A Civil Contract

ordering what you think she might fancy! Well, we stopped for a bite at the Peacock, and a set of robbers they may be, but I will say this for them: a very tolerable spread they had laid out for us, for I’d bespoken it beforehand, and a private parlour too, of course, which I told her la’ship I’d done, just to set her mind at ease. ‘No need to fear I’ll be letting Miss Lydia set foot inside a common coffee-room,’ I said, ‘nor that any pert young jackanapes will come ogling her while Jonathan Chawleigh has her in charge. She’ll be taken care of as if she was my own daughter, and fairer than that I can’t say.’ Which she was, as I hope I don’t need to tell you.”

“No, indeed you don’t. Did you — did you find it hard to persuade my mother?”

“Oh, no!” replied Mr Chawleigh indulgently. “Mind you, that’s not to say she didn’t raise a lot of nidging objections: but that was no more than female fiddle-faddle — not meaning any disrespect towards her la’ship! — and soon settled. ‘Now, don’t you tease yourself over her being a trouble to me, ma’am,’ I said, “because she won’t be; and as for her not being ready to go to London I’ll warrant she could be ready in five minutes if she chose. So I’ll take myself off to the Christopher, where I’m racking up,’ I said, ‘and be back first thing in the morning to take Miss Lydia up.’ So there was no more said, for she saw I wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

This account was later amplified by Lydia, who said that however ungenteel Mr Chawleigh might be he was, in her view, a splendid person. “Adam, he rolled Mama out like pastry! There was never anything like it! Though I must own that the lobsters helped.”

“Lobsters?” Adam interjected, fascinated.

“Oh, he brought a couple of live ones from Bristol, and a jar of ginger, for a present to Mama! They were in a rush-basket, and one of them kept trying to climb out. Well, you know what Mama is, Adam! She couldn’t take her eyes from it, which quite distracted her. And then Mr Chawleigh mended the handle on the drawing-room door. It has been most troublesome, but he said he could set it to rights in a trice, if we had a screwdriver. We hadn’t, of course — I think it’s a sort of chisel — but he said very likely we had something that would answer as well, and he went off to the kitchen to see what he could find there.” She gave a gurgle of laughter. “If you could have seen Mama’s face! Particularly when he came back, and read her a scold about the damper in the stove. He said it was being quite wrongly used, and told her exactly how it should be. I was nearly in stitches, because poor Mama hadn’t the least notion what he was talking about! And this I will say: she behaved beautifully, and even invited him to stay to dine with us, which was truly noble of her! However, he wouldn’t do so, but said he hadn’t come to put her out, and anyway had bespoken his dinner at the Christopher.. And though she said nothing would prevail upon her to let me go with him, she did let me, because she was persuaded she would have one of her worst spasms if she had to see him again!”

“But what a scene!” he said, awed by it. “And I wasn’t there! It’s too infamous!”

She chuckled. “Yes, but I dare say you might not have enjoyed it if you had been, on account of having more sensibility than I have, and not wishing Mama to take him in dislike. For my part, I like him, and I don’t give a straw for his being a funny one: in fact, we have become the greatest friends, and he is going to take me to the City, and show me all the chief places, and let me watch them mint the coins in the Tower, and everything!”

It was soon seen that she was making no idle boast. Not only did Mr Chawleigh redeem this promise, but he began to visit Lynton House more frequently, and always with some scheme for Lydia’s entertainment. It seemed to him a great piece of nonsense that she could not go with her brother and sister to parties, and he was much inclined to take Jenny to task for not presenting her at Court immediately.

“Well, I wish I might,” she replied, “but I haven’t Lady Lynton’s leave to do so, as I’ve told you a dozen times, Papa! You wouldn’t have me behave so improperly as to do it without her leave — now, you know you wouldn’t!”

“If only I’d thought to speak to her la’ship about it!” he said. “I don’t doubt I could have talked her over. And if I’d known Miss Lydia would be obliged to sit moping here while you and his lordship go gadding to all manner of grand parties — I’ll tell you what, puss! — you and me will drive into the City to see the illuminations, and have a bite of supper at the Piazza afterwards! That is, if his lordship’s agreeable!”

