Виктория Холт - The Silk Vendetta

“It’s our livelihood.”

“But it is more than that, I fancy. It represents freedom and something you have always wanted to prove.”

“What is that?”

“That a woman can do as well as a man.”

“I hadn’t thought of it, but I suppose you are right.”

“I know. You hate injustice. You seek the truth. You want hard logic to prevail.”

“I suppose that is so.”

“I share your view. That is why I am in Parliament. I want justice … for everyone. I won’t subscribe to a point of view because it is the accepted one. I will stand out for what I believe to be right. That is what Mr. Gladstone is doing. He has become very unpopular over his Home Rule for Ireland bill. That was what let Salisbury in with the Conservatives at the last election.”

“I find it all fascinating,” I said.

“We must meet sometimes, so that we can talk. I’m in London frequently. What do you say?”

”I should like that.”

“Then we will.”

Julia came back and joined us.

“It really is divine,” she said. “Pale lilac with ribbons of a deeper shade … not quite heliotrope … lavender, would you say?”

“It suits you to perfection,” said the Countess. “I’ll have it sent.”

“You look very earnest,” said Julia, glancing from Drake to me. She seemed surprised to find us alone and I felt I had to explain.

“My grandmother had some urgent work and Cassie had to help her.”

“We have been having an interesting discussion,” Drake told her. “About politics,” he added.

Julia grimaced. “You’ve no need to tell me that. I would have guessed. It’s your pet topic, Drake. You hardly ever talk of anything else.”

“I suppose you’re right.” He looked at me. “I hope I didn’t bore you.”

“Far from it.”

“Lenore is always polite,” said Julia.

“I’m not being polite, only truthful,” I protested.

“Drake is devoted to his leader, aren’t you, Drake?” said Julia.

“For very good reasons,” added Drake.

“It’s a pity some people don’t share your devotion,” said Julia laughingly.

“Many do,” Drake retorted.

“I think a lot of people wonder about those nightly adventures of his,” said Julia slyly.

Drake turned to me. “Julia is referring to Mr. Gladstone’s crusade for the rescue of fallen women.”

“Yes,” said Julia. “He used to prowl about at night looking for ladies of easy virtue.”

“In order to save them,” said Drake quickly. “He is a very good man. Of course he is getting old now, but for forty years he used to go once a week through Piccadilly to Soho and the Thames Embankment which was where such women could be found. He would offer to take them home with him and give them supper and a bed and in the morning he and Mrs. Gladstone would talk to them about their way of life and try to persuade them—and help them—to renounce it.”

“It was a very dangerous sort of philanthropy,” said Julia. “There were bound to be those who suspected his motives.”

“Which makes it all the more noble of him.” Drake turned to me. “Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, I do. People are too ready to suspect others and put the worst construction on events.”

I was thinking of those looks which had come my way after Philip’s mysterious death. Why had he killed himself? people wondered. When a man who was recently married did such a thing surely his wife must somehow be concerned.

“Lenore is determined to support you,” said Julia.

“I say what I feel.”

“Well, Drake, I feel we must be going. These are business hours, are they not?”

He stood up and held out his hand to me.

“It has been an interesting morning.” He held my hand firmly. ‘ ‘Au revoir.”

“Where are the others?” demanded Julia. “We must say goodbye to them.”

I called them and they came. We went out to the door with them where Julia’s carriage was waiting.

As we watched them drive away it occurred to me that Julia had displayed an almost proprietorial manner towards him. And they seemed to know each other very well.

I remembered how she had felt about him all those years ago, and how angry she had been with me for being the cause of his departure.

I thought: I believe she is in love with him. She seems softer, different. She was a little in love with him long ago.

“What a charming man!” said the Countess.

“He was very attractive as a boy,” added Cassie.

“I like him,” said Grand’mere. “There is something good about him.” She smiled at me fondly. ”I hope he comes again.”

We had a meeting every Friday evening to discuss the week’s business and talk over any new idea one of us might have. The Countess used to pay periodic visits to Paris. “Paris is the centre of fashion,” she used to say. “We must go there and see what they are up to.”

