Джорджетт Хейер - Frederica

“Oh, very simply! You may call it the payment of a debt. I’m not, in fact, the Merrivilles’ guardian, but they were commended to my protection. To launch the beauty into society seemed to be the least I could do — so I did it. That is to say, I persuaded Louisa to do it.”

“Demon!” said his sister appreciatively. “Augusta wrote to me that she was as mad as fire when she clapped eyes on your beauty, and has been glumping ever since! And the other one? Is she a beauty too?”

“Oh, no! Not to compare with Charis!” he said indifferently. “She is the eldest of the family, and has charge of the younger ones. My guardianship, you perceive, is purely nominal: I have really very little to do with them.”

At this somewhat inopportune moment, Wicken entered the room, and said demurely: “Master Felix has called, asking to see your lordship. Shall I show him in, my lord?”

“Now, what the devil does he want?” demanded the Marquis, in accents of foreboding. “Tell him I’m — no, I suppose I shall have to see him: show him in!” He glanced down at his sister, and said, with the hint of a rueful smile: “You are about to make the acquaintance of the youngest Merriville, Eliza — a devilish brat!” He turned his head, as Wicken ushered Felix into the room, and said: “Well, Felix? What’s the scrape?”

“Sir!” uttered Felix, outraged. “There isn’t any scrape!”

“Accept my apologies! Just a social visit! Eliza, allow me to introduce Felix to you: one of my wards! Felix, this is my sister, Lady Elizabeth Kentmere.”

“Oh! — Oh, I didn’t know — I beg pardon, ma’am!” said Felix, looking a trifle discomfited, but achieving a very creditable bow. He cast an anxious glance at Alverstoke. “P’raps I had better come to see you tomorrow, sir? I didn’t mean to — to intrude, only Wicken didn’t tell me — and I have something very particular to say to you!”

Lady Elizabeth, the mother of three hopeful sons, interposed, saying: “Then of course you mustn’t lose a moment! Is your business of a private nature? Shall I excuse myself to my brother, and go away for a while?” Perceiving, from the twinkle in her eyes, that she was what he termed a right one, he grinned engagingly at her, and answered: “Oh, no, ma’am — thank you! It is only a little private! If you won’t tell anyone?”

“I’m true blue, and will never stain!” she replied promptly.

“Cut line, Felix!” commanded Alverstoke. “If it isn’t a scrape, what is it?”

“Well — well, it’s a balloon, Cousin Alverstoke!” disclosed Felix, taking his fence in a. rush.

Lady Elizabeth was betrayed into laughter, which she hastily turned into a fit of coughing; but his lordship merely said, in the voice of one inured to misfortune: “Is it indeed? And what have I — or you, for that matter! — to do with balloons?”

“But, sir —!” said Felix, deeply shocked. “You must know that there is to be an ascension from Hyde Park_s on Thursday!”

“I didn’t, however. And let me tell you, here and now, that I have no interest in balloons! So, if you are going to ask me to take you to see this ascension, my answer is NO! You can very well go to Hyde Park without my escort.”

“Yes, but the thing is, I can’t!” said Felix. Suddenly assuming the demeanour of an orphan cast penniless upon the world, he raised melting blue eyes to his lordship’s face, and said beseechingly: “Oh, Cousin Alverstoke, do, pray, go with me! You must! It’s — it’s obligary!” he produced urgently.

“Why is it obligatory?” asked his lordship, preserving his iron calm, but directing a quelling glance at his sorely afflicted sister.

“Well — well, you’re my guardian, and — and I told Cousin Buxted you had invited me to go with you!” said Felix, with disarming frankness. He smiled blindingly at the Marquis, and added: “I know you’ll understand when I explain it to you, Cousin Alverstoke! You don’t like Cousin Buxted either!”

“When have I ever said so?” demanded his lordship.

“Oh, you don’t say it, but a pretty good lobcock I should be if I didn’t know it!” replied Felix scornfully. “Besides, when I told you about the bear-garden jaw he gave me when I went on the steam-boat, you said — ”

In some haste, the Marquis interrupted, saying: “Yes, well, never mind that! In what way is Buxted concerned with this balloon of yours?”

“He has invited us all to drive with him to the park, to watch the ascension — well, not Harry, but the rest of us!” said Felix, in the voice of one relating a catastrophe. “And don’t you say that it is very kind and obliging of him, sir, like Jessamy, because if you don’t like a person, you don’t wish to be obliged to him!”

“That is very true!” remarked Lady Elizabeth, much struck. “In fact, one would prefer him not to be kind and obliging!”

