"Then praise the novels rather than their wretched author," I told him roundly, "and inflate Mr. Egerton"s sales! You cannot display your pride more profitably, or in a manner more suited to my taste; for I mean to have one of those gorgeous confections," I added with a nod towards La Belle a.s.semblee La Belle a.s.semblee, "as soon as I have put off my blacks."
WE DAWDLED ALONG THE SHOPS OF N NORTH S STREET, STOPPING now and again to admire a particularly fine picture displayed in a window, or a daring hat, or a zephyr cloak such as might have driven Eliza wild; and after taking a cold collation in a parlour at the Old Ship, drove out in a hired gig along the coast. All manner of natural beauties may be found to the west of town-the fall of boulders known as The Rocks, at the mouth of a little inlet just brushed by the road near Southwick-and the natural wonder called Egypt, just shy of Sh.o.r.eham, which looks to be the work of antique Pharaohs in its scattering of monoliths, standing upright amidst the sea. With the wind on my cheeks and my curls whipping from beneath my bonnet, I might almost have been nineteen again-and felt lighter of heart than I had in all the sad weeks since Eliza"s decline. now and again to admire a particularly fine picture displayed in a window, or a daring hat, or a zephyr cloak such as might have driven Eliza wild; and after taking a cold collation in a parlour at the Old Ship, drove out in a hired gig along the coast. All manner of natural beauties may be found to the west of town-the fall of boulders known as The Rocks, at the mouth of a little inlet just brushed by the road near Southwick-and the natural wonder called Egypt, just shy of Sh.o.r.eham, which looks to be the work of antique Pharaohs in its scattering of monoliths, standing upright amidst the sea. With the wind on my cheeks and my curls whipping from beneath my bonnet, I might almost have been nineteen again-and felt lighter of heart than I had in all the sad weeks since Eliza"s decline.
On our return to Brighton, Henry elected to drive out a mile or two along the Lewes road to the encampment of the 10th Royal Hussars-being an inveterate Paymaster, my brother must needs renew acquaintance among the officers; he can never be entirely at his ease, even at a watering-place, but must be about the business of winning custom wherever it may offer. As his conversations could in no way include me me, I was at leisure to walk about. I had alluded to Brighton Camp in Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice, without ever having seen it-and thought it should prove very good sport to learn how much the truth differed from my invention.8 There is much colour in the general scene, for the Prince of Wales Own, as they are called, are scrupulous as to the quality of their horses, their curricles, and their uniforms. They are among the most dashing set of men in England, and betray little sensibility of their losses in the Peninsula, at Corunna and Vittoria. Their manners, when in possession of their senses and not foxed from the b.u.mpers of brandy they are known to take at all hours of the day, are elegant in the extreme; and so I suffered no impropriety or insult-on account of my black clothes, and matronly cap, and general appearance of outworn looks. There are silly girls enough for hanging on the sleeve of every red coat-and one of my advanced years must appear in the nature of deserted chaperon.
It was with a start, therefore, that I heard my name called in an excited accent. Turning, I observed Miss Catherine Twining, accompanied by her father. She was dressed with extreme propriety this morning, in dove-grey muslin drawn up to the neck and a dark blue spencer; a close bonnet concealed her glossy chestnut curls; her eyes, however, were sparkling with delight.
"Miss Austen! What good fortune! Is it not remarkable that we should meet again, within a day of our first acquaintance? I must ascribe it to the workings of Fate!" Miss Twining cried.
"Providence, rather," the General corrected drily, "who sees all and orders all. I wonder you have the courage to call down His notice, unfortunate child."
Miss Twining"s pink cheeks blanched; her imploring gaze fixed on my countenance.
"General Twining," I said with a curtsey. "Miss Twining. I hope I find you fully recovered from your ordeal of yesterday?"
"We were not to speak of it!" General Twining looked all his rage. "I wonder wonder at your insolence, ma"am! And your lack of delicacy! Indeed, I must suspicion some dark purpose in your deliberate allusion to events that cannot too soon be forgotten. Understand, Miss Austen, you shall never hope to profit by your shameful knowledge." at your insolence, ma"am! And your lack of delicacy! Indeed, I must suspicion some dark purpose in your deliberate allusion to events that cannot too soon be forgotten. Understand, Miss Austen, you shall never hope to profit by your shameful knowledge."
"Profit?" I repeated, bewildered.
The obsidian gaze swept over my figure. "Was it that hope that hope that brought you to Brighton Camp? A handsome sum, perhaps, in exchange for the preservation of your silence-the alternative being the publication of my daughter"s wantonness throughout the streets of Brighton?" that brought you to Brighton Camp? A handsome sum, perhaps, in exchange for the preservation of your silence-the alternative being the publication of my daughter"s wantonness throughout the streets of Brighton?"
"Sir!" I gasped, outraged.
"Papa!" Miss Twining cried, at the same instant.
