Friday's Child Read online

  ‘No, I can’t say that I do, but it don’t signify. She won’t have me.’

  ‘Sherry!’ cried Miss Wantage, quite shocked.‘You don’t mean that you have offered, and she has refused you?’

  ‘Yes, I do. And that’s not all!’ said the Viscount, his wrongs rising forcibly to his mind.‘She said my character was unsteady, and I’d no delicacy of principle! That, from a girl I’ve known all my life!’

  ‘It isn’t true!’ Hero said, warmly clasping his hand.

  ‘I’m a gamester, and a libertine, and she don’t like the company I keep. I’m –’

  ‘Sherry,’ interrupted Hero anxiously, ‘can she have heard about your opera-dancer, do you think?’

  ‘Well, upon my word!’ gasped the Viscount. ‘What the devil do you know about my opera-dancer? And don’t say I told you, because that I never did!’

  ‘No, no, Edwin told me! That is, he told Cassy, because they had a quarrel, and it was really she who told me.’

  ‘You’ve no business to be talking of such things!’ said his lordship sternly. He thought it over, his brow creasing. ‘Besides, it don’t make sense! Edwin told Cassy, because they had a quarrel? Where’s the sense in that?’

  ‘Why, Sherry, because he said that before she set her cap at you, she might as well know –’ Miss Wantage broke off, flushing deeply. ‘Oh, I wish I didn’t say things I ought not to!’ she said, much mortified.‘Truly, I didn’t mean to be such a cat!’

  ‘Oh!’ said his lordship.‘So that’s what’s in the wind, is it? As a matter of fact, I knew it,’ he added, momentarily abandoning the grand manner. ‘And you may tell your cousin Cassy, with my compliments, that she may as well spare herself the trouble, for I haven’t come to that yet! Now, don’t go blurting that out at her the first time you see her again! And stop chattering about my opera-dancer! I’ve a very good mind to go up to the house and have a word with Edwin! Prating about my affairs all round the countryside! Now I know where my damned meddling uncle had it from! Pack of lies!’

  ‘Haven’t you got an opera-dancer after all?’ asked Miss Wantage. ‘Because if you haven’t, I will tell Isabella so myself, and then perhaps you can be comfortable.’

  ‘You won’t say anything about it at all!’ said the harassed Viscount.

  ‘Yes, but Sherry –’

  ‘No, I tell you! For one thing, a pretty-behaved female don’t mention such subjects; and for another – Well, you wouldn’t understand!’ He encountered an enquiring look from the eyes which met his so frankly, and cast about in his brain for a suitable explanation. ‘Confound you, Hero, there’s nothing in it! Everyone has a fancy-piece or two, but it don’t signify a jot, take my word for it!’

  Miss Wantage was perfectly ready to take his word, but she felt that the question had not been thoroughly thrashed out. ‘Well, but, Sherry, perhaps you did not explain it to Isabella quite well? Don’t you think –’

  ‘No, I don’t,’ said his lordship hastily.‘The long and the short of it is that Bella don’t care a rap for me.’

  Miss Wantage, finding this hard to believe, suggested that poor Isabella must have had the headache.

  ‘No, it wasn’t that. Not but what she did look a trifle pale, now you put me in mind of it. But Incomparable as ever!’ he added loyally.

  ‘She is very pretty,’ said Miss Wantage.‘She even looked pretty when she had spots.’

  ‘Spots?’ repeated the Viscount, in a stunned voice. ‘She never had a spot in her life!’

  ‘Well, not ordinary spots, like Sophy, but the ones you have with the measles, I mean.’

  ‘Isabella didn’t have the measles!’

  ‘Yes, she did,’ replied Hero. ‘That’s why her Mama brought her home. She felt dreadfully poorly, and Mrs Milborne told Cousin Jane that the spots came all over her.’

  ‘No!’ said the Viscount, revolted.

  ‘They do, you know,’ explained Hero.

