Althea (23 page)

Georgiana, sent after an entirely unnecessary length of
ribbon and a book from the lending library, was puzzled as to why the maid sent
to accompany her insisted on making so many small purchases as they went along.
In fact, Mrs. Laverham had given the girl her orders to keep Miss Georgie from
home an hour or more, under threats of dire punishment and possible dismissal.
As for Georgiana, she went patiently traipsing behind the maid until all the
purchases were made, then turned toward the lending library, where, it seemed,
every other person in town had been drawn by the need for something to read.
She stood by the wall for a moment, hoping the crush might abate, and was about
to cry defeat and return home when a hand touched her shoulder.

“Miss Laverham!” It was Althea Ervine, with a pair volumes
in one hand and several small parcels the in other. “How fortunate to find you
here. Are you just in or were you about to leave? And will you come back with
me and take some tea? After battling this crowd, I think we both deserve it.”

Georgiana was about to regret that she must return her home
when the maid at her elbow spoke up and pressed Miss to go on — Madam would
certainly want Miss to enjoy her afternoon a little. When Althea added her own
voice, Georgiana shrugged helplessly and acquiesced.

Safely back at Grosvenor Square, secure in the morning room,
with the maid sent downstairs to drink her tea in the servants’ hall, Georgiana
and Althea assumed the attitude of hardened conspirators.

“You can have no idea how glad I am to be able to talk in a
rational manner!” Georgiana sighed. “Since we were introduced, I have been
playing at being the most awful, flirting thing with your Mr. Wallingham. I
never realized that being a first-rate is so dreadfully fatiguing.”

“Is he very stupid?” Althea asked sympathetically. “No, I
suppose it is also to impress Pendarly. He
is
impressed, you know. I
have been haunting him, and he has become more and more nervous in my presence,
until he positively jumped last night when I spoke his name at Carlton House.
He watches you now as if you were a pitcher of water and he a thirsty man. I
only hope you can stand to continue with Wallingham just a little longer. I
feet sure that all will end happily for you.”

Georgiana blushed happily, but after a moment her frown
returned. “I suppose I have no talent for it: this sort of beguilement comes
very hard to me. He has the most awful way of making compliments — I cannot
give a name to his manner, but he makes me very — very nervous.”

Althea might have been able to put a name to what her friend
was feeling, but she refrained. Instead, she voiced what had been bothering her
since the argument she had had with Calendar. “You think you are able to handle
Walliingham?”

Georgiana looked at her friend with surprise. “Why, of
course. He is odious, and I wish that I did not have to torment poor Edward
quite so much, but do not worry about Wallingham getting from leaders — I do
not anymore. It is only a matter of seeing how much of his civility I can
stand!” She giggled. “Since I have got to know him I have been able to see how
much of his acts are merest posery. Oh, I am sure I can handle him.” She paused
thoughtfully. “How odd to hear myself speak so. Oh, I wish it need not be so
complicated. How do you do with your plans?”

Althea had dreaded this question. Since the night of the
play she had seen Calendar but twice, and both of these times he had come as
close to cutting her as he could without causing comment. Even so there was
some talk — a new
on dit
concerning Tracy Calendar could always find a
place in Society, and Althea had, in her success, made a few enemies who were
glad enough to see that what had looked like a conquest had turned to dust. In
the Park the afternoon before she and Maria had met Calendar and Lord Petersham
walking, and while Tracy had been civil — and Petersham quite voluble in giving
Maria a message to Francis in reference to a new strain of snuff he had blended
— Althea had felt the coolness in his manner, and had detected a definite lack
of something in his treatment of her.

“My plans? They progress beautifully,” she lied cheerfully.
“And do you recall that I told you the other day that my father has been
writing letters that grow more and more panicked? I received yet another this
morning, and only think, he is actually come to the point where he will
consider hiring a housekeeper. I shudder to think what sort of disrepair the
house must have fallen into that he would contemplate such an expenditure.”

