Warleggan (33 page)

She was not sure whether Ross intended to visit Looe at all, but she knew he would spend the last p
art of his week end at Trenwith House,
in Elizabeth's arms. He would not want to be bothered with att
ending a reception and dance.
Elizabeth's reception was all he cared about. Demelza wondered if Ross used the same endearments to El
izabeth as he sometimes had to
her. No doubt she would be charmed with her new-lover. She'd got what she w
anted
at last, at long last. In her own bed she was welcoming him. Slender as a lily in
his arms.
Patrician and well bred and disti
nguished in a way Demelza could
never be. For a woman who traced her ancestry eight hundred years there were perhaps refinements of love
of which a miner's daughter knew nothing. It was impossible after such a union that Ross should ever come back to common clay. Impossible. Impossible. He could go his own path while she drooped and languished at home, and d
rudged and cared for his child
and tramped through the muck of the
He could, could he?' A light like a flame fell upon
Demelza
and illuminated all the dark places of her heart. Captain Pol
dark could not attend Sir Hugh
Bodrugan's party, But Mrs. Poldark could. An unrestricted Mrs. Poldark. A Mrs. Poldark bent on avenging herself upon her husband and salving her own hurt, on bolstering up her own pride
in the
only way she, could at this time. Let Ross, take the consequences, for the situation was of his creating.

She
gave
the appropriate message to the footman who was waiting, and saw him go off up the valley on his horse. The light was still playing in her mind and she knew it would not go out. She began to prepare for her visit on Saturday.

Werry House had been built at -the time of Edward
IV, when
all the Bodrugan interests were at their peak. Later, when Richard's lust for power had ruined the Yorkist cause, the main Gorr
an Bodrugans had come crashing
down; but the Werry B
odrugans had managed to find some favour at H
enry's court and had preserved, their inheritance. Now the stock was petering out of its own accord. Neither Sir Hugh nor his stepmother cared anything for appearances. They kept servants to wait on their needs but preferred to live in disorder. They liked to slop about the house in muddy boots and throw them anywhere when d
iscarded, and Sir Hugh had been
known to say that the sight of a tidy room or a polished floor put him in mind of his old grandfather, whom he was trying to forget.

But there had been some effo
rt to better the place for the
time of the party. The lawns were cut, some of the walls
and ceilings brushed, and most of the menagerie of strange
animals had been
cleared put and herded
into two rooms.
If one were not too particular
or took more
notice
of the company than of the chair one sat in, the whole thing passed
muster pretty well.

Much the biggest room in
the house
was the hall, and this had a stone-flagged floor, a great fireplace, a raised dais at
one end, and a high hammer-beam, roof. The lower half of the walls, below the windows, was covered with moth-eaten tapestry, and above were numerous candelabra usually, not lighted. It was in this room that the ball was to take piece.

It was fortunate for Demelza that her decision to go, and to go in such a mood, was taken with so little time to prepare, otherwise she might have wondered a good deal what to wear. Problems of transport she had been quick—
witted
enough to solve before she d
ismissed the footman yesterday. Know
ing, that Ross would take Darkie, she had sent a message to Sir Hugh asking him to send over a groom and
a horse; and this he did about
five. So she arrived, at Werry House in stylish manner, followed by a liveried man on another horse carrying her bag.

The drive of Werry House led out upon
a coaching road, so most of
the gu
ests who came from central and
southern parts of the county had arrived in their carriages. Six was
evidently the fashionable time, for Demelza had to wait her turn before she could ride up to the front door, and she was the object off numerous raised quizzing glasses. She bore the scrutiny coldly, sitting straight-backed in her dark riding habit and tricorn hat.

Hugh and his stepmother were just inside the door, having been lured into the hall from an interesting discussion with
John Treneglos on farcy in horses. Demelza came just on
the heels of Mr. and Mrs
. Nicholas Warleggan and heard
Mr. Warlegg
an's apology.' George had very
urgent business and presented his compliments and regrets. Following her were
a
couple whom she vaguely recognised as Lord and Lady
Devoran. Lord Devoran was a friend of Ross's.

