Regency Buck (Alastair-Audley Tetralogy 3)

The Admiral had got up ponderously from the confidante, and now came forward with his hand held out and a look of decided relish upon his florid countenance. ‘So!’ he said. ‘My little niece! Well, my dear! Well!’

She had a moment’s fear that he was going to kiss her, a circumstance she could not look forward to with any equanimity, since he smelled strongly of spirits. She put out her hand in a decided way, and after a moment’s hesitation he took it, and held it between both of his. ‘So you are poor John’s daughter!’ he said with a somewhat gusty sigh. ‘Ah, that was a sad business! I was never more shocked in my life.’

Her brows drew together slightly; she bowed, and withdrew her hand. She could not suppose him sincere, and while determined on showing him all the observance which their relationship demanded, she could not like him. She said merely: ‘My brother Peregrine, sir.’

They shook hands. The Admiral clapped his nephew on the shoulder, supposed him to be come to town to cut a dash, did not blame him, but begged him to be careful of his company, else he would find himself without a feather to fly with. This was all said with a great air of joviality, while Peregrine smiled politely, and inwardly consigned his uncle to the devil.

Mr Taverner had moved over to stand beside Judith, and now put a chair forward for her. She took it, reflecting that he did not in any way favour his father.

He drew up a back-stool, and sat down on it. ‘My cousin is pleased with London?’ he said smilingly.

‘Yes, indeed,’ she responded. ‘Though I have seen very little yet. Only some of the shops, and the wild beasts at the Exeter Exchange, which Perry took me to yesterday.’

He laughed. ‘Well, that is a beginning, at any rate.’ He glanced at Mrs Scattergood, who was joining in the conversation between the Admiral and Peregrine, and lowered his voice. ‘You have a lady of quality to live with you, I see. That is just as it should be. I had not had the pleasure before to-day of meeting her, but she is known to me a little by repute. I believe her consequence to be very just. You are fortunate.’

‘We like her extremely,’ Judith replied in her calm way.

‘And Peregrine, I perceive, has been busy,’ he said, the smile returning to lurk in his eyes. ‘Will you be offended with me if I confess I looked twice before I recognised in him the young gentleman I met in Grantham?’

There was a twinkle in her own eyes. ‘At us both, perhaps, sir?’

‘No,’ he replied seriously. ‘I should always recognise you, cousin.’ He became aware of the Admiral at his elbow wanting to claim Judith’s attention, and rose at once. ‘I beg pardon, sir. You were speaking?’

‘Oh, you are pleased to be aground there, my boy, I don’t doubt!’ said his father, poking a finger at his ribs. ‘I was saying, my dear, it’s a thousand pities young Perry here wasn’t put into the Navy. That’s the life for you youngsters – ay, and that goes for you too, Bernard. With this war, you know, any likely fellow may make his fortune at sea. Damme, if I was but twenty years younger there’s nothing would suit me better than to be commanding a snug little frigate to-day! But that’s how it is with the young men nowadays! All of them as shy as be-damned of venturing a mile from town!’

‘Come, come, sir, that won’t do!’ protested Mrs Scattergood. ‘I am sure it is quite dreadful only to think of all the officers gone off to that horrid Peninsular, and here are you saying young men won’t stir out of town! I could name you a dozen charming creatures gone off to be murdered by the French. I myself have a young relative’ – she nodded at Judith – ‘Worth’s brother, you know – Charles Audley – the most delightful, audacious wretch – who is there now.’

‘Oh, the Army! We do not count the Army, I can tell you, ma’am,’ said the Admiral. ‘Why, what do they know of the matter, playing at war as they do? They should have been with us in the Trafalgar action! Ay, that was real fighting!’

‘You are not serious, sir,’ interposed his son. ‘They have seen some hard fighting in Spain.’

He spoke quietly, but with a decided air of reproof, fixing his expressive eyes on his father’s face. The Admiral looked a little confounded, but laughed it off. He had nothing to say against the fellows in the Army; he had no doubt they were a very good set of men; all he meant was they had better have gone to sea.

