom, but the men were wonderful! There's no-one works harder, ma'am, than a
British Jack, especially when there's gold at the end of it!’

Lucy smiled. ‘So you brought her in to Gibraltar safely?
And what do you here?'

‘
Well, ma'am, we patched her up, and I was to bring her
back to England, but there happened to be a squadron in
port, with sufficient senior officers to hold the lieutenants'
examinations, and Admiral Harvey kindly arranged for me to
take mine before we set sail.'

‘You passed, I take it?'

‘
Yes, ma'am, I'm glad to say I did! So now I've brought
Zephyr in
to Portsmouth to be docked, and posted up to
London to hand in despatches, and now I have only to wait for
a ship.'

‘
It won't be long, I'm sure,' Lucy said kindly. 'We need all
our officers afloat, especially those who've distinguished
themselves already.’

He beamed. 'You're too kind, ma'am! I hope you didn't
think it impertinent of me to call on you like this?'

‘Not at all. I'm glad to hear your news.'

‘
I hope you are all well? His lordship, and Lady Flaminia
and Lady Rosamund?’

Lucy told him about Flaminia's marriage. 'Miss Haworth
has gone with Lady Flaminia as her companion, so the house
is very quiet.'

‘
And Miss Africa Haworth? She is well, I trust? I hoped she
might be here, ma'am, so that I could pay my compliments to
her. She and I are old shipmates, you know.’

Lucy drew breath. 'Yes, Mr Morpurgo, I know. I'm afraid I
have some disagreeable news for you.’

Morpurgo listened in increasing astonishment and concern
as Lucy told him about Africa's disappearance. 'But — but
has nothing been done? Has no-one looked for her?’

Lucy kept her temper. ‘To be sure, Mr Morpurgo, she has
been sought diligently these five months. Did you think I
would wash my hands of her?’

He flushed. 'I beg your pardon, ma'am. I didn't mean to
suggest — of course, you will have done everything in your
power.' He hesitated. 'Might I ask where you looked for her?’

Lucy told him briefly of her own and her agents' searches.

He listened attentively, his intelligence evidently at work
behind his furrowed brow.

‘
Plainly,' he said, 'she didn't mean to disappear for ever. If she thought her father would approve of what she was doing, she must have expected him to learn of it at some time. So, if
she hasn't written to him, and she hasn't gone to him —'

‘
We think she must still be on a ship somewhere, trying to
do that very thing.’

Morpurgo shook his head. 'Forgive me, ma'am, but if she
were aboard a King's ship, she, or news of her, would have
reached her father by now. No, I believe she must have gone
into hiding somewhere, intending to reveal herself when her
father next comes to England. That means it must be some
where where she can be sustained in the necessaries of life,
and where she can hope to learn of her father's arrival.' He
lapsed into thoughtful silence, and then an expression of
illumination crept over his face which made Lucy's heart lift.
‘I wonder —' he began.

‘
You have thought of the answer? You know where she is?’

‘
I don't know, ma'am. It's a possibility, that's all.’

‘
For God's sake, Mr Morpurgo, tell me!'

‘
Forgive me, ma'am, but I don't wish to raise your hopes
uselessly. It is only a slender chance; but would you allow me
to make certain enquiries on your behalf?'

‘
Of course,' Lucy said impatiently. 'Anything that may
help — that may throw light on the matter. But tell me what
it is you suspect. I may be able to help. I have money —
agents — your task may be made easier.’

He shook his head. 'My enquiry is simply made. I need no
help or money. I'll take leave of you now, if I may, Lady
Aylesbury, and call again tomorrow, to let you know if I have
met with any success.'