Georgiana tactfully did not notice the change in topic.
Instead she asked how much longer Althea thought their performance should
continue. Althea considered this carefully for a moment before giving it as her
opinion that it should go on for a few days more, perhaps a week — at least
until Pendarly made some positive gesture to prove that their treatment had
been efficacious. Even then, she thought it should continue a few days more, so
they did not seem to relent too easily. “But I doubt that you shall have to
continue the charade much longer. Lord, how desperate that boy did appear when
last I saw him.” Althea blithely ignored the fact that Edward Pendarly was
several years older than herself.

“You think, then, we can have done soon?” Georgiana asked
with relief.

Althea smiled a little bitterly. “I have no doubt we are
almost finished as of now. Have a little patience. Is a week such a prodigious
span of time?”

“I suppose not,” her friend sighed. “I am so unused to any
sort of prevarication — it is rather exciting, in a way, but I shall be so
relieved when it is done. How does your sister do?”

The conversation became more general, which was fortunate,
since not five minutes later Maria joined them, full of enthusiasm: only this
minute had she received an invitation to a musical evening to be held on the
coming Tuesday, and what would Althea wear? What would Miss Laverham wear? Of
course Miss Laverham had been invited. And this was the most exciting part:
there was to be a theatrical selection as well, and Lady Liverpool had asked
Maria to play the part of the nightingale. “No, I don’t know what the piece is,
only that they want a nightingale and my looks are perfect for the part. Lady
Liverpool said so. I know they are all a bunch of old Tories and she is
dreadfully dull herself, but everyone will be there, and did I not always want
to be an actress?”

Althea and Georgiana exchanged glances of amusement and let
Maria prattle on about costumes and preparation; she asked Althea four times to
be sure and help her learn her lines, and four times Althea cheerfully agreed
to do so. When applied to, Georgiana said that she would be glad to help Lady
Bevan with any special ideas she had for her costume; she had been used to
sketching stick figures when in the schoolroom, and two of the dresses she had
designed in that fashion had actually been made up for her. Maria, who had
mastered the art of the watercolor sketch with the greatest effort of will, was
quite overwhelmed by this offer, and spoiled all chance Althea might have had
for a final private word with Georgiana with her chatter and planning. At last
Georgiana declared that she must return to her mama, and sent for the maid.
That person felt that by now she had kept Miss Georgie from home long enough to
satisfy even Mrs. Laverham, and she made no objection to returning homeward.

Within a few doors of the Bevans, however, they were
intercepted: Edward Pendarly waved urgently at Georgiana until she told the
driver to pull over. The maid had been given no instructions as to what to do
should such a thing occur, but she strongly suspected that it would be best to
stick by her young miss. Georgiana had time for a murmured adjuration to the
maid to keep her tongue before Pendarly joined them.

“I thought you would not stop for me,” Pendarly said slowly.

Georgiana, fresh from Althea’s advisements, stifled in
herself an instinctive gladdening of her voice and broadening of her smile.
“Why ever would I do such a thing? How do you do. I have not seen you much
lately.”

“I have been by, ma’am. It is only that I cannot seem to
draw your attention from others who please you better.” Georgiana feigned a
pretty puzzlement at this speech. Pendarly continued. “I see that you and Miss
Ervine are become very good friends.”

“Oh yes, she is the charmingest companion, is she not?”
Georgiana watched him pale at the shot. “And today Lady Bevan joined us and we
discussed a theatrical and musical evening to be given next week at
Liverpool’s. I think I shall be designing Lady Bevan’s costume. Perhaps
Wallingham will like to take me to the Pantheon Bazaar tomorrow so that I can
look for some materials to use.”

Pendarly’s face grew dark as it had been pale, and he asked
in a querulous manner why Wallingham should be elected to carry out such an
errand.

“Why, he has engaged with me to go driving, so it would only
be the convenient thing. And he is a good companion, and so much in evidence
these days.” She laughed trillingly. “Was it not kind of Miss Ervine to
introduce us?”

“You do not forget that you are — that we are to be —
Georgie, I cannot trust that man,” Pendarly stammered. He was unable to
understand why he had so much trouble simply speaking these days.