"How else am I to understand your pursuit of us here this morning, madam? Disgraceful! On such a day of melancholy importance to the Twining family! If it is not advantage advantage you seek-if it is not you seek-if it is not interest interest that has brought you hard on my daughter"s heels-then how may you account for your brazen appearance here, in an encampment of soldiers, and entirely without protection? I might almost a.s.sume you to have been Byron"s confederate, and posted in Cuckfield a-purpose, the better to blackmail your victim!" that has brought you hard on my daughter"s heels-then how may you account for your brazen appearance here, in an encampment of soldiers, and entirely without protection? I might almost a.s.sume you to have been Byron"s confederate, and posted in Cuckfield a-purpose, the better to blackmail your victim!"
I stared at him, my body rigid with indignation. "I am thankful that my brother, Mr. Austen, is unable to hear your insults, General-for he should not hesitate to answer them with a demand for justice. I have nothing further to say to you but Good day Good day."
I would have stepped past the repugnant fellow on the instant, and made my way blindly in any direction opposite the Twinings" own, had not Miss Twining impeded me. "Pray-I implore implore you, Miss Austen-do you, Miss Austen-do not not-do not take my papa in bad part-it is only that he is suffering, you see, on account of dear Richard."
I stopped short. What courage the child possessed, to speak out against all caution, all portents in that black and furious face, wavering above her! Where had she learnt such courage? Or was it the broken voice of desperation that spoke-seeking a support of any kind that offered? I could not walk coldly from such a plea; my heart must hear it, and my temper cool. I felt my looks soften, and I forced a smile for the girl. She was so very young, after all- "If I have offended you, Miss Austen, I beg leave to apologise," her father said stiffly. "Such words ought, I apprehend, to have been reserved for Byron himself. But he is unfortunately from Brighton at this present. When he returns, I shall know how to act."
"Papa!" In alarm, Miss Twining grasped his coat sleeve. "You cannot challenge a poet to a duel! Every feeling must be offended!"
He shook her hand away as tho" it had been a fly.
"It is difficult, Miss Austen, for a father to know what he should do for so wayward a daughter. How Catherine can have abandoned propriety yesterday, and entered the coach of a stranger-abandoning reputation and every claim to honour....I know my duty-the girl ought ought to have been soundly whipped, and confined to her room-but circ.u.mstances prevented the natural consequence of sin." to have been soundly whipped, and confined to her room-but circ.u.mstances prevented the natural consequence of sin."
This was heaping mortification upon mortification; Miss Twining looked weak with shame, and she could not lift up her eyes. I sincerely pitied her.
"I have an idea that your daughter repents of her impulsive folly," I said firmly, "and would be grateful for silence from us both on the subject. It is no deprivation to me, sir, I a.s.sure you, to talk of more cheerful matters."
"It would have been better for her, had she not been seen abroad this se"ennight," General Twining persisted heavily, "but our visit to the Camp could not be put off. I observe you are in mourning, ma"am-and that you will have noted, for your part, that I am in blacks as well. My son-my only heir only heir-was killed on this day, a year since, under that disreputable fool Wellington"s command in Spain. It is for that reason-for that solemn observance of our irremediable loss-that Catherine and I have visited the Hussars this morning."
"You have my deepest sympathy," I murmured.
"Mr. Hendred Smalls," the General said broodingly, "-a most respectable clergyman, with every distinction bestowed by the Regent himself-was so good as to offer a service of penance for the redemption of my poor son"s soul. His brother officers took leave from their duties to attend-they have not entirely forgot my martyred Richard. You will apprehend that Catherine"s absence should have excited comment, at a moment when comment was least desired. Her Her penance, therefore, has been forestalled a little." He unbent so far as to lean towards me, as if to confide. "I would not have Mr. Smalls think ill of her for the world. I should not wish penance, therefore, has been forestalled a little." He unbent so far as to lean towards me, as if to confide. "I would not have Mr. Smalls think ill of her for the world. I should not wish that gentleman that gentleman to have a horror of one who might, with a little push, be to have a horror of one who might, with a little push, be all all to him in future." to him in future."
I collected the General intended to make a match between his daughter and the loyal clergyman-was it for Mr. Smalls that Miss Twining had rebuffed so dramatic a parti parti as Byron? Was it possible the clergyman had won her heart, to the exclusion of all other interests-even the most Romantic Lord to walk the streets of Brighton? And how had such an ardent attachment won the General"s approval? The girl was, after all, but fifteen; Mr. Smalls, if he had advanced so far as to earn the Regent"s notice and favour, must be somewhat older than a curate, and an unlikely companion for a child barely out of the schoolroom. I glanced at Miss Twining in sympathy-there is nothing as dreadful as the publication of one"s love affairs-and found her disgusted gaze fixed upon some object behind me. as Byron? Was it possible the clergyman had won her heart, to the exclusion of all other interests-even the most Romantic Lord to walk the streets of Brighton? And how had such an ardent attachment won the General"s approval? The girl was, after all, but fifteen; Mr. Smalls, if he had advanced so far as to earn the Regent"s notice and favour, must be somewhat older than a curate, and an unlikely companion for a child barely out of the schoolroom. I glanced at Miss Twining in sympathy-there is nothing as dreadful as the publication of one"s love affairs-and found her disgusted gaze fixed upon some object behind me.
