‘Nonsense!’ he replied coldly.
She saw that he was by no means in sympathy with her, and said: ‘I need hardly tell you that my aim was to prevent your sister spending the whole afternoon in that odious young man’s company.’
‘With the result that she spent it in Talgarth’s company,’ he retorted. ‘There was no reason for you to be so busy, Eugenia. My mother’s presence, not to mention my own, made your action – I shall sayunnecesssary!’
It might have been supposed that these words of censure filled Miss Wraxton’s cup to the brim, but upon entering the drawing-room she found that she had still to endure the Marquesa’s comments. The Marquesa favoured the company with a disquisition on the licence allowed to young English ladies, contrasting it with the strict chaperonage of Spanish damsels; and everyone, with the exception of Mr Rivenhall, who was markedly silent, felt for Miss Wraxton in her chagrin, and made great efforts to placate her, Sophy going so far as to give up her place in the curricle to her on the homeward journey. She was insensibly mollified, but when, later, she tried to justify her actions to her betrothed, he cut her short, saying too much noise had been made already over a trivial occurrence.
‘I cannot believe that any of the servants were responsible,’ she insisted.
‘You would do better to pretend to believe it, however.’
‘Then you do not think so either!’ she exclaimed.
‘No, I think Hubert did it,’ he replied coldly. ‘And if I am right, you have my cousin to thank for speedily releasing you.’
‘Hubert!’ she cried. ‘Why should he do such an ungentlemanly thing, pray?’
He shrugged. ‘Possibly for a jest, possibly because he resented your interference in Cecilia’s affairs, my dear Eugenia. He is much attached to his sister.’
She said in a deeply mortified tone: ‘If that is so, I hope you mean to take him to task!’
‘I shall do nothing so ill-judged,’ responded Mr Rivenhall, at his most blighting.
NINE
SHORTLY AFTER THISnot entirely successful day in the country Mr Rivenhall announced his intention of going down to Ombersley for a spell. His mother had no objection to advance, but realizing that the dread moment of disclosure had now come, said, with an assumption of calm she was far from feeling, that she hoped he would come back to London in time to attend Sophy’s party.
‘Is it so important?’ he asked. ‘I have no turn for dancing, Mama, and such an evening as you will no doubt pass is of all things most insipid!’
‘Well, it is rather important?,’ she confessed. ‘It would be thought rather strange if you were absent, dear Charles!’
‘Good heavens, Mama, I have been absent from all such affairs in this house!’
‘As a matter of fact, this party is to be a little larger than we first thought it would be!’ she said desperately.
He bent one of his disconcerting stares upon her. ‘Indeed! I had collected that some twenty persons were to be invited?’
‘There – there will be a few more than that!’ she said.
‘How many more?’
She became intent on disentangling the fringe of her shawl from the arm of her chair. ‘Well, we thought perhaps it would be best – since it is our first party for your cousin, and your uncle particularly desired me to launch her upon society – to give a set ball, Charles! And your father promises to bring the Duke of York to it, if only for half an hour! It seemshe is well-acquainted with Horace: I am sure it is most gratifying!’
‘How many persons, ma’am, have you invited to this precious ball?’ demanded Mr Rivenhall, ungratified.
‘Not – not above four hundred!’ faltered his guilty parent. ‘And they will not all of them come, dear Charles!’
‘Four hundred!’ he exclaimed. ‘I need not ask whose doing this is! And who, ma’am, is to foot the bill for this entertainment?’
‘Sophy – that is to say, your uncle, of course! I assure you the cost it not to come upon you!’
He was not in the least soothed by this, but, on the contrary, rapped out: ‘Do you imagine I will permit that wretched girl to pay for parties in this house? If you have been mad enough, ma’am, to consent to this scheme –’
Lady Ombersley prudently sought refuge in tears, and began to grope for her smelling-salts. Her son eyed her in a baffled way, and said with painstaking restraint: ‘Pray do not cry, Mama! I am well aware whom I have to thank for this.’
An interruption, welcome to Lady Ombersley, occurred in the shape of Selina, who bounced into the room, exclaiming: ‘Oh, Mama! When we gave the ball for Cecilia, did we –’ She then perceived her eldest brother, and broke off short, looking extremely conscious.
‘Go on!’ said Mr Rivenhall grimly.
