Snobbery With Violence Part 4

Stacey Court was a Tudor mansion, built of red brick and with many mullioned windows which flashed and twinkled in the summer sun as the carriage bowled up a long drive under an avenue of lime trees. Harry was surprised to think of Lady Rose in such an antique setting. He had pictured her in a stately Georgian home with portico at the front and long Palladian windows.

Brum, the butler, was on the steps to meet them. Two footmen followed the butler with the luggage up an old oak staircase and then along a corridor which seemed to be full of steps up and steps down and threatening overhead beams, in places so low that the captain had to duck his head.

The room Harry was ushered into had a magnificent four-poster bed. A small adjoining room had been allocated to Becket. Somehow Harry was glad that his manservant was to be close at hand and not confined to the servants' quarters, although Becket would be expected to take his meals in the servants' hall. Harry was told the earl expected him in his study as soon as he had freshened up after the journey. There was a spot of soot on his s.h.i.+rt-front. Becket changed him into a clean s.h.i.+rt and bent down and gave his master's shoes a polish.

"What will you do?" asked Harry after he had rung the bell to be conducted to the earl's study.

"I will go down to the servants' hall, sir."

"Get on all right, will you? I mean, you haven't been with other servants before."

"I am sure I shall manage."

Harry looked at him doubtfully, wondering how his manservant would cope with the rigid cla.s.s system that existed among servants in large houses.

A footman appeared and Harry followed him along the corridor and then back down the stairs under the gaze of family portraits to the hall, where Brum was waiting to take over. He led Harry across the hall and into the study on the ground floor.

"There you are again," said the earl gloomily. "I'm in a fix. Sit down. Have sherry. Help yourself. Have you eaten?"

"I had lunch on the train. Let's get to business."

"Right. His Majesty is threatening to come on a visit."

"A great expense."

"That's not the problem. It's Rose. I've heard a whisper that His Majesty is going to try his luck with her."

"And you want the visit stopped?"

"But how?"

"Leave it to me."

The earl and Lady Polly had intended to keep the news of the captain a secret, but Rose was accompanied on her walks by her maid and a footman. Two days after the captain's visit, as she was walking along a country lane, she was only dimly aware of the footman, John, and her maid, Yardley, talking in low voices. But she heard the name "Cathcart" and swung round.

"What about Cathcart?" she demanded.

"I was saying that we did not often get callers," said Yardley, "and John here was remarking that the last caller was a certain Captain Cathcart."

"Back to the house," ordered Rose and set off at a great pace.

She marched into her father's study as soon as she arrived home. The earl was asleep in an armchair by the window, a newspaper over his face. Rose s.n.a.t.c.hed the newspaper away and shouted, "Pa! Wake up!"

"Eh, what?" The earl struggled awake and looked up into the furious face of his daughter.

"What was that man doing here?"

"What man?"

"Cathcart."

"Oh, him. Just a social call."

"I don't believe it."

"Don't you dare to question me, my girl! I told him to call if he was ever in the neighbourhood and he did, and that's that. Now run along."

After a few days, as Rose was being dressed for dinner by Yard-ley, she heard a carriage arriving and went to the window and looked down. Her mouth tightened into a thin line. Captain Harry Cathcart descended and then helped a woman down from the carriage. He held out his arm to her and they disappeared below the window up the stairs to the main door. "Hurry up!" snapped Rose to her maid. "We have visitors." She waited impatiently while the maid finished strapping her into a long corset and putting on her stockings and attaching them to the long suspenders. Then came the knickers, several petticoats and a taffeta evening gown. Her hair was then pulled up over the pompadours, or rats, as the pads were commonly called, and pinned in place. Rose s.n.a.t.c.hed up her evening gloves and put them on as she headed rapidly out of the room. She made her way down to the drawing-room to find only her mother there. "Dinner has been delayed a little," said Lady Polly. "You father has business to attend to."

"What business?"

"I am afraid I do not know. I never interfere in your father's business affairs."

"It's something to do with me. I know it." Rose paced up and down.

"The world does not revolve around you," said the countess sententdously. "Do sit down."

But Rose continued to pace.

