"Cressy?"
"Cressida-Miss Stavely! In every respect what one would wish for, Kit! A young woman of the first consideration-not a schoolroom chit, full of romantic notions! She has what Henry calls a well-regulated mind, though she is not, I a.s.sure you, a blue-stocking. I don"t say she is a beauty, but I think her very pretty, and with a good deal of countenance, besides having a well-formed figure, and truly exquisite taste! She will fill her position to admiration- better by far than I ever did!-for she conducts herself with perfect propriety, and will never give Evelyn cause to blush for her!"
"And how comes it about that this highly finished piece of nature is on the shelf?" he asked sceptically.
"She is not on the shelf! To be sure, she is twenty, which might lead you to suppose that she had never received any eligible offers, but that is not the case at all! She received several offers when her grandmama brought her out, but she refused them all, because she thought it her duty to remain with her papa. She said she had met no one she liked better than Stavely, but the fact is that she is his only child, and she has kept house for him since she was sixteen. He was used to dote on her, too."
"What caused him to stop doting on her?"
"Oh, I daresay he still does so, but he would be afraid for his life to betray it! What must he do, when one would have supposed him to be past the age of such folly, but form an attachment for a female not very much older than Cressy, and marry her! Well, I never had a very high idea of his understanding-he formed a pa.s.sion for me, you know, when I was first out, and behaved like a perfect moonling-but I thought he had grown to be quite rational! But to have allowed himself to be caught by Albinia Gillifoot-! He must be about in his head! She keeps him dancing attendance on her, which will very soon make him regret his imprudence; and she"s as jealous as a cat, particularly of poor Cressy."
"Oh, so that"s why poor Cressy is willing to accept Evelyn, is it?"
"Of course it is! Really, nothing could have been more providential!"
"I hope she thinks so!"
"No, but I do, and so does your uncle! When I mentioned Cressy to him he almost approved of me!" Her eyes danced. "He said he had never looked for so much good sense in me! Unexceptionable, he called her, and one with strength of character! "
"And what does Evelyn call her?" inquired Kit, in a voice of polite interest.
"Evelyn told me that he believed she might be the very thing he had in mind. You mustn"t think I urged him in any way, Kit! Indeed, I begged him not to make her an offer if he felt he could not like her; but he a.s.sured me that he does like her. He is not very well acquainted with her, for although she has frequently visited me, and I have chaperoned her to b.a.l.l.s now and then, because I am her G.o.dmother, her mama having been a particular friend of mine, he has never paid her any extraordinary attention."
"Not his style, eh?"
"If you mean she is not in the style of the girls he tumbles in and out of love with, no, and a very good thing too! He believes they may deal very comfortably together, and so do I. He won"t feel leg-shackled, and she won"t fall into a grand fuss over his little affaires. She must be accustomed to such things. I could furnish you with the names of at least three of Stavely"s mistresses, and you may depend upon it that Cressy is well aware of his being quite a man of the town. Kit, I know you don"t like it, but I must tell you that Evelyn"s mind is made up: he is determined to marry. I needn"t tell you how impossible it is to turn him from his purpose when he gets that obstinate look in his face.
I don"t know what pa.s.sed between him and Cressy, when he popped the question, but he told me afterwards he thought himself very fortunate. Nothing was farther from his intention than to cry off! Why, he even said that he meant to return from Ravenhurst in good time to adonize himself for the encounter with old Lady Stavely! And if he doesn"t return tomorrow his tale will be told, for Lady Stavely is bound to take a pet-and small blame to her! Only think how bra.s.s-faced it would be of him! And then he would offer for some girl not nearly as suitable, and be wretchedly uncomfortable for the rest of his life! Oh, Kit, what am I to do? If he hasn"t suffered an accident, I have the most lowering fear that something has happened to put his engagement in Mount Street out of his mind. You can"t deny that he does forget things!"
Since very much the same explanation of his twin"s continued absence had long since occurred to him Mr Fancot made no attempt to deny it, merely saying, in a heartening tone: "Well, if he doesn"t return in time to attend this party you must inform Stavely that he has been taken ill suddenly."
"I thought of that myself, but it won"t do, Kit! If Evelyn could send me a message, he could send one to Mount Street as well."
"Too ill to write!" he said promptly. "One of the servants brought the news to you!"
