A Civil Contract

more thankful than when I discovered you were just as bored as I was! Not but what it will be pleasant to go up now and then, I daresay. Not this time: it was merely that I thought suddenly that I’d like to see Lydia, and Papa — but Lydia’s coming to us at the end of the season for a nice, long visit, and I don’t doubt Papa will spend a day or two with us as well. No, I won’t come: only think what a fuss and botheration it would mean!”

“I do think it would be very fatiguing for you,” he admitted. “I don’t mean to be gone more than a few days, you know.”

“You’ll stay as long as you feel inclined. I shan’t look for you under a sennight, for you’ll want to see Lydia, let alone all your friends.”

When she saw him off to board the mail-coach at Market Deeping it was with the private conviction that it would be at least ten days before he returned, but he took her by surprise only five days later, walking into the nursery, where she sat suckling her baby. Thinking that it was the nurse who had entered the room she did not immediately look up. She was fondly watching the child, and it struck Adam that he had never seen her appear to better advantage. Then she glanced up, and gave a gasp. “Adam!”

He went forward, saying mischievously: “Own that I’ve astonished you — and retrieved my reputation!”

Her eyes narrowed in one of her sudden smiles. “Well, it’s certainly the first time I’ve ever known you return when you’d said you would!”

“Before I said I would!” he reminded her reproachfully, bending over her to loss her, and then tickling the infant’s cheek with one finger. “Well, sir? It would be civil in you just to acknowledge me, you know!”

The Honourable Giles, fearful of interruption, shot him an angry look, and applied himself with renewed vigour to the most important business in life.

“You’re as greedy as your aunt Lydia,” Adam informed him, sinking into a chair.

“Well, what a thing to say!” protested Jenny. “Lydia is not greedy!”

“You wouldn’t say so if you’d seen her in Russell Square, when I took her to dine with your father!”

“Oh, did you do that? How delighted Papa must have been! But tell me, how did you prosper?”

“Capitally! We carried it in both houses. Granville made a speech in support of the Ministers — no great thing, but Grey’s amendment was pretty handsomely defeated. All sort of on-dits are flying about the town; one doesn’t know how many of them to believe, but one thing is certain: the Austrians, the Prussians, and the Russians are putting themselves under arms. My own belief is that we shall be at grips with the Frogs pretty soon, and I don’t doubt the issue! Boney’s only hope must be to romper us, with his Army of the North, before the others in the Coalition can be brought into the game. If he could do it — but he won’t!” He laughed, and added: “Your father croaks that Wellington has never yet been opposed by Boney himself! Very true — and so is the converse!” He was interrupted by his son, who, full of repletion, gave a belch. He said: “We shall never be able to introduce him into polite circles, shall we? All well here, Jenny?”

She nodded, and said, as she helpfully patted the Honourable Giles: “Tell me about Lydia! Is she enjoying the season? Does she take?”

“According to my aunt, she has made quite a hit. She certainly seems to have acquired a large number of admirers! Don’t ask me to describe the dress she wore at her Presentation! I didn’t see it, and can only assure you that it was sumptuous!”

She chuckled. “Oh, I can almost hear her saying that! Does she go to a great many parties?”

“She informed me with pride that she had attended no fewer than three during the course of one evening. My aunt must have a constitution of iron! By the bye, what a very pretty bracelet you gave her, Jenny!”

Her colour rushed up; she glanced warily at him, stammering: “It was only a trifle!”

“You needn’t have been afraid to tell me,” he said, faintly smiling. “Yes, I know why you were afraid: you remembered that I wouldn’t permit her to wear your pearls. Well, I still would not — they are quite unsuitable, you know! — but there is a vast difference between lending your pearls to Lydia because she is my sister, and bestowing a charming bracelet upon her because she had become your sister. And let me add, my love, that in spite of my odd humours I haven’t the smallest desire to come the ugly because your father was so kind as to send her an ivory-brisé fan which I do not think he purchased dog-cheap! Was that at your instigation?”

“Well, yes!” she admitted guiltily. “You know what Papa is, Adam! He’s so fond of Lydia that he’d have sent her something you wouldn’t have liked at all if I hadn’t restrained him a little.” Her eyes twinkled. “I warn you, however, that I shan’t be able to do so when it comes to a wedding-gift!”

“Ah!” Adam said. “That puts me in mind of a rare tit-bit of news!”

She exclaimed: “Adam! You don’t mean — ”

“I have received two offers for my sister’s hand,” said Adam, with dignity.

“No!”

“I assure you! You can’t think how patriarchal I now feel! Or the degree of embarrassment I felt on being applied to by a man at least twelve years my senior!”

She gave a crow of mirth. “Adam, not the Conquest?”

“None other! Would you believe it? — having won Mama’s approval, he followed Lydia to town, and has been making an absurd cake of himself with his attentions! She swears there was no hinting him away, try as she would, but I consider that no excuse for fobbing him off on to me, the abominable little wretch! With instructions to inform him that his suit was hopeless: you may imagine with what enthusiasm I faced this task!”

“But you did tell him so?”

“I did, but I was obliged to hint that Lydia’s affections were already engaged before I could convince him.” He smiled, seeing the eagerly questioning look in her eyes. “Yes, the other offer came from Brough, exactly as you foretold. At least he asked me if I had any objection to his marrying Lydia.” He observed the expression of deep satisfaction on Jenny’s face, and continued smoothly: “I told him, of course, to put any such nonsense out of his head — ”

“Adam!” she gasped.

He burst out laughing. “Never did I know a fish that would rise to the fly more readily than you, Jenny! Or see anything more ludicrous than your change of countenance!  No, you goose, I gave him my blessing, and some sage advice. He was bent on posting off immediately to Bath — for whatever may be your opinion, my dear, he and I are agreed that Mama’s consent as well as mine must be obtained. But I know Mama a great deal better than Brough does, and I’m persuaded nothing could be more fatal than for him to present himself to her hard on the heels of the baffled Conquest. Mama must be given time to recover from her disappointment. So we have decided that nothing shall be disclosed to her until next month, when she means to spend a night with my aunt, before coming down to be with Charlotte. According to my aunt, she will by then have resigned herself to the melancholy prospect of seeing Lydia dwindle into a withered spinster, and so may be thankful to entertain Brough’s proposal.”

“You aunt knows then, and likes it? But it is very hard that Brough shouldn’t be able to speak to Lydia yet!”

“My dear Jenny, he spoke to her before ever I arrived in town!” Adam said, amused.

“Oh, I’m glad! And she?”

“Well, she told me that she was rapturously happy, and I’d no difficulty in believing her.”

“I wish I might see her! Well, at all events, that settles it!”

“Settles what?”

“We must open Lynton House,” said Jenny decidedly.

“Good God, why?”

“For the party. And don’t say what party, because you know very well there’s always a party held in honour of an engagement, and that’s one thing Lady Nassington shall not do!”

“But — ”

“And don’t say but either!” interrupted Jenny, getting up to carry her sleeping son back to the nursery. “The instant I know that your mama has given her consent, I’ll set about hiring servants. Though I think I’ll take Dunster and Mrs Dawes with me, as well as Scholes, because they’ve got to know my ways, and you may depend upon it they’d be glad to go. And it’s not a bit of use arguing, my lord, for my mind’s made up,