"In front of his own sister too," Lord Blakeney was saying, outraged, as he shepherded a pink-faced Laura March night protectively into the inn.
"Lady Laura, please wait here whilst I have my phaeton brought round!
You cannot drive back with Lord Henry after that--" But here Laura March night proved surprisingly obstinate.
"I a.s.sure you, Lord Blakeney, I have no difficulty in accepting my brother"s escort back to Berkeley Square. I should be delighted if he chose to take me up!"
It was a shame Lord Blakeney could not see that he was doing himself great disservice in Laura"s eyes by criticising her brother, Polly thought. She was very loyal to Henry.
Polly saw the look of mingled regret and exasperation that pa.s.sed between Therese Verey and Jane Delahaye, as Therese said to her, "Lady Polly, it would be best, perhaps, if both you and Lady Laura drive back with us. It will be a bit of a squeeze, but I am sure none of us will mind..."
And Simon Verey had hastened away to attend to the setting to of his carriage.
Polly felt dazed and a little sick. Whilst she had common sense enough to see that Lady Bolt had planned the whole encounter, the memory of it filled her with revulsion. And Henry was hardly blameless. He had been chatting to the Cyprian only a moment earlier and had obviously been enjoying her company. Perhaps he had even arranged to meet her there to arrange a tryst later that day! Polly"s lost hopes mocked her. She had begun to believe Henry sincere, to trust him. Well, now she saw the error of her ways!
Polly spent the whole of the journey back to Brook Street in a numb silence and then went straight to her room, declining to tell even Lucille about the events of the day. Miserably she wondered why Lord Henry had made no attempt to see or speak to her before they had left.
He had disappeared with the speed of a man effecting a guilty exit. Had he approached her it would have been difficult to know how to deal with the situation, but she would have preferred to have had that opportunity.
Evidently he had not cared sufficiently about her opinion to make an effort to explain to her.
Defiantly, Polly put on her favourite dress and prepared for the ball at Mrs Fleetwood"s that evening. If she was going to have to face Lord Henry March night and the attendant scandal, she was determined to look her best.
As Polly had antic.i.p.ated and dreaded, the tale was all over Town.
"How foolish of Harry..." Lucille sighed, as she and Polly fended off the fifth curious gossipmonger "and how unlike him! " "I collect you mean he was foolish to be caught," Polly said tartly. She sat down rather heavily and rubbed a foot where her dainty dancing shoes were pinching. It did not add to her good humour.
Lucille looked reproachful.
"I mean to have allowed himself to have been trapped by Susanna! She is forever up to these little tricks just to amuse herself!"
Polly thought that Lucille was probably right, but she did not have any sympathy for Henry.
"I am persuaded that Lady Bolt did not force him into any situation unwillingly," she said coldly.
"I think you are too indulgent of his folly, Lucille!"
Lucille raised her eyebrows at this reproach.
"Well, upon my word, you are very harsh! Susanna has succeeded admirably!"
This caught Polly"s attention.
"Whatever can you mean, Lucille?"
"Why, simply that Susanna is currently engaged in an attempt to ruin the future for yourself and Henry! She has already succeeded in improving on the estrangement between Peter and Hetty. I think..."
Lucille smiled serenely ". I hope that she will not accomplish a break between Nicholas and myself!
I think that beyond even her charms! " Polly was staring at her sister-in-law in horror. "You think that this is all a plot of Lady Bolt"s?"
"a.s.suredly! She will engineer any chance to cause trouble! You should know that by now, Polly--" Lucille broke off with a little gasp and, turning her head, Polly saw that the object of their discussions had just come into the ballroom. As if to underline Lucille"s words, Susanna Bolt was hanging heavily on the arm of Peter Sea grave.
"Oh, truly," Lucille said, sounding more vexed than Polly had ever heard her, "this is the outside of enough! " It had been an unenjoyable evening. Polly danced a few desultory dances, chatted half-heartedly and waited in vain for Lord Henry March night to make an appearance. They retired early, leaving Lady Bolt in triumphant possession of the floor and of Peter Sea- grave, and the Dowager Countess railed ceaselessly against her all the way home. Polly slept fitfully and woke with a headache.
