‘That’s not quite it, sir,’ said Arthur anxiously. ‘Of course I want the position, and I’m very grateful that you have considered me worthy of it.’
‘I haven’t, but your brother was a most eloquent advocate on your behalf.’
Arthur did not doubt it, and wondered what political favour had been promised in return for his appointment as Surveyor General of the Ordnance. It did not matter. There was no question of his taking the post. Not if he wanted to stand any chance of finally winning Kitty as his wife.
‘My lord, may I explain?’
‘Please do.’
‘The present Surveyor General is Captain Pakenham.’
‘I know that, thank you.’
‘His niece is Kitty Pakenham.’
Lord Camden stared back at him for a moment and shook his head. ‘Never heard of her.’
‘She is the woman I intend to marry, my lord. As soon as circumstances permit.’
Lord Camden’s eyes widened as he grasped the point. ‘Ah! I see, young man. It would not be good form to depose your lady’s relative.’
‘No, my lord, it would not. Particularly as I have to seek her brother’s permission to marry Kitty, and he already thinks ill of me. So, as you can see, I am forced to decline the offer.’
‘A bad business, Wesley,’ Camden said sadly.
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘And it’s about to get worse.’
Arthur’s eyebrows rose questioningly, even as a sick feeling of dread welled up in his guts. But what could be worse than his current predicament?
‘I’ve already informed Captain Pakenham that he is to be replaced. The letter was sent three days ago.’
Arthur lowered his head, and the nausea within briefly made him feel as if he was teetering on the edge of a precipice. Three days ago. Even if it hadn’t been delivered already there was no hope of overtaking the message. More likely Captain Pakenham had fired off a bitter protest to Lord Camden and sent a letter to the other members of his family to denounce the move. Good God, he thought in a panic, it might already have arrived. For a moment Arthur visualised the scene as Kitty opened the letter, read the contents and turned her face for ever away from him. It was too bleak a vision to entertain and he shook it off, and concentrated his thoughts once again.
‘My lord, I most humbly request that you rescind the decision to replace Captain Pakenham with me. Even though I know the damage is already done, I cannot allow other people to think that I was complicit in this matter. I must be able to defend myself against any accusations of dishonourable conduct. You must see that.’
‘Of course I do!’ Lord Camden shouted. ‘What do you take me for, an idiot? Once this gets out I think you’d be lucky if some young man in that family didn’t call you out to eat grass before breakfast.’
‘That’s my fear. If it should be Kitty’s brother . . .’
‘Then you’re damned if you win, and dead if you lose.’
‘Quite.’
‘Blast you and that interfering brother of yours!’ Lord Camden slapped his hand down on his desk. ‘How do you imagine this is going to look for me? First I take the man’s job away from him, to give to someone less than half his age, then I toss it back to him as if I’m teasing a damned hound. It won’t do, sir!’
‘No, my lord.’
For a moment neither spoke as the Lord Lieutenant glared at his aide, and Arthur stood and endured the burden of disapproval, and the dread of the consequences of Richard’s intervention. If only Richard had consulted him first . . .
‘I’ll have to write another bloody letter to Captain Pakenham now. Only this time I shall have to humbly ask the man to take his job back. I hope for both our sakes that he doesn’t go off in high dudgeon, broadcasting his shabby treatment to one and all.’ He leaned forward and wagged a finger at Arthur. ‘And I think that you can forget any notion that I will help you find another post in my government. Now get out of my sight,Wesley. I’ve got a letter to write.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Arthur snapped to attention, saluted and then turned and quickly marched out of the office as Lord Camden bellowed for his secretary.
Arthur hurried from the castle and made straight for Russell Square. There was no time to waste. He had to find Kitty and explain the situation before she heard the news from her uncle. When he reached the house Arthur bounded up the stairs, paused to catch his breath, remove his hat and straighten his jacket, and then rapped the gleaming knocker. An elderly servant answered the door, smiling when he recognised the caller, and Arthur felt his spirits rise as he realised that the staff could not have been instructed to cold-shoulder him yet.
‘Is Miss Pakenham at home?’
‘I’m afraid not, sir. She left over an hour ago.’
‘Do you know where she has gone?’
‘Shopping, I would imagine, sir. Miss Pakenham has most likely gone to buy some materials from Thorns, the haberdashers on Fitzroy Street.’
‘Are you sure?’
The servant smiled again. ‘Miss Pakenham is a creature of habit, sir.’
‘Thank you.’ Arthur turned away and descended two steps, then paused and turned back. ‘If she returns before I find her, please tell her that I have something very important to relate to her. I’d be obliged if she stayed here and I’ll come back once I’ve looked for her.’
‘Yes, sir. Any other words you wish me to convey to her?’
‘No. I’ll tell her everything.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The servant nodded and closed the door.
Arthur hurried back into the centre of the city, weaving through the morning shoppers and stepping nimbly round the beggars as he made for Fitzroy Street. He entered Thorns and scoured the store, with no luck. He returned to Russell Square, but she had not yet returned home. In exasperation Arthur left a message requesting Miss Pakenham to send word to his lodgings the moment she got back, so that he might come and speak to her on a matter of great urgency.
Feeling his world tumbling into turmoil around him, he walked slowly home, head down, hands clenched tightly behind his back as he tried to frame the words he would use to attempt to persuade Kitty of his blamelessness in this whole sorry mess. It began to rain, and he realised that he had left his cape at the castle in his haste to find Kitty. By the time he reached his lodgings in Fostertown he was soaked through. The caretaker of the house frowned as he saw Arthur dripping in the hall. He began to speak but Arthur cut him off.‘Earnshaw, how much to draw me a bath?’
‘Cold will cost you threepence, sir. Hot will be sixpence.’
‘I’ll give you a shilling if you can have a hot bath ready within the half-hour.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Arthur started towards the stairs but the caretaker called out to him. ‘Sir!’
‘What is it?’
‘There’s someone waiting to see you, sir. In the parlour.’ The caretaker smiled. ‘A proper lady, sir.’
‘Oh, Christ . . .’Arthur muttered. For an instant he desperately hoped it was a coincidence.Then he cursed himself. Of course it wasn’t. Kitty had already received the news. He stared down at the floor for a moment before he summoned enough resolve to straighten up and walk steadily towards the parlour door. He opened the door and saw Kitty sitting in a chair by the window. Over her shoulder the rain streaked the cheap glass and made the outside world waver indistinctly. She stared at him, lips drawn in a tight line across her ashen face.
‘Hello, Kitty.’ Arthur nearly let himself smile, but stopped just in time. ‘I tried to find—’
‘How dare you?’ she interrupted harshly.
‘Kitty!’ Arthur took a step towards her, and she flinched as before a vile serpent.
‘Stay back, Arthur. I think I should be sick if you came any closer. In all the time I have known you I never once suspected that you could behave in such a low, calculating, ungentlemanly manner.There’s a good man, I told myself. Honest, charming and intelligent. Well, now you’ve made the stupidest, most wretched mistake of your life. To think that I loved you. That I wanted to marry you! The very thought makes my flesh creep. I . . .’ Her head lowered and she angrily cuffed away a tear. But it was not enough to stop the raw emotion pouring from her body and her shoulders shuddered as more tears came.