"Well, of all the bird-witted suggestions!" she exclaimed. "If that were the case I should be compelled to post off to Ravenhurst immediately, and I don"t mean to do any such thing! What"s more, Kit, if I were to set that story about, Evelyn would drive into London the very next day, as sure as check! Looking as bright as a b.u.t.ton, and exchanging greetings with half-a-dozen persons, and very likely more!"
He grinned. "Yes, very true! That would make mice-feet of the whole business, wouldn"t it?"
"Oh, Kit, don"t joke me! I am going distracted! "
He put his arm round her. "No, no, don"t go distracted, Mama! If the worst comes to the worst I can always take Evelyn"s place, can"t I?"
3.
These lighthearted words, uttered with no other purpose than to banish the woebegone expression from Lady Denville"s face, were productive of an unexpected result. She had relaxed within Kit"s arm, leaning her head on his shoulder, but his frivolous speech acted on her like a powerful restorative. She sat up suddenly, and, staring at him with widened eyes, breathed: " Kit! The very thing!"
Startled, he said: "I was only funning, Mama!"
She paid no heed to this, but embraced him warmly, saying: "I might have known you would come to the rescue! How could I be such a ninnyhammer as not to have thought of it myself? Dear Kit!"
Mr Fancot, realizing too late that he had committed an error of judgement, made haste to retrieve his position. "You didn"t think of it because it"s an absurdity. I said it only to make you laugh! Of course I couldn"t take Evelyn"s place!"
"But you could, Kit! Why, you have frequently done so!"
"When we were hey-go-mad boys, kicking up larks! Mama, you must surely perceive that this is a very different matter! Setting aside all other considerations, how could I hope to fob myself off as Evelyn at such a gathering?"
"But nothing could be easier!" she responded.
"Mama, do, pray, consider! I apprehend this party is to be composed of the various members of the family. Well, I know Stavely, admittedly, but not another soul should I recognize-least of all the girl to whom I should be supposed to be betrothed!"
She disposed unhesitatingly of this objection. "You will recognize Cressy, because she will receive you, with Stavely and his new wife. As for the rest, Evelyn doesn"t know them either."
"And Miss Stavely herself?" he demanded. "Can you believe that she wouldn"t detect the imposture?"
"Oh, I am persuaded she won"t!" responded her ladyship blithely. "Recollect that she is not closely acquainted with Evelyn! The only occasion on which they have been alone together was when he proposed to her. Then, too, she doesn"t expect to see you instead of Evelyn. That is very important!"
"Of course she doesn"t expect it! But-"
"No, no, you don"t understand what I mean, dearest! It won"t occur to anyone that you are not Evelyn, because no one knows that you"ve come home. It would be a very different matter if you resided here, when people would be accustomed to find themselves talking to the wrong twin. You can"t have forgotten how it was before you went abroad! Why, persons who had known you from your cradles were used to say, when either of you came into the room: "Now, which of them is this?" Then there was always the possibility that the one who was thought to be Evelyn would presently be found to be you, so that people naturally stared very hard at you, trying to decide which of you it was. But you have been abroad now for three years, and no one wonders any more if Evelyn is really Evelyn. He couldn"t be you, because you are in Vienna. My dear, providence must have caused you to arrive at this ridiculous hour, and without a word of warning! Not a soul has the smallest suspicion that you are not still in Vienna!"
Mr Fancot was much inclined to think that not providence but his evil genius had been at work, but he kept this reflection to himself, applying his energies instead to the task of pointing out to his parent the various reasons which made her scheme impossible.
He was singularly unsuccessful. The more Lady Denville dwelled on it the more enamoured of it did she become; and when Kit told her that it was fantastic, she said enthusiastically: "Yes, isn"t it? That"s what makes it so excellent! n.o.body would ever dream we should dare do anything so out of the way!"
"Not out of the way! Outrageous! "
She looked at him with misgiving, and said: "You know, Kit, I never did quite like it when you joined the diplomatic service. I had the greatest dread that you might grow to be like Henry, and I was right! Dearest, I hate pinching at you, but I couldn"t bear it if you became prim and prosy!"
"Oh, dear!" said Kit, dismayed. "Am I prim and prosy? I"d no suspicion of it!"
"No, love," she replied, patting his hand. "Naturally you had not, which is why I feel it to be my duty to drop a word of warning in your ear, so that you may overcome the tendency. You"re not like Henry yet, but when you said outrageous, in that condemning way, you did put me in mind of him. You didn"t care a rush about doing outrageous things before he pushed you into being a diplomat, and never would you have raised all the foolish objections!"