I turned, and espied a rotund gentleman of advanced years hastening towards our party. His face shone with perspiration, despite the mildness of the day; his hatless head betrayed a balding pate; and his general corpulence suggested a familiarity with the pleasures of the table that must supersede all other pursuits. A cheerful-looking gentleman enough; and however unlikely it seemed, on excellent terms with General Twining. He appeared determined, in his purposeful waddle, to pay his respects on the sad occasion.
"Ah," the General muttered uneasily. "How very unfortunate-Miss Austen, I must beg you to preserve the profoundest silence on the subject of my daughter"s recent disgrace, before Mr....That is, I hope I may depend upon your discretion...Catherine, do not slouch so, and at least attempt attempt to suggest the angelic in your looks!" to suggest the angelic in your looks!"
"You cannot mean, sir-"
"Indeed, Miss Austen," Miss Twining burst out. "Behold the aspirant to my hand! Am I not to be congratulated? Every girl in Brighton must envy me such a beau! I do not think he is above three years older older than my father, indeed! May I present the extremely respectable Mr. Hendred Smalls to your acquaintance?" than my father, indeed! May I present the extremely respectable Mr. Hendred Smalls to your acquaintance?"
8 Henry Austen began life as a banker when he was appointed regimental paymaster of the Oxfordshire Militia at the age of twenty-six-the year he married Eliza de Feuillide, his widowed cousin.- Henry Austen began life as a banker when he was appointed regimental paymaster of the Oxfordshire Militia at the age of twenty-six-the year he married Eliza de Feuillide, his widowed cousin.-Editor"s note.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Regent"s Reception 8 MAY 1813 1813.
BRIGHTON, CONT.
"A PLEASURE, TO BE SURE PLEASURE, TO BE SURE," MR. SMALLS p.r.o.nOUNCED AS he bent with effort over my hand; "for any young lady who is accounted a friend to our dear Miss Twining, must be a treasure indeed." he bent with effort over my hand; "for any young lady who is accounted a friend to our dear Miss Twining, must be a treasure indeed."
I murmured some pleasantry, acutely aware of Catherine Twining"s discomfort; she had stepped back a pace, as though to put as much distance as possible between herself and this preposterous suitor, this puffing Romeo some four decades her senior, whose countenance shone with the exertion of making his bow and whose fingers clutched damply at my own. Hendred Smalls effected a smile-his teeth, as should not be unusual in a man of his span, were very very bad-and then turned with a simper to his real object, Miss Twining. Having learnt, no doubt, from previous experience, she kept her hands firmly clutched on her reticule and merely bobbed a curtsey, her face all but obscured beneath the brim of her bonnet. bad-and then turned with a simper to his real object, Miss Twining. Having learnt, no doubt, from previous experience, she kept her hands firmly clutched on her reticule and merely bobbed a curtsey, her face all but obscured beneath the brim of her bonnet.
General Twining placed his hand in the small of his daughter"s back and thrust her ungently towards the clergyman. "Pray show your grat.i.tude to Mr. Smalls, my dear, for that most eloquent tribute to your brother. Mr. Smalls, for my part, I can conceive of nothing more fitting to the martial nature of Richard"s life-and the bitter waste of his end."
"Sacrifice," Mr. Smalls observed, with his small black eyes fixed upon Miss Twining"s cheek, "is the highest purpose of man"s existence on earth. You may be proud, General-if I may so express it-that Richard"s life was was wasted; for it is the death won without glory, the obscure and insignificant ending, that is most valued in the eyes of the Creator. We should not set ourselves up as rivals, I am sure, of that consummate sacrifice at Calgary." wasted; for it is the death won without glory, the obscure and insignificant ending, that is most valued in the eyes of the Creator. We should not set ourselves up as rivals, I am sure, of that consummate sacrifice at Calgary."
I found this sentiment so revolting I had not a word to utter in response to it. Miss Twining"s fixed regard for the paving-stones at her feet-she had ignored her father"s injunction to effuse her thanks-suggested that the poor child was as little moved. Mr. Smalls"s eloquence may perhaps have been marred by his manner of speaking-he was given to richly rolling consonants, as affected as though he had been trained up in the theatre in his youth, rather than the pulpit; one might suspect him of prating Hamlet Hamlet when he had no babes to baptise. I wondered if he spoke thusly even in the breakfast parlour, crying out for his bread and b.u.t.ter; or if he was liable to declaim from the nether end of the table, when desperately in want of soup. when he had no babes to baptise. I wondered if he spoke thusly even in the breakfast parlour, crying out for his bread and b.u.t.ter; or if he was liable to declaim from the nether end of the table, when desperately in want of soup.
