Recollections of Rosings (12 page)

    Catherine, having offered her sympathy and expressed her hopes for an improvement in his mother's condition, asked, "Are you travelling alone? And how long do you expect to be away?"

    He answered unequivocally, "Indeed I am, I have no other family in England and only two sisters and a brother-in-law in France. As for my return, I confess it is not in my power to predict, for it will depend upon my mother's health. Were it to improve, as we earnestly hope it will, I should be back within a fortnight. On the other hand, if it were to decline, I may well be delayed longer."

    Both ladies nodded, understanding the difficulty of his situation, and when he finally parted from them, they sent him on his way with every good wish for his journey.

    Afterwards, Lilian went upstairs to her room and that evening seemed not to want food or company until dinnertime and even then, she was very quiet and said little except in answer to her mother's questions.

    Despite Catherine's desire to comfort her daughter, who was quite clearly distressed, no opportunity arose for her to do so, mainly because Lilian chose not to seek it.

    Catherine wrote that night to her sister.

    Having related the gist of the story, she told of her surprise at discovering that Mr Adams had no family in England and his mother had lived all her life in France, where it appeared his sisters also were settled.

    Rebecca did not entirely agree. She had always found Mr Adams to be somewhat different—in his manners, which were certainly impeccable, but also in his bearing, which Becky had thought rather superior.

    "It must be the French in him," she said, putting her sister's letter away.

It was the first clue she had had.

    Determined to discover more if it were possible, Becky decided it was time to visit her friend and recent mentor, Lady Isabel Ashton. There was very little Lady Isabel did not know and if she did not, she would find out, since she had an astonishingly large circle of friends and acquaintances.

    Rebecca summoned her maid and asked that her trunks be packed. They were going to London, she said, and went upstairs to write a little note.

    Lady Ashton lived in a very desirable part of town, in a terrace house she had received as a wedding gift from her doting husband. There she entertained her many and varied friends, of whom Mrs Tate had recently become one. In fact, she had become quite a favourite with her.

    Sir William Ashton, many years her senior, was a diplomat and businessman whose title had been a reward for services to the Tory party, rather than his country. Some few years ago, through a fortuitous coalescence of their business and private interests, he had become an associate of Mr Anthony Tate, and consequently, their wives, being thrown together on many social occasions, had also discovered a mutuality of interests.

    Rebecca had admired Lady Ashton's style and envied her endless capacity for social manipulation, while Lady Ashton, who had few pretensions to education or culture, enjoyed having Rebecca around to answer her queries. It was useful to have an obliging and educated friend who could interpret from the French and Italian when one went to the opera or remind one which of Mr Dickens's characters appeared in a particular novel, when attending a book reading.

    Best of all, Rebecca was herself a writer albeit of slight reputation, and Lady Ashton could use her modest achievements to stimulate conversation at her soirées and coffee parties. Many of her guests had never heard of Marianne Lawrence, the pen-name Rebecca had adopted when she first began to write for her husband's newspapers and journals, but were prepared to be impressed by a real live author in their midst.

    It was therefore a mutually advantageous association in which neither woman made demands that were too onerous upon the other and each was tolerant of the other's foibles.

    Preceded by her note, Rebecca and her maid arrived in London and took up residence at the town house that Mr Tate leased in a fashionable street, not far from Lady Ashton's somewhat grander establishment. The servants, though a little surprised at her sudden arrival, coped well with her requirements. The absence in America of Mr Anthony Tate meant that Rebecca was free to come and go as she pleased, beholden to no one and having to give no explanations for her activities.

    Upon arriving, she sent a little note and a bouquet of flowers round to her friend Lady Ashton, and within the hour an invitation to afternoon tea was delivered to the door.

    Rebecca took great care in her preparations for the visit. She was still a very handsome woman, and with the generous allowance her husband allowed her, she was well able to dress to impress anyone she pleased. She had fine gowns and jewellery in sufficient quantities to outshine any society lady, but Mrs Tate was also sensible enough to realise that it would do her no good at all to appear to compete with Lady Ashton. Which was why, when they were seen together, Rebecca chose quite deliberately to dress with a degree of modesty, ensuring that Lady Ashton was always the centre of attention and the cynosure of all eyes.

    Moreover, despite Her Ladyship's constant urging, when they were together, Rebecca never took the liberty of using her first name in the presence of the servants or indeed any other person. Whether Lady Ashton understood the reason behind this behaviour or not is unknown, but she certainly approved of it, seeing it as a mark of the respect accorded her by her new friend.

    Rebecca arrived at Lady Ashton's house to find that there were only two other ladies invited, neither of whom could be considered particular friends of Her Ladyship.

    "I was sure you wanted to talk to me about something in particular, dearest Becky, or you would not have written in such urgent terms. The others will be gone within the hour, and we can then retire to my boudoir and you can tell me everything! There, is that not a good scheme?"

    Rebecca agreed that it was an excellent scheme and could not wait for the other guests to depart. She was quite sure that when Lady Ashton had heard her story, she would understand her concerns and almost certainly she would suggest the means by which they might be best addressed. She knew no one who had such influence, nor such access to information in society, as Lady Isabel Ashton.

    Thus, unbeknownst to Catherine, Lilian, and Mr Adams, Rebecca prepared to lay before her friend her apprehensions concerning her niece and the young man who was courting her. These concerns were such that, when communicated to Lady Ashton, they were likely to coincide with her own views exactly. Had Rebecca known what might be uncovered and how it would affect Lilian and her mother, it is possible she may have had some misgivings about the course of action upon which she had embarked.

