Chapter Fourteen
FOURTEEN
Damerel had placed himself between Venetia and the door, but it was immediately apparent that the precaution was unnecessary.
Aubrey was looking stormy, his thin cheeks flushed, and his rather cold gray eyes full of sparks of light.
His interest in his fellow-creatures was at the best of times perfunctory; when in the grip of anger he had none whatsoever, and would scarcely have noticed it had he found his sister in Damerel’s arms. He said, in a brittle voice, as he shut the door: ‘You’ll like to know, Venetia, that the Empress has issued a new ukase!
The dogs – my dogs! – must in future be kept chained up!
All but Bess here, who is too savage to be kept at all!
Take care, Jasper: can’t you see what an ugly-tempered bitch she is? ’
Damerel, who was gently pulling the pointer’s ears, while she stood with gracefully waving tail and an expression on her face of idiotic bliss, laughed, and said: ‘What’s she been doing?’
‘Endangering the succession!’ Aubrey snapped. ‘She came into the house – looking for me, of course! – and Charlotte finding her lying at the foot of the stairs was so startled and appalled that she let out a screech, which made Bess lift up her head, and stare at her – as well she might!’
‘Oh dear!’ sighed Venetia. ‘I know Charlotte doesn’t care for dogs, but if that’s all that happened –’
‘All! It was but the start of Bess’s ferocious assault!
Understand, m’dear, that her stare put Charlotte forcibly in mind of a wild beast!
She knew not what to do, but decided on retreat – backwards, and stealthily!
Whereupon Bess, not unnaturally intrigued, you may think, rose, and advanced towards her.
Charlotte then screamed in good earnest, and ran behind a chair; Bess followed, Mrs Scorrier burst out from the morning-room to discover what villain was attempting to rape her child, and started scolding Bess, and striking at her with the thing she had in her hand – what-d’ye call it?
tambour frame? So Bess began to bark, Charlotte fell into hysterics, and –’
‘Aubrey, how could you have allowed it?’ exclaimed Venetia, between annoyance and amusement. ‘It was too bad of you!’
‘You’re mistaken: I wasn’t there. What I’m recounting I had from the lips of the afflicted ladies.
’ He grinned sardonically at his sister.
‘I was your good little brother, m’dear!
I arrived in the arena to find Charlotte sunk into a chair, with Mrs Scorrier waving her vinaigrette under her nose, and Bess baying the pair of them, but wagging her tail to show that though she wouldn’t stomach being chased from her own house she was too well-bred to bite.
I didn’t think it of the least use to try sicking her on to the Empress, so I called her off.
I even told that henhearted little ninny that she’d no need to be afraid, but all the thanks I got was abuse from the Empress.
I brought Bess into the house on purpose to frighten Charlotte; my manners, character, and disposition all passed under unfavourable review, while Charlotte bleated Oh, pray, Mama!
Oh, no, Mama! I think I bore it pretty well.
Only when the Empress got to talking of Charlotte’s delicate situation I couldn’t resist!
Not if I’d tried to, which I didn’t. She said that perhaps I didn’t realise, to which I replied that indeed I did, for Bess was in the same interesting condition.
For one halcyon moment I thought she was going off in an apoplexy. ’
‘Fiend!’ Venetia said, trying not to laugh.
‘Yes, and, what’s worse, one who thinks because he is a cripple he may go his length,’ said Aubrey, in a silken tone.
‘Oh, don’t look like that, stoopid! Do you imagine I haven’t known from the outset how abhorrent my limp is to the pair of them?
I’m sure I don’t blame them for that – but Nurse did!
By that time, you understand, she had come bustling downstairs to discover what was the reason for all the commotion.
You missed a high treat, m’dear! She told the Empress to think shame on herself: she told Charlotte to stop kicking up such an uproar about nothing; and she told me to go away before I forgot that I at least had been taught better than to raise such a nasty, vulgar disturbance in a gentleman’s establishment! ’
‘That was the most unkindest cut of all!’ remarked Damerel. ‘I’d back your nurse against fifty Mrs Scorriers!’
‘Well, the issue was undecided when I left, but I daresay Nurse will come off the best,’ agreed Aubrey.
‘The cream of the jest is that she, who always cuts up stiff when even Conway brings his dogs into the house, flew up into the boughs when the Empress announced that she would not allow me to keep Bess unless kennelled, since she was clearly dangerous! She was so imprudent as to order me to chain her immediately, and to demand if I had not heard her, when I turned my back upon all that monstrous regiment, and brought Bess along the passage to my own room. The last I heard of the battle was a demand from Nurse to know what right the Empress quite falsely supposed she had to dictate to a Lanyon born in his own house.’
