The Eustace Diamonds (72 page)

‘It's the old woman I'm complaining of' said Sir Griffin, ‘and I'm not going to marry her. I shall have seen the last of her when I get out of the church, Lady Eustace.'

‘Do you think she wishes it?'

‘Who do you mean?' asked Sir Griffin.

‘Why; – Lucinda?'

‘Of course she does. Where'd she be now if it wasn't to go on? I don't believe they've money enough between them to pay the rent of the house they're living in.'

‘Of course, I don't want to make difficulties, Sir Griffin, and no doubt the affair has gone very far now. But I really think Lucinda would consent to break it off if you wish it. I have never thought that you were really in love with her.'

He again looked at her very sharply and very closely. ‘Has she sent you to say all this?'

‘Has who sent me? Mrs Carbuncle didn't.'

‘But Lucinda?'

She paused a moment before she replied; – but she could not bring herself to be absolutely honest in the matter. ‘No; – she didn't send me. But from what I see and hear, I am quite sure she does not wish to go on with it.'

‘Then she shall go on with it,' said Sir Griffin. ‘I'm not going to be made a fool of in that way. She shall go on with it; and the first thing I mean to tell her, as my wife, is, that she shall never see that woman again. If she thinks she's going to be master, she's very much mistaken.' Sir Griffin, as he said this, showed his teeth, and declared his purpose to be masterful by his features as well as by his words; – but Lady Eustace was, nevertheless, of opinion that when the two came to an absolute struggle for mastery, the lady would get the better of it.

Lizzie never told Miss Roanoke of her want of success, or even of the effort she had made; nor did the unhappy young woman come to her for any reply. The preparations went on, and it was quite understood that, on this peculiar occasion, Mrs Carbuncle intended to treat her friends with profuse hospitality. She proposed to give a breakfast; and as the house in Hertford Street was very small, rooms had been taken at an hotel in Albemarle Street. Thither, as the day of the marriage drew near, all the presents were taken – so that they might be viewed by the guests, with the names of the donors attached to them. As some of the money given had been very much wanted indeed, so that the actual cheques could not conveniently be spared just at the moment to pay for the presents which ought to have been bought – a few very pretty things were hired, as to which, when the donors should see their names attached to them, they should surely think that the money given had been laid out to great advantage.

But he was not able to do this without interference from the judgement of others. Both Mr and Mrs Hittaway interfered; and he could not prevent himself from listening to them and believing them, though he would contradict all they said, and snub all their theories. Frank Greystock also continued to interfere, and Lady Glencora Palliser. Even John Eustace had been worked upon to write to Lord Fawn, stating his opinion, as trustee for his late brother's property, that the Eustace family did not think that there was ground of complaint against Lady Eustace in reference to the diamonds which had been stolen. This was a terrible blow
to Lord Fawn, and had come, no doubt, from a general agreement among the Eustace faction – including the bishop, John Eustace, and even Mr Camperdown – that it would be a good thing to get the widow married and placed under some decent control.

Lady Glencora absolutely had the effrontery to ask him whether the marriage was not going to take place, and when a day would be fixed. He gathered up his courage to give her ladyship a rebuke. ‘My private affairs do seem to be uncommonly interesting,' he said.

‘Why yes, Lord Fawn,' said Lady Glencora, whom nothing could abash; – ‘most interesting. You see, dear Lady Eustace is so very popular, that we all want to know what is to be her fate.'

‘I regret to say that I cannot answer your ladyship's question with any precision,' said Lord Fawn.

But the Hittaway persecution was by far the worst. ‘You have seen her, Frederic?' said his sister.

‘Yes – I have.'

‘You have made her no promise?'

‘My dear Clara, this is a matter in which I must use my own judgement.'

‘But the family, Frederic?'

‘I do not think that any member of our family has a just right to complain of my conduct since I have had the honour of being its head. I have endeavoured so to live that my actions should encounter no private or public censure. If I fail to meet with your approbation, I shall grieve; but I cannot, on that account, act otherwise than in accordance with my own judgement.'

Mrs Hittaway knew her brother well, and was not afraid of him. ‘That's all very well; and I am sure you know, Frederic, how proud we all are of you. But this woman is a nasty, low, scheming, ill-conducted, dishonest little wretch; and if you make her your wife you'll be miserable all your life. Nothing would make me and Orlando so unhappy as to quarrel with you. But we know that it is so, and to the last minute I shall say so. Why don't you ask her to her face about that man down in Scotland?'

‘My dear Clara, perhaps I know what to ask her and what not to ask her better than you can tell me.'

And his brother-in-law was quite as bad. ‘Fawn,' he said, ‘in this matter of Lady Eustace, don't you think you ought to put your conduct into the hands of some friend?'

‘What do you mean by that?'

‘I think it is an affair in which a man would have so much comfort in being able to say that he was guided by advice. Of course, her people want you to marry her. Now, if you could just tell them that the whole thing was in the hands of – say me – or any other friend, you would be relieved, you know, of so much responsibility. They might hammer away at me ever so long, and I shouldn't care twopence.'

‘If there is to be any hammering, it cannot be borne vicariously,' said Lord Fawn – and as he said it, he was quite pleased by his own sharpness and wit.

He had, indeed, put himself beyond protection by vicarious endurance of hammering when he promised to write to Lady Eustace, explaining his own conduct and giving reasons. Had anything turned up in Scotland Yard which would have justified him in saying – or even in thinking – that Lizzie had stolen her own diamonds, he would have sent word to her that he must abstain from any communication till that matter had been cleared up; but, since the appearance of that mysterious paragraph in the newspapers, nothing had been heard of
the
robbery, and public opinion certainly seemed to be in favour of Lizzie's innocence. He did think that the Eustace faction was betraying him, as he could not but remember how eager Mr Camperdown had been in asserting that the widow was keeping an enormous amount of property, and claiming it as her own, whereas, in truth, she had not the slightest title to it. It was, in a great measure, in consequence of the assertions of the Eustace faction, almost in obedience to their advice, that he had resolved to break off the match; and now they turned upon him, and John Eustace absolutely went out of his way to write him a letter which was clearly meant to imply that he, Lord Fawn, was bound to marry the woman to whom he had once engaged himself!
Lord Fawn felt that he was ill-used, and that a man might have to undergo a great deal of bad treatment who should strive to put himself right in the eye of the public.

At last he wrote his letter – on a Wednesday, which with him had something of the comfort of a half-holiday, as on that day he was not required to attend Parliament.