”I remember it well.”
“Then she married that old man and he left her rich. I think if she had found someone younger before she got the feeling that she was not as attractive as some girls … she might have been different. I feel a sort of protectiveness towards Julia.”
“I think you do towards us all.”
“I do want you to come with me when I go to see her. Do, Lenore. I am sure she wants to see you, too.”
”I am not sure of that.”
“But she does. She is always talking about you. Do understand, Lenore, she is very unhappy.”
I did go to see her. She made me very welcome. She looked much brighter. I wondered if she realized what harm she was doing to herself and was trying to reform.
She was excited. She was going to give a party. It was the fashion now to engage a pianist to give a performance. She thought that would be a wonderful idea. A number of Drake’s colleagues would be invited. “A piano performance and then a buffet supper afterwards,” she cried. “Don’t you think that would be a good idea?”
Cassie was so glad to see her interested that she was enthusiastic.
“You will come,” she said to me, and I agreed to go.
Grand’mere was rather subdued these days. She knew that I was meeting Drake and this worried her. She was very anxious. I believed she was thinking I had been celibate too long. I was young and I had tasted the joys of married life briefly. Grand’mere would like to see me respectably married to a good man. I think that was her great desire. Drake would have been ideal in her eyes if he had not been married already.
I sensed then that she had a fear that I might be carried away by my emotions. I wanted to explain to her that my feelings for Drake had never been such as to drive me into reckless action. I was fond of him in an enduring and steady way. I knew how differently one could feel about people … now.
Cassie and I went to the party. Cassie was pleased for she said this was exactly what Julia should be doing. “It gives her an interest,” she said. “It is exactly what she needs.”
Julia and Drake, side by side, received us. I was a little dismayed to see that Julia was unnaturally flushed and there was a purplish tinge in her cheeks; her eyes were bright with excitement.
“Dear Cassie! And Lenore! You look lovely. So elegant, doesn’t she, Drake?”
Drake smiled at me sadly.
I said I was looking forward to the evening and hearing the pianist. Then we passed on while they greeted other guests.
As we moved away I saw Charles. Madalenna de’ Pucci was with him. She looked arrestingly beautiful in a gown of red velvet which accentuated her dark Italianate looks.
Charles greeted us effusively.
“How nice to see you here. I am sure Julia is delighted to have you.” He smiled slyly. “Drake, too. Quite a gathering, isn’t it? Some of our most famous … or should I say notorious politicians are here. All for Drake’s benefit.” He turned to his companion. ”My dear, this is a section of English society. Those who make the rules and those who obey them. I must say Drake looks very pleased with himself… and the company.”
Again he was giving me that significant look. I was more than a little afraid of Charles.
He stayed with us, which made me uncomfortable. He had a proprietorial air as regards Madalenna, but the manner in which he kept glancing at me disturbed me.
In due course Julia came over to us.
“It’s fun, isn’t it? I’ve got a man coming to take pictures. I want it done soon … at the beginning … before people start to droop. After that we’ll have Signore Pontelli to play for us, and when that is over the buffet and dancing. It’s been fun arranging it all with the caterers.”
“You’ve done wonderfully,” I told her.
She smiled at me warmly. “I’m so glad you think so.”
“I was just saying how pleased Drake must be.”
“I hope so … oh, I do hope so. Oh look, there’s the man for the pictures. I’ll go and get him. Stay where you are. I’ll get one or two more and you can be in one group.”
So I was with Charles and Madalenna when the pictures were taken. There was a good deal of fuss while we were placed in position; the photographer told us to smile and we stood there with our lips drawn back affecting great pleasure while he hummed and hawed and the grins froze on our faces.
At length it was over.
The pianist arrived and played with great efficiency and expression—mostly Chopin—and he deserved more attention from the audience than he received.
When it was over he was quietly applauded and the musician played for dancing and after a while we went into supper. I was with Cassie and Drake joined us with a political friend. An interesting conversation ensued while we ate cold salmon washed down with champagne. I enjoyed the talk until I saw Julia at a table watching us intently. I noticed that whenever I looked her way she had a glass in her hand.
After supper there was dancing. Julia had cleverly turned one of the rooms into a ballroom; it looked very elegant with potted plants brought into the house for this evening. There was a small orchestra to play for the dancing.
I knew that Drake would seize the opportunity to dance with me. There was a recklessness about him which I thought was alien to his nature. I think he had had so much to endure that he was becoming indifferent to convention. He must have known that Julia was jealous of his feeling for me. I was sure that in one of her drunken rages she had made that clear. There were times when I thought he did not care—in fact that he was trying to bring their marriage to some sort of climax.
The dance was the waltz which had originally shocked people when it had first come into fashion. They thought it was rather bold.
Drake swept me round the floor.
“It is wonderful that you are here,” he said.
“Julia has arranged a very successful occasion.”
“It is successful … now. What do you think about Jameson’s views?”
He was referring to our suppertime conversation.
“Interesting,” I said.
”I think he is leaning towards Salisbury.”
“But he is one of your Liberals.”
”There are a lot of waverers.”
We were silent for a while, then he said: “This is bliss … holding you like this.”
“Drake,” I begged, “please be careful.”
“There are times when I can’t be … when I don’t seem to care. Something has to happen soon. Why don’t we go away together?”
“You can’t mean that.”
“I don’t know. I think a lot about it. I plan … and sometimes it seems the only way.”
“Think of your career.”
“We could go right away … start afresh.”
“No. It would be wrong. Besides …” He looked so wretched that I could not tell him I was not sure if he were free and asked me to marry him that I would. I was so sorry for him. I was so fond of him. I did not want to hurt him more than he had been already by telling him that I was not in love with him.
He said: “I feel so frustrated at times. Julia is … intolerable. It becomes more difficult every day. Sometimes I feel I would do anything … just anything to end it all. Now that you are here it is even harder to bear.”
”Perhaps I should go to Paris for a while. That could be easily arranged.”
“No … no.” He held me closer. “Don’t go.”
I was aware that Julia was watching. She was not dancing. She was standing with her hands gripping one of the chairs as though to support her. The inevitable glass was in her hand and I noticed that she was swaying dangerously and some of the champagne had slopped over onto her dress.
Then suddenly she cried out: “Listen everyone. I have something to say.”