“Of course he’ll be agreeable!” declared Lydia, delighted with this scheme. “I should like it better than anything too!”

“Yes, but only if Adam says you may go,” Jenny said firmly, by no means sure that he would approve of his sister’s jauntering about the town with her parent.

When she broached the matter to him, however, he merely said: “How kind of your father! No, I’ve no objection — if he really wishes to take her, and won’t find it a bore.”

“Oh, there’s no question of that!” she replied. “He says it’s a pleasure to take her about, because she enjoys herself so much.” She added reflectively: “She is just the sort of girl he would have liked for his daughter, I think. She has so much zest, besides being full of drollery!”

“For my part, I think he is very well satisfied with his own daughter!”

“I know he loves me dearly, but there’s no denying I’m often a sad disappointment to him. Well, it can’t be helped, but I do wish I was pretty, and spirited, and amusing!”

“I don’t — if spirited means what I suspect it does. As for amusing, I think you very amusing, Jenny!”

“That’s polite, but you mean you think me absurd: a very different thing!” she retorted. “I daresay you won’t object either to my taking Lydia to Russell Square one day? She wants to see the Cossack, who stands outside Mr Lawrence’s house whenever the Tsar goes there to have his likeness taken! Did you ever? If it isn’t just like Papa to tell her that! Butterbank is friendly with Mr Lawrence’s man, you know, and so is able to warn Papa when the Tsar is expected. Myself, I don’t care a button for the Tsar — or for the King of Prussia, either, though he’s very handsome, I own, in spite of looking so melancholy. And I’m sure I don’t blame him for that,” she added, “for the way he and the rest of them can’t stir a foot without having crowds gaping at them is enough to throw anyone into gloom!”

“Don’t let Lydia tease you into going to Russell Square if you don’t care for it!” he said. “She’ll see the foreigners at the Opera, after all.”

“She won’t see the Cossack there. Come to think of it, she won’t see much of the Kings and Princes either, because our box is on the same side as the Royal box. Still, there will be plenty more to look at, I daresay.”

She spoke more prophetically than she knew: there was far more for Lydia to look at than anyone could have foreseen. Her view of the Regent, with the Tsar on one hand, the King of Prussia on the other, and a bevy of foreign notables grouped behind them, was restricted; but the Lyntons’ box was admirably situated for anyone desirous of seeing the Princess of Wales.

She had been excluded from participating in any of the Royal festivities; but she had her revenge on the Regent, sweeping into the box directly opposite his while God Save the King was being sung. She was attired in black velvet, with a black wig on her head, supporting a diamond tiara, and she presented such a striking figure that she attracted the attention of nearly everyone but her Royal husband.

The anthem ended, and as the Grassini, whose rich contralto voice had led it, curtsied deeply to the Royal box, a storm of clapping broke out in the pit. It was directed pointedly at the Princess, but she took her seat without making any acknowledgement, only smiling wryly, and saying something to one of her suite.

The Regent, meanwhile, had been applauding the Grassini, but the prolonged clapping made him turn, and bow graciously — but whether he bowed to the audience or to his wife was a question hotly argued but never decided.

However it may have been, it seemed to Lydia a rare piece of good fortune that anything so startling should have happened at the very first public function she had attended; and it made her forget that the evening had begun none too comfortably.

Jenny had bought her a swansdown tippet for the occasion, and had persuaded her to wear the pearls Lady Nassington had declared to be too large for her own neck; but when Adam had seen his sister he had said quite sharply: “Where had you that necklace? Surely it is Jenny’s?”

“Yes, she has lent it to me just for tonight. Isn’t it kind of her?”

His face had stiffened, but he said pleasantly: “Very kind, but I had rather you didn’t. It’s worth a king’s ransom, you know — and I’m certain Mama would say it was not the thing for a chit of your age!”

“No, she wouldn’t! She says that pearls are the only jewels chits of my age may wear! And I promise to take the greatest care — ”

“Haven’t you a necklace of your own?” he interrupted.