It Began in Vauxhall Gardens - Plaidy Jean - Страница 66

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"Do you know," she said, and her voice sounded vague and not her own, "why I have been sent here?"

He nodded. "And I want you to leave here. It is not good for you to be here, in this kind of place."

"I do not understand you."

"Is it possible that you don't know?"

He had opened a door and looked inside. Finding Fenella's small sitting-room unoccupied, he drew her in. He shut the door and put his arms about her.

"I can't leave you here," he said passionately.

"If there is anything that is wrong in this place, you have brought it. Until now . . ."

"Did I bring the prostitutes, the Bed of Fertility? What is going on in this house now ... at this moment ? What mysteries should we discover if we were to look, I wonder?"

"But you said that Madam Cardingly is a friend of your father's .. . and she is also a friend of Sir Charles."

"My father is of his generation. I'm fond of him. I'm also like him. He would come here but he would not expect my mother or my sisters to do so. Sir Charles has sent you here to acquire a husband, I'll swear. Fenella's is the only market for bastards."

She twisted free. "Good night," she said.

He laughed, and caught her. "Having at last found this solitude, do you think I will lose it? The*home I would offer you is respectability itself compared with this place."

"I do not believe you."

"Let us stop quarrelling. Let us enjoy these few moments alone. Oh, Melisande, if I had known how strong was this passion I have for you, I would not have married Caroline."

She retorted angrily: "You say that, now that your marriage has taken place. It is safe to say it now."

"I mean it. I have thought of you constantly. And, you see, you can't hide your feelings from me. We were meant for each other. Don't let us deny it."

"But I will deny it... I will." Her voice shook. To her horror she found that she was crying.

He lifted her and carried her to a sofa. There he sat, holding her in his arms. Now he was gentle, tender; she wished he would not be so, for in such a mood he was irresistible.

They were silent for a while. All her denials, she knew, were of no use. She had betrayed herself. She sensed his triumph. She could only sit still with his arms about her, drying her eyes with his handkerchief.

"It might have been quite different," she said, "if you really mean that you love me enough to marry me."

"I do mean it," he said. "But what's done is done. Let us build with what is left to us."

"And Caroline?"

"Caroline need never know."

She stood up suddenly. "I must go," she said. "I shall be missed."

"What does it matter?"

"I am employed here to show this dress."

"From this moment no one employs you. My love, you are free."

"I feel that I shall never be free."

"We must settle this. Come away with me . . . to-night. Tomorrow I will find a house. There we shall be together . . . and nothing shall part us."

"You do not understand. I am saying goodbye."

His eyes glinted. "You change quickly. A moment ago you led me to believe ..."

"You led yourself to believe."

She ran out of the room. It was not easy to slip back into the salon unseen. Genevra and Lucie had noticed her entry. Genevra came to her and kept close to her for the rest of the evening. Genevra, the child of St. Giles's, felt protective towards the girl from the Convent.

Fenella drank a cup of chocolate before she slept. Polly brought it and sat on her bed watching her drink it. "You're worried, Madam dear," she said. "Rubbish!" said Fenella.

"Is it that couple in the Bed? They'll never get children. A hundred beds such as ours would be no use to them." Polly giggled. "Fifty guineas a night! One of these days someone will ask for his money back."

"It rarely fails, Polly. You know that very well." "It will to-night. And what if one of these reformers gets busy on you, ducky? What if they start talking about fraud?"

"Don't be silly, you insect. As if I can't look after all reformers." "Well, we have been in trouble at times, you know." "And got out of it. Now, Polly, three of the best men of law in this country are my very close friends. Politicians are my friends. Everybody who has any power is my friend. They would not wish any scandal to upset our little world of delights, would they? If there were a scandal about our Bed, they wouldn't be able to come here, would they? So there will be no scandal. It is not that which worries me.

"Oh, so there is something worrying you?" "I'd tell you if I could trust you to keep your mouth shut." "Don't worry. I'll find out for myself. Is it our little French Melly? I thought there was something strange about her after the party was over. She'd been crying too, and Genevra was looking after her as though she was Mary and the other her little lamb."

"A young man came here to-night. He's upset her. He mustn't come here again. He's up to no good."

"What about letting one of the others look after him? Kate's latest hasn't been after her quite so much lately. Every week his longing for our Katey grows weaker. Poor Katey, she's going to need a consolation prize."

"I wish it were possible. He's charming, but I don't think he'll be satisfied with anyone other than the girl on whom he's set his heart." Polly grimaced. "And has Melly set her heart on him?" "Our Melisande is a good girl, Polly Kendrick; and she knows his wife. Otherwise . . . I'm not sure. But I've got to be sure. Polly, we've got a job to do. Her father sent her to me to be married, and I've never yet failed anyone who entrusted his child to me. We've delayed too long over that girl. I'm fond of her. I wanted to keep her with us for a bit. But she's got to be married . . . soon. Then this blue-eyed cavalier won't be my affair. I'm afraid of him—he's so charming. Polly, he's formidable!"

They continued to discuss Melisande and the night's uninvited guest. They laughed and talked about the couple in the Bed of Fertility; they went over the chances of Genevra's marrying her lord; and they ended up by mentioning certain young men who would be eager to marry Melisande, for the adequate dowry her father would provide, together with her undoubted charms, would make her an excellent match.

Melisande saw Fermor frequently after that night. He presented himself at the house three or four times a week, and, although Fenella told Polly, every night after such occasions, that she would command him to discontinue his visits, she never did so. She found handsome young men charming, and handsome young men in pursuit of beautiful young women irresistible.

"When we have Lucie married," she told Polly, "our next marriage shall be Melisande's."

"Always providing," put in Polly, "that little French Melly don't elope with her lover beforehand. Even you, Madam dear, might find it hard to marry her off if she was to do that."

"Nonsense!" said Fenella to that, but she was uneasy. She added: "I must do something about the child at once."

She comforted herself that it would be useless to ask Fermor to stay away, for he would find other means of seeing the girl.

She sent for Lucie.

Lucie was a good girl who had never given any trouble. Why was it that Lucie was the one of whom Fenella was the least fond ? She could rely on Lucie; if all girls were like Lucie there would be little to worry about. She was now calmly going into a marriage of convenience, sensibly realizing that, after the ceremony, she would enjoy a status hitherto denied her, wisely not looking too high—as that absurd and adorable Genevra was doing—but taking the sensible way to security.

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