The Regency (54 page)

‘
Yes, Fan, sorry Fan. What is it?' James said, making a
comical face.

Fanny sighed. Sometimes it was a great trial to have a
father who was so little serious. 'I always thought I was
Grandpapa Hobsbawn's only heir, and that I would get
everything of his when he dies. Isn't that so?'

‘Well, love, I don't exactly know,' James said. 'As I told you
yesterday, Grandpapa felt the mills ought to be left to a male
heir. In his old will, you were to have twenty thousand
pounds, and the house, and all his personal effects, and the
mills were to go to your brother Henry. After Henry died,
the only other male Hobsbawn was your grandpapa's cousin Jasper, who was his heir before you were born. But whether
or not he's made a new will and left the mills to Jasper, I
can't say, for he's never mentioned it.'

‘But can't you ask him?' Fanny said urgently.

‘
No I can't,' James said promptly. 'What an idea! You know
your grandpapa don't care for me. Anyway, why are you so
interested? What do you care about cotton-mills? Twenty thousand pounds is a vast fortune, you know, besides the
Morland estate.'

‘
But I want the mills as well!' Fanny cried passionately.
'Why should cousin Jasper have them? I am Grandpapa's
heiress. They should come to me!’

James laughed and pressed the tip of her nose with his finger
tip. 'Little avarice! I wonder if any fortune would be enough
for you? But don't forget you are Fanny Morland, not Fanny Hobsbawn. The twenty thousand pounds will be very useful
to improve the estate, Fan, but the mills — leave them to
those who understand them, that's my advice. We're gentle
men farmers, not mill-masters! And now I must be off.
Shouldn't you be at your lessons? What is it this morning?
Drawing? Didn't I see the drawing-master cross the hall just
now?'

‘
He teaches Nicholas first today. I have pianoforte with
Miss Rosedale,' Fanny said absently: she was evidently deep
in thought about something far removed from lessons.

*

On a glorious May day, Héloïse was sitting out in the rose-garden, with Nicholas, Kithra and Castor at her feet, and a
basket of sewing in her lap. It was Marie's day off, and she
had been taken out for a drive by Kexby, the carrier from
Thirsk, who had been asking her to marry him twice a year
for the last five years at least. Marie always refused his offers, not wishing to leave Héloïse's service, and Héloïse wished she
could think of a way to persuade Marie to accept. Not that
she wished to be without her dear friend and servant, but she
felt very guilty at depriving her, however involuntarily, of the establishment and happiness she deserved.

Kithra lifted his head and thumped his tail on the ground,
and a moment later Castor gave a single bark of greeting as
Mathilde came through the archway into the arbour where
Héloïse was sitting.

‘
The letters have come, Madame,' she said, 'and there's
one for you from Lady Aylesbury. I thought you might like to
have it out here.'

‘
Thank you, my dear. That was a kind thought,' Héloïse
said, and put aside the sewing, which had been occupying her
with little enthusiasm, to break the seal and unfold the letter.
Though Lucy had not visited Yorkshire since Nicholas was
born, they had kept up a regular correspondence, and Héloïse
looked forward to her letters. Mathilde sat down beside her,
and talked to Nicholas, so as not to seem unwarrantably
curious.

‘
Dear Lucy is growing a better correspondent of late,'
Héloïse remarked. 'It is only a single sheet, to be sure, but she
has written it quite close and crossed half of it! I remember
when she would not have been able to fill half so much space.'
She began to read, passing on the news to Mathilde as she
went. 'She has been to Oatlands with Mr Wiske and Mr
Brummell. There has been a special gathering there, to
celebrate the Duke of York's reinstatement as Commander
in-Chief. Also the Duchess's birthday, which fell during the
week. Hmm — hmm — hmm. There is a great deal about
that. And about a bow-window — how is that?’

Mathilde gave a brief description, with gestures.

‘
Ah yes — a bow-window which has been built at White's
club, and Mr Brummell and his friends sit in it all day and
look out of the window and make remarks about the passers
by. This is important news in London?
Tiens!
Hmm — hmm.
And Mr Nash has been given the job of drawing plans for a grand scheme of building between Marylebone and Carlton
House. There are to be whole new streets, an ornamental
park, a canal, houses and shops.' She laughed. 'Listen to this,
Mathilde! Lucy says, "It is all in honour of the Regency, so I dare say we shall have a Regent's Street and a Regent's Park,
to say nothing of Regent's Villas by the score. What no-one
seems to know is, who shall pay for it? By my guess, it will not
be Regent's Purse." Oh, that is like her!’

Mathilde smiled. 'Yes, Madame.'

‘
And that is all, but the crossed part.' She turned the page
sideways.
'Oh,
mes yeux,
but Lucy's handwriting is difficult!
Hmm — hmm — hmm — and here is the real news: Captain
Haworth had written to say he will be in England by the
autumn, and means to stay a six-month. "I shall make him
stay with me, at Wolvercote or here, to save expense. I don't
believe sailors are paid half enough." Oh, but she is an
original, that one! And that is all. Should you like to read
it, Mathilde?'

