Picture Perfect (14 page)

‘Will you pour, Augusta?’ Aunt Delilah said, ‘You are the slowest in writing although you are neater than your sister, though Madeline is right, Annabel does have the fairest hand, Annabel, you must write the invitation to the Beresfords.’

‘Yes, Aunt Delilah,’ Annabel said at once, her aunt had presented her with the perfect opportunity to introduce the subject of Jack Denham, she smiled inwardly but endeavoured to keep her expression neutral. ‘Do you think they will be a little lonely at the musical evening?’ she asked innocently.

‘Lonely?’ Aunt Delilah demanded. ‘No, of course not. Why, I shall not leave Lady Beresford’s side, she will not want for conversation.’

‘And Uncle James, will he befriend Lord Beresford?’ Annabel asked, knowing full well that her uncle liked to use such social occasions to further his acquaintance with as many gentlemen as possible, always with an eye to his political interests.

‘I am sure your uncle will be delighted to meet Lord Beresford,’ Aunt Delilah said, which they both knew to be true, but Annabel could see that her aunt was equally aware that her husband would not attach himself to Lord Beresford’s side for the evening. How fortunate it was that Madeline and Augusta did not have a brother.

‘There is a friend of the family, a Mr Denham, whom I met a few times during my stay with the Beresfords,’ Annabel said idly, ‘perhaps you would like to invite him.’

‘That’s a splendid idea,’ Aunt Delilah said and Annabel had to agree with her, an extra man always went down well in a social gathering, Jack really was a friend of Lord Beresford and she herself would get to see him on Monday, if he came, but somehow she was sure that he would. If only to see Justine, a small voice said inside her. Resolutely she pushed that thought away. One day she and Jack would be brother and sister-in-law so she should expect a friendship at least as close as the one she had with Henry and that would be far better than nothing.

Monday came not a moment too soon for Annabel. ‘Is it not marvellous that Henry is home in time to accompany us to your Aunt’s house this evening?’ Mrs Black said gaily over the luncheon table that day. ‘It is so nice to be chaperoned by a man.’ Annabel giggled, her mother always like to make a fuss of her brother whenever he returned from his naval duties as if she thought he might otherwise spend his leave solely in the company of his friends, but she knew that Henry was far too fond of the well ordered house that Mrs Black ran, where his bed was always comfortable, his clothes were cleaned without him even having to ask and good food was always available, to want to spend his free time lodging anywhere else.

‘Eh?’ said Colonel Black. ‘You don’t need this whippersnapper to escort you, I’ll be there.’

‘You will?’ Mrs Black came the closest to spluttering on her tea that Annabel had ever seen. ‘But you disdain musical evenings, when Mrs Drake invited us to hers last year you said you would rather witness rank amateurs strangling a goat than strangling the music you love.’

‘I’m sure Delilah will only have invited the most talented to perform,’ Colonel Black said loftily.

‘Of course it will be lovely to have you with us,’ Mrs Black said through narrowed eyes and Annabel knew her mother was wondering what her husband’s real motive was.

‘Did Delilah invite the Beresfords?’ Colonel Black asked.

‘She did,’ Mrs Black said.

‘Well then,’ Colonel Black said as if that explained everything and went back to his baked apple.

As usual the Blacks were among the first guests to arrive and Annabel found it easy to draw Madeline over by the piano and speak to her privately. ‘Is everyone you invited coming tonight?’ she asked her cousin.

Madeline knew, or almost knew, whom she wanted to know about immediately. ‘The Beresfords are coming,’ she said. ‘Mama is quite delighted with the prospect of befriending poor, lonely Lady Beresford and Augusta is full of curiosity about Justine.’

‘What about their friend, Mr Denham?’ Annabel asked as casually as she could. Madeline was not fooled for a moment.

‘
Whose
friend?’ she asked. ‘How old is your Mr Denham? Mama is expecting someone of her own generation, but I take it she is mistaken. Annabel, have you formed an attachment?’

‘No, of course not!’ Annabel felt herself blushing. ‘He’s…’ suddenly she found herself reluctant to mention Jack’s relationship with Justine even though it would put paid to Madeline’s speculations immediately. ‘He is perhaps around thirty.’

‘A good age,’ Madeline said thoughtfully. ‘Is he handsome?’

‘I haven’t noticed,’ Annabel lied haughtily as the image of Jack’s proud but smiling face flew into her mind.

‘He is,’ Madeline said gleefully, ‘I can tell from that little smile you tried to hide. Now, most important of all, is he eligible?’

‘Well, yes, but no, not exactly, that is - you haven’t told me if he’s coming tonight!’

Madeline smiled wickedly, ‘He is, but he wrote that he might be a little late, so every time the door opens I shall see you hoping it’s him, and then at last, it will be!’

‘Madeline, Annabel,’ Aunt Delilah, who had been standing near the window, hurried over. ‘I have just seen the Beresford’s coach arrive, come and be ready to greet them.’ Aunt Delilah shepherded them into a small receiving line, which Annabel thought was far more formal than the occasion warranted, but she wasn’t going to tell her aunt that and then the Beresfords came in.

Annabel found she had forgotten how overwhelming Lady Beresford could be when she was enveloped in a highly scented hug, kissed and told how much she had been missed. Then Justine greeted her. ‘It’s not been the same without you, I keep wanting to tell you things, I was in church yesterday and Lady Parkinson had the most enormous hat, decorated with ostrich feathers, of all things, and they were so long that the people either side of her were obliged to move away in order to see the minister, it was so ridiculous I was hard pressed not to laugh out loud. No one else seemed to think it funny, but I know you would have, only you weren’t there!’

Rather taken aback at such a speech, Annabel was momentarily at a loss as to how to reply, but then she pulled herself