On one or two occasions Grand’mere had gone with her. The Countess was adept at choosing styles which she wished to incorporate with changes—improvements, she called them; Grand’mere was concerned with the practical side; and she would say if what was suggested was possible.

I was unable to go because I did not want to leave Katie. After these trips Grand’mere always seemed to have been rejuvenated. I suppose a visit to her native land did that for her; moreover, she was passionately interested in fashion.

On this occasion the Countess astounded us with an announcement. “We should open a place in Paris,” she said.

We stared at her. Open in Paris! We were doing very well in London, expanding every year, growing generally, becoming well known in Court circles.

“Well,” went on the Countess, “most of the best houses have something over there. I’d be there most of the time till we’d built it up. I know how to manage that. We’d have the French touch for our clothes over here. ‘This, Madam, has just been brought over from our Paris establishment’ … and so on.”

“And the cost of setting up a place over there?”

“It’s not going to be cheap.”

“And where would we get the money?” asked Grand’mere.

“We’d borrow.”

I flinched and Grand’mere turned pale. “Never!” we said simultaneously.

“Why not?”

“Who’d lend the money?”

“Any bank. We have the security of this place … a prosperous concern.”

“And the interest on the loan?”

”We’d have to work hard to pay it.”

“I was always against borrowing,” said Grand’mere; and I nodded in agreement.

“Do you want to stay as we are forever?”

“It is a very pleasant niche we have found for ourselves,” I reminded her.

“But expansion is the very breath of successful business.”

“I believe there have been occasions when it has been their ruin.”

“Life is a matter of taking risks.”

“I want none of that,” said Grand’mere.

I backed her up in this. The thought of borrowing terrified me.

“How long would it take before a Paris place was profitable?” I asked.

“Three years … four …”

“And all that time we should have the interest on the loan to pay off.”

“We’d manage,” said the Countess.

“What if we didn’t?”

“You are prophesying defeat before we begin.”

“We have to look facts in the face. I could see us ruined and I have a child to think of.”

“When the time comes I want to launch her into society.”

“In the meantime I have to feed and clothe her, educate her too—and that is of the utmost importance to me.”

“You are really rather unadventurous,” said the Countess.

“I call it cautious,” I replied.

“So you are both against me?”

We nodded.

“Well, we shall have to shelve the matter.”

“We’ll do that,” I said.

“Meanwhile,” went on the Countess, “when I am in Paris I will scout round and see what’s to be had.”

“Whatever it is we can’t afford it.”

“You never know,” insisted the Countess.

We went on to discuss other matters.

Grand’mere and I talked about her scheme together when we were alone.

“She’s right, of course,” said Grand’mere. “The important houses do have branches in Paris. It is the centre of fashion and therefore carries a certain prestige. It would be wonderful if we could sell our clothes over there. That would be triumph indeed … and so good for business here. We could do so much better. …”

I said: “Grand’mere, are you getting caught up in this idea?”

“I realize its merits, but I am against borrowing as I always have been. I’d rather remain as we are than have to worry about loans. Remember how it was when we started and how we thought we were not coming through? “

“I shall never forget.”

“We are cosy. We are comfortable. Let’s leave it at that.”

But we both continued to think of the matter and every now and then it would crop up. It was clearly on our minds. The Countess was silent, brooding. I began to think that in time we might come round to her way of thinking.

A week or so later the Countess and Grand’mere went on one of their periodic trips to Paris.

One of the greatest blessings of our prosperity was that I could devote more time to Katie. I had engaged a governess for her— a Miss Price—a very worthy lady, who took her duties seriously; but I often took Katie off her hands, for the child loved to be with me as much as I did with her.

We used to walk together each afternoon after her lessons. Sometimes we went to St. James’s Park where we fed the ducks; sometimes we visited the Serpentine. Katie was a very gregarious person and made friends with the other children very quickly. I liked to see her enjoying the companionship of people of her own age.