The doors were thrown open and the earl appeared, followed by Harry and a cheaply dressed over-made-up girl. She was wearing a tight gown of lavender crepe de Chine. The neckline was very low and the gown appeared to be held up by two strings of beads on the shoulders. Her hair was an improbable shade of gold. Rose thought she must have travelled in evening dress, for there had surely been no time for such a quick change.

"Captain Cathcart, you know," said the earl. "May I present Miss Daisy Levine."

"Pleased, I'm sure," said Daisy, sinking down into a low curtsy. Her face was covered in white lead with two rouged circles on her cheeks and her long eyelashes were darkened with lampblack. Her large green eyes were slightly protruding.

Lady Polly stared at her husband with a look of outrage on her face.

"I've told Brum to lay two more places for dinner," said the earl. "We've got fifteen minutes. I wanted to keep this from you, Rose, but the captain says that for reasons of security you must be told, and all the servants as well."

Rose sank down into the nearest chair, her legs suddenly weak. From the look of amazement of her mother's face, she realized it was a mystery to her as well.

"Perhaps you will explain, Captain," said the earl.

The captain courteously helped Miss Devine into a chair and then sat down himself.

"His Majesty plans to come here on a visit," he began.

"But that's wonderful!" cried Lady Polly. "It means our dear Rose is re-established."

"I am afraid not," said Harry. "It appears His Majesty means to try his luck with Lady Rose."

There was a stunned silence, finally broken by a giggle from Daisy. "Wish he'd try me. I'd be set up for life."

"He must be put off coming but in such a way as not to offend him," Harry went on. "Miss Levine is an actress. She will play the part of a servant who has contracted typhoid."

"Is that necessary?" asked Rose, finding her voice at last. "Could we not just tell him one of our servants has the typhoid?"

"I think someone from the royal household will be sent here to confirm the fact. We must be prepared for that. A telegram will be sent off tomorrow."

"The servants will all need to be told of the subterfuge," said Rose. "Would it not have been easier to pretend to hire Miss Devine? Then she could have pretended to have contracted typhoid. In that way, none of our servants would need to know."

"Miss Levine will be excellent in the part of someone dying of typhoid," said Harry. "I doubt if she would last a day as a servant without being dismissed. Besides, there is not time to find her fake references."

"I'm ever such a good actress," mumbled Daisy, beginning to be intimidated by the glacial stare the countess was taming on her.

"Dinner is served," intoned Brum from the doorway.

The earl and countess went first. Harry offered his arm to Rose. She ignored him and walked alone after her parents, so he offered his arm instead to Daisy.

Dinner was a nightmare for Rose. She hated Harry. She was sure he must be mistaken.

The earl was a kindly man, so he courteously asked Daisy about her theatrical career. Daisy, warmed by wine and attention, revealed she was a Gibson girl, one of that famous chorus line. She told several funny stories and the earl and Harry laughed appreciatively while Rose and her mother picked at their food.

When Lady Polly finally rose as a signal to the ladies to follow her to the drawing-room, Rose pleaded a headache and retired to her room.

She allowed Yardley to help her out of her dress and to unlace her corset and then dismissed her, saying she would cope with the rest herself. Rose found these days that she craved solitude. She had begun to slip out in the evening after everyone had retired, climb down the tree outside her window and go for a walk in the garden, so that when she did finally go to bed, she would be tired enough not to lie awake, playing her humiliation over and over in her head.

When the house was finally silent, she put on a divided skirt and jacket, opened the window and began to climb down.

Harry's room afforded a good view of the moonlight-bathed rose garden underneath. He saw a dark figure slip across the rose garden and disappear through an arch at the end.

He left his room and went down the staircase. He did not want to go through the process of unlocking the great front door, which had been bolted and locked for the night, so he went into the earl's study, opened a window and stepped out onto the terrace.

He silently made his way round the house to the back where the rose garden lay and walked across it and then through the arch at the end.

He found himself in a knot garden, laid out in the original Tudor lines, the low box hedges protecting the flower-beds.

The moon had gone behind the clouds and he could dimly make out a figure seated on a stone bench.

He went quietly forward. The moon slid out from behind the clouds again and he found himself looking down at Rose. Her head was bent and he wondered whether she was crying.

He was about to quietly retreat when she looked up and saw him. "Why are you following me?" she asked harshly.