Sir Hugh came up to her and sai
d: `Ha
! ma'am, so you've
ventured to trust yourself to me care and left your husband
by the fireside. Good. Good.'

`Yes, Sir Hugh, I thought 'twas not the weather for firesides.'

`Nor is it, m'dear. I'm with you there But it is a very respectabl
e gathering this week end, damn
-' Or most of it gives that impression at a distance. You'll be quite safe with us, ma'am, I assure you.

`That's what I was afeared of,' said Demelza.

He chuckled dryly and looked at
her with his beady black eyes. "Tis comforting to hear you
talk so even if you don't
mean it. Respectability
bores me
to madness,
and I fancy there'll be moments
this week end when I shall be glad to slip away. Did I not promise you
bawdy talk? Yes, I
did, and you shall have it. We
'll nip into a corner somewhere
and-'

`Hughie!' called his stepmother. Mss Robartes is here
with Dr.
Halse. 'Go and see 'em down! God damn it, I can't be everywhere!'

As Demelza was shown to her room along the floor-creaking corridor upstairs, she reflected that she would have to be very far gone in drink before she could throw herself at Hugh Bodrugan's head. He had tried to make love to her in Bodmin,
and
even now her flesh crept at the thought.

That no doubt was always the trouble with wronged wives. The will to retaliate was there but not the object to make it possible.

The bedroom she had been shown into was big and low with heavy beams and panelled walls. When she was alone she at once went
to the
window and threw it open before beginning to unpack her dress. The window looked out on the side of the house, across two sloping lawns towards a belt of beech trees. The trees were just in their first entrancing green, dappling in the sunlight like watered silk. Bisecting the lawns was a broad low-walled path sentinelled with statuary, much of it now showing the effects of wind and weather,
Coming along the path towards the house was Malcolm McNeil of the Scots Greys.

Sir
Hugh's preferences seldom boned towards the conventional and since this was to be a dance, his view was that the thing should be got under way as soon as possible-and kept up as long as possible so that no one should complain they hadn't had their money's worth. Also he wanted his money's worth out of the orche
stra, Still further; he was no
great hand himself at these stately minuets and gavottes,
so
that if he could get them disposed of before supper they could concentrate on the country dances after and eve
ryone; could get hot and sweaty
and enjoy themselves.

She deliberately kept her room for a time. A maid brought chocolate up for her and she sat in her
lawn morning
gown sipping quietly and enjoying the view. She had no
plans and no thoughts,
Her mind did not go to Ross arid Elizabeth, nor did it to Sir Hugh or Captain McNeil. She was
like the captain of a ship
just before
an
action,
drained of e
motion and
free from apprehensiveness
detached from what had gone and what might come.

About seven she began to dress, sponging her body, and putting on clean and flimsier underclothes. There
was ve
ry little one could wear under
this
dress which Ross had bought her for the Celebration Ball of `8
9 and which
she had not worn since.
She had changed very little in
figure since then, but found it a little ti
gh
ter in the bodice and a little less tight in the
waist. She put on her only pair
of silk stockings
-
a present
from Verity the Christmas of '
9
1
-
liking the feel
of the silk against her skin.

She decided to do her hair, or try to do it, the way the Warleggans' maid had dressed it four years ago, piling it up and up, only allowin
g wisps to fall in front of her
ears and that bit of a fringe to curl on its
own. No maid had come to help, and she was grateful. Nor any
patches on this dressing table, but she had brought her own powder and rouge
– a
present from Verity the Christmas of '92
-
and
she used these very sparingly,
and lengthened her eyebrows about an inch each,

All that done, she at last began to struggle into her frock. It was curious the warmth there was in fine silver brocade. Unimaginable contortions were needed to fasten it, but at last it was done. She stared at herself in the mirror and
considered that she might have passed herself in the street
without recogni
tion, But not without a second g
lance. Did not this appearance proclaim her pretensions far too obviously? Did decent women look like th
is? She decided after sober con
sideration that they did.

