An Infamous Army (Alastair-Audley Tetralogy 4)

‘All! No such thing! Miss Devenish, can you look me in the face and say we met only once, at a ball?’

She did look him in the face, but with such an expression of reproach in her eyes as must have abashed any but an Alastair. She replied in a low voice, and with a good deal of dignity: ‘It is true that we have several times met: I do not forget it.’

She got up as she spoke, and with a slight inclination of her head moved away to where her aunt was seated. Lord George looked after her for a moment, and then turned to his hostess, saying briskly: ‘Where’s Bab? In the other salon? I’ll go and find her. Now, don’t bother your head about me, Lady Worth, I beg! I shall do very well.’

She was perfectly willing to let him go, and with a nod and a smile he was off, making his way across the crowded room through the double doors leading into the farther salon. These had been thrown open, and as he approached them George saw his brother Harry standing between them in conversation with Lord Hay. He waved casually, but Harry, as soon as he caught sight of him, left Hay and surged forward.

‘Hallo, George! When did you arrive? Where are you quartered? I am devilish glad to see you!’

George answered these questions rather in a manner of a man receiving a welcome of a boisterous puppy; twitted Harry on the glory of his brand-new regimentals; and demanded: ‘Where’s Bab?’

‘Oh, with Audley somewhere, I daresay! But what a hand you are, not to have written to tell us you were coming!’

‘Who’s Audley?’ interrupted George, looking over the heads of several people in an attempt to see his sister.

‘Why, Worth’s brother, to be sure! Lord, don’t you know? Bab’s going to marry him—or so she says.’

This piece of intelligence seemed to amuse George. ‘Poor devil! No, I didn’t know. New, is it?’

‘Oh, they’ve been engaged for a fortnight or more! Look, there they both are!’

A moment later Barbara was startled by an arm being put familiarly round her waist. ‘Hallo, Bab, my girl!’ said his lordship.

She turned quickly in his embrace, an exclamation on her lips. ‘George! You wretch, to creep up behind me like that!’

He kissed her cheek, and continued to hold her round the waist. ‘What’s all this I hear about your engagement?’ He glanced at Colonel Audley, and held out his free hand. ‘You’re Audley, aren’t you? How d’ye do? Think we’ve met before, but can’t recall where. What the devil do you mean by getting engaged to my sister? You’ll regret it, you know!’

‘But you must see that I can’t, in honour, draw back now,’ returned the Colonel, shaking hands. ‘When did you arrive? At Liedekerke, aren’t you? We’re deuced glad to see you fellows, I can tell. How strong are you?’

‘Two squadrons. What are these Dutchmen like, hey? Saw some of them on our way up from Ostend. They’re not so badly mounted, but they can’t ride.’

‘That’s the trouble,’ admitted the Colonel. ‘A great many of them are shocking bad riders. You know we are not getting Combermere to command the cavalry after all? The Horse Guards are sending Lord Uxbridge out to us.’

‘Oh, he’s a good fellow! You’ll like him. But you’ve served under him, of course. You were with Moore, weren’t you? I say, Audley, you Peninsular fellows have the advantage of us—and by Jove, don’t you mean to let us know it! A damned rifleman I met tonight called my lot Hyde Park soldiers!’

‘So you knocked him down, and poor Vidal will be faced with another scandal!’ remarked Barbara.

‘No, I didn’t. Fellow was my host. But when it comes to fighting we’ll show you what Hyde Park soldiers can do!’

Barbara, who was tired of a purely military conversation, changed the subject by asking him how her grandfather did. He confessed that he had not seen that irascible gentleman quite lately, but thought—from the energetic tone of his correspondence—that he was enjoying his customary vigorous health.

‘In debt again?’ asked Barbara. ‘Would he not come to the rescue?’

‘Oh lord, no! Wrote that he’d see me to the devil first!’ replied George. ‘But I daresay if I come out of this little war alive he’ll pay up.’

‘Return of a hero?’ enquired the Colonel. ‘You’d better get wounded.’

‘Devilish good notion,’ agreed his lordship. ‘Of course if I’m killed it won’t matter to me how many debts I’ve got. Either way I’m bound to win. What are the Prussians like, Audley?’

‘I haven’t seen much of them, so far. Old Blücher has arrived at Liége, and says he can put 80,000 men in the field. Some of them pretty raw, of course—like our own.’

‘Queer old boy, Blücher,’ remarked George. ‘Saw him last year, when he was in London with the Emperors and all that crowd. Seemed to take very well—people used to cheer him whenever he showed his face out of doors.’

Lady Barbara moved away; Lord George wandered off, and presently discovered Miss Devenish again. He apparently prevailed upon her to present him to her aunt, for when Judith caught sight of him an hour later he was sitting beside Mrs Fisher, making himself agreeable. Judith could see that Mrs Fisher was pleased with him, and hoped that she would not allow herself to be carried away by a title and a handsome face. She had little dependence, however, on that amiable lady’s judgment, and was not much s

urprised to see her beckon to her niece to come and join in her chat with Lord George. Miss Devenish obeyed the summons, but reluctantly. Lord George jumped up as she approached, and in a few minutes succeeded in detaching her from her aunt and bearing her off in the direction of the parlour, where the refreshments were laid out.

It was not until the end of the evening, when her guests were beginning to disperse, that Judith found an opportunity to speak to Lucy. She said then: ‘I hope Lord George did not tease you? He is rather a bold young man, I am afraid.’