"I saw a figure in the gardens and decided to investigate. Are you distressed because of His Majesty's proposed visit?"

"Of course. Please go away. I hate you."

"But why? Would you rather Blandon had seduced you?"

"If you had left things alone, he would have propositioned me, I would have refused, and that would have been that."

"But he did, I gather, and you refused, and yet you made a scene and brought the whole matter to the attention of society!"

She gave a pathetic little shrug. "What do I care? The season is a farce. I am better off without a husband. Now, please leave me in peace."

Harry bowed and walked off. He felt angry. Ungrateful little minx!

A telegram was sent off the next morning mforming the king of the servant's illness. Daisy was confined to a servant's room in the west wing.

Despite her distaste for the whole business, Rose found herself becoming curious about the girl. In the first place, to be a Gibson girl at the Gaiety Theatre meant beauty and elegance. Rose had seen postcards of the Gibson girls on sale in the village shop.

Her curiosity got the better of her and one morning she called on Daisy. The chorus girl was lying listlessly in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I brought you some books and magazines," said Rose. "You must get very bored."

Daisy yawned and stretched. Without her make-up, she seemed little more than a child. She made an effort to get out of bed, but Rose held up one hand. "As we are all in this deception, there is no need to rise for me. Have a look at these books. I do not read much fiction, but there are a few novels there."

Daisy sat up in bed and took up one of the novels. "Looks all right," she said, after apparently scanning a page.

"You are holding the book upside down," said Rose quietly. "You cannot read or write, can you?"

"No, my lady," said Daisy, hanging her head.

"And you are not a Gibson girl either, are you?"

Daisy mournfully shook her head from side to side. "I asked the captain to let me say I was, this place being so grand. He got me from Butler's." Rose looked puzzled. "It's a vaudeville place down the East End. Ever so rough, it is."

Rose drew up a chair to the side of the bed, the light of a crusader in her eyes. "If you wish, I can teach you to read and write. You could better yourself. Come along. Think of it. It would pa.s.s the days. There is no need for you to lie here. We could use my old schoolroom."

"Anythink's better than this, my lady."

"I will wait outside the door until you are dressed," said Rose firmly.

King Edward was unusual in that he enjoyed being king. He was not given to either introspection or abstract ideas. Perhaps for that reason, he became easily bored. He was seated at the d.u.c.h.ess of Freemount's dinner table and the d.u.c.h.ess recognized with alarm the danger signals coming from the king. His heavy eyelids were falling, his voice was deepening and slowing up and his podgy ringers were drumming on the arm of his chair.

"I believe you are not going to the Hads.h.i.+res' after all," said the d.u.c.h.ess.

"Some servant girl's got typhoid. Whole place in quarantine."

"Indeed! Poor Lady Rose must be feeling very bored. Banished from society and then quarantined. Ifour visit would have restored her. Such a beauty. I am surprised they did not rush the wretched servant to some hospital, fumigate the place, and then go ahead and entertain you."

A spark of interest lit the king's eyes. He studied the d.u.c.h.ess for a long moment and then said, "Think Hads.h.i.+re's faking it?"

"I never said that, sire." The d.u.c.h.ess twinkled at him and gave him a knowing little smile.

The lessons in the schoolroom were interrupted two days later when a footman burst into the room and shouted, "Sir Andrew Fairchild, for the king. He's here!"

Rose and Daisy rushed back to the west wing. Rose helped Daisy out of her clothes and into a nightgown. Daisy quickly applied a white lead cosmetic to her face. "I don't think we need to worry," whispered Rose. "He will not dare risk infection. But if he comes, play your part well."

She shot out of the room, and hearing footsteps ascending the staircase, dived into another servant's room and stood with her ear against the door.

She heard her father protesting, "I'll never forgive myself if you catch this awful infection."

They went on past where she was hiding. "In here," she heard her father say. "If you don't mind, Sir Andrew, Fll wait downstairs. The footman will bring you back when you're ready."

Rose waited until her father had left and eased out into the corridor. John, the footman, saw her and Rose held a ringer to her lips for silence. They both stood listening.

They heard Daisy say in a weak voice, "The angels are coming for me. I hears the beating of their wings. Is that a light in the sky? Is that you, Mother?"