Джорджетт Хейер - The Grand Sophy

Startled, Cecilia turned quickly. Already agitated by the unexpected encounter with Lord Charlbury, her nerves betrayed her into a hasty rejoinder. “How dare you, Charles?” she said, in a trembling voice. “Pray, what impropriety am I guilty of in seeking the fresh air in the company of my affianced husband?”

She took Mr. Fawnhope’s hand as she spoke and confronted her brother with her chin up and her cheeks very much flushed. Lord Charlbury, who had drawn back the curtain with one hand, stood perfectly still, as pale as she was red, steadfastly regarding her.

“Oh!” cried Cecilia faintly, snatching her hand from Mr. Fawnhope’s to press it to her cheek.

“May I know, Cecilia, if what you have just announced is the truth?” asked his lordship, not a trace of emotion in his well-bred voice.

“Yes!” she uttered.

“The devil it is not!” said Mr. Rivenhall.

“You must permit me to offer you my felicitations,” said Lord Charlbury, bowing. He then let the curtain fall, and walked away the length of the ballroom in the direction of he doors.

Sophy, about to take her place with Major Quinton in the set which was forming, deserted her partner with a word of excuse, and overtook his lordship in the anteroom. “Lord Charlbury!”

He turned. “Miss Stanton-Lacy! Will you tender my apologies to Lady Ombersley for my not taking formal leave of her? She is not at present in the ballroom.”

“Yes, never mind that! What has occurred to make you leave so early?”

“I came, ma’am, with one purpose only in mind. It has been rendered useless for me to stay by your cousin’s announcement a moment since that she is betrothed to young Fawnhope.”

“What a goose she is!” remarked Sophy cheerfully. “I saw her go apart with Augustus, and I saw Charles follow her. Depend upon it, this is all his doing! I could box his ears! Do you ever ride in the Park?”

“Do I what?” he asked, bewildered,

“Ride in the Park!”

“Certainly I do, but — ”

“Then do so tomorrow morning! Not too early, for I daresay I shall not be in bed until four o’clock! At ten, then; don’t fail!”

She waited for no answer but went back into the ballroom, leaving him to stare after her in considerable surprise. At any ‘other time he would have smiled at her odd, abrupt ways, but he was a man in love, laboring under a crushing blow, and although he could maintain his calm manner, it was at present beyond his power to feel any amusement.

IT WAS with no very real expectation of meeting Sophy that Lord Charlbury had a horse saddled next morning and betook himself to Hyde Park, for it seemed to him that a young lady who had danced the night through would not be very, likely to be found riding in the Park by ten o’clock next day. But he had not cantered once round the Row when he saw a magnificent black horse coming toward him and recognized Sophy on its back. He reined in and pulled off his hat, exclaiming, “I made sure you would still be abed and fast asleep! Are you made of iron, Miss Stanton-Lacy?”

She pulled Salamanca up, sidling and prancing. “Pooh!” she said laughing at him. “Did you think me such a poor creature as to be prostrated by one ball, sir?”

He turned his horse and fell in beside her. John Potton followed at a discreet distance. Lord Charlbury complimented Sophy on Salamanca, but was cut short.

“Very true, he is a superb horse, but we have not met to talk of horses. Such a kickup as there has been in Berkeley Square! Charles, of course — all Charles! The most diverting thing of all — do be diverted! Indeed, there is no need for that grave face! Is that Augustus Fawnhope was quite as much taken aback as you or Charles!”

“Are you telling me that he does not wish to marry Cecilia?” demanded Charlbury.

“Oh! In some misty future! Certainly not immediately! I expect, you know, being a poet, he would much prefer to be the victim of a hopeless passion!” said Sophy merrily.

“Coxcomb!”

“If you like. I danced one waltz with him last night, when you had left us, and I do think I was very helpful, for I suggested to him a number of genteel occupations of a gainful nature, and promised to look about me for some great man in need of a secretary.”

“I hope he was grateful to you,” said Charlbury heavily.

“Not in the least! Augustus does not want to be any man’s secretary, for he has a soul quite above such mundane matters as acquiring a respectable competence. I showed him what his future would be, in the prettiest way imaginable! Love in a cottage, you know, and a dozen hopeful children prattling at his knee.”

“You are a most unaccountable girl!” he exclaimed, looking at her in a good deal of amusement. “Did this picture appall him?”