"I am sure you have much to say to one another," I murmured, "and must beg to leave you in peace. General, my condolences on your sad loss; and Mr. Smalls, I shall hope to have the pleasure of listening to your sermon on the morrow."
His round face flushed darkly; his head inclined. "That is not likely to be possible, Miss Austen. You may not perfectly comprehend my position in life. You will know, I am sure, that there is but one church in Brighton-so charming a town should hardly need more-and that is the venerable St. Nicholas"s, which dates from the fourteenth century, tho" certain of the tower stones are decidedly Norman in origin. It falls under the authority of the Bishop of Chichester, and his chosen vicar is the most Reverend Mr. Michel, an excellent man. We have argued points of great doctrinal significance from time to time. I myself am attached, however, to Brighton Camp; I am chaplain to the 10th Royal Hussars, whose Colonel-in-Chief is no less a personage than the Regent himself. I owe everything in life to His Royal Highness. Such benevolence! Such condescension!"
"Such unexpected wisdom," General Twining interposed warmly, "in a Royal of indifferent morals."
Hendred Smalls positively swelled with pleasure at this speech; his round shoulders thrust back, and the hidden stays that bound his torso creaked ominously. "I should like to offer your party some refreshment, General, before your return to Brighton-a gla.s.s of brandy, the hour being already advanced, with perhaps a lemonade for the ladies!-if such an indulgence should not be adjudged improper, on the melancholy occasion. There is something," he added, with a particularly offensive smile at Catherine Twining, "that I should like to say to Miss Twining."
I hastened to reply for myself in the negative, and with a final nod to Catherine-whose countenance was compounded of indignation and dread-hurried off down the High Street in the direction of Buckingham House, hopeful of encountering Henry. My pulse had quickened under the influence of recent events; I could not quite contain my wrath, indeed-and had General Twining not grasped his ebony walking-stick so firmly, I might have soundly thrashed him with it.
--- "IT WAS THE WORST SORT OF HUMILIATION, HENRY, TO TO see that perfect flower of a girl bound over as chattel to an odious old man, who might easily have been her grandsire!" I fumed, as we mounted the stairs to our bedchambers at the Castle some hours later. We had contented ourselves with a moderate dinner in the publick coffee room, the better to restore ourselves and prepare for the Regent"s reception, to which we were bid at eight o"clock. "Only conceive of the domestic picture! Little Catherine, huge with child at the tender age of sixteen, and her toothless husband laid up with the gout, from a constant overindulgence in Port! It should certainly drive the poor girl mad-or to publick ruin." see that perfect flower of a girl bound over as chattel to an odious old man, who might easily have been her grandsire!" I fumed, as we mounted the stairs to our bedchambers at the Castle some hours later. We had contented ourselves with a moderate dinner in the publick coffee room, the better to restore ourselves and prepare for the Regent"s reception, to which we were bid at eight o"clock. "Only conceive of the domestic picture! Little Catherine, huge with child at the tender age of sixteen, and her toothless husband laid up with the gout, from a constant overindulgence in Port! It should certainly drive the poor girl mad-or to publick ruin."
"She"s not quite quite bound over to this fellow, however," my brother said thoughtfully. "There was no mention made of a formal engagement. Do not despair, Jane. Miss Twining, recollect, is not without alternatives. Byron may yet prevail!" bound over to this fellow, however," my brother said thoughtfully. "There was no mention made of a formal engagement. Do not despair, Jane. Miss Twining, recollect, is not without alternatives. Byron may yet prevail!"
"Henry! Do not even joke of such a thing!"
He grinned at me heartlessly. "I should not put it past a girl of Miss Twining"s mettle to escape her father"s plots; she cannot be entirely entirely without friends." without friends."
"She has no mettle at all!" I gasped. "I never knew a more shrinking child. It is clear she has been beaten into conformability from the time she could toddle. But perhaps we may contrive-perhaps the counsel of a friend..."
"Jane, do not involve yourself in the girl"s affairs," my brother cautioned. "Recollect how her father meets opposition-with the back of his hand. You would not wish to heighten heighten Miss Twining"s misery." Miss Twining"s misery."
"No," I agreed, "but I may yet stand her friend. If our intimacy should progress, I could perhaps invite her to accompany us to Chawton, for a visit of some weeks. She might then escape Lord Byron"s notice-the General"s wrath might cool-and his incomprehensible desire to shackle her to a dotard might dissipate. Excellent Henry! You have put me in mind of the very thing!" I seized his coat excitedly. "For you will not mind a third in the curricle, I am sure, when we quit this place at the end of a fortnight. It should not be so terribly uncomfortable. We are both of us slender ladies, after all-and you are remarkably fit for a widower of advancing years."
