Palpably the Duchess had related the story many times, presumably at intervals throughout the day. None the less, Griselda for some reason was not surprised that she still seemed much upset. The Duke came to her, and, saying nothing, put his arm round her shoulder. Suddenly Griselda realized that the dog was dead. She recalled that the Ellensteins had not appeared for breakfast; and, with unreasonable shame, her own confident inner explanation of their absence.
‘How perfectly dreadful!’ she said to the Duchess. ‘I am so very sorry.’
The Duchess kissed her gratefully. ‘Thank you, Griselda,’ she said. ‘Fritzi was only an animal, but the death even of an animal that has been a long time—’ She left the sentence unfinished, as the Duke led her to a sofa. She looked up brightly, and the more engagingly for what had gone before. ‘I am absolutely determined not to spoil the dance.’ The Duke kissed her left hand. Griselda was pleased that the Duchess had remembered her Christian name aright and called her by it.
The others present, Mrs Hatch and Mr Leech, had doubtless, with the rest of the house, expressed their grief already. Mr Leech none the less looked exceedingly distressed as he nibbled at a chunk of the unique cake.
‘Come and have your tea, Griselda,’ said Mrs Hatch. ‘I shan’t require massage, after all, but I daresay you could do with a short rest before you change. Pamela has gone up already.’
Griselda advanced and sat down with an enquiry after her hostess’s affliction.
‘I’ve been so busy all day that I’ve not had time to think of it. In consequence it has now quite ceased to trouble me.’
‘How splendid!’ said Mr Leech quietly, ‘Would that all our ills could be cured so readily.’ He sighed.
‘Several men have already asked me for dances with you.’ remarked Mrs Hatch to Griselda, ‘and I’ve booked some of them on this card.’ She took a dance programme from her handbag. ‘Only some of them, of course.’ She passed the programme to Griselda. ‘I won’t ask whether Geoffrey Kynaston was pleased with your progress; but I’ll ask whether you were. Were you?’
To her alarm and mortification Griselda felt that her brow and neck were hot.
‘I did my best,’ she answered. ‘But Geoffrey tells me I’m too much of a bluestocking to make a dancer.’
‘You’re starting late. But you’re starting under excellent auspices. It’s much too soon to despair.’
‘Of course it is,’ said the Duchess, ‘Griselda may meet her affinity this very night. Then she’ll dance better than all of us.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ said Mrs Hatch. ‘But the All Party Dance is certainly going to be an occasion. We shall be making history tonight.’
Griselda felt very ignorant. ‘Is it such a very special dance?’
Mrs Hatch looked at her. ‘You cannot have been reading the newspapers lately.’
‘Not very much, I’m afraid. I prefer books.’
‘Good thing too. Provided you choose the right books. Millie always had dreadful tastes: Tolstoy, von Hьgel, and rubbish like that. Still you ought to know about tonight.’ Mr Leech nodded gravely several times.
‘The country’s on the rocks,’ continued Mrs Hatch. ‘That I’m sure you must know.’
‘More than usual?’ asked Griselda.
‘Much more. You’ve heard about the Roller Report?’
‘I’ve seen the name on the newsbills.’
‘The Roller Committee has presented a Report showing that we’re bankrupt.’
‘And after sitting for only six months,’ interpolated Mr Leech. ‘That’s where much of the seriousness lies, you know. Mrs Hatch. Things are really urgent.’
‘Well, you know what that means?’
‘Not a revolution?’ This was the Duke.
‘I suppose it means we must all make some more money,’ suggested Griselda rather wildly.
‘It means a coalition.’
Mr Leech nodded again more gloomily than ever.
‘I see. The dance is to celebrate?’
‘Certainly not.’ Mr Leech almost snatched the words from his hostess’s mouth. ‘I will explain.’ It was clear that his life mainly consisted in explaining the same thing to a succession of careless audiences. ‘When Lord Roller came to me, my first thought, after consulting my colleagues, was to get in touch with Mr Minnit, though it’s never pleasant to have to ask favours of the Leader of the Opposition. Still one must put the country first, of course. After we had talked things over, Minnit said that he and some of his people would come in with us; but we both thought that something more was needed than a merely administrative change of that kind. After all, Miss de Reptonville, not everybody nowadays even knows who is or who is not in the Cabinet at any particular moment.’ He smiled. There was a complete silence. Mrs Hatch was wriggling her foot in the thick carpet. The Duke’s arm was still round his wife’s shoulders, his hand on her breast. ‘Something more seemed to us to be needed.’ repeated the Prime Minister, blinking. ‘Something more – so to speak – emotional. In a popular sort of way. Something which appealed to the underlying unity of the nation, the readiness of the people to make sacrifices for patriotic reasons. For sacrifices will certainly be called for. A heavy burden. Oh yes—’ He paused again, then pulled himself together. ‘My first thought was a Mass Meeting in some suitable place, to be addressed by Minnit and myself in turn. Considering the country’s need, I thought we might prevail upon the L.C.C.—’
‘Then fortunately Mr Leech consulted me,’ interrupted Mrs Hatch. ‘I happened to be calling in at Downing Street for tea. I saw the answer at once. I offered Beams for an All Party Dance. The press response has shown how right the idea was. Everyone is coming. Not only Minnit and all of them, but representatives of the splinter parties too. Half way through the evening Mr Leech and Mr Minnit are going to make their speeches – short speeches, of course – as hostess I insist on that; and everyone will think well of the coalition from the outset, instead of the whole thing falling flat.’
‘Will there be enough people to listen to the speeches?’ asked Griselda. ‘I don’t mean to be rude. I’m sure there’ll be everyone there’s room for. But will there be quite enough to achieve national unity?’
‘People don’t actually need to hear the speeches on these occasions,’ replied Mrs Hatch. ‘In many cases it is better if they do not. All the press will be coming, and, of course, the speeches will be broadcast. Those are the things which matter nowadays.’
‘I was more than a little doubtful myself at first.’ remarked Mr Leech, ‘whether we should avail ourselves of Mrs Hatch’s wonderfully generous offer. But she soon quite won me over.’
‘Melanie,’ observed the Duke, tightening his hold upon his wife, ‘will persuade the Recording Angel to let her organize a dance at the Day of Judgement.’
Monk entered and began to pound with a gong in the sight of them all.
‘The dressing gong,’ said Mrs Hatch, rising smartly. ‘Dinner will be in exactly an hour.’
VIII
In her bedroom Griselda found a tall thin girl seated in one of the armchairs, who rose as she entered.
‘Who are you?’
‘Louise. If you like, I’ll help you to dress.’
She was wearing a costly dress of pale grey silk, which tightly fitted her long neck up to her chin and ears, and was buttoned with many small buttons from the waist to the top of the collar, and girdled with a shiny black belt. Her long hair, the colour of smooth water under a grey sky, was drawn into a tight ballet-dancer’s bun. Her face was exceedingly pale, and made paler with a suggestion of powder almost green in tinge; but her features made an unusual blend of resolution and sensibility, a large nose and small firm chin combining with a slightly sensual mouth and huge dark-brown eyes, full of life and beauty, behind very large and expensive black-rimmed glasses. Her voice and accent were contralto and cultivated.