Sprig Muslin Read online

  ‘Tell her not to make a cake of herself!’ recommended Mr Theale.

  ‘Lord, do you think I haven’t? Mind, I hold him entirely to blame! What possessed the man to bring that girl here?’ Mr Theale closed one eye in a vulgar wink. ‘You don’t say so!’ her ladyship exclaimed. ‘The devil take him! Upon my soul, if that ain’t the biggest insult – Yes, but she don’t believe it, Fabian! That’s what puts me out of all patience with her. You needn’t doubt I told her there was nothing in it, though from the way he kept his eyes on the little baggage – well! But Hester is such a zany! “Take it from me, my dear,” I said, “he’s no more in love with her than Cuthbert is!” And what do you think she said to that? I declare I could have boxed her ears! You know that way she has of answering you as though she hadn’t heard above half you had said to her! “No,” she said, “not yet! ” I’m sure I don’t know how I kept my temper, for if there’s one thing I can’t abide it’s people who go off into a daze, which, let me tell you, is what Hester does! Not yet, indeed! “Pray, what do you mean by that?” I asked her. So then she looked at me, as if I were a hundred miles away, and said: “I think perhaps he will be.” You know, Fabian, there are times when I can’t but wonder whether she’s queer in her attic! Depend upon it, I told her pretty roundly that if that was what she thought she’d best snap the man up before the mischief was done. All she had to say to that was that she didn’t think she would, for all the world as though I had offered her a slice of cake, or some such thing. I’ve been talking to her for ever, but if she listened to anything I said it’s more than I bargain for! Well, I’ve no patience with her, and so I have told her! To be whistling Ludlow down the wind at her age, and affairs here in the case they are, makes me angry enough to burst my stay-laces! He was prepared to come down devilish handsomely, you know. Well, I don’t say Hester hasn’t often vexed me to death, but I declare I never thought she would behave so selfishly! What his lordship will have to say about it I hope I don’t have to listen to! I shall have enough to bear from Widmore, for this news will be bound to turn his stomach sour on him, you mark my words if it don’t!’

  ‘You know what, Almeria?’ interrupted Mr Theale, a look of profound concentration on his florid countenance. ‘I believe she has a tendre for him!’

  Lady Widmore stared at him in contempt and suspicion. ‘I suppose you are top-heavy,’ she remarked.

  Not for the first time, Mr Theale wondered what had possessed his nephew to marry this coarse-tongued and unattractive female. ‘No, I’m not,’ he said shortly.

  ‘Oh, beg pardon! But what made you say such a daffish thing, if it wasn’t brandy?’

  ‘It ain’t daffish, but I daresay it may seem so to you. There isn’t one of you here who can see what’s dashed well under your noses. It occurred to me when I saw Hester look at Ludlow.’

  ‘I’ll swear she has never given the least sign of such a thing!’ she said incredulously. ‘What the deuce can you possibly mean?’

  ‘Just a certain look in her eye,’ said Mr Theale knowledgeably. ‘No use asking me to explain it, because I can’t, but I’d lay you odds she’d have had him if he hadn’t walked in with that little ladybird on his arm.’

  ‘I could wring her neck!’ exclaimed Lady Widmore, her cheeks reddening angrily.

  ‘No need to do that: I’m going to take her off your hands first thing in the morning. To those relations at Oundle,’ he added, with another of his vulgar winks.

  She regarded him with great fixity. ‘Will she go with you?’

  ‘Lord, yes! Do anything to get away from Ludlow. The silly fellow seems to have frightened her, poor little soul.’

  ‘She! I never saw anyone less frightened in my life!’

  ‘Well, it don’t signify. The point is, I’m going to take her away. Ludlow will be obliged to put a good face on it, and I shouldn’t be surprised if once Amanda is out of his eye he’ll see what a cake he’s been making of himself, and try Hester again.’

  ‘If he can be persuaded to remain here,’ she said. ‘Does he know?’

  ‘Of course he doesn’t! Doesn’t even know I’m leaving tomorrow. I stayed behind after he’d gone up to bed, and told my brother I meant to be off early, and would carry Miss Smith to Oundle.’

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘Didn’t say anything, but I could see the notion took very well with him. If you want to be helpful, you’ll see to it no one hinders the child from joining me in the morning. I’ve ordered the carriage for seven o’clock. Breakfast in Huntingdon.’

  ‘I’ll tell Povey!’ said Lady Widmore, a scheming light in her eye. ‘My woman has been saying that she’s as mad as fire with that chit, for coming here and spoiling Hester’s chances. Would you believe Hester could be such a ninny? – She has invited the wretched wench to remain here for a week! You may lay your life Povey will take care no one stops her from going with you. I suppose there’s no fear Ludlow will go after you?’

  ‘Lord, you’re as bad as Amanda!’ said Mr Theale impatiently. ‘Of course there’s no fear of it! He’d have to tell the truth about her if he did that, and that’s the last thing he’s likely to do.’

  ‘Well, I hope you may be right. At all events, it will do no harm if Povey tells Hester the girl’s still abed and asleep at breakfast-time. I wouldn’t put it beyond Hester to send Ludlow after her!’

  ‘What the devil should she do that for?’ demanded Mr Theale. ‘She’ll think I’m taking the girl to her relations!’

  ‘I’ll do my best to make her think that,’ retorted Lady Widmore grimly, ‘but ninny though she may be, she knows you, Fabian!’

  He was not in the least offended by this insult, but went chuckling off to bed, where, like Amanda, he enjoyed an excellent night’s repose.

  They were almost the only members of the party to do so. Not until the small hours crept in did sleep put an end to Lady Hester’s unhappy reflections; her father lay awake, first dwelling on her shortcomings, then blaming Sir Gareth for her undutiful conduct, and lately arguing himself into the conviction that it formed no part of his duty to interfere with whatever plan Fabian had formed; Lady Widmore was troubled by bad dreams; and her husband, as she had prophesied, succumbed to an attack of acute dyspepsia, which caused him to remain in bed on the following day, sustaining nature with toast and thin gruel, and desiring his wife not – unless she wished to bring on his pains again – to mention his sister’s name within his hearing.

  Lady Widmore was the first person to put in an appearance at the breakfast-table. She, alone amongst the family, had attended the service Mr Whyteleafe held daily in the little private chapel. The Earl was always an infrequent worshipper, but it was rarely that Lady Hester rose too late to take part in the morning service. This morning, however, she had been an absentee. Sir Gareth, confidentially informed overnight by his host that the chaplain was employed for the edification of the servants and the ladies of the family, had not felt it to be incumbent upon him to attend either; but he was the second person to enter the breakfast-parlour.

  Lady Widmore, after bidding him a bluff good-morning, told him bluntly that she was sorry his suit had not prospered.

  ‘Thank you: I too am sorry,’ replied Sir Gareth calmly.

  ‘Well, if I were you I wouldn’t give up hope,’ said her ladyship. ‘The mischief is that Hester’s the shyest thing in nature, you know.’

  ‘I do know it,’ said Sir Gareth unencouragingly.

  ‘Give her time, and I dare swear she’ll come round!’ she persevered.

  ‘Do you mean, ma’am, that she might be scolded into accepting me?’ he asked. ‘I trust that no one will make the attempt, for however much I must hope that her answer to me last night was not final, I most certainly don’t wish for a wife who accepted me only to escape from the recriminations of her relatives.’

  ‘Well, upon my word!’