“As for trusting,” Georgiana replied, “why I do not trust him
very far either. But trust is not something one looks for in a mere companion.
Trust is more a quality one looks for in one’s husband.” Pendarly winced. “I am
only looking to amuse myself for a while, until we are married, Edward,” she
said, contriving to make that marriage sound like a sentence to the direst
tedium. “Then I shall be the most dutiful sort of wife, and if you cannot care
for one of my admirers, I shall send him about his business. Now tell me, do
you think that blue will suit Lady Bevan, or dare I try something striking in
green?”

Pendarly answered he knew not what. This was a Georgiana he
had never seen and did not much care for. He wanted back the quiet, prim girl
he knew — lord, long ago, before Althea Ervine had arrived in town to complicate
his life. It was all Wallingham’s fault, he thought darkly. Vivaciousness and
wit were all very well in someone of Miss Ervine’s sort, but Georgiana was
another matter. He did not care to be snubbed in favor of some rackety gamester
either. While Georgiana kept up a flow of silly conversation about the ideas
she had for Lady Bevan’s costume as a nightingale, he continued the flow of
resentful thoughts through his mind. Georgiana was growing tired of doing all
the work in this conversation when the carriage drew up before her door.

“I will not ask you to come in, Edward, for it is late and
Mama will be wondering where I have been all this time. Imagine! I only left
the house to get a book at the library, and see how I have dawdled. Perhaps I
will see you tonight? We go to a rout at Blessington’s. No? Well, good day,
then.” She allowed him to help her from the carriage, and started to move
toward her door, but strangely, he did not relinquish his hold on her.

“Georgiana,” he said, “what has happened to you? Why are you
behaving in this strange way? Perhaps I haven’t been very fair to you — the
amusements I pursued while you were ill, but —”

“No, Edward? I find that hard to believe. There is nothing
that has happened to me,” she answered coolly. “I think that this is hardly the
time or the place for you, of all people, to read me a catechism on my
behavior. Perhaps some other time.
Good day
.”

Georgiana fled inside the house and was almost to her room when
the tears she had forced back broke forth in torrents. Behind her the startled
maid followed, wondering how she would ever explain the scene she had just
witnessed to her mistress. And outside the house Pendarly stood, his mouth
slung open, watching the door through which his betrothed had disappeared. That
finished it, he thought grimly. She knew All, and had resolved to punish him.
The fact that the punishment might be well deserved occurred to him, but it was
far easier to nurture feelings of ill use and indignation over the mess she was
making of him and his feelings. She had no proper regard for him at all. It was
in this state of picturesque and romantic frustration that he returned to his
rooms.

Georgiana had succeeded in avoiding her mama; the maid had
not been so lucky and was engaged in explaining in agonizing detail the events
of the last half-hour to Mrs. Laverham while Georgiana wept and began to change
her dress. The fact that she herself had wondered at her own behavior did not
make Edward’s scolding any more palatable. He thought that
perhaps
his
conduct had been a little less than correct indeed! He had the nerve to scold
her for her amusements, which heaven knew were innocent enough! After all the
work of amusing that odious oily John Wallingham, Edward acted as though she
were going after wickedness with mad abandon. It was not to be borne. It was
not to be borne at all. She did not stop to think that his speaking to her that
afternoon was as much of a capitulation as she was going to receive from
Pendarly. In any case, had not Althea, who had more experience of this sort of
tactic than she, said plainly not to relent too easily? A few more days of
uncertainty would not hurt Edward at all. Georgiana sighed mistily. Thank
heaven, only a few more days of smiling at John Wallingham’s everlasting gallantry!
With this consoling thought, she burst into another bout of tears and, feeling
much relieved, set about choosing her gown for that evening.

Calendar had considered leaving town for a few days, to give
his own temper a chance to cool, and to see if Althea would not abandon
whatever this latest folly was without his intervention, He certainly had not
meant to quarrel with her as he had, let alone to be as unfriendly as he had
felt himself becoming in the last few days. Every time he saw her he remembered
her words to him at the theater — he was not without pride, and some of the
things she had said had cut close. He could not account for her behavior at the
play or for the way she had been behaving since that time; he had seen her in
company with Pendarly, when she tormented that gentleman without mercy; with
Wallingham, when she was as cool and appraising as any marriage-minded mother
in London; with Georgiana Laverham, when she was almost enthusiastic about
wrongheadedly leading her friend into acquaintance with Wallingham.