It was evident from his remarks that the Admiral had less than common sense. Miss Taverner, glancing from him to his son, detected a look of contempt in the latter’s face. She was sorry for it, yet could scarcely blame him. To relieve the awkwardness of the moment she turned to the Admiral, and began talking to him of the Trafalgar action.

He was pleased enough to tell it all to her, but his account, concerned as it was merely with his own doings upon that momentous day and interspersed with a great many oaths and coarse expressions, could be of little interest to her. She wanted to be hearing of Lord Nelson, who had naturally been the hero of her school-days. It was her uncle’s only merit in her eyes that he must actually have spoken with the great man, but she could not induce him to describe Nelson in any other than the meanest terms. He had not liked him, did not see that he had been so very remarkable, never could understand what the women saw in him – a wispy fellow: nothing to look at, he gave her his word.

Mr Taverner had moved to one of the windows with Peregrine, and was engaged in talking of horse-flesh with him. A servant came in with a message for Mrs Scatter good which took her away in a flutter of apologies and gauze draperies. The door had no sooner closed behind her than the Admiral’s conversation took an abrupt turn. Pulling his chair a little closer to Judith’s, he said in an under-voice: ‘I am glad she is gone. I daresay she is very well, but a poor little dab of a woman, ain’t she? You know, my dear, things are left very awkwardly. You won’t like to be in a stranger’s hands. And this fellow, Worth, to have the handling of your fortunes! I don’t like it. He’s a gamester, none too plump in the pocket, I was hearing. There’s no denying that was a cork-brained Will of your poor father’s. But I daresay he was not himself, hey?’

Mr Taverner must have had remarkably acute hearing, for he turned his head sharply, looking very hard at his father, and before Judith was at the necessity of answering what she could only feel to be an impertinence, he had come across the room towards them, and said pleasantly: ‘Excuse me, sir, I think such a discussion must be painful to my cousin. Judith – I may venture? – I have been trying to engage Peregrine to give me the pleasure of his company at the play. May I hope that you and Mrs Scattergood will also honour me? I think you have not visited the theatre yet.’ He smiled down at her. ‘May mine be the privilege of escorting you to your first play? What shall it be? There’s Kemble and Mrs Siddons at Covent Garden, or Bannister at Drury Lane, if your taste should be for comedy. You have only to name it.’

Her cheeks glowed with pleasure. She thanked him, and accepted, choosing, to Peregrine’s disgust, the tragedy. Her uncle was still busy congratulating his son on his good fortune in having secured such a beauty to be his guest when the door opened, and the butler announced the Earl of Worth.

Miss Taverner, taken quite by surprise, exchanged a swift glance with her brother, and began to instruct the butler to convey their excuses to his lordship. It was too late, however; the Earl must have followed the servant up the stairs, for he entered the room while the words of denial were on Judith’s lips.

He certainly heard them, but he gave no other sign of having done so than a faint curl of his lips. His coldly appraising gaze took in the company; he bowed slightly, and said in his languid voice that he was fortunate to have found his wards at home.

Judith was obliged to present her uncle and cousin.

The Earl’s visit could not have been worse-timed: she cared nothing for his opinion, but to introduce the Admiral to him must still be a mortification. She fancied she could perceive a look of disdain in his face, and it was with relief that she brought her cousin to his notice. There at least she had nothing to be ashamed of.

A few civilities were exchanged, the Earl bearing his part in these with a formality that set off Mr Taverner’s easier, more open manners to advantage. A silence, which the Earl made no effort to break, soon fell, and while Judith was trying to think of something to say, and wishing that Mrs Scattergood would come back into the room, her cousin, with what she must feel to be instinctive good taste, reminded the Admiral that they had another engagement in the neighbourhood, and should be taking their leave.

The bell was pulled, the footman came up to usher the visitors out, and in a few minutes they were gone.

The Earl, who had been calmly inspecting Judith through his eye-glass, let it fall, and said: ‘I see you have been taking my advice, Miss Taverner.’ He glanced round the room. ‘Is this house to your liking? It seems to be rather above the general run of furnished houses.’

‘Have you not been inside it before?’ she demanded.