  ‘Of course I know that! But Isabella can’t have had the measles! They said she was worn-down by the gaieties of London!’

  Hero looked surprised at this.‘Well, I don’t know why they should have said that, because they must have known it was the measles. Two of the abigails had it as well, besides Mrs Milborne’s page.’

  ‘Good God!’ said the Viscount. A grin dispelled the look of shocked dismay on his face. ‘So that’s why she wouldn’t receive anyone! Poor girl! By Jove, I’d give a monkey to see Severn’s face, if he knew! Deuced romantic fellow, Severn! Wouldn’t like it at all!’

  ‘Is he the Duke?’ enquired Hero interestedly.

  Gloom descended once more upon her companion. He nodded.

  ‘Is – is she going to marry him, Sherry?’

  ‘It’s my belief he won’t come up to scratch,’ replied the Viscount frankly. ‘Not that I care. My hopes are quite cut-up!’

  ‘Oh, Sherry, do you mind very much?’ asked Hero, her heart wrung.

  ‘Of course I mind!’ said his lordship testily. ‘My whole life is blighted! Might as well go to the devil without more ado. Which is what I very likely shall do, because if I don’t get my hands on my fortune I shall be punting on tick before you know where you are, and we all know what that means!’

  Hero nodded wisely. The Viscount laughed, and pinched her nose. ‘You haven’t a notion what it means! Never heard of a cent-per-cent in your life, have you, brat? Or of a poor devil finding himself in the basket?’

  ‘Yes, I have! That’s on all the stage-coaches, and you ride in it if you are very poor!’

  ‘Well, it may come to that yet,’ grimaced Sherry.‘The thing is that my principal’s tied up in the stupidest Trust anyone ever thought of. Would you believe it, I’m kept on a beggarly allowance until I reach the age of twenty-five, unless I’m married before then? A couple of my damned uncles manage everything – or they should, but Prosper’s too curst lazy to keep an eye on the other old scoundrel! He can’t stand the fellow any more than I can – none of my father’s relatives can bear the sight of my mother’s family, and God knows I don’t blame them, for a bigger set of spongers I’ll swear you never clapped eyes on! – but will he bestir himself to get rid of the fellow? Not he! There he sits, in my house, living at my expense, and ten to one feathering his nest with my money, not to mention putting a lot of nonsensical notions into my mother’s head, and pretending he’s disappointed Bella wouldn’t have me! Disappointed! He was so damned glad he couldn’t keep the smile off his greasy face! Damme if I know why I haven’t napped him a rum ’un any time these past six years!’ he broke off, the look of bewilderment on Hero’s face recalling him to a sense of his company.‘Here, don’t you let me hear you using cant like that!’ he admonished her.‘If they hadn’t made me as mad as Bedlam between the lot of them, I shouldn’t have said it. At least, I should, but not to a female.’

  ‘No, I won’t,’ said Miss Wantage obediently.

  ‘That’s what you say now,’ retorted the Viscount,‘but I know you, Hero! I never could let my tongue go when you were within hearing but what, as sure as check, out you’d come with it, with never less than half a dozen tabbies in the room, too!’ “But Anthony says it, Cousin Jane!”You can’t be surprised I used to box your ears now and then!’

  ‘Well, I truly won’t this time,’ Hero assured him. ‘I couldn’t very well, because I don’t know what it means.’

  ‘No, and you are not going to know, so it’s no use plaguing the life out of me to tell you! All that signifies is that there was no bearing it any longer. When it comes to being told – by my own mother, mark you! – that no woman of sensibility would accept of me, it’s the outside of enough! All because I had the curst bad luck to upset old General Ware’s phaeton! Anyone would have thought I’d murdered the fellow, but no such thing! He shot into the hedge, all right and tight, not a penny the worse for it! What’s more, I pulled him out, and considering it was his devilish bad handling of the ribbons which lost me my wager there are plenty of fellows in my place who would have