Imprudent Lady (22 page)

But for this one meal there was no limit. They ordered two courses and a small bottle of wine. As Prudence was treating herself to buttered lobster, Mrs. Mallow too decided to be daring and order up a dish of oysters. She thought they had a funny taste; but since Clarence never served oysters, the sensation was new, and so she said they were delicious and forced herself to eat every one, as Prue was paying such an exorbitant sum for them. Before the sweet was served she felt ill, and before she managed to wobble to her bed she was sure she was dying. She wished she
would
die and get it over with. She was weak, terribly sick, with a cold sweat over her whole body and an ache in every joint and muscle.

Prudence became alarmed, and dashed to the desk downstairs to enquire for a doctor.

“There's Mr. Mulcahy who sometimes comes to tend patrons,” she was told. His address was looked up in a desultory and condescending manner.

“Send for him—please, at once!” she said.

"We
don't send for the physician. You must do it yourself, ma'am,” the clerk said.

“I cannot leave Mama. She is very ill."

“You have servants, I presume?” the man sneered. He had no opinion of young females in cambric gowns who ran about inns unescorted.

“Yes—oh yes,” she answered, chastened, and hurried halfway upstairs before recollecting that the groom was the proper person to go on such an errand. She asked timidly if someone would please fetch the groom—Jenkins was his name.

With a disdainful lift of his eyebrow in her direction, the clerk wrote a few lines before summoning a footboy to help out the young—lady. He didn't quite dare say person; there was just something about Miss Mallow that did not permit the slighting reference. Prudence dashed back to her mama and waited for what seemed an eternity for the physician to come, while her mama retched and moaned and writhed in pain. At length, Prudence could stand it no longer, and ran again to the clerk's desk. Her groom was just returning—alone. The doctor was gone to Bath himself on a holiday.

“Oh—what shall I do?” she wailed. “Whatever shall I do? There must be another doctor in Reading."

The door of a private parlour opened, and a tall gentleman dressed in the first fashion came out. Upon seeing Miss Mallow, his first thought was to dart back into the parlour and close the door, but when he observed her agitation, he stepped nobly forward to involve himself in her problem.

“Miss Mallow—my dear Miss Mallow—what is the matter?” Mr. Seville asked in alarm. Returning from Bath to London, he too stopped at “The George” to break his trip.

“Mr. Seville! How glad I am to see you!” she said. He feared she was about to throw herself on his bosom in a fit of tears. The dreadful thought struck him that the hussy was staging a scene to ensnare him, but her agitation soon freed him from that worry.

She told him her story in a distracted manner, breaking into sobs in the middle of it. “You great thundering cloth-head,” Seville turned on the clerk in wrath.
"You
know perfectly well Dr. Knighton is put up at this very inn. Summon him at once!"

The clerk, seeing Miss Mallow was “connected,” as he politely phrased inferior persons who knew superior ones, became more civil. “He particularly asked not to be disturbed,” he said, but with an eye already running over the ledger to discover his room.

“Get him at once, moron,” Seville shouted. “Give him my name."

“Yes, sir,” the clerk bowed meekly, and ran up the stairs himself to summon the doctor. Seville and Miss Mallow too ascended to the sick lady's room. Within three minutes Knighton had arrived with his black bag, administering magic liquids and reassuring words of hope.

“This is not the first case I've had tonight,” he said. “There was bad food served here. Shellfish, I fancy, is the culprit. Did your mother eat oysters, Miss Mallow?"

“Yes, she did."

“That's it. They are the cause. Mrs. Dacres had them, too—thought they tasted odd, and ate only two. She was not nearly so ill as your mother. I have already told the proprietor to take them off the menu. We will pull your mother through, never fear. I think she has rid herself of them all. She was sick to her stomach, you say?"

“Yes—dreadfully,” Prudence answered.

“Good. Good, the sicker the better. We want to make sure they are all out. I'll administer a saline draught."

There was a great bustle and commotion. Knighton sent for his valet who came with more chemicals. Miss Mallow hovered about the bed, then went into the adjoining room, her own room, to talk to Mr. Seville, to assure him and be assured by him that all would be well with Dr. Knighton on hand. So very fortunate he had been there.