‘
Thank you, Madame, I should. But I have something to ask. I received a letter of my own this morning,' Mathilde
said, proffering the folded sheet she had been holding in her
lap. 'It's from Lizzie Spencer.'

‘
Tell me it,
chérie,'
Héloïse said good-naturedly. 'I'm sure
she has written many things she meant only for you to read.'

‘
Oh, there are no secrets in it — well, not really,' Mathilde
said with a smile. 'The thing is, Lizzie is to be married, and she asks me to be her bridesmaid, and to go away with them afterwards on their bridal tour. Do read it, Madame, and tell
me what you think.’

Héloïse read the letter. 'I cannot tell from the way she
writes — will she be happy? She says so little about this Mr
Wickfield. Have you heard of him before? Is he agreeable?'

‘
Yes, very, I believe, Madame. She has written about him
in other letters. He's a friend of her papa's, and a great deal older than she, but she likes him excessively, and he's very
wealthy and respectable. He has a large house in Thirkleby,
which you know is very close to Coxwold, so she won't be far
from home. She'll be able to visit every day if she wants.'

‘
That is a great thing indeed,' Héloïse agreed solemnly.
‘And the wedding tour is to go to the Lakes, and then to the Peak District, if time permits. Ah, if it weren't for the war, I
dare say they would go to Paris and Vienna and Florence and Rome! That would have been a great thing for you, Mathilde,
to see Europe! The churches, the piazzas, the art galleries! It is very sad, that there are whole generations of young people
who have never set foot outside England.'

‘
You forget, Madame,' Mathilde said with a smile, 'that
like you, I was born outside England — though to be sure I
don't remember much about it.'

‘
Well, that is true,' Héloïse agreed. 'And so, should you like
to go on this tour? Would it amuse you?'

‘
Very much indeed, Madame. I should like it above any
thing, if you can spare me.'

‘
Oh, as to that, I shall manage somehow, with only a butler
and housekeeper and a score of servants to help me,' Héloïse
said solemnly. 'Well, then, you shall write and say yes and
thank you to Lizzie Spencer.' She cocked her head at her
ward. 'Now you will have been twice a bridesmaid. I hope it
does not make you unhappy?’

Mathilde remained composed, but she did not meet
Héloïse's eye. 'Not at all, Madame,' she said calmly. 'I have
no wish to marry.'

‘
But you should wish it,
ma chère,
Héloïse said indignantly.
'You are a very handsome and clever young woman, much
too good to waste on spinsterhood.'

‘
Perhaps I haven't met the right man yet, Madame,'
Mathilde said, trying to make light of it. Héloïse eyed her
thoughtfully, seeing the slight blush that stained her Cheek. Oh, you have met the right man, she thought, but perhaps at
the wrong time. But who is it? Not the Skelwith, I think? No, I
don't believe so. I wonder — no, that was too foolish! And
yet

‘
Mathilde, I meant to ask you,' Héloïse said casually, 'have
you quarrelled with your cousin Edward? Well, no, not
quarrelled — that is the wrong word — but, forgive me,
chérie,
for noticing that you don't play chess with him in the evenings
any more. He is such a lonely man, I'm sure he must miss
your company very much. I feel very sorry for him.'

‘It is by his own choice that we do not play chess, Madame,'
Mathilde said quietly. 'I have not refused to play — it is
simply that he hasn't asked me.’

Her tone was not quite as non-committal as she evidently
intended it to be, but Héloïse did not feel she could press the
matter any further. She continued to look at Mathilde in a
puzzled way, however, until Mathilde was roused to ask,
‘Well, Madame, I have your permission, then, to go with Lizzie?
I shall be away for a month at least, perhaps six weeks, for you
see Lizzie says they will not hurry back if there is something particularly worth seeing.'

‘
Of course you may go, and with my blessing!' Héloïse said
quickly. 'I hope you will amuse yourself very well. It is kind of
Lizzie to ask you — though perhaps,' she added thoughtfully,
‘she anticipates more good to herself in securing an agreeable
companion. It will be a great thing for her to have you there,
if this Mr Wickfield should prove to have inconvenient
interests, and wants to tramp about in the rain, and look at
mountains when there are shops to be visited.'

‘
But Madame!' Mathilde began, shocked and ready to
defend the School of the Picturesque; and then she saw the
laughter in Hèloise's eye, and realised she was being teased.

*

Only a day or two later, when Mathilde was still spending
hours locked up in the Red Room with Marie, going through
her clothes and deciding what to take and what new gowns
she would need to have made, Edward came to James with a
puzzled look and a letter in his hand.

‘
It's from Papa Hobsbawn,' he said, waving it distractedly.
‘He says he wants Fanny to go and stay with him, for six
weeks or two months. I think he's taken leave of his senses.'