Out in the dusty, shadowy corridor the first strains of music came to 'her ears. So she was not
too early. The throb had begun. Dancing -
or at least music
-
before eight o'clock with the su
n still in the sky and the birds twittering. More sui
table
in high May to have dancing on the lawns. She bitterly regretted not having inc
luded a bottle of port in, her
luggage. Facing the company in cold blood
.

In this house the stairs did not come down directly into the big hall but into a smaller hall at the rear of the house, so she was saved the ordeal of descending, in full view. As she came down,, John Treneglos was at the foot of the stairs and immediately, caught sight of her. Neighbour Treneglos, eldest son of the master of Mingoose House and himself already almost master of it; a clumsily built, sandy-haired, freckled man of thirty-five or six.

'Why, there, -if
it isn't Mistress Demelza
! Tally ho! Where've you been hiding yourself, eh?'

His trumpeting tones drew everyone's attention, and Demelza
thought, I must be careful. She had no particular affection for John Treneglos and less still for Ruth, his wife, who always tried to take her down a Peg; but she well knew John's fe
elings for her. It would not do
to repeat the performance of four years ago at the Assembly-Rooms when, in this very frock and hair style, she had had four or five men nearly fighting for her
-
and herself meaning then no more than to be polite and accommodating.

He came up a few steps and held out his arms. `You'll allow me to escort you into the ballroom, eh? And the first dance, eh? Same as once before! History repeats itself, 'Twould give me pleasure to spike Your husband's guns for once. Where is
he?'

She gave him her hand. `He was called away. Where is your wife?'

`In pup as usual. And 'tis near her time or she would have come whether or no; you know her. This is all very well met. Damn it, I believe it was arranged by Providence!'

Damn it,
I believe it was not,' said Demelza.

He laughed heartily, and they went into the ballroom.

Her impression of the first hours of the dance was hazy and confused. Above all at the first she, needed a stimulant to give her poise and possession and to steady, her nerves; but it seemed hours before anyone offered her one. Then it was some dry-tasting wine and not enjoyable to drink. But in the end it had the right effect.

Six i
n the orchestra, three violins,
a tabor, a pipe, and a French horn. The conductor, who was also one of the violinists,
was the roundest man she had ever seen, everything about: him rotund, from his gold-rimmed spectacles to his gold-fobbed belly. His coattails were
never
still; they beat time metronome fashion and were only subdued when he sat on them during the negligible intervals.

All of fifty people in the room, which had been decorated with lilac and daffodils. Sir John Trevaunance had come but not Unwin. Mr. Ray Penvenen was there, although he did not dance and looked very pale and, austere among it al
l. Robert Bodrugan, Sir Hugh's
only nephew and heir presumptive, had c
ome,
and she had two dances with him during the
early part of
the evening. All the Teague family, and three of the Boscoignes, and Richard Treneglos, John's second brother, and Joan Pascoe, the banker's daughter
-
but not Dwight Enys; and William Hick, a
nd Mrs. and Mrs
Barbary, and Peter St. Aubyn Tresize, and the Hon. Mrs. Mar
ia Agar, and Lady Whitworth and her son, who was now
a parson, and Lieutenant and Mrs. Carruthers, and dozens more.

One person very noticeable in the company was a tall handsome some woman in black, with so many bangles and trinkets that s
he clinked every time she moved
- and it wasn't until she was
to be seen hanging on Sir Hugh
Bodrugan's arm that Demelza placed her as, the notorious Margaret Vosper with whom Sir Hugh had been consorting for twelve months. During the evening they came towards her and Sir Hugh
said
,
'D'you know my friend
Mrs. Vosper, ma'am? Mrs. Ross
Poldark. Y
ou two should have something in
common; both pretty women and only need to crook a finger at a man, '
eh
. Or have you already an acquaintance?