At length the invalid was settled down, her stomach purged of poison, a draught administered to calm her, but no laudanum. Knighton thought it best that she remain with normal consciousness, lest any severe pain occur later. It was nearing ten before he left, only to be called away to another oyster eater, caught before the warning was out. “I shall look in on your mother again before I retire,” Knighton promised Prudence.

“Thank you, Doctor,” she said with deep gratitude. “I don't know what we should have done without you. Be sure to send me your bill.” She began to write out her address at Bath.

“It is an honour to serve the creator of
The Composition
and such books,” he said. “I read all your works and like them immensely. In fact, I shall tell you a little secret. The Prince of Wales likes them, too, and means to have you to visit him. They were recommended to him by his mother, Queen Charlotte. She allows her daughters to read them. It is unusual to find a novel suitable for young ladies that is still entertaining,” he laughed. “In fact, I should not be surprised if you are given permission to dedicate your next to the Prince. And in lieu of a bill, I shall request you to autograph my copies when you return to London."

“I shall be very happy to,” she said, staring at him with a smile of great delight on her face. The Prince of Wales—Queen Charlotte! To think of the Royal Family reading her stories, and liking them!

After Knighton had bowed himself out, she turned to Seville. “Dear me, what an honour. I did not expect anything like this."

“It is not in excess of your merits,” he bowed formally. For a moment he regretted his opera dancer. Miss Mallow, as he had been one of the first to divine, was on her way up in the world.

“Indeed it is! I never looked for such honour. To dedicate a book to the Prince Regent! It is beyond anything great."

“You are too modest. Dr. Ashington had high praise for your works in that fine review he did last month."

She acknowledged this praise with an external smile and an inward sneer. “This is not the time to be wallowing in my own glory,” she reminded herself. “I must go to Mama. How can I ever thank you for your kind help, Mr. Seville? I should have been lost without you. Only think, a physician at the inn all the time, and the clerk not telling me. Mama might have died for all he cared."

“I mean to speak to the proprietor about that. Serving tainted food, and then doing nothing to help the victims. Maintain a haughty and injured manner, Miss Mallow, and at the very least you will have your stay without expense."

“I should never have thought of that,” she said, but once it was mentioned, it seemed a good idea, and no more than was her due.

“You are not up to snuff at all,” Seville told her. Looking at her tired, wan little face, he came at last to believe it. Here she stood in her bedroom alone with a man, seeing no more impropriety in it than if they were at a ball. The fear that she was trying to trick him here at the inn had long since faded. “I shall go down and speak to the proprietor at once. Demand anything you want of the inn—don't fear the cost. You will be staying a few days till your mama is recovered, and shan't pay a cent for it. I'll look in before I retire, after Knighton's visit, to see all is well for the night. Your servant, ma'am.” He bowed and left, and put such a bee in the owner's ear that he was all for removing Miss Mallow and her mother that very moment to the best suite in the inn.

With all restored to peace and quiet—Mama sleeping soundly in the next room with the servant standing guard and the most famous doctor in the country coming later to check her—Prudence allowed herself a few moments to consider her latest achievement. She was to be recognized by the ruler of the land. Possibly to dedicate her next book to him. She had arrived! She knew Miss Burney and Wordsworth and Coleridge, Dr. Ashington had reviewed her in
Blackwood's Magazine,
the king's physician admired her and wanted an autograph instead of her money. Her cup was overflowing, or should be. But the contents came all from one side—on the personal side it was empty. The contents of the other side were filling a suite at Finefields, and showing no intention of leaving it. She sighed, and took up a paper to read till Knighton returned.

It got to be eleven o'clock, then eleven-thirty, and still Knighton did not come. Seville tapped at the door and asked if he had been yet. “No, and I am so sleepy. I wonder if he means to come."

“Yes, he said he would come. I'll order you a cup of tea to keep you awake,” Seville said, and went to do so. When he returned, Knighton had just arrived. He was with Mrs. Mallow, and found she progressed satisfactorily.