"I was three years younger then, Mama."
"So was Evelyn, but he hasn"t changed! In your place he wouldn"t hesitate for a moment, or think about propriety, or be afraid to take a trifling risk or two! I can"t think what has come over you, Kit!"
"The diplomatic service, and a want of dash. Alas that you should have given birth to a pudding-heart, Mama!"
"That I would never believe!" she declared.
"Thank you, love! It pains me to disillusion you, but when I think of coolly walking into Stavely"s house, and palming myself off as Evelyn, I find myself shaking like a blanc-manger!"
She laughed. "Oh, no, Kit! That"s coming it too strong! You never did so in your life.
I know very well you are not afraid, but you do seem to me to be sadly cautious! " She put up her hand to his cheek, compelling him to turn his head fully towards her. "Don"t banter me, but tell me the truth, wicked one! Do you think you couldn"t do it?"
He hesitated. Then he said bluntly: "No. For one evening, amongst a set of persons who are not well enough acquainted with Evelyn to know his mannerisms, I"m pretty confident I could do it. And, in certain circ.u.mstances, I"m not yet so prim and prosy that I shouldn"t enjoy doing it!"
"There!" she said triumphantly. "I knew you couldn"t have changed so very much!"
"No, Mama, but this isn"t a matter of playing a Canterbury trick on people who would think it a very good joke if they found me out. But to cut such a sham to gain an advantage is quite another pair of shoes. And only think, Mama, what a humiliating insult I should be offering to Miss Stavely!"
"I don"t see that, Kit. For one thing, she won"t know it; and, for another, she would be much more humiliated if you didn"t take Evelyn"s place. Do but consider! Can you conceive of anything more-more annihilating than to be obliged to tell all the relations who have been invited to meet one"s betrothed that he has excused himself from attending the party? For my part, I should be grateful for the masquerade!" She caught his hand, and pressed it. "Kit, for Evelyn"s sake! He would do it for you!"
That was undeniable. Evelyn would do it, and revel in it, thought his twin, with a gleam of amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Only for one day!" urged Lady Denville.
"If we could be sure of that! What if it should prove to be very much more than one day? I couldn"t maintain such an imposture: I should be bound to run against his cronies-some, perhaps, whom I shouldn"t even recognize!"
"Oh, if Evelyn doesn"t come back in a day or two, we shall say you are unwell, or have been obliged to leave town on business! But he will, Kit! Indeed, I have a feeling that he will return tomorrow."
"I hope to G.o.d he does!" said Kit fervently.
"Yes, but we must be provident, dearest, and be ready to meet any mischance. And, do you know, I have suddenly thought that it might be a good thing if you should be obliged to go to the party in his stead! I very much fear that old Lady Stavely has heard tales about him which have made her suspect him of being rather wild-in fact, quite ramshackle, which is untrue, of course, or, at all events, grossly exaggerated! And although he means to behave with the greatest propriety I can"t help thinking that you would deal with her much better, through being a diplomat, and knowing how to look grave and sober at formal parties, which Evelyn hasn"t the least idea of. I won"t conceal from you, Kit, that if Cressy"s aunts and uncles and cousins are a set of dead bores, which is extremely likely-only consider one"s own relations!-I have the liveliest fear that Evelyn will say something outrageous, or excuse himself far too early in the evening, which would be fatal! "
"If Evelyn does not return tomorrow," said Kit, with feeling, "I"ll wring his neck the instant I set eyes on him! And if he does return neither he nor you, my very dear Mama, will persuade me to take his place at this party! Nothing short of the direst necessity would induce me to do so!"
"No, dear, and we must hope there won"t be any necessity," she agreed cheerfully.
"But just in case there should be you won"t object to pretending you are Evelyn for a little while, will you? I mean, until he arrives, which I dare say he will, for even he couldn"t be quite so forgetful, do you think? But if he doesn"t it would be most unwise to let the servants know the truth."
"Good G.o.d, Mama, do you imagine they won"t recognize me?"
"Well, the maidservants won"t, and the footmen won"t, and Brigg won"t either, because he is getting so short-sighted and deaf. We ought to engage a younger butler, but when Evelyn only hinted to him that he should retire on a very handsome pension he was thrown into such gloom that Evelyn felt obliged to let the matter drop."
"And what of Mrs Dinting?" interposed Kit.