Margaret lau
ghed in a loud husky contralto
: `I
don't know this one well, but
I've had dealings one way or another with all the male
Poldarks.' Maybe we've more in
common than you think, Hughie.

Sir Hugh cackled and Demelza's soul went black within her. She didn't doubt the woman's insinuations it all fitted in with Ross's perfidy.

'You have the advantage of me, ma'am,' she said, `but I expect that would be before I was born.'

Sir Hugh's laughter became louder, '
I hope you're enjoyin'
the dance, mistress. I confess I've not seen you sitting out much.'

"Tis a very beautiful dance,' Sir Hugh, and I'd no idea there was so many handsome men in all Cornwall. 'Tis fortunate that you need not fear the competition.'

Sir Hugh took out his snuffbox and tapped
it, hiding his expression from
Margaret.

'This fancy talk's giving me the vapours, Margaret said yawning. `I've buried two husbands and been straw widow to a number of others
-
naming no names
-
and I never see the point of beating about the bush. If you feel a taking for someone, go up and ask 'em yes or no and have done with it.'

"Twould be very businesslike,' Demelza said. -

'Businesslike and honest,' said Margaret. 'A man knows where he is and so does a woman
’

`She
knows where she's likely to be’ put
in Sir Hugh with a rumble.,

'Do you not
think,' said Demelza recklessly, `that there is a case to be made out for a thought more daintiness in love? I should better prefer to take my time in making up my mind. Even if it seem like beating about the bush to, you, I should rather do that than get scratched and worn on every bush I see.
’

Fortunately, John Treneglos came up just then and claimed Demelza, and Margaret drew Sir Hugh away and soon gained his attention again.

But it was Demelza whom
Sir Hugh
led in to supper.

She had not seen anything of Malcolm McNeil in the early part
of the evening.
He had not been in the room at all to begin; but when he caught sight of her, he at once hurried across, pushing his way between Peter Tresize and Lieutenant Carruthers, who were talking to her.

`Why,
Mrs. Poldark, I'd no idea! A glorious surprise on a man's last, night! When may I have the favour of a dance? Are you engaged for supper?'

`Yes,
I'm
that sorry.'

`And the dances before?'

'I'm five deep already

'Then
after supper?
The first?' 'Very well. The first.'

'Why,' said Tresize, `that's unfair, ma'am! It was the one I'd just asked you for.'

'I'd been saving it for Captain McNeil. I'm that sorry, Mr.
Tresize:
Perhaps the second?'

`The second then.'

'I want the third,' said Lieutenant, Carruthers.
`I've
heard
the third is to be an ecossaise. They are rare good sport and
..’

'I think if 'tis that dance, I should dance it with a Scotsman. That is, if he would condescend to ask me.'

`Great plaisure, ma'am,' said McNeil,, pulling at his moustache in agitation. `And many
more if I may have 'em.'

Demelza thought of Margaret's philosophy. `What you care to ask for, sir, so, long as you ask now.'

`The first, the third, the fifths the seventh, and all thereafter, if there be an after.'

'I believe, strongly in a thereafter,' Demelza said.

`I see it as naught but gluttony,' said, Tresize. 'And you should not encourage gluttony, ma'am; it gives rise to other appetites.'

'Captain McNeil tells me he is leaving on the-morrow. Or
so I believe. Perhaps he may be permitted special indulgencies on that score.'

`You'r
e immensely kind, Mrs. Poldark’

Later, when
Sir Hugh took her in to supper,
she was awa
re that all the events of four
years ago were being repeated, except that she was keeping a better control on them. The knowledge wa
s headier than the thin French
wine.

But to go on drinking in care
ful moderation, not enough to get drunk
but
enough
to