Jessamy laughed, blushed, and said, a little shyly: “I think I must have been, sir! Such — such dull work for you, teaching a mere whipster! And so very kind of you to let me drive those grays, when, for anything you knew, I might have been a regular spoon!”
“If I had had any such apprehension,” said Alverstoke gravely, “I should not have let you drive them. You are not yet a top-sawyer, but you’ve light hands, considerable precision of eye, and you know how to stick to your leaders.”
Coming from a Nonpareil, these words reduced Jessamy to stammering incoherence. He managed to thank his lordship yet again, and then effaced himself, to spend an unprofitable hour with his books open before him but his thoughts very far away from them.
“I should like to thank you, too,” Frederica said, with a warm smile, “but I don’t dare! Was it a bore?”
“Oddly enough, no. A new experience! I’ve never before attempted to impart my skill to another, and I’ve discovered that either I’m an excellent teacher, or that I had a remarkably apt pupil. But I didn’t come to talk about driving. What have I done to vex you, Frederica?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I am vexed, but I’m not perfectly sure that it was your doing,” she said frankly. “The thing is that people seem to think that we are possessed of a handsome fortune. Cousin, did you set that rumour about?”
“Certainly not,” he replied, his eyebrows slightly raised. “Why should I?”
“Well, you might have done so to be helpful, perhaps.”
“I can think of few things less helpful.”
“No, nor can I! Besides, it is so odiously vulgar! I detest shams! It makes it seem as though I had been cutting a wheedle, to achieve a brilliant marriage for Charis. As though such shifts could succeed!”
He smiled. “Oho! Would you employ them if they could?”
The smile was faintly reflected in her eyes, but she shook her head. “No — contemptible! Don’t you think so?”
“I do, but you appear to have suspected me of selling just such a contemptible bargain.”
“Yes, but I knew it must have been with the best of intentions,” she assured him.
“Worse! You believe me to be a flat!”
She laughed. “Indeed I don’t! I beg your pardon — but if you didn’t set the story about, who can have done so? And — and why? I promise you, I’ve never tried to make people think we are wealthy, and nor, I’m very sure, has Charis. In fact, when Mrs Parracombe talked of Graynard, saying how much she would like to see it, and speaking as if it were a ducal mansion, I told her it was no such thing.”
“Now I know why I fell under suspicion!” he murmured provocatively.
It was so unexpected that it surprised a tiny gasp out of her.
“I am continually shocked by the on-dits people don’t scruple to repeat to innocent maidens,” pursued his lordship, in a saddened voice.
“If it comes to that,” retorted Frederica, with spirit, “I am continually shocked by the things you don’t scruple to say to me, cousin! You are quite abominable!”
He sighed. “Alas, I know it! The reflection gives me sleepless nights.”
“Coming it rather too strong, my lord!” she said, before she could stop herself. She added hastily, as he put up his brows in exaggerated incredulity: “As Harry would say!”
“No doubt! But such cant expressions on the lips of delicately nurtured females are extremely unbecoming.”
Well aware of this, she was just about to apologize for the lapse when she caught the gleam in his eye, and said, instead: “Odious creature! I wish you will be serious!”
He laughed. “Very well, let us be serious! You want to know who is responsible for the rumour that you are very wealthy — ”
“Yes, and what’s to be done about it!”
“Nothing. As to who may have started the rumour, I know no more than you do, and can perceive no reason why you should be thrown into high fidgets over it. If we are to be serious, let me advise you to discourage Ollerton’s advances to your sister!”
She looked quickly up at him. “Why?”
“Because, my innocent, he is what we call a man of the town.”
She nodded. “I’m glad to know that, for it’s what I thought myself. Though I must own he has been very civil and obliging, and has a well-bred ease of manner — except that now and then he goes a little beyond the line of what is pleasing. However, there are others, who are even better-bred, who go a long way beyond it!”
“So there are!” he agreed. “Who introduced him to you?”
“Mrs Dauntry, at Lady Jersey’s party. Which is why I concluded that I must have been mistaken in him.”
“Did she indeed?” he said. “Well, well!” There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes, which she tried in vain to interpret. He flicked open his snuff-box, and took a meditative pinch, and suddenly laughed. Meeting her enquiring look, he said: “Who would have thought that your adoption of me would have provided me with so much entertainment?”
“You did!” responded Frederica unhesitatingly. “I didn’t know it at the outset, but I am very sure now that you adopted us merely to infuriate Lady Buxted!”
“And can you blame me?”
An involuntary chuckle escaped her. “Well, perhaps not as much as I ought! But you did think it might amuse you!”
“True — and so it did! What I did not foresee was that I should find myself taking so much interest in the fortunes of the Merrivilles!” He paused, but before she could retort in kind, demanded abruptly: “Who was the rum touch I saw escorting your sister yesterday? A counter-coxcomb in a striped waistcoat?”
“Mr Nutley!” she uttered, in despairing accents.
“Who the devil is Mr Nutley?”
“Our neighbour! A very worthy young man, but quite ineligible, and nutty upon Charis! He — he languishes! Besides sending her flowers, and lying in wait for her to step out of the house with only Owen to escort her!” replied Frederica bitterly.
“Good God! Has she a tendre for him?”
“No, of course she has not! The thing is that she cannot bring herself to repulse him! And if you think you can convince her that it would be kinder by far to do so now than later I can only say, cousin, that you don’t know her! She has a great deal of sensibility, you see, and — ”
“A great deal of folly!” he interrupted impatiently.
“Yes, that too,” she agreed, sighing. “I wish she wasn’t such a goosecap, for I daresay anyone might impose upon her. I own it has me in a worry very often.”
He nodded, but said: “It will do her no good to be seen in Ollerton’s company, but he won’t go beyond flirtation: I’ll see to that!”
“Thank you — but he has done nothing to warrant — I mean, I don’t at all wish you to say anything to him! It would be refining too much upon too little.”
“Oh, it won’t be necessary for me to say anything!” he replied, with one of his sardonic smiles. “In common with the rest of the world, he believes her to be under my protection. It is possible, however, that he may also believe me to be an indifferent guardian. That can be remedied. Do you go to the Crewes’ assembly? I’ll escort you — exercising a benevolent surveillance! I might take you both to the play, or even drive you round the park, at the hour of the Grand Strut.”
“You are very obliging! We are indeed honoured!”
“Yes, I rarely drive females.”
“You will find it another dead bore, I daresay!”
“Possibly, but I shall be upheld by a feeling of virtue.”
“Ah, but the novelty of that will soon wear off!” she pointed out.
The sardonic expression vanished. “Very good, Frederica!” he said approvingly. “I don’t think it will bore me to drive you round the park.”
“Well, that’s a comfort, to be sure! But there’s not the least need for you to include me in your benevolence! Take Charis up beside you now and then, and I shall be excessively grateful!” She tried, unsuccessfully, to repress a mischievous chuckle, and added, with disarming candour: “You can’t think how much against the pluck it goes with me to administer to your vanity, cousin, but I haven’t spent all these weeks in London without realizing that your consequence is enormous!”