    As it happened, so convinced was she of the correctness of her motives, she never gave another thought to the possible consequences.

    After the two ladies had left, Lady Ashton led the way upstairs to her private boudoir, where, over hot chocolate and truffles, Rebecca related the circumstances of her sister Catherine Harrison and her daughter Lilian.

    Lady Ashton had once shown some interest in young Lilian Harrison. Lilian and her mother had been in London, before Christmas, and Rebecca had succeeded in introducing them to Lady Ashton at a soirée, after which she had remarked that it was good to see a young girl "who was both pretty and accomplished, yet apparently uninterested in flirting with every man she met."

    "I am quite vexed by these 'modern' young women, who seem to think it is their prerogative, simply because they are single, to monopolise every eligible male in the room. I noted that your niece Miss Harrison is happily not afflicted with a similar condition."

    "Indeed she is not, Lady Isabel," Rebecca had responded, realising the import of her words, "my niece Lilian is a very good girl, well brought up and God fearing. She has absolutely no interest in flirting."

    This time, Lady Ashton listened as Rebecca reminded her of Lilian's virtues and proceeded to tell the tale.

    "You will recall my niece Lilian, Lady Isabel, who is such a good girl. Well, she is being courted by a young man, a certain Mr John Adams, and I must confess I am very anxious about her."

    "Why?" asked Lady Ashton, "is this John Adams a man of ill repute?"

    "Oh no indeed, there is no evidence of that, Lady Isabel, in fact the problem is no one knows anything at all about Mr Adams, his parents or his family… where they lived and what they did… it is all a mystery."

    Lady Ashton frowned and seemed puzzled. "Has not her mother made some enquiries about his background?"

    Rebecca explained that her sister Catherine, recently widowed, seemed averse to doing so.

    "Which is why I feel I must do what I can to assist, young Lilian is my goddaughter, I feel responsible…"

    "I am sure you do and it is to your credit, Becky dear, and I shall do whatever I can to help," said Lady Isabel. "In cases such as this, where the mother is incapable or unwilling to play her part, it is essential that friends intervene if necessary to prevent what may be an unfortunate mis-match. Later, they will thank you for it, Becky, mark my words."

    Rebecca was immediately encouraged to continue, "My feelings exactly, dear Lady Isabel, and I had hoped you would agree with me. In addition to my earlier misgivings, I have heard just this week that Mr Adams has gone to France to attend his mother, who is very ill. My sister is uncertain whether his mother is French or merely lives in France for some unaccountable reason."

    Lady Ashton had many English friends who lived in France and did not see this of itself as a serious drawback and said so.

    "And do we know where in France his mother lives?" she asked.

    Rebecca persisted. "I do not have an address, but it is possible Catherine will be able to obtain one from Mr Burnett. Shall I write to her tonight?"

    Lady Ashton was quick to respond. "No, it would be unwise to do so at this point. If you wish to discover something about this young man, it would not do to alert your niece to your intentions. She may resent them and work actively to prevent you achieving them. She may even attempt to turn your sister against you by arguing that you are interfering in her life."

    "What then must I do?" asked Rebecca, getting rather desperate.

    "Nothing for the moment; let things lie while I have some enquiries made about this Mr Adams and his French connections. I have friends, as you know, who travel regularly between Paris and London; we shall see what they can discover. Once we know for certain what his antecedents are and whether or not he is a suitable young man to be courting your niece, we can decide how to proceed."

    Rebecca nodded her agreement, waiting for further advice, which was soon forthcoming.

    "Meanwhile, Becky, why do you not write to your niece and invite her to come to London and spend a few weeks with you? Make no mention of Mr Adams—now he is away in France, she will have time on her hands—let her believe you are in need of a companion; better still, write to her mother and ask her as a favour to send the girl to London to keep you company. There can be no objection, surely? Mrs Harrison will know the girl will be quite safe in your care," she argued, then went on. "Once she is here, we can arrange for her to meet so many more eligible and clever young men that Mr Adams's attractions will soon pale into insignificance by comparison. Do you not think, Becky, that this is a good scheme?" she asked.

    Rebecca was so completely taken with the prospect that she agreed wholeheartedly.

    "Dear Lady Isabel, it is an excellent scheme indeed. I shall write to my sister Catherine tonight and invite Rebecca to stay with me in London. You are quite right, I
am
in need of company and
would
appreciate having a young person who can accompany me to the shops and read to me in the evenings."

    "And drive with us in Hyde Park or go to the theatre? The possibilities are endless," added Lady Ashton, with a light laugh. "Poor Mr Adams, especially if he stays too long in France, may be entirely forgotten—supplanted by a clutch of young men whose savoir-faire and chic may far exceed his own."

    "We shall have to get her some fashionable new gowns first," Rebecca warned, "my niece is inclined to dress rather plainly. It is something she has learned from her mother; my sister Catherine abhors many of the latest fashions and so does Lilian. Her clothes may not be suitable for being seen in London society."

    Lady Ashton brushed aside her reservations. "Dear Becky, that is no problem at all; once she is here, we can have my dressmaker fit her out in a few days. A couple of day dresses, a ball gown, and a few other accessories—she must have a fashionable hat to drive in the park—that is absolutely
de rigeur
, my milliner will advise you… Oh my dear Becky, I think I shall enjoy this very much, to take a simple young country girl and introduce her into London society should be lots of fun… I am quite looking forward to it."