The Victory (70 page)

‘You have Africa with you,' Lucy pointed out.

‘
Yes, but the time is coming when she ought to have a
proper education and meet other young people of her own
age, or she will grow up too strange to be able to make the
adjustment later.'

‘That's true,' Lucy said. 'What is it you plan to do, then?'

‘
I haven't got as far as making plans, yet,' he said, 'but I
have my prize-money saved, and the award from Trafalgar,
and there'd be my half-pay. If I were to give up my commis
sion next spring, I think I could live snugly enough, in a small
way, with my girls. Take a little house in Portsmouth or
Southsea or somewhere like that. I shouldn't want to be too
far from the sea.'

‘Then you'd take Polly away from Flaminia?' Lucy said.

‘
I don't want to separate them entirely,' Haworth said. He
smiled quizzically at Lucy. 'I was hoping that you wouldn't feel the friendship of a retired sea-officer beneath you, and
that we might meet from time to time, for the children's sake,
if nothing else.'

‘
Of course,' Lucy said briskly. 'Don't be a fool, Haworth.
Do you think I'd have cared for your children all these years
if I didn't like you? I hope we shall meet very often. You can come and stay at Wolvercote whenever you like, for as long as
you like. I shall probably,' she added thoughtfully, 'be glad of
your advice.'

‘
We'll help each other, then,' he said. 'Between us, we
ought to be able to solve most of our problems.’

The prospect comforted Lucy a little. Kindly, sensible,
practical, understanding, he was the sort of friend she most
needed.

*

A friend of another kind came to visit her while she was still
in. Upper Grosvenor Street. Though she had not announced
her arrival in Town, Mr Brummell left his card at once, and
called on her a few days later. He eyed her black gown with
sympathy, but shewed his understanding of her by forbearing to talk about her bereavement, and gave her instead the latest
gossip.

‘
Lady Chelmsford is gone down to Brighton — rather
early, but the best lodgings are so quickly taken. Did you
know that the Prince has changed his mind about having the Pavilion rebuilt in the Chinese style? It seems that Porden —
his architect, you know — has become interested in the
Indian movement, so it's out with the mandarins and in with
the nabobs! One can only wait with bated breath to see the
result.'

‘
It will be perfectly hideous, whichever way they do it,'
Lucy said with conviction, and Brummell's eyes twinkled.

‘
How deliciously rude you can be, ma'am! You ought to
admire His Highness's taste more, since he is even now preparing to build a new stable for the Pavilion on your
brother's model at Morland Place, only a great deal larger, of
course. The cupola is to be twice as big, at least. Quite how
they will get such an enormous dome to stay up, no-one has
yet worked out.’

Lucy gave a faint smile, and Mr Brummell felt sufficiently
encouraged to go on. 'And Mrs Fitz is in raptures over the
result of the court case over little Minny Seymour,' he said.

Mary Seymour was the orphaned niece of the Marquess of Hertford, whom Mrs Fitzherbert had been looking after ever
since the child's mother, her intimate friend, had died in July 1801. She adored the child, an engaging creature, who called
her 'mama' and the prince 'Prinny'. Prinny and Minny were
the greatest of friends; but the child's relatives had decided
that Mrs Fitzherbert was not a fit person to have charge of her, and had taken a claim to court to have the child taken
away from her.

‘
I had not heard it was concluded,' Lucy said. 'What did
the court decide?'

‘
They found in favour of the Seymours, but ordered the
child to be handed over to the Marquess as head of the
family; and since Lady Hertford is a dear friend of Mrs Fitz's,
the Marquess has given Minny back to her.'

‘It seems a fair result for all concerned.'

‘
Quite so; and the Prince has discovered what an entirely
delightful woman Lady Hertford is. Of course he has been
thrown a great deal into her company during the negoti
ations.’

He watched to see if Lucy would pick up the hint, but she
only nodded vaguely, and after a moment asked, 'How does
your new club go on?'

‘
A
succés fou,
of course,' he said promptly; and then with a
delicate hesitation, 'I am more than sorry that things
happened as they did over young Mr Knaresborough. It was impossible for me to act otherwise; and yet if I had foreseen
the consequences, I think I should have closed the club rather
than precipitate them.’

Now Lucy was looking frankly puzzled. 'What conse
quences? What can you mean?’

Brummell shook his head, and gave her a fond smile.
‘Nothing in the world. Dear Lady Aylesbury, life would not be
the same without you! But they tell me you are going into the countryside — quite to Yorkshire, I believe?’

Tor a little while,' she said. 'I shall come back when I
feel —'

‘Bored?' he supplied helpfully.

‘Stronger,' she said. ‘I believe I am very tired.'

