An Infamous Army (Alastair-Audley Tetralogy 4)

‘Why, Bab, my girl!’ said his Grace, surprised. He put his arm round her, and said gruffly: ‘There, that will do! You are a baggage, but at least you have some spirit in you! When I think of that white-livered cur, Vidal, running for his life—’

‘Oh, that was Gussie’s doing! Did you meet them on your way here?’

‘I? No, nor wish to! We landed at Ostend, and drove here through Ghent. If it had not been for the rabble choking the road we should have been here yesterday.’

‘Yes,’ said his wife. ‘They warned us in Ghent not to proceed farther, as we should certainly be obliged to fly from Brussels, so naturally your grandfather had the horses put to immediately.’

He regarded her with a grim little smile. ‘You were not behindhand, Mary!’

‘Certainly not. All this dashing about makes me feel myself a young woman again. Which reminds me that I must call upon my new granddaughter. You will give me her uncle’s direction, Bab.’

‘Understand me, Mary—’

‘I will give it to you, ma’am, but you must know that Mr Fisher regards the match with quite as much dislike as does my grandfather.’

This remark brought a sparkle into the Duke’s eye. ‘He does, does he? Go on, Miss! Go on! What the devil has he against my grandson?’

‘He thinks him a spendthrift, sir.’

‘Ha! Damned Cit! He may consider himself lucky to have caught George for his nobody of a niece!’

‘As to that, Lucy is his heir. I fancy he was looking higher for her. Her fortune will not be inconsiderable, you know, and in these days—’

‘So he was looking higher, was he? An Alastair is not good enough for him! I’ll see this greasy merchant!’

The Duchess said in her matter-of-fact way: ‘You should certainly do so. It will be much more the thing than that wild notion you had taken into your head of riding out with Lord Worth towards the battlefield.’

‘Fisher can wait,’ replied his Grace. ‘I have every intention of going to see what news can be got the instant I have swallowed my dinner.’

‘Dinner!’ Judith exclaimed. ‘How shocking of me! I had forgotten the time. You must know, Duchess, that here in Brussels we have got into the way of dining at four. I hope you will not mind. You must please stay and join us.’

‘You should warn them that Charles bore off our Sunday dinner,’ Barbara said, with a wry smile.

‘You may be sure my cook will have contrived something.’

The Avons were putting up at the Hôtel de Belle Vue, and the Duchess at once suggested that the whole party should walk round to dine there. It was declined, however; Judith’s confidence in her cook was found not to have been misplaced; and in a very few minutes they were all seated round the table in the dining-parlour.

The conversation was mostly of the war. The wildest rumours were current in Ghent, and the Duke was glad to listen to a calm account from Worth of all that had so far passed. When he heard that the Life Guards had driven the French lancers out of Genappe, he looked pleased, but beyond saying that if George did not get his brevet for this he supposed he would be obliged to purchase promotion for him, he made no remark. As soon as they rose from the table, he and Worth took their departure, to ride towards the Forest of Soignes in search of intelligence, and Judith, excusing herself, left Barbara alone with her grandmother.

‘I have surpassed myself, ma’am,’ Barbara said in a bitter tone. ‘Did Vidal write you the whole?’

‘Quite enough,’ replied the Duchess. ‘I wish, dearest, you will try to get the better of this shocking disposition of yours.’

‘If Charles comes back to me there is nothing I will not do!’

‘We will hope he may do so. Your grandfather was very much pleased with the civil letter Colonel Audley wrote to him. How came you to throw him off as you did, my love?’

‘O God, Grandmama!’ Barbara whispered, and fell on her knees beside the Duchess, and buried her face in her lap.

It was long before she could be calm. The Duchess listened in understanding silence to the disjointed sentences gasped out, merely saying presently: ‘Don’t cry, Bab. It will ruin your face, you know.’

‘I don’t give a damn for my face!’

‘I am very sure that you do.’

Barbara sat up, smiling through her tears. ‘Confound you, ma’am, you know too much! There, I have done! You don’t wish me to remove to the Hôtel de Belle Vue, do you? I cannot leave Judith at this present.’

‘By all means stay here, my love. But tell me about this child George has married, if you please!’