"Such a crush is not to be contemplated," Henry retorted firmly, "and if you think for a moment that I shall a.s.sist you in carrying off that girl, whose father has not the least least inclination for our society, you"ve more hair than wit, Jane. I will undertake nothing of the sort. If your heroine is to escape the misery of her unnatural marriage, she shall have to shift for herself. I predict that an ardent young swain will soon appear, desperate to prove his honourable intentions. Allow inclination for our society, you"ve more hair than wit, Jane. I will undertake nothing of the sort. If your heroine is to escape the misery of her unnatural marriage, she shall have to shift for herself. I predict that an ardent young swain will soon appear, desperate to prove his honourable intentions. Allow him him to rescue Miss Twining, I beg." to rescue Miss Twining, I beg."
"Abominable!"
"But unanswerable," he concluded fondly. "Lie down a little while on your bed; take a gla.s.s of the excellent claret I have had sent up to your room; and be ready at my knock to storm the Marine Pavilion. I am sure its magnificence will put the Cheltenham tragedy of Miss Catherine Twining entirely out of your head."
THE P PRINCE R REGENT, IT IS SAID, FIRST VISITED THE SMALL village of Brighthelmston around the year "83, when he was a handsome youth of one-and-twenty. He was urged into Suss.e.x by his doctors, who thought the sea water might ease the ominous swelling of certain organs in the Royal neck; being as yet unacquainted with the vastness of the Prince"s appet.i.tes, they apparently mistook the thickening of his person for a more sinister disorder. Whether he dipped his head in the sea or not, remains a question for posterity; but certain it is he dipped his wick-as the Vulgar would say-in every unprotected maiden the surrounding country offered, until the reputation of Brighton, as it came to be known, was too black for any decent lady to contemplate. The Prince sampled every possible pleasure the watering place could offer, from horse racing to card playing to the wines of the King"s Arms-and was led in dissolution by the example of his uncle, the notorious Duke of c.u.mberland. The Duke held the lease of Grove House, on the Steyne; his nephew enjoyed every freedom of the place, and its raffish circle; and within a few months of his coming of age, hired a modest farmhouse from the princ.i.p.al landowner in these parts-one Thomas Kemp. village of Brighthelmston around the year "83, when he was a handsome youth of one-and-twenty. He was urged into Suss.e.x by his doctors, who thought the sea water might ease the ominous swelling of certain organs in the Royal neck; being as yet unacquainted with the vastness of the Prince"s appet.i.tes, they apparently mistook the thickening of his person for a more sinister disorder. Whether he dipped his head in the sea or not, remains a question for posterity; but certain it is he dipped his wick-as the Vulgar would say-in every unprotected maiden the surrounding country offered, until the reputation of Brighton, as it came to be known, was too black for any decent lady to contemplate. The Prince sampled every possible pleasure the watering place could offer, from horse racing to card playing to the wines of the King"s Arms-and was led in dissolution by the example of his uncle, the notorious Duke of c.u.mberland. The Duke held the lease of Grove House, on the Steyne; his nephew enjoyed every freedom of the place, and its raffish circle; and within a few months of his coming of age, hired a modest farmhouse from the princ.i.p.al landowner in these parts-one Thomas Kemp.9 Mrs. Fitzherbert was swiftly installed at a neighbouring villa; and within a few years, the architect Mr. Henry Holland was tasked with transforming the farmhouse into a neocla.s.sical Pavilion, complete with a domed rotunda and numerous columns. Christened the Marine Pavilion, it soon acquired two wings, clad in cream-glazed Hampshire tiles, and a conservatory jutting from the rear. Some eight years ago-so Henry informs me-the riding school and stables were begun, structures so vast as to dwarf the Pavilion itself, and constructed quite curiously in the Indian stile. The Prince was three years building these, and his debts mounting all the while. Happily for His Highness, however, he had by this time taken his detested cousin Caroline of Brunswick in marriage, got an heir to the throne, and been accorded a handsome independence by Parliament; and could thus afford to be careless of money matters.10 "Sixty horses," Henry muttered as we crossed the short distance between the Castle and the Royal abode. "Sixty horses the Regent houses in that stupendous block of stalls, Jane. He has a pa.s.sion for prime cattle-and for racing, of course. Yet they say he"s grown so fat, he finds it difficult to spring into the saddle. Requires the a.s.sistance of the Regent houses in that stupendous block of stalls, Jane. He has a pa.s.sion for prime cattle-and for racing, of course. Yet they say he"s grown so fat, he finds it difficult to spring into the saddle. Requires the a.s.sistance of four grooms four grooms, two at each Royal leg."
"More of a heave heave than a than a spring spring, I collect."
We were arrived at the gate, joining a throng of other finely dressed and coiffeured gentlemen and ladies; in any other town a line of carriages and teams, with shouting flambeaux-bearers, should have rolled up to the Pavilion doors; but in Brighton there are few who bother to drive the short distance between one house and the next-even when the house in question is royal. Most of the Regent"s guests have only to step across the Steyne, like ourselves, in their slippers and shawls.
