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“What about wedding clothes?” Mama said. “I shall not see a Fletcher daughter married without proper wedding clothes. You can spend a week or so in town while we visit the warehouses, Julia, and then you can be married July. It is only three months, after all.”
James’s spirits sank again. Ah well, three months was not such a long time to wait, when they would have the rest of their lives together. After a while, he remembered that his own family was as yet unaware of his change in circumstances, so, after accepting an invitation to dineen familleat the Park that evening, he left for the Manor. He took the short cut across the deer park, hardly noticing his surroundings, his head was so filled with happy thoughts.
He found his mother and Letitia alone in the parlour.
“Good heavens, James, what are you about to be coming here in such a state?” his mother cried. “You look as if you have just rolled out of bed.”
It was a fair comment, and pretty close to the truth. “I beg your pardon, Mother, Letitia. I only wished to—”
His father came in with a flurry of smiles. “James! How good to see you! Are you to dine with us tonight?”
“No, I—”
“He will have to put some effort into his appearance if he does,” Letitia said coldly. “You insult us by appearing in such a dishevelled state, brother.”
“I apologise again, Letitia. I have some news—”
“You have not even shaved today,” his mother said.
“What does that matter?” Sir Owen said. “I for one am pleased to see him.”
“I shall be pleased also when he is respectably attired,” his mother said. “Go home and attend to yourself, James, and we shall see you at dinner.”
“Will you please listen?” James said testily. “I amnotdining here tonight, for I am engaged at the Park. I came here only to tell you that Julia has accepted me at last. Good day to you, Mother, Letitia, Father.”
He bowed and would have made his escape, but Letitia squealed and his mother laughed.Laughed!
“You will not marry that hoyden, James Plummer.”
“I hesitate to contradict a lady, but I will, Mother.”
“They are both of age,” Sir Owen said mildly. “Her family approve, and I have no objection. You will just have to become accustomed to the idea, I am afraid, Lady Plummer.”
“Certainly not. We are not having Fletcher blood despoiling the Plummer line. Oh, I say nothing about the girl herself, although she is not at all what any rational person would care for, but the family is unacceptable.”
“Because of the taint of trade, do you mean?” James said.
“That alone should render them ineligible in the eyes of any right-thinking person, and if you had any consideration for my feelings, you would never wish to form an alliance with the very people who drove us from our home and forced us into the most unpleasant economies.” James and his father would both have objected to this gross misrepresentation, but she waved them to silence. “I say nothing about that, however. My wishes have never been considered. No, my object is otherwise — because of the taint of lunacy.” Her tone was triumphant. “The youngest girl — Isabella, is it? — is quite insane. She talks to herself and believes that there is another person there. The servants have to set a place for this non-existent person at table, and the family fall in with the pretence, humouring her. No doubt she would become violent if challenged. The so-called governess is undoubtedly there to ensure the child is safely locked away at night, especially when the moon is full. I will not have insanity brought into the family, and that is an end to the matter.”
There was a long silence. James looked at his father, whose usually impassive face was clouded.
“We had better talk about this,” Sir Own said. “The library, James.”
The library. He was taking it seriously then.
As always, the room was chilly from disuse. James busied himself with lighting a fire while Michael was sent for, for no matter of significance to the family could be discussed without Michael.
His face lit up when he saw James. “Brother! At last! Are you well? You look tired.”
“I am well. I am engaged to Julia, Michael, but Mama will not have it. She thinks Bella Fletcher is crazy.”
“Oh. Congratulations, but…isshe crazy?”
“I hardly know her well enough to judge. I have seen her perhaps twice, at a distance, and once, very briefly, to speak to.” He thought uneasily of Bella running about in the park, diving behind trees, as if hiding from someone, and then dancing all by herself but talking to an invisible dancer. When he had spoken to her, she had talked about the other girl as if she were real. There was some truth in what Mama said. “But she does not strike me as insane. Unusual, perhaps, but nothing worse than that.”
“Nevertheless, it is a serious objection,” Sir Owen said. “If Michael were married and with a string of sons to his name, the risk would be worth taking, but until that time… I will talk to Fletcher about this, but James, unless he is able to reassure me on this point, I must withdraw my approval for the match.”
“I am of age, Father,” James said, but without heat. He could see that his father would not be moved.