“Yes, one would!” agreed Felix, bestowing a look of warm approval upon her. “Besides, I know just how it would be, and I had almost liefer not go at all! Because, you may depend upon it, Jessamy will sit on the box, with the coachman, and I should have to sit beside Cousin Buxted and listen to him prosing on and on, and very likely gibble-gabbling to the girls about aeronautics, just as if he knew, which he doesn’t, and then explaining it to me, in a very kind way, and — Oh, you know, sir! I–I couldn’t!” He saw the corners of Alverstoke’s mouth quiver, and said triumphantly: “I knew you would understand! So when I came into the room — not knowing he was there — and Frederica told me that he had invited us, I said I couldn’t go with him, because you had invited me to go with you, sir! And if Jessamy tells you I was rag-mannered it is not true! I thanked him very civilly, I promise you! Yes, and naturally I see that I can’t go at all, if you don’t take me, because that would be uncivil.”

“And you said you weren’t in a scrape! Did you bamboozle your family into believing your mendacious story?”

“Oh, no! Frederica and Jessamy knew it wasn’t true, of course. In fact, Frederica said, afterwards, that she utterly forbade me to plague you to take me. But I am not plaguing you: I am just asking you, sir! She says you don’t wish to see a balloon ascension, but I think it would be a treat for you!”

“Oh, do you?” said the Marquis. “Then let me tell you, you repellent and unscrupulous whelp — ”

He was interrupted. “So it would be!” said Lady Elizabeth. “A high treat! For my part, I should enjoy it excessively, because it so happens that I have never watched a balloon ascension. Dear Vernon, you have been wondering how you may best entertain me, haven’t you? And now you know! You shall drive Felix and me to Hyde Park, to see the balloon go up!”

“Wretch!” said the Marquis. “Very well!”

“I knew you would!” cried Felix. “I told Jessamy you would!” He paused, before adding tentatively: “In your phaeton, sir?”

“Now, what do you care for phaetons, or horses?” asked Alverstoke. “What you would like me to do would be to drive you to Hyde Park in a Catch-me-who-can!”

“Yes, by Jupiter, wouldn’t I just!” exclaimed Felix, his eyes kindling. “Only you couldn’t, you know, because it ran on lines. The thing is that Jessamy is getting to be so top-lofty, because you let him drive your team, besides riding with him, that there’s no bearing it! So it would be splendid, if you took me instead of him!” A doubt shook him; he cast a look at Lady Elizabeth, and said politely: “If you wouldn’t object to it, ma’am!”

“Certainly not! I shouldn’t dream of watching a balloon ascension from anything so stuffy as a barouche,” she said promptly. “Besides, how else could we take the shine out of Cousin Buxted?”

This very proper speech confirmed him in his impression that she was a right one, and earned for her his fervent gratitude. A caveat, entered by Alverstoke, that phaetons were not designed to accommodate three people, was summarily disposed of, and he then took himself off, leaving Lady Elizabeth to the enjoyment of the mirth that had been consuming her.

As a result of Felix’s visit, Lady Elizabeth went to visit Lady Jevington on the following morning. It was surprising, but understandable, that Alverstoke should take an interest in so engaging a young gentleman; but it appeared, from Felix’s artless conversation, that his interest extended to Jessamy — whom he permitted to drive his cherished horses; and that was by no means so understandable, unless this unprecedented behaviour sprang from a wish to gratify the Beauty of the family. Eliza had learnt all about the divine Charis from one of her oldest friend’s rare letters, but she had not set much store by Sally Jersey’s prophecy that Alverstoke would marry a girl who had not yet attained her twentieth birthday. Sally might say that it was always so with hardened bachelors, but she fancied she knew her brother rather better than Sally did, and she had dismissed the prophecy as a mere on-dit.

Dining tête-à-tête with him, she was careful to evince little curiosity about the Misses Merriville, merely saying: “I hope you mean to introduce them to me. If they are as delightful as Felix, I don’t wonder at it that you consented to befriend them! How do they go on? Did you contrive to fire them off successfully?”

“Yes, and without the smallest exertion. I had merely to present them to the ton. I wish you might have seen Louisa’s face when they came into the room! She had met Frederica already, and was agreeably surprised, I fancy, to discover that she is neither in the first blush of youth, nor a beauty, but a passably goodlooking young woman, with a great deal of commonsense, and a somewhat masterful disposition. Louisa was therefore unprepared for Charis.” A reminiscent smile curled his lips. “I suppose I must have seen the Beauties of close on twenty seasons, but I must own I have never seen one comparable to Charis Merriville.” He raised his wineglass, and drank a little. “Face and figure are perfection, and her expression most winning. Impossible to find a fault! Even her carriage is graceful; and it is universally agreed that her manners are particularly pleasing.”