“She will be weak for a few days. I don't advise you to move her before two days. I leave tomorrow, but I'll give you the address of a local physician. Mention my name, and he will be happy to come at a moment's notice."

“Thank you. You are so very kind.” What a difference it made, being somebody. She was quite struck with it. Being somebody with a potential lawsuit to hold over the inn brought her another surprise. The “cup of tea,” when it arrived a little later, proved to be a feast comprising everything in the inn's larder but sea food. There were meats and cheeses, breads, fruits, and a sweet.

“Oh, they have brought a
meal"
she laughed.
"You
must stay and join me, gentlemen."

Knighton accepted a cup of tea, and Seville too sat down. When Knighton left a little later to check up on Mrs. Dacres, Seville saw no harm in sitting on a moment while Prudence ate. There is something about a calamity that lowers the barriers ordinarily pertaining in society. And there was her mother right next door, too. He mentioned opening the door, but Prudence objected that the noise might disturb her mother.

When a loud knock was heard without, they neither of them jumped up in guilty alarm. They supposed it to be Knighton, or a menial of the establishment. “Come in,” Prudence called, and Lord Dammler stepped through the door, his face haggard and furious.

“How cosy!” he said in a cold tone, and advanced towards them with murder in his eye.

Seville jumped up. “Just leaving,” he said, edging towards the door. Dammler blocked his way with his body.

“I will have a word with you first."

“What are
you
doing here, Dammler?” Prudence asked, reeling from the shock of seeing him when she thought him still at Finefields.

“More to the point, what is
he
doing here?” he jerked his head towards Seville.

“He has been helping me. The most dreadful thing has happened..."

“I can explain,” Seville began, knowing by the cast of Dammler's countenance that he was more involved with the Miss Mallow than he had ever supposed.

“You had best make it
very
good,” he was told through taut lips.

“There's a sick woman in there,” Seville began, pointing to the adjoining door.

“You celebrate the event in an unusual manner,” Dammler replied, glancing at the laden tray on the table.

“It's Mama,” Prudence stated.

“Well?” Dammler asked, his voice rising.

“She had poisoned food and was taken ill,” Seville explained.

“That does not account for
your
presence in Miss Mallow's bedroom at midnight!” Dammler snapped, advancing towards Seville.

“He has been helping me,” Prudence told him, throwing herself between them.

Thus protected, Seville headed for the door. “Miss Mallow will explain everything,” he said.

“I'm not finished with you,” Dammler rapped out, pushing Prudence aside and hastening to grab Seville's shoulder before he got the door open.

“How dare you!” Prudence flew to him. “Making a disturbance when Mama is lying ill in the next room. What right have you to come in here, making insinuations.
You!
You, of all people!"

Dammler turned to her, the anger shocked out of him. “Miss Mallow will explain,” Seville repeated, and got out the door while he had the opportunity. He took the precaution of bolting his own door, then went to put his ear to the adjoining wall to see what he could overhear.

“I want a full explanation of this, Prudence,” Dammler told her.

'Do you indeed?” She turned on him, her blue eyes flashing. “I see
one
explanation has already occurred to you. The very one I might expect to occur to one of
your
moral laxity. The explanation is that Mama very nearly died, and would have died had not Mr. Seville summoned a doctor for her. He has been everything that is good and kind, as he always is.
He
is a perfectly honourable and worthy gentleman."

“How does it come about you two are here together, at this inn, with rooms next door?"

“I don't know what brings him here. Very likely he is returning to the city from Bath, but I am very glad he is here. But for him I should have been distracted."

“I have a very good idea why he is here. You are travelling together."

“Yes, in opposite directions!"

“You are on your way to Bath with him."

“Am I indeed? It is kind of you to tell me so. And what great event managed to tear
you
away from your lover for a moment? It must be something of major importance—a new Phyrne perhaps."

“Lady Malvern is not my lover."

“She is, and all of London knows it. Do you take me for a fool?"

“I take you for a scheming, designing hussy!"

“That's enough. Get out! Out this instant, or I shall call for help."