When Jeremy was led out, Kerridge mopped his brow. “Thank God that’s over. How is Lady Rose?”
“I have not had time to call on her.”
“Then it’s time you did. You don’t know much about the ladies, do you?”
“Why do you say that?”
“You should not have called her a silly girl.”
“I was upset, frightened for her.”
“Better go and make your peace.”
But when Harry called at the town house, he was told Lady Rose was “not at home.”
That evening, he said to Becket, “I have offended Lady Rose, and Kerridge accuses me of not knowing anything about the ladies. How can I make amends?”
“There is such a thing as feminine curiosity,” said Becket. “Lady Rose may be angry with you, but I am sure she would dearly like to know the outcome. May I suggest, sir, that you invite all of us involved in this case, even Phil and Miss Friendly and your secretary, to a luncheon party? You could hire a private room at Rules Restaurant.”
Rules Restaurant was in Covent Garden. King Edward favoured it and had ordered a special staircase to be built in the restaurant so that he could escort his lady friends upstairs without being seen by the other diners.
“I’ll do it,” said Harry. “It is perfectly conventional for me to entertain a lady in a public restaurant, so her parents should have no objection.”
Rose had suffered a blistering lecture and was told to stay in her rooms. She was not to leave the house. All her social engagements had been cancelled.
Harry knew that if he sent an invitation to his luncheon party, the earl would read it and might tear it up.
He decided to call in person.
The earl hummed and hawed about receiving him. Only the thought that Harry was after all still his daughter’s fiance and that he had saved her life made him reluctantly allow the captain to be shown up to the drawing-room.
“Well, what do you want?” asked the earl when Harry was ushered in.
The earl once again surveyed Harry’s handsome and impeccably tailored figure. If only the wretched man hadn’t chosen such an odd profession.
“Sit down, Cathcart. What now?”
Harry told him of Jeremy’s confession. Then he said, “I know your daughter behaved dangerously, but it is thanks to her we caught him. But she certainly did not have my permission.”
“If she had not met you, Rose would never have got into these scrapes.”
“My lord, may I remind you that she was once about to be abused by a wastrel? That was none of my doing and you hired me to get her out of it. Nor was I responsible for her going to a suffragettes’ meeting. Lady Rose will always need me to protect her.”
The earl eyed him narrowly. “So when’s the wedding?”
“We will soon fix a date.”
“This engagement all seems fishy to me. Why are you here? To see Rose?”
“I am afraid your daughter is furious with me. I was so alarmed at her predicament and so frightened for her welfare that I called her a silly girl.”
“And so she was.”
“Lady Rose was very brave. I do not wish to be estranged from her. I am holding a private luncheon party in Rules for Lady Rose and some others. I hoped her curiosity about the outcome of the case would persuade her to accept the invitation. May I beg you to intercede on my behalf?”
The earl sat deep in thought. He wished with all his heart that the engagement could be broken off and that his wayward daughter would find someone more conventional. On the other hand, he shrewdly suspected Rose would run rings round a conventional husband to get her own way, and his wife had informed him that Rose was in love with Cathcart.
“All right. When?”
“Tomorrow at one o’clock. Miss Levine and Miss Friendly are invited as well.”
“Levine’s all right, but why invite the seamstress?”
“Because she was part of the investigation.”
“Very well. I’ll see what I can do.”
After Harry had left, the earl went to the morning-room, where Lady Polly was lying on a chaise longue with her head in a book.
“Problem,” said the earl. He told her about Harry’s visit.
“I know my daughter has instructed the staff that she does not wish to see him,” sighed Lady Polly, putting down her book.
“High-handed as ever. I’ve this ghastly feeling now that it’s Cathcart or no one. We’ll be stuck for her for life and I won’t have an heir.”
“I should think it is all very simple,” said Lady Polly. “Tell her we do not wish her to go. She will immediately want to do the opposite. She always does.”
¦
They summoned Rose. She listened in silence. “Tell Captain Cathcart that I am not available.”
“Quite right,” said Lady Polly. “All the wretched man wants to do is to tell you what happened at Scotland Yard. But he has invited Friendly and Levine. I see no reason why they should not attend. In any case, you are being very sensible. I am sure you are just glad the nasty business is all over.”
Rose bit her lip. She hated the idea of Daisy being told all the facts about the winding up of the case.
“Perhaps I should go,” she said. “After all, I was the one who discovered the murderer for him.”
“If you go, it will be against our express wishes,” said her father.
Frustrated, Rose lost her temper. “Am I to be kept a prisoner in my rooms for the rest of my life? I tell you, I shall escape and find work. I have done it before and I can do it again.”
“Oh, stop ranting,” snapped the earl. “Go if you must.”
Rose prepared herself with exceptional care for the luncheon. Normally she rebelled at the constrictions of undergarments to achieve the fashionable S-bend figure and wore only the minimum of petticoats and a light abbreviated corset. But she wanted to be armoured in high fashion, to show the wretched captain that she was a high-born lady and not the silly little girl he had claimed her to be.
Turner lashed her into a long corset of pink coutil – a tightly woven cotton fabric with a herringbone pattern – and put pads on her hips and under her arms. A pad went down the front to accentuate the bust and all to create the hourglass figure. Over that, after the silk stockings had been clipped to suspenders, went six petticoats, three of taffeta and three of organdy. Turner then held out a gown of pink taffeta and tulle and Rose dived into it and stood patiently while all the little buttons were fastened up the back.
She sat at the dressing-table while her hair was piled over pads, or “rats,” as they were nicknamed. On top of her hair was placed a hat created by Miss Friendly, a cart-wheel of straw embellished with pink silk roses and tied round the brim with a pink silk ribbon with long streamers.
The dress had a high-boned collar to add to all the other constrictions.
Rose went gingerly down the stairs in her high heels.
Lady Polly came out of the drawing-room and surveyed her daughter. “I have never seen you look so fine. Such a welcome change from the tea-gowns you always seem to favour these days.” Rose often preferred the tea- gown because it was a soft, filmy garment free from corsetry.
Miss Friendly and Daisy followed behind, equally corseted and hatted.
One of the earl’s carriages took them to Rules in Covent Garden. They were ushered upstairs to the private dining-room booked by Harry.
“I think you know everyone,” said Harry. He pulled up a seat for Rose and whispered, “I have never seen you look more beautiful.”
Rose, who had dressed to impress him, was irrationally annoyed. Typical man, she thought. He only thinks I am beautiful when I am dressed like a doll.
Rose was sitting next to Harry at a round table. Daisy was placed next to Becket, Miss Friendly next to Phil,