‘Oh dear!’ Venetia sighed. She glanced at Damerel, a hint of shyness in her smile.
‘I must go, and do what I can to settle the dispute. Nurse will start quoting from the Book of Proverbs: she was doing so to me only yesterday, all about brawling and contentious women, and how much better it is to dwell in the corner of the housetop – not that I think she would consent to do so, if that means the attics!’
‘Don’t be a sapskull!’ Aubrey interrupted sharply. ‘Let her say what she chooses to that virago! If she can rid us of her, so much the better!’
‘Yes, if she could, but Mrs Scorrier would never permit herself to be worsted by Nurse! And if Nurse becomes outrageous, only think how difficult it would be for us!’
‘Do you mean to tell that woman the dogs shall be kept on chains?’ he demanded, a still angrier flush staining his cheeks. ‘I give you fair warning, Venetia, that if you do that I’ll shut Flurry into her bedchamber, with her best bonnet to worry!’
‘Oh, love, don’t tempt me!’ she said mischievously.
‘Of course I don’t mean to do any such thing!
But I think it no more than just to promise her that you’ll bring the dogs only into this room.
It is nonsensical of Charlotte to be so much afraid of them, but – oh, Aubrey, we must remember that it is now her house, and not ours! ’
‘Remember it! When are we allowed to forget it?’ he flung at her.
She said nothing, but turned to the door.
Damerel moved to open it for her, and said, as she paused for a moment, looking up at him in silent enquiry: ‘Decisive, I think! I shall see you tomorrow, but not, I fear, before noon. I was going to tell you – but it’s no matter!
My agent is at the Priory: I’ve been closeted with him most of the day, and I fancy shall be so again all the morning.
It’s important, or I’d let him go hang. As it is –’ he paused, and smiled faintly, ‘– as it is, I must bear with him. Don’t let that woman vex you to death! ’
She shook her head, his smile reflected in her eyes, and hurried away, across the ante-room.
He shut the door, and turned, meditatively surveying Aubrey, who had gone over to the fire, and was savagely stirring the logs to a blaze. He did not look up from this task, but as though aware that he was being studied said pugnaciously: ‘It was no fault of mine!’
‘Well, don’t start ripping up at me!’ replied Damerel. ‘I haven’t said it was. Stop putting yourself into a passion for nothing more than a storm in a teacup!’ Aubrey looked at him, his mouth hard shut, and two deep clefts between his brows. ‘Gudgeon!’ Damerel said, friendly mockery in his eyes.
Aubrey gave a short laugh. ‘I’d give a monkey to be present when she tells Conway she won’t have his dogs in the house!
As for Charlotte, she’d do well to accustom herself to them, for she ain’t likely ever to see him without at least three at his heels.
What’s more, Conway’s dogs are the worst trained in the country, and infernal nuisances!
He lets ’em jump on the chairs, and gives ’em scraps of meat at table.
I don’t make fools of my dogs! Oh, hell and the devil confound him, beef-witted Jack Pudding that he is! ’
‘Come back to the Priory, and we’ll confound him in unison!’ invited Damerel. ‘I have some worse epithets for him under my tongue!’
Aubrey grinned, but shook his head. ‘No, I’m not so paltry! I wish to God, I were back at the Priory, but I’ve told you already I won’t rub off.’
‘Well, I never try conclusions with mules, so I’ll rub off myself,’ Damerel said, shrugging, and picking up his hat and his whip from the chair on which he had laid them. ‘Hasta manana, you resty pup!’
Aubrey glanced quickly at him, seemed to hesitate, and then said: ‘Are you out with me? I didn’t mean –’
‘No, I’m not out with you, chucklehead!’ Damerel answered, laughing at him. ‘Stand buff, if you feel you must – I daresay I should do the same in your shoes.’
He went away, and Aubrey, after a few minutes, sat down at the desk and expended his spleen on the composition of a venomous Latin epigram.
After several unsatisfactory essays he achieved four neat and splendidly scurrilous lines, which pleased him so much that he sat down to dinner in a mood of almost bland complaisance.
Informed by Mrs Scorrier that until he expressed contrition for his behaviour she must decline to notice him, he merely bestowed a flickering smile upon her before applying himself with unusual appetite to his dinner.