"Why should she suspect anything? If you were to encounter her, you have only to greet her, as Evelyn would, quite carelessly, you know. Depend upon it, she won"t even wonder if you"re Kit, because she would never believe you would come home after all these months and not pay a visit to the housekeeper"s room to have a chat with her.
Then, too, she will have been told that Evelyn is home, and why should she call it in question?"
"Who is going to tell her this whisker? You?"
"No, stupid! The servants will see that the candle that was set on the hall-table for Evelyn has gone, and the whole household will know that he has returned before you are even awake."
"Including Fimber! I collect he won"t recognize me either? Mama, do come out of the clouds! A man who valeted us both when we were striplings!"
"I am not in the clouds!" she said indignantly. "I was about to say, when you interrupted me, that we must take him into our confidence."
"Also Challow, your coachman, the second groom, all the stableboys,-"
"Nonsense, Kit! Challow, perhaps, but why in the world should the others be told?"
"Because, my love, there is a phaeton and four horses to be accounted for!"
She thought this over for a moment. "Very true. Oh, well, we must trust Challow to do that! You can"t think he won"t be able to: recollect what convincing lies he was used to tell when Papa tried to discover from him what you had been doing whenever you had slipped away without telling anyone where you were going!"
"Mama," said Kit, "I am going to bed! I haven"t given back-don"t think it!-but if I argue with you any more tonight I shall end with windmills in my head!"
"Oh, poor boy, of course you must be f.a.gged to death!" she said, with ready sympathy. "Nothing is so fatiguing as a long journey! That accounts for your perceiving so many difficulties in the way: it is always so when one is very weary. Go to bed, dear one: you will feel much more yourself when you wake up!"
"Full of s.p.u.n.k-not to say effrontery, eh?" he said, laughing. He kissed her, and got up. "It"s midsummer moon with you, you know-but don"t think I don"t love you!"
She smiled serenely upon him, and he went to retrieve his belongings from the half-landing, and to carry them into Evelyn"s bedroom.
He was so tired that instead of applying his mind to the problems confronting him, as he had meant to do, he fell asleep within five minutes of blowing out his candle. He was awakened, some hours later, by the sound of the blinds being drawn back from the windows. He raised himself on his elbow, wondering, for a moment, where he could be.
Then he remembered, and lay down again, rather mischievously awaiting events.
The curtains round the bed were pulled apart with a ruthlessness which was a clear sign to the initiated that the supposed occupant of the great four-poster was in his devoted valet"s black books. Kit yawned, and murmured: "Morning, Fimber: what"s o"clock?"
"Good morning, my lord," responded Fimber, in arctic accents. "It is past ten, but as I apprehend that your lordship did not return until the small hours I thought it best not to wake you earlier."
"No, I was very late," agreed Kit.
"I am aware of that, my lord-having sat up until midnight, in the expectation of being required to wait on you."
"Stupid fellow! You should have known better," said Kit, watching him from under his eyelids.
The expression of cold severity on Fimber"s face deepened. He said, picking his words: "Possibly it did not occur to your lordship that your continued absence would give rise to anxiety."
"Lord, no! Why should it?"
This careless rejoinder had the effect of turning the ice to fire. "My lord, where have you been?" demanded Fimber, abandoning his quelling formality.
"Don"t you wish you knew!"
"No, my lord, I do not, nor it isn"t necessary I should know, for what I do know is that you wouldn"t have been so anxious not to let me go with you if the business which took you off had been as innocent as you"d have me believe. Nor you wouldn"t have sent Challow home! You should think shame to yourself, staying away all this time, and never sending her ladyship word to stop her fretting herself to ribbons! For anything she knew you might have been dead! Now, just tell me this, my lord, without trying to tip me a rise, which you know you can"t do!-are you in a sc.r.a.pe?"
"I don"t know," replied Kit truthfully. "I hope not."
"So you may well, my lord! At a time like this! If it"s serious, tell me, and we"ll see what can be done."
"I can"t tell you what I don"t know, Fimber."
"Indeed, my lord?" said Fimber ominously. "I should have thought that your lordship knew I could be trusted, but it seems I was mistaken." He turned away, deeply offended, and walked across the room to where Kit"s open portmanteau stood. Kit had done no more than drag his night-gear out of it, considerably disarranging the rest of its contents.
Muttering disapproval to himself, Fimber stooped to unpack it. He lifted up a waistcoat, took one look at it, and turned swiftly to find Kit watching him quizzically. He stood staring for an incredulous moment, and then gave a gasp. "Mr Christopher!"