‘
But you have many good friends in Yorkshire to take care
of you,' he said. 'Lady Strathord has gone back — I suppose
you knew that? She has given Miss Nordubois into Lady
Chelmsford's care. A perfectly well-behaved young female, though her lack of family and fortune will prevent her from
making a brilliant match. Lady Chelmsford seems to enjoy
her company. It is odd, is it not, how all your ladies of fashion
must have their little fondling about them, some unwanted
waif to bring up and lavish affection upon?’

Lucy met his eyes doubtfully. Could he possibly be referr
ing to Thomas? Surely he could not know about him? No-one
was supposed to know that he existed, far less that there was
any connection between him and Lucy. But there was some
thing very knowing in Mr Brummell's satirical eye. It gave
her something to think about after he had gone; for it had not
until that moment occurred to her that, now Chetwyn was
dead, there was nothing to prevent her from having Thomas
to live with her. The idea was attractive. She had never
reared a child herself, having always been content to leave her
public children largely to Trotton's care. Perhaps, when she was more settled, she might send for him. She needed some
thing with which to occupy herself in the long years ahead.

*

Héloïse had only been back home a fortnight, and was returning one day from taking Sophie and Thomas for a ride in the
phaeton, when, drawing up in front of the house, she saw a
gentleman's horse tied up to the hitching-ring. Sophie saw it
at the same instant.

‘
A visitor! There's a visitor! Maman, why is your face all
red?'

‘
Because it's so warm. Help Thomas down, my love, and
take him in.’

Stephen came out to take Cygnus and Vega, and to tell her
that the Duc de Veslne-d'Estienne had arrived in her
absence. He pronounced the name without a stumble, having
had a great deal of practice since the first occasion.

A mixture of pleasure, disappointment and relief passed
almost instantaneously through her, and she said, 'But I
thought he had gone to Brighton for the summer, like every
one else. How strange that he should be here.' And she
hurried indoors to the parlour, where Flon was trying to
entertain the visitor, whose eyes would keep straying towards
the door, and whose attention had seemed very hard to
engage over the last fifteen minutes.

When Héloïse came in, he sprang to his feet, and a gladness
filled his eyes which told Flon a great deal, but posed even
more questions than it answered.

‘
Monsieur le Duc, what a pleasant surprise,' she said,
coming forward with her hand outstretched. He bowed, took
the hand and kissed it, and retained it for a moment as he
looked at her in a way that made her cheeks quite pink. 'What
brings you to Yorkshire?' she asked, a little breathlessly. 'I
had supposed you to be in Brighton.'

‘
I was there for a few days,' he said, releasing her hand at
last, as she drew it back firmly. 'But I had — I had business to
attend to, and then, since I was in the area, I thought I must
call and see how you were. The journey home did not fatigue
you, I hope?'

‘
Not the least bit,' Héloïse said, amused, taking a seat on
the sopha. 'Have you seen Lady Chelmsford recently? Was
she well?'

‘
I had the pleasure of seeing her ladyship at Lady
Tonbridge's ball on Tuesday,' the Duc said. 'She seemed in
good spirits.'

‘On Tuesday? Oh, then you must only just have arrived in
Yorkshire,' Héloïse said. The Duc looked unaccountably
embarrassed.

‘Oh — yes — just this morning.'

‘
I did not understand,' Héloïse said. 'It was kind of you to
call on me so soon, especially if you have come to Yorkshire
on business.' The Duc did not dissent from this view of his
actions. 'And was Miss Nordubois at Lady Tonbridge's too?'
she asked, aware of Flon's grave glance going from one of
them to the other.

‘
Er — yes, I believe so. Yes, of course she was. She looked
very handsome and danced with Major Ashton of the Ninth, I believe,' the Duc said, making an effort to be expansive. 'She
seems to enjoy herself extremely. Lady Chelmsford was
talking of arranging a picnic party to Rottingdene for Miss
Nordubois and some other young ladies, with some of the
officers.’

Héloïse smiled a little wickedly. 'And you did not feel compelled to delay your departure for such a temptation?
Your business must be urgent indeed.' The Duc looked
confused, and Flon gave a warning cough, and Héloïse felt
she had teased him too far, and tried to make amends. 'I am
sorry I was not here to greet you when you arrived,' she said
politely. 'I was taking the children for a drive.'

‘
In your phaeton? What an elegant carriage that is, so
delightfully light and balanced, and the horses so perfectly matched,' the Duc said with unexpected enthusiasm. 'How I
wish I had been in time to go with you. But I suppose the
horses are tired now?'

‘
No, not really. I did not drive them fast, nor far,' Héloïse
said, a little puzzled, and then, as the Duc looked at her so
expectantly, she felt obliged to add, 'Would you like to go for
a short drive now?'