Lady of Quality

'For the pleasure of picking quarrels with me, no doubt!' retorted Miss Wychwood, laughing. 'Shall we go down to dinner now, Amabel?'

Lady Wychwood had looked up quickly at Lucilla's saucy speech, as though struck by a sudden and by no means agreeable suspicion, and Annis was aware that her eyes were fixed on her face. For perhaps the only time in her life she was thankful to Miss Farlow for interrupting, even though Miss Farlow did so merely because she seldom missed an opportunity to give Lucilla a set-down. She said sharply: 'A very odd thing it would be in your uncle if he were to leave Bath without taking leave of dear Miss Wychwood, to whom he has so much cause to be grateful! I am sure it isn't wonderful that he should wish rather to see her than you, Miss Carleton, for gentlemen find girls only just out of the schoolroom excessively boring! Indeed, at your age I should never have expected a gentleman to wish to see me!'

Lucilla's eyes flashed, and she replied swiftly: 'How fortunate!'

Ninian uttered a choking sound, which he turned into a very unconvincing cough; and Lady Wychwood rose, and said with gentle dignity: 'Yes, do let us go down, dearest, or we shall be in disgrace with your cook. Cooks always look black if one keeps dinner waiting, and one cannot blame them, for it must be dreadfully provoking to have one's work spoilt!'

She then recounted a mildly amusing story about a French cook she had once employed, and Annis, grateful to her for bridging the awkward gap, laughed, and led her on to tell a few more anecdotes. Behind them, on the staircase, came Miss Farlow, muttering to herself. Not much of what she said reached Annis's ears, but such overheard scraps as 'pert minx . . . grossly indulged . . . shocking manners' were enough to give her fair warning that she would be forced to listen to Miss Farlow's outraged complaints before the evening was out.

Lucilla and Ninian brought up the rear. Ninian whispered: 'You abominable little gypsy! You dashed nearly had me in whoops!'

Lucilla jerked up an impatient shoulder, saying under her breath that she didn't care; but at the foot of the stairs she caught up with Annis, who was standing aside to allow Lady Wychwood to precede her into the dining-room, and detained her by tugging a fold of her dress, and said in her ear, as Miss Farlow, in obedience to a sign from Annis, followed Lady Wychwood: 'I'm sorry! I know I ought not to have said it! Don't say I must beg her pardon, because I won't!'

Annis smiled, but held up an admonitory finger, murmuring: 'No, very well, but don't do it again!'

Lucilla followed her into the room in a chastened mood, and for the better part of the meal remained largely silent. But by the time the second course was placed on the table a chance remark made by Ninian put her in mind of something she wanted to ask Annis, and she said impetuously: 'Oh, Miss Wychwood, will you take me to the Dress Ball at the Lower Rooms on Friday?'

'Not without your uncle's permission, my dear – and I doubt very much if he would give it.'

'But he isn't here, so how can I ask him if I may go?' objected Lucilla. 'Besides, even if he was here he would be bound to say that you must be the only judge of what is proper for me to do!'

'Oh, no, not a bit of it! He keeps a stricter watch over you than you think!'

'Well, he needn't know anything about it!' said Lucilla, with something very like a pout.

'I hope you are not suggesting that I should try to conceal from him that I had allowed you to do anything of which I am very certain he would disapprove!' said Miss Wychwood. 'You must remember that he has entrusted you to my care! How very shocking it would be if I were to prove myself unworthy of his trust! You are trying to get me into a scrape, and I beg you won't!'

'No, but I don't see why I shouldn't go to the Dress Ball,' argued Lucilla. 'I have been to several private balls, so why may I not attend a public one?'

'I daresay it does seem rather hard to you,' said Miss Wychwood sympathetically, 'but there is a difference between the private parties you've been to and a public ball, believe me! The private parties you've attended have been informal hops, not balls; and have been got up for the entertainment of girls, like yourself, who are not yet out. Don't eat me! but I am afraid that if your uncle asked me if it would be proper for you to go to the Friday Dress Ball I should be obliged to say that I didn't think it would be at all the thing for a girl not yet out.'

'No, indeed!' struck in Miss Farlow. 'A very off appearance it would present! In my young days –'

Miss Wychwood flickered a warning glance at Lucilla, and silenced her cousin by saying: 'You sound just like my Aunt Augusta, Maria! That is what she was used to say whenever I wanted to do something she disapproved of. And I strongly suspect that it was said to her, and to you too, in your young days, and that you found it quite as provoking as I did!'

Miss Farlow opened her mouth to argue this point, but shut it again as she encountered a quelling look from Miss Wychwood which she dared not ignore. Lucilla was not so easily silenced, and continued to harp on the subject until Miss Wychwood lost patience, and said: 'That's enough, child! I daresay Harry Beckenham will be disappointed not to see you at the ball, but he will certainly not be surprised.'

'Yes, he will be!' Lucilla said, firing up. 'I told him I should be there, when he asked me, because I never dreamed you wouldn't take me –'

'Oh, do cut line!' interrupted Ninian impatiently. 'You're getting to be a regular jaw-me-dead, Lucy!'

Flushing

scarlet, Lucilla prepared to give battle, but Miss Wychwood applied an effective damper by saying that if they wished to quarrel they might do so in the breakfast-parlour, but not at the dinner-table. Ninian, conscience-stricken, instantly begged pardon; but Lucilla was too angry to follow his example. However, she did not venture to pursue the quarrel, so Miss Wychwood was satisfied.

Ninian took his leave as soon as dinner came to an end; and Lucilla, having maintained what she believed to be a dignified silence, but which bore a strong resemblance to a fit of childish sulks, until she found that no one was paying the least attention to her, took herself off to bed before the tea-tray was brought in.

'Very pretty behaviour, upon my word!' said Miss Farlow, with an irritating titter. 'Of course, I knew how it would be from the moment I set eyes on her! I said at the start –'

'You have said more than enough already, Maria!' interrupted Miss Wychwood. 'I hold you entirely to blame for Lucilla's miftiness, and wasn't surprised that she lost her temper, and gave you a back-answer! No, don't start again, for I haven't the patience to listen to you!'

Miss Farlow began to cry, and to explain between sobs that it was her sincere affection for her dear Annis which had led her to offend her. 'Not that I meant to offend you, but to see you being imposed on is more than flesh and blood can bear!'

Perceiving that Annis was far from being mollified, Lady Wychwood intervened, and applied herself to the task of soothing Miss Farlow's injured feelings and succeeded so well that Miss Farlow soon stopped crying, accepted a cup of tea, agreed that she had a headache, and allowed herself to be persuaded to retire to bed.

'What a conjuror you are, love!' said Annis, as soon as Miss Farlow had departed. 'You can't think how grateful I am to you! I was within ames-ace of giving her such a rake down as I daresay she has never had in her life!'

'Yes, I could see you were,' replied Lady Wychwood, smiling a little. 'Of course she shouldn't have said what she did to Lucilla, but one can't help feeling sorry for her!'