"Do you come with me to the Royal Humane Society lecture this afternoon?"
Lucille asked, finding her sister-in-law sitting quietly in the drawing-room that lunchtime. Her eye fell on the improving book which Polly had been reading earlier.
"Or perhaps you are so enthralled in that righteous to me that you have no wish to go out! Etiquette for young ladies! Upon my word!"
Polly laughed, despite herself. Etiquette and deportment might be very uplifting and suitable for a young lady, but it was also tedious.
Somehow the disastrous scene at Richmond had prompted her to revert to all that was proper and conventional. She entertained no more hopes of reforming a rake, particularly as the rake in question clearly cared so little for her opinion of him that he had not troubled to seek her out.
The Royal Humane Society sounded to be a very suitable place for a lady of charity to spend some time and at least she would not be bothered by Lord Henry"s presence there! Feeling pleasantly virtuous, she agreed to join Lucille on the outing.
The marble entrance hall of the Royal Humane Society was cool and shadowy after the brightness of the day outside. The ladies furled their parasols and hurried to join the group of people going into the lecture room.
Polly was astonished to see a number of their acquaintance there. She had thought that this latest interest of Lucille"s was yet another slightly eccentric and obscure hobby, but now found that the Society was a magnet for the fashionable.
"I had no idea that such a lecture would be so popular," she murmured in Lucille"s ear as they slid into their seats and a gentleman nearby raised his hat and murmured a greeting. The room was filling rapidly.
Across the aisle, Polly could see the Huntlys and Lady Havisham, and returned the wave of Miss Dit- ton, a neighbour of the Sea graves from Suffolk.
"The Society has become a popular means of exercising benevolence,"
Lucille replied quietly.
"You remember that I told you it was originally established by two doctors to promote resuscitation? It now hands out medals and rewards to those people who have helped save lives. I believe that a small group of members are researching means of reviving the drowned and the hanged..."
Polly shuddered.
"How very unpleasant! I am all in favour of exercising benevolence, and indeed I suppose that genuine scientific research should never be discouraged, but what can be the attraction for some of these people?
Why, it is positively ghoulish!"
She touched Lucille"s arm.
"Look at Mr Dit ton, for instance! He is almost slav- Nicola Comtek 87 ering as he talks to that gentleman over there and his eyes are gleaming with unholy excitement! Ugh, unwholesome man! And you cannot tell me that Mr and Miss Dit ton are here because they like to involve themselves in charitable causes! A less benevolent pair would be difficult to find!"
Lucille laughed.
"I have to agree! It is a sad fact that the more macabre aspects of the Society do attract those people who have a fascination with the gruesome!"
Fortunately, the lecture that afternoon was on the charitable aspects of the Society"s work, Lucille herself having no interest in its more grim activities. A number of projects were explained to the listeners, many of whom were happy to offer financial support. After the lecture there was a sumptuous luncheon at which the guests could mingle and chat, and meet some of the people helped by the Society"s work. Lucille and Polly soon found themselves effusively greeted by the Dit tons, and were obliged to stop to exchange pleasantries.
Polly had known Miss Thalia Dit ton and her brother Tristan all her life.
Unfortunately, familiarity had not bred affection. She found both the Dit tons bordering on the vulgar with their preoccupation with rank and fortune.
Beside Miss Dit ton lounged the young gentleman who had the misfortune to be her betrothed: Mr Bunion was a gentleman of considerable estate, even though he had no t.i.tle, and his blank, good-natured face wore the perpetually surprised look of one who was not at all certain how he came to be betrothed to Miss Dit ton in the first place.
After a few moments they managed to excuse themselves and were moving towards the door when Polly clutched her sister-in-law"s arm.
"Lucille! Look! It"s Henry March night, of all people! Now whatever can he be doing here? I am sure Lord Henry does not trouble himself to exercise benevolence!"