Cotillion

‘Well, but it seems as though sometimes it is!’ argued Kitty. ‘Olivia has been telling me about the beautiful Miss Gunnings, who were no better connected than she is, and yet, when their Mama brought them to London, they took the town by storm, and one of them married two Dukes!’

‘No, really, Kit!’ protested Mr Standen. ‘Doing it too brown! Couldn’t have!’

‘But indeed she did! First she was married to the Duke of Hamilton, and when he died she married the Duke of Argyll!’

‘Oh, when he died!’ said Freddy, glad to have this point elucidated. ‘No reason why she shouldn’t. Not but what this little ladybird won’t marry a Duke, let alone a couple of ’em. Well, I put it to you, Kit! I don’t know how it was when these Gunning-girls of yours were on the town, but the only Duke I can think of who hasn’t been married for years is Devonshire, and it’s not a bit of use laying lures for him, because it’s common knowledge he tried to fix his interest with the Princess Charlotte, and it ain’t likely he’d take Olivia Broughty instead!’

‘Of course I don’t mean that she should marry a Duke!’ replied Kitty. ‘Only it would be too dreadful if she was sold—for one can call it nothing else!—to such a creature as Sir Henry Gosford!’ She saw that these words had made a profound impression, and said triumphantly: ‘You are shocked, but I assure you—’

‘I should dashed well think I am shocked!’ interrupted Freddy. ‘You aren’t going to tell me that fellow visits Meg?’

‘No, of course not—’

‘Then where the deuce did you meet him?’

‘I didn’t meet him! Meg pointed him out to me once, when we were driving in the Park, but she only said that he was a horrid old rake, and she did not even give him a common bow in passing! It is Olivia who has told me all about him, and I do think you must have felt for her, Freddy, had you been here! She is being quite persecuted with his attentions, and because he is so rich, and Lady Batterstown has not put Olivia in the way of receiving more eligible offers, Mrs Broughty encourages his advances! Indeed, she positively forces him upon Olivia! How it will end I dare not think, for Olivia regards him with the greatest repugnance, and yet she is so much afraid of her Mama that she knows not what to do, and says that she fears sometimes that she may be compelled to do something desperate—though what this could be I don’t know. I cannot think that she would take the terrible step of putting a period to her existence!’

‘Well, there ain’t any need for you to think it,’ said Freddy, quite unmoved by this flight. ‘No wish to vex you, but Gosford ain’t the only buck throwing out lures to the girl!’

She said innocently; ‘No, no, she has received not one offer, Freddy!’

Mr Standen, feeling himself quite unequal to the task of explaining to her the precise nature of the offers likely to be received by Miss Broughty, gave it up. He might have pointed out that dazzling beauties, unaccepted by the ton, and permitted to appear in public accompanied only by a cousin of unmistakeable vulgarity who showed only too ready a disposition to efface herself if a modish buck ogled her charge, did not commonly achieve brilliant alliances, but, on the contrary, were more in the habit of being offered cartes blanches by such connoisseurs as Mr Westruther. Freddy was well aware of his cousin’s pursuit of the fair Olivia. He did not think that the attentions of such a notable Corinthian were distasteful to her; but he was very sure that however ardent Jack’s passion for her might be it would not carry him to the altar in her company. Whether he would succeed in mounting her as his latest mistress was a question which had not hitherto exercised Mr Standen’s mind, since it had in no way concerned him. He now hoped very much that Mr Westruther’s circumstances were not affluent enough to tempt Mrs Broughty, for he perceived, nebulously but with dismay, that such a liaison would be attended by quite hideous complications. Mr Standen, being blessed with sisters, entertained not the slightest doubt that Kitty, befriending Olivia, would be the recipient of all the secrets of her bosom. At the best, a certain crusading instinct in Miss Charing would undoubtedly lead her to kick up the devil of a dust, he thought. At the worst—but here Mr Standen’s powerful reasoning broke down, and he foundered in a sea of conjecture.

He had not forgotten that Kitty had confessed to him, on the road to London, that in coming to town she had a scheme in mind which she preferred not to disclose. There were moments when he thought he had a very fair idea of what this might be. He had been faintly surprised to learn from her that she hated Mr Westruther, for her youthful adoration of so magnificent a personage had been common knowledge in the family. As far as he could be said to have considered the matter at all, Freddy had supposed that the childish passion had worn itself out. But having been privileged to observe Kitty’s demeanour when Mr Westruther chanced to be present he no longer felt very sure of this. His Aunt Dolphinton, yielding to an uncertain temper, had informed him waspishly that Kitty had accepted his offer in a fit of pique; and while he paid very little heed to this at the time he soon began to think that it might be the truth. He could not otherwise account for Miss Charing’s affectionate demeanour towards him when, and only when, Mr Westruther was present. Jack had accompanied them to the ball at the Pantheon, but so far from evincing any desire to dance with him, Kitty had accorded him one only of the waltzes he demanded, and had excused herself from attempting to perform the steps of the quadrille under his guidance. ‘No, the next country-dance, if you please!’ she said.

‘But I do not please! How can you be so impolite?’

She laughed. ‘Oh, must I stand on ceremony with you? No, I have known you for too many years, and I don’t scruple to tell you that I daren’t trust myself to you in a quadrille, for you know, Jack, I made sad work of that waltz with you! To own the truth, I don’t care to dance waltzes or quadrilles with anyone but Freddy.’

So Mr Westruther, bowing in mock-humility, allowed himself to be fobbed off with a country-dance; and was presently afforded an excellent opportunity, had he cared to avail himself of it, of observing how merrily Miss Charing twirled about the hall with Mr Standen. But as he chose rather to flirt outrageously with Meg, Miss Charing could not be sure that he did observe it. When they stood up together in the country-dance, she no longer sparkled, and three times answered him at random. Called to order, she begged pardon, and said she had not been attending.

‘Thinking of Freddy, no doubt,’ said Mr Westruther sardonically.

‘No, I can’t plead that excuse. My mind was merely wandering.’

Since the ladies whom Mr Westruther chose to honour with his attentions did not commonly allow their minds to wander when he was talking to them, he was momentarily taken-aback. Recovering, he laughed. ‘A heavy set-down! Can it be that I have had the ill-fortune to offend you, Kitty?’

She was not obliged to reply to this, as they were separated just then by a movement of the dance. When they came together again, she asked him if he did not think Freddy a beautiful dancer.

‘Certainly: the best in town,’ he responded. ‘One might say that it is his only accomplishment—unless you hold his tailoring to be an accomplishment?’

‘That is not a proper mode in which to speak of Freddy to me!’ she countered forthrightly.

‘Don’t be absurd, Kitty!’

She disregarded this, but said seriously: ‘I think Freddy has what is better than accomplishments—a kind heart!’

‘Or do you mean a yielding disposition?’ said Mr Westruther, quizzing her. ‘Poor Freddy!’

She flushed. ‘He is your cousin, and you may sneer at him if you choose, but you shall not do so to me, Jack!’

‘You are mistaken: the emotion that fills my breast is not contempt, but compassion.’

For the second time in her life, Miss Charing was conscious of a strong desire to slap that handsome, mocking face. She controlled it, saying in a repressive tone: ‘I believe that he may yet surprise you.’

‘He has surprised me,’ replied Mr Westruther.

Miss Charing could only be glad when the dance ended.