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“And I want you to enjoy this famous season, and not worry yourself into a spin.”
“She likes worrying herself into a spin,” Julia said, smiling.
Her stepmother had the grace to laugh. “So I do, Julia, so I do. Ah, here is the mail. Thank you Enoch. One for you, Rosie, from Belinda Jupp.”
“Lovely!” Angie cried. “Read it at once, and tell us all the news from Sagborough.”
“Very well,” Rosie said, neatly lifting the seal. “It says— oh!Oh!”And then, worryingly, “Oh dear.”
“Whatever does it say?” Angie said. “Read it aloud, Rosie, do.”
“Very well.‘Rosie, you will never guess what has happened! A man has arrived - no, agentleman, a Mr Richard Osgood—’”
Here she was interrupted by several squeaks of surprise from around the table. Even Mama raised her eyebrows a trifle.
“‘—a Mr Richard Osgood, who arrived two days ago, travelling post, if you please, and before his feet even touched the ground in the yard of the Carrbridge Arms, he was asking for Miss Camilla Weston. After bespeaking his rooms and leaving his man to unpack, he got straight back in his carriage with one of the ostlers to direct the coachman, and drove at once to the Westons’ house where he offered for Camilla on the spot. And even though he has been informed of her situation, he still wants to marry her and is to go to York for a licence so that he may carry her off with all due haste. And he isnotthe gentleman responsible for her present situation, for he never saw her until she went into Hertfordshire. Have you ever heard the like? Write at once and tell me more about him, for no one here knows a thing about him. Yours in astonishment, Belinda. Ricky has made me unseal this to add his best regards, which I forgot before. He thanks you for the description of your ball which sounds wonderful, except for—’Well, never mind that,” Rosie added hastily.
“Great heavens! Richard Osgood!” Mama said.
“But he is a dean,” Angie said. “MarryingCamilla Weston!He must be mad.”
“He is in love,” Rosie said.
“It’s the same thing,” Julia said.
“Well, I think it is romantic,” Rosie said with a sigh. “To be so much in love that he goes racing up to Yorkshire in pursuit of her, and not be deterred by any obstacle. Camilla must be so thankful. How grateful I should be to find myself the object of so romantic an action, to have a man travel the length of the country to rescue me from a predicament.”
“Is Camilla in a predicament?” Bella said. “What is thissituationBelinda mentions?”
“Good heavens, is that the time?” Miss Crabtree said, jumping to her feet. “Come along Bella, Dorothea, we are late for our lessons. The globes, this morning, and then we must work at our Italian.” And she hastened Bella out of the room.
“That child is so quiet, one forgets she is there,” Mama said.
“She is not a child,” Pa said. “Allie put her hair up at fourteen, after all, and dined with us even when we had company.”
“Fourteen is far too young to know about Camilla’s disgrace, however,” Mama said serenely. “Besides, that was Sagborough. Things are different now. Sixteen or seventeen is time enough for a girl to make her debut in society.”
“Poor Bella,” Pa said.
Angie shook her head. “No, it is poor Miss Crabtree. Another two or three years of Bella and Dorothea.”
“She doesn’t mind Bella, or Dorothea,” Pa said. “She understands about Dorothea, just as we do, if not better.”
“But no one else does,” Mama said. “Camilla may have teetered on the edge of society, but if she marries well and settles down she will be a respected matron. But Bella… who knows what will become of her?”
“She will be loved and have a home here, with her family,” Will said.“Always.”
22: Reasons
Julia was unsettled. Ever since she had read James’s letter, she had felt oddly disconnected. It must be because all around her the preparations for London gathered pace, and she was left out of the whirlwind. It could not be because of James, for she now had exactly what she wanted, hadn’t she? She would be‘free from any further importunings’,free to be his friend without any expectations from him or anyone else. And Mrs Reynell had gone away, so she was free of the threat of any further malice.
She was free. So why did she feel so restless? If she could just see James, see him smile at her again in that way he had that made her want to smile too, then she would be perfectly happy, she knew it. But he was nowhere to be found. She saw nothing of him on her walks, and although she often found herself passing the little cottage, the shutters were closed and no smoke emerged from the chimney. When the Fletchers occasionally went out for dinner, he was never amongst the other guests. But when he even failed to appear at church, Julia realised the dreadful truth — he was avoiding her.
With only two days before the departure to London, the rest of the family was busy making their farewells. Julia found herself standing a little aside, too disheartened to talk to anyone. She saw Sir Owen sitting on a bench near the lychgate. He was alone, too, waiting for the rest of the Plummers to finish talking to their friends. He smiled invitingly at her, and obediently she sat down beside him.
“You are not having second thoughts about remaining at the Park for the spring, Miss Fletcher?”
“No, not at all. There is nothing in London to excite me. The only pleasure it would afford me is to watch the enjoyment of my family.”