I could not allow myself to regard the finery all about me; I should suffer a pang of mortification at my own simple black silk, which appeared as incongruous amidst the paler colours of May as a vulture got among turtledoves. More than one of our fellow guests looked askance at Henry and me-as tho" we could not possibly be wanted here, and must be forcing ourselves on the Regent"s notice. I knew none of them, and cared less for their opinion; and my brother"s arm supported me the length of the gravel sweep. After an interval, we achieved the front portico under its imposing dome; the ma.s.sive doors were propped open to permit a flood of lanthornlight to spill out upon the marble steps; and we joined the throng of the Select who trod slowly past the line of footmen arrayed in buff and blue.
Henry presented his cards of invitation coolly enough; an august personage took them in one gloved hand; and before I had time to entirely collect myself, "Mr. Henry Austen, Miss Jane Austen," were announced to the milling crowd.
What is there to say of the Marine Pavilion, that has not been said by others more intimate with its glories?
The interiors are very fine, in the cla.s.sical manner, with much gilt and paint picked out a la Robert Adam; the furnishings, too, are of the latest mode-with winged gryphons and curving swans at the corner of every console table; and the walls of a certain gallery are remarkable for their hand-painted Chinese wallpaper, so intriguing and exotic in the boldness of its colours, and the strangeness of its figures, as to transport one to an Oriental clime. Here there are bamboo sophas, and j.a.panned cabinets; Ming porcelain, and paG.o.das; and most startling of all-statues of fishermen dressed in Chinese silk, large as life and posed in niches built to purpose. The Regent, it is said, has a pa.s.sion for the Exotic, and for the acquisition of fine things; for pictures in oils brought from every corner of Europe, and for snuffboxes, enamels, clockwork birds-for jewels of exquisite craftsmanship, which he bestows as the merest baubles on the ladies who excite his favour. The Pavilion, therefore, is less notable in its mere mortar and paint than for the objects placed in profusion on every surface: one could wander among them a se"ennight, and not be satisfied in their study.11 One might might wander, I should say, if one did not swoon within a quarter-hour from the excessive heat of the Pavilion itself. The Regent abhors a chill; and requires his rooms to be as raging as a blast-furnace at every season of the year. There are fires in each of the princ.i.p.al rooms, and braziers of hot coals line the long pa.s.sages; add to this a crowd of some two hundred of Brighton"s Fashionables, and the resulting swelter is easily credited. I was soon wilting from the heat, the mixture of perfumes and pomades, the scents of warmed wine and of hothouse flowers, which were ma.s.sed at every side; the odour of humanity in too close proximity; and the smells of food: pineapples and fish soup and the tiny, fragile figures of roasted ortolans- wander, I should say, if one did not swoon within a quarter-hour from the excessive heat of the Pavilion itself. The Regent abhors a chill; and requires his rooms to be as raging as a blast-furnace at every season of the year. There are fires in each of the princ.i.p.al rooms, and braziers of hot coals line the long pa.s.sages; add to this a crowd of some two hundred of Brighton"s Fashionables, and the resulting swelter is easily credited. I was soon wilting from the heat, the mixture of perfumes and pomades, the scents of warmed wine and of hothouse flowers, which were ma.s.sed at every side; the odour of humanity in too close proximity; and the smells of food: pineapples and fish soup and the tiny, fragile figures of roasted ortolans- "There is George Hanger," Henry murmured in my ear as he handed me a gla.s.s of champagne. "What an old villain, to be sure! You will know him by his hook of a nose, his lean frame, and his inveterate look of a satyr. They do say as it was he he who arranged the illegal marriage of the Prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert seven-and-twenty years ago-procured the priest, and held the branch of candles at the midnight service!" who arranged the illegal marriage of the Prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert seven-and-twenty years ago-procured the priest, and held the branch of candles at the midnight service!"
His was a raddled and dissipated face, much cragged and lined; he was famous for his patronage of the Fancy-the sport of boxing-for his military service during the late war in the American colonies; and for his general lack of sense. As I watched, one crabbed hand reached for the delicate pink silk of a lady whose rump was turned towards him, entirely ignorant of it; he pinched some portion of her flesh, and I observed the poor creature to jump out of her skin.
"Keep your distance, Jane," Henry chortled. "I doubt even the weeds of mourning would preserve you from such a roue!"
"Henry," I said faintly, "is there any purpose to this soiree beyond standing about and sampling the overwhelming expanse of food? Is there to be singing? I had heard had heard the Prince was fond of playing the violincello with his orchestra. Or do we sit down to cards, perhaps? Is there to be an address by the Regent? Is His Highness anywhere within sight?" the Prince was fond of playing the violincello with his orchestra. Or do we sit down to cards, perhaps? Is there to be an address by the Regent? Is His Highness anywhere within sight?"
"Not that I can observe," my brother replied. "I suppose we might make a push to see the other rooms-it is is the Marine Pavilion, after all, and one ought to explore the length and breadth of it when such an opportunity offers-I cannot imagine we shall ever set foot within the place again!" the Marine Pavilion, after all, and one ought to explore the length and breadth of it when such an opportunity offers-I cannot imagine we shall ever set foot within the place again!"
