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'Good God, is that what you do?'
'Oh, no! That was an exaggeration! I frequently visit my brother and his wife, and sometimes I go to stay with an aunt, who lives at Lyme Regis.'
'Gay to dissipation, in fact!'
She laughed. 'No, but I am past the age of wishing for dissipation.'
'Don't talk that balderdash to me!' he said sharply. 'You have left your girlhood behind – though there are moments when I doubt that! – and have not reached your prime, so let me have no more fiddle-faddle about your advanced years, my girl!'
She gave an outraged gasp, but was prevented from flinging a retort at him by Lucilla, who came back into the front half of the room, demanding support in her contention that somewhere on Lansdown there were the remains of a Saxon fort which King Arthur had besieged. 'Ninian says there isn't. He says there was no such person as King Arthur! He says he was just a legend! But he wasn't, was he? It is all here, in the guide-book, and I should like to know what makes Ninian think he knows more than the guide-book!'
'Oh, my God!' ejaculated Mr Carleton, and abruptly took his leave.
Eight
On the following day Lord Beckenham called in Camden Place to offer Miss Wychwo
od an apology for having offended her. Since the servants were busily employed with all the preparations for the evening's rout-party, his visit was ill-timed. Limbury, or James, the footman, would have informed his lordship that Miss Wychwood was not at home; but since Limbury was heavily engaged in the pantry, assembling all the silver and the glasses which would be needed for the entertainment of some thirty guests; and James, assisted by the page-boy and two of the maidservants, was moving various pieces of furniture out of the drawing-room, the door was opened to Lord Beckenham by a very junior housemaid whose flustered attempt to deny her mistress he had no difficulty in over-bearing. He said, with a majestic condescension which awed her very much, that he fancied Miss Wychwood would grant him a few minutes of her time, and walked past her into the house. She gave back before this determined entry, excusing herself later, to Limbury, who took her severely to task, by saying that his lordship had walked through her as though she wasn't there. There seemed to be nothing for it but to usher him into the book-room at the back of the house, and to scurry away in search of her mistress. She found her, after an abortive tour of the upper floors, in the basement, conferring with her chef, so that Beckenham was left to kick his heels for a considerable time before Miss Wychwood appeared on the scene.
She was in no very good humour, and after the briefest of greetings, told him that she could spare him only a few minutes, having a great deal to do that morning, and begged that he would state his business with her without loss of time.
His answer disarmed her. He said, retaining her hand in a warm clasp: 'I know it: you are holding a party tonight, are you not? I shall not detain you longer than to beg you to forgive me for my part in what passed between us in the Pump Room the other day, and to believe that I was betrayed by my ardent concern for your welfare into uttering words which you thought impertinent! I can only assure you, dear Miss Annis, that they were not meant to be impertinent, and beg you to forgive me!'
Her resentment died. She said: 'Why, of course I forgive you, Beckenham! Don't waste another thought on it! We all of us say what we ought not sometimes.'
He pressed his lips to her hand. 'Too good, too gracious!' he said, in a deeply moved voice. 'I feared, when I learned from Harry that you had invited him and young Hawkesbury to your party this evening, but not me, that I had offended beyond forgiveness.'
'Nonsense!' she said. 'I didn't invite you, because it is a party for Lucilla, and will be entirely – almost entirely composed of girls not yet out, and their attendant brothers and swains, with a sprinkling of careful mamas and papas as well. You would be bored to death!'
'I could never be bored in your company,' he said simply.
She was at once assailed by a heartrending vision of him, left to endure a lonely evening, feeling himself to be unwanted while his brother went off with his friend for an evening's jollification, and yielded to a kindly impulse, saying: 'Why, by all means come, if you can face children and dowagers!'
The words were no sooner uttered than regretted. Too late did she recall that Beckenham was well-accustomed to being alone. It was seldom that Harry, during his infrequent visits, spent an evening at home. He said, when reproved, that Will didn't want him; and Theresa, Beckenham's eldest sister, complained that it was his habit to retire to his library after dinner, poring over the catalogue of his possessions, or rearranging his bibelots.
She said, in an unhopeful attempt to make him refuse the invitation: 'I should warn you, sir, Lucilla's uncle will be present. You might prefer not to meet him, perhaps.'
'I trust,' he said, with a smile of superior tolerance, 'that I am sufficiently in command of myself not to embarrass you by engaging in a brangle with Carleton under your roof, dear Miss Annis!'
He then, with renewed protestations of his gratitude and devotion, took his leave. She had only to rake herself down for having been betrayed into having encouraged his pretensions.
The rest of the day passed without any other incident than the arrival of Eliza Brigham, hired to be Lucilla's abigail. Annis had been prepared to encounter criticism of this pleasant-faced woman from the older members of her domestic staff, but although Jurby said cautiously that it was early days yet to judge, she added that Miss Brigham seemed to know her work; and Mrs Wardlow and Limbury expressed wholehearted approval of the new inmate. 'A very genteel young woman, and such as Miss is bound to like,' said Mrs Wardlow. 'Not one to put herself forward,' said Limbury, adding confidentially: 'And no fear that she'll rub against Miss Jurby, Miss Annis!'
Miss Brigham demonstrated her quality when she dressed Lucilla for the evening's party, for she not only persuaded her to wear a muslin gown of the softest shade of rose-pink instead of the rather more sophisticated yellow one which Lucilla wished to wear, but also managed to convince her that the string of beads which Lucilla had purchased that very day was not as suitable for evening wear as her pearl necklace; brushed her dusky curls till they shone, and arranged them in a simple and charming style, which drew praise from Miss Wychwood, when she came into Lucilla's room just before dinner.
She brought with her a pretty bangle, set with pearls, and clasped it round Lucilla's wrist, saying: 'That's a small gift, with my love – for your first party!'
'Oh!' gasped Lucilla. 'Oh, Miss Wychwood, thank you! Oh, how pretty it is! How very kind you are to me! Look, Brigham!'
'Very pretty indeed, miss. Just the thing, if I may say so,' responded Brigham, casting the eye of an expert over Miss Wychwood's attire.
She found nothing to criticize. Miss Wychwood was wearing a robe of celestial blue crepe with an open front over a white satin slip. A sapphire necklace was clasped about her neck, and a sapphire spray was set in her burnished hair. She looked, Lucilla told her in awed accents, magnificent. She laughed at this, and protested at Lucilla's choice of adjective, saying that it sounded as though she were overdressed for the occasion.
'Well – well, beautiful!' amended Lucilla.
'Then there are a pair of us,' said Miss Wychwood. 'Let us go downstairs to dazzle Ninian! I'm told he arrived a few minutes ago.'
They found him awaiting them in the drawing-room. He had been invited to dinner, and it was evident that he had taken immense pains over his apparel. Lucilla exclaimed admiringly: 'Oh, first-rate, Ninian! You are as fine as fivepence, I do declare! Isn't he, ma'am?'
