CHAPTER XXII #2
‘Why’, she asked Hetty, ‘are you telling untruths about meeting the Marquis?’
Hetty started, hurriedly hushing her.
‘Is the real story so scandalous?’ Trixie guessed.
Hetty readily agreed to this – too readily.
Trixie scowled. ‘That’s not it, is it? Do confide in me. There is a plot here: I just know it.’
‘Here they come!’ Lady Allerton’s voice broke through their discussion. ‘Oh, how splendid they all look! There is Arthur – no, no, wait, that is surely he!’
‘No.’ Hetty directed her ladyship’s gaze a little to the left. ‘He is there.’
‘How can you be so certain?’ Trixie wondered.
To her, the rows of identical dark blue uniform and occluding shako hats rendered recognition an impossibility, and yet Hetty’s gaze remained fixed unerringly on one straight-backed rider in particular, every now and then correcting the cavorting of his horse.
‘Yes, how can you, Miss Clithero?’ The Marquis, rejoining them at the window, wondered innocently.
Hetty shot him a repressive glance, but otherwise made no reply. Trixie, watching, deepened her frown. Something about all this, she decided, was distinctly fishy.
‘But Lord Allerton is no longer a member of the regiment, is he not?’
‘No, when the Eleventh were drawn down, he became an aide-de-camp to General Graham,’ Lady Allerton reminded everyone loudly.
The state carriages bearing the Royal Dukes following soon behind, Lady Davenport’s attention was distracted: ‘Oh, and there is the Duke, Isabelle! Doesn’t he look handsome?’
Mademoiselle de Nicolet made an unconvincing murmur of assent that had Timothy and Mr Corcott exchanging significant glances.
Relations between the two gentlemen had reached a momentary détente: whatever their disagreements, Timothy felt honour bound to share Arthur’s warning about Mademoiselle de Nicolet’s expectations and Corky, just as unwilling to prematurely enter the marital state, had understood the danger at once.
Fortunately, they had been able to settle the matter quite easily between them, agreeing to bow out of the competition for Mademoiselle de Nicolet’s hand, and put the whole matter down as a draw.
It was quite a relief, Timothy felt, that he would be able to lay aside the bouquet he had brought with him from Belcourt.
Miss Corcott, meanwhile, was pressing Mademoiselle de Nicolet for details on the ducal courtship: ‘Has His Grace put his hat in the ring for your bouquet competition, my lady?’ she asked eagerly.
Lady Davenport’s smile became rather fixed.
She had not been best pleased with Mademoiselle de Nicolet on this count – having one’s name bandied about in White’s was not something she could encourage – though, on the other hand, she could not help but be pleased by His Grace’s involvement, which surely heralded a proposal.
‘Oh, all that silliness over one comment dear Isabelle made in passing,’ she said airily. ‘Still, His Grace has entered into the fun of it – this morning he sent over two dozen of the most enormous roses I have ever seen in my life! So I think we know who will win, don’t we?’
Mademoiselle de Nicolet smiled. Beside her, Mr Hargan, who had been silently watching the procession below, had not seemed to be attending – but at these words, he could not help but wrinkle his nose.
Mademoiselle de Nicolet, noticing it, turned her head to regard him. ‘You do not approve of roses?’
Mr Hargan, blushing and stammering, disavowed all disapproval and indeed disrespect. ‘I would not presume to—’
Mademoiselle de Nicolet, a little bored, turned back to the window. Out from under the sun of her gaze, Mr Hargan felt a little calmer. Calm enough, indeed, to say: ‘It is only that you don’t like roses.’
He spoke very quietly – but she heard him.
The carriages bearing the members of the Cabinet had by now passed, followed by a troop of Horse Guards, the Prince Regent’s officers of state, and then the Regent’s state carriage, in which he had been joined by the King of Prussia – a precautionary measure that did not prevent a certain amount of hissing from the crowd.
It was a further hour before all the foreign monarchs had passed, and several more before the streets cleared enough for the journey home, where they enjoyed only a brief respite before setting out for the theatre, a diversion – however agreeable – that was only a prelude to the evening’s true entertainment: Lady Cavendish’s ball.
Lady Allerton could only hope that Arthur would be able to join them.
Serendipitously, the carriage bearing Lady Allerton, Trixie and Hetty home from the theatre reached Berkeley Square at just the same moment as Arthur was dismounting from his steaming horse.
Though the fatigue was plain upon his face, her ladyship permitted herself the maternal indulgence of declaring he had never looked finer.
‘You must tell us all about it on the way – you will come to the ball, won’t you?
Wonderful!’ she declared without waiting for his reply, veritably skipping up the stairs ahead of them.
‘Dawson! Dawson, have the carriage brought round, won’t you?
I shall meet you there presently, darlings, I must change this wretched hat. ’
‘What an adventure you have had, Arthur!’ Trixie enthused.
As Arthur took off his own hat, he fixed her with a firm eye. ‘You and I need to have a talk, Trix, about the adventures you have been having. I know all about the masquerade.’
Trixie wheeled about to stare accusingly at Hetty. ‘Did you tell?’
‘Timothy did.’
‘Oh.’ Trixie was surprised. ‘My apologies, Hetty, I had quite thought you would be the one to let slip to him.’
‘As, indeed, would I,’ Arthur said evenly, pulling at his gloves.
The reprimand in his voice had Hetty prickling. ‘If you recollect, we had a few other things to discuss that evening.’
‘I am not sure that is a sufficient excuse.’
Trixie, ever the survivor, took this opportunity to slip towards the stairs.
‘It has all been resolved satisfactorily,’ Hetty said.
‘I should have been told,’ Arthur stated. ‘It is my duty – my rules she flouted – and had I known about it I should have—’
‘Done something terribly foolish such as banning her from leaving the house,’ Hetty supplied. ‘Yes, and we would certainly have been in the basket, then.’
The use of such cant would have made him smile only days earlier, but now he frowned.
‘As I understand, you have entirely flouted my instruction to cut the Marquis’s acquaintance – Dawson informs me he is still quite at home here!
I would ask you to consider more the example you are setting for Trixie – most likely your eschewing of my protection is what is encouraging her to do the same. ’
‘Nicolet is not a fortune hunter, Arthur!’ Hetty threw up her hands. ‘For goodness’ sake – his affairs are in perfect order!’
Her emphasis was not lost upon Arthur, who flushed angrily. They had never spoken to each other in such a way before. He did not know if he wanted to shake her or – or –
He stalked past her before he could finish the thought.