“Of course it did, but he is very chivalrous and has now made up his mind to an early marriage. For anything I know he may be planning a flight to the border.”

“What?” ejaculated his lordship.

“Oh, have no fear! Cecilia is by far too well brought up to consent to such a scandalous thing! Let us have just one gallop! I know it is wrong, but there seem to be only nursemaids in the Park this morning. Good God, I am quite at fault! There is Lord Bromford, on that fat cob of his! I must tell you that he left the ball at midnight, because late hours are injurious to his health. Now we must gallop, or he will join us and tell us about Jamaica!”

They flew down the track, Salamanca always just ahead of Charlbury’s rat-tailed gray, and so rousing Lord Charlbury to enthusiasm. “By God, that’s a capital horse!” he said. “I do not know how you contrive to hold him, ma’am! Surely he is too strong for you?”

“I daresay, but he has charming manners, you see. Now we will proceed more soberly! Should you object very much to telling me whether you still desire to marry my cousin? You may snub me, if you choose!”

He replied rather ruefully: “Will you think me contemptible if I tell you, yes?”

“Not at all. You would be foolish to refine too much upon what happened last night. Only consider! Instead of first fixing your interest with Cecilia, you applied to my uncle for leave to address her — ”

“It is usual to do so!” he pointed out.

“It may be punctilious, but it is the greatest folly imaginable, particularly if you mean to contract mumps before you have even had time to offer for her!”

“It would, I collect, be useless to assure you that I did not mean to contract mumps! I had reason to believe that my suit would not be distasteful to her.”

“I expect she was very well disposed toward you,” agreed Sophy cordially. “But she had not then seen Augustus Fawnhope. At least, she had, but it seems that he was covered in spots at that time, so no one could expect her to fall in love with him.”

“I don’t find the reflection precisely comforting, Miss Stanton-Lacy.”

“Call me Sophy! Everyone does, and we are going to become excessively friendly.”

“Are — are we?” he said. “I mean, I am delighted to hear you say so, of course!”

She laughed. “Oh, pray don’t be alarmed! If you still wish to marry Cecilia — and I must tell you that although I thought otherwise before I had met you, I have now made up my mind to it that you would suit capitally — I will you just how you must go on.”

He could not help smiling. “I am much obliged to you! if she loves young Fawnhope — ”

“You must, if you please, consider for a moment!” Sophy earnestly. “Only think how it was! No sooner had declared yourself to my uncle than you contracted a ridiculous complaint. She was informed that she was to become your wife — quite gothic, and most ill judged — and along came Augustus Fawnhope, looking, you will own, like a prince of a fairy tale, and what must he do but turn his back on the poor females who were setting their caps at him and fall in love with Cecilia’s beauty! My dear sir, he writes poems in her praise! He calls her a nymph, and says her eyes put stars to shame, and such stuff as that!”

“Good God!” said his lordship.

“Exactly so! You cannot wonder that she was swept off her feet. I daresay you had never so much as thought of calling her a nymph!”

“Miss Stanton — Sophy! Even to win Cecilia, I cannot write poetry, and if I could I’ll be dashed if I would write such — Well, in any event I have no turn in that direction!”

“Oh, no, you must not attempt to outshine Augustus in that line!” said Sophy. “Your strength lies in being precisely the kind of man who can procure one a chair when it has come on to rain.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Can you not?” she asked, turning her head to look at him with raised brows.

“I expect I could, but — ”

“Believe me, it is by far more important than being able to turn a verse!” she told him. “Augustus is quite unable to do so. I know, because he failed miserably at the Chelsea Gardens. I thought he would, which is why I made him escort Cecilia and me there on a day when you could see it would come on to pour. Our muslins were soaked, and I daresay we should have died of an inflammation of the lung had not one of my old friends procured a hackney to convey us home. Poor Cecy! She became almost cross with Augustus!”

He burst out laughing. “Major Quinton spoke nothing  but the truth about you!” he declared. “I am already terrified of you!”

She smiled, but said, “Well, you need not be, for I mean to help you.”

“That is what terrifies me.”

“Nonsense! You are trying to quiz me. We have established that you can procure chairs in a rainstorm; I am also I the opinion that when you invite a party to supper at the Piazza the waiters do not fob you off with a table in a draught.”