"You go," I urged him. The heat was proving more than my black silk or the beaded band of ribbon about my carefully dressed curls could support. I was certain I felt a drop of moisture working its way down one temple-and I would not not be discovered by a member of the be discovered by a member of the ton ton in a red-faced state of vulgarity. "I shall endeavour to find a cooler spot, perhaps by a window-tho" none of them appear to be open." in a red-faced state of vulgarity. "I shall endeavour to find a cooler spot, perhaps by a window-tho" none of them appear to be open."
Henry surged off through the crowd, his champagne gla.s.s held high; and as my eyes followed his course, I thought I glimpsed Desdemona, Countess of Swithin-in animated conversation with a lady I did not recognise. She looked cool as September in transparent gauze, and I swear her underskirt was dampened so as to cling to her skin-her form might almost have been etched in marble for every eye-but I credited her for the canny preparation borne of past experience: in the heat of the Marine Pavilion, one might as well arrive already drenched. I debated approaching her, but a tide of humanity, swelling and lapping about the tables of food, separated us; I must hope to meet with the Countess at a more propitious hour.
"Miss Austen, this is a pleasure indeed!"
I turned with difficulty-being caught in a crush between a lady with three ostrich plumes waving on her head, and a corpulent gentleman whose broad stomach, expensively clad in white satin breeches and embroidered waistcoat, permitted him no movement at all-and discovered a beaming Lord Moira before me.
I had come to know the Earl in London, where he formed one of Eliza"s court; and the mix of sympathy and delight in his notice at the present moment recalled her immediately to mind. I offered him my hand; he bowed over it and muttered some words regarding our dreadful loss-that no amount of time should reconcile us-that Heaven had acquired a h.e.l.lion, or h.e.l.l its first real angel-and I found myself smiling back at him with a curious sensation of relief. The Marine Pavilion, and Brighton itself, could not be so awful when Lord Moira moved in their midst.
My brother enjoyed Lord Moira"s patronage at his bank; but the Earl had also been an intimate of Lord Harold Trowbridge, during a period of high intrigue among the Whig Party, at whose centre Lord Harold always had been; and from this cause of friendship alone must remain an object of my regard.12 "And how do you do, my lord?" I enquired. "You are in excellent health, I hope? Does the sea air of Brighton agree with you?"
"Not at all, my pretty-not at all! I am never so bilious as when I am by the sea. But the Regent, you know, must have his household about him; and where His Royal Highness commands, I know my duty. I shall be playing whist for five-pound points until August at least, when the shooting season releases us all to the North. But enough of me! This is your first visit to Brighton, I collect? And have you been presented to the Regent?"
"Sir...I..." The words were stuttered in confusion. It was not enough that I was clad in dreary black, of which His Highness is said to have the greatest abhorrence; nor that I am well past my bloom, and could not excite admiration with the freshness of my looks; only add to all this, indeed, the profundity of my contempt for the man-who treats all women, particularly his wife, with a publick disrespect and callous conceit not to be borne-and you will understand the desperation of my desire to avoid the Regent"s notice.
But Lord Moira was already searching beyond my head for the Royal figure, so vast and magnificent, with its dyed locks carefully arranged a la Brutus; its fobs and seals and various puffery orders displayed upon its vast expanse of bosom; its elaborately tied cravat and its ponderous thighs. And as I observed Lord Moira"s countenance, it underwent a change; a suffusion of pleasure overcame the thickened cheeks.
"Mr. Austen!" the Earl cried. "My dear Henry! I have blockaded your sister here by the lobster patties, and must engage your support in overcoming her blushes! She protests she cannot meet the Regent! For shame! Why else is she come to the Marine Pavilion, indeed?"
"To gawk at all the ton ton in their summer pleasure ground, my lord. For you must know that Jane possesses as exquisite a taste as Beau Brummell-she holds the Regent in absolute abhorrence." in their summer pleasure ground, my lord. For you must know that Jane possesses as exquisite a taste as Beau Brummell-she holds the Regent in absolute abhorrence."
The Earl"s expression of dismay was a visible reproach; poor Eliza should never have repaid his attentions so ill, and my conscience smote me. Henry"s shot at levity had fallen too wide of its mark. We were both of us in danger of offending an old friend, and one who had every reason to expect our grat.i.tude, in having procured the evening"s tickets. There seemed no other recourse in such a crise crise but the lady"s constant friend-the fainting fit-and so without hesitation I swayed dangerously where I stood, fluttered my eyelids helplessly, and said in a failing voice: "My lord-the but the lady"s constant friend-the fainting fit-and so without hesitation I swayed dangerously where I stood, fluttered my eyelids helplessly, and said in a failing voice: "My lord-the heat- heat-"
Immediately, Lord Moira"s hand was at one elbow; Henry supported the other, and a path was cleared through the fashionable throng at the Earl"s insistence. There is something to be said for buff and blue livery, when it may cut so swift a line through a crowd of gentlemen and ladies h.e.l.l bent on pleasure. I was carried off to an airy, high-ceilinged structure filled with greenery: the Regent"s Conservatory, I collect, where every manner of fragrant bloom, tropic palm, and sinuous vine trailed among the pillars. I could almost suspect a primordial snake to slither out at my feet, hissing its most seductive favours.
Tho" my eyes were half-closed, in pretence of swooning, and my head lolled like a doll"s on my brother"s shoulder, I was not so far lost in high drama as to ignore the presence of others, half-hidden amidst the serrated leaves of a verdant fig: the whipcord figure of a man, crushing like an inverted flower the delicate form of a girl, bent to ravishing point at his embrace. He had pinned her arms behind her narrow waist; his mouth was buried in her white throat; her head was tilted backwards. She looked for all the world like a doe caught in the slavering jaws of a hound.
"Henry!" I hissed, as Lord Moira halted in abrupt confusion.
The man swung round. George Hanger, intimate of the Regent and more than sixty if he was a day; and the girl-crumpling to the floor as he released her- Was none other than Catherine Twining.
9 Thomas Kemp owned most of the land in Brighton at the end of the eighteenth century; his son, Thomas Read Kemp (17821844), built Kemp Town in 1823, a significant Regency-style architectural neighborhood between the Royal Crescent and the racecourse on the Downs. The project eventually bankrupted him, and he died on the Continent, unable to meet his creditors" demands.- Thomas Kemp owned most of the land in Brighton at the end of the eighteenth century; his son, Thomas Read Kemp (17821844), built Kemp Town in 1823, a significant Regency-style architectural neighborhood between the Royal Crescent and the racecourse on the Downs. The project eventually bankrupted him, and he died on the Continent, unable to meet his creditors" demands.-Editor"s note.10 Although the Prince of Wales underwent a ceremony of marriage with the devoutly Roman Catholic commoner Maria Fitzherbert in 1786, he did so without the royal consent of his father, George III, and the marriage was thus regarded as illegal-by all but Maria Fitzherbert, presumably. The Prince"s subsequent arranged marriage to his royal cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, was regarded as the legitimate union. The Prince"s detractors continued to refer to him as a bigamist, however Although the Prince of Wales underwent a ceremony of marriage with the devoutly Roman Catholic commoner Maria Fitzherbert in 1786, he did so without the royal consent of his father, George III, and the marriage was thus regarded as illegal-by all but Maria Fitzherbert, presumably. The Prince"s subsequent arranged marriage to his royal cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, was regarded as the legitimate union. The Prince"s detractors continued to refer to him as a bigamist, however.-Editor"s note.11 Jane"s description of the Marine Pavilion appears almost quaint to a present-day reader, reflecting as it does a simpler palace long since razed. The Chinese wallpaper she mentions, however, is credited with having inspired the Regent"s subsequent renovation of the Pavilion into the present exotic folly.- Jane"s description of the Marine Pavilion appears almost quaint to a present-day reader, reflecting as it does a simpler palace long since razed. The Chinese wallpaper she mentions, however, is credited with having inspired the Regent"s subsequent renovation of the Pavilion into the present exotic folly.-Editor"s note.12 Francis Rawdon, then the second Earl Moira, had been appointed governor-general of Bengal in 1812, and left England later in 1813 without repaying the loans he had drawn on Henry Austen"s bank.- Francis Rawdon, then the second Earl Moira, had been appointed governor-general of Bengal in 1812, and left England later in 1813 without repaying the loans he had drawn on Henry Austen"s bank.-Editor"s note.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Girl in Boy"s Clothing SUNDAY, 9 MAY 1813 1813.
BRIGHTON.
"COLONEL H HANGER!" LORD M MOIRA CRIED. THE E EARL"S heavy jowls trembled with emotion-outrage or uneasiness, I could not tell. "The young lady-I trust she has not been overcome by the heat-Miss Austen, you perceive, is in a similar case-" heavy jowls trembled with emotion-outrage or uneasiness, I could not tell. "The young lady-I trust she has not been overcome by the heat-Miss Austen, you perceive, is in a similar case-"
"Miss Austen," Catherine Twining repeated faintly; her eyelids fluttered as tho" she roused from a dream. "Again you are my salvation!"
"Shhhh," I murmured, kneeling down beside her and shaking my head once, sternly, in mute admonition. It would not do to make a scene-any hint of scandal in such a place should damage Colonel Hanger not at all, but should leave Miss Twining"s reputation in shreds.
"Allow me," Henry said gently, extending his hand to a.s.sist the girl. "Are you all right?"
The lace ruff at the edge of Catherine"s bodice was torn and dangling; observing this, her cheeks were suffused with scarlet. Her fingers fluttered at the sc.r.a.p ineffectually.
"Perhaps a pin," I suggested hastily, and searched in my reticule for one I kept there against just such a need.
My brother turned coldly on Colonel Hanger. "Sir, I have not the honour of your acquaintance, and must leave it to others more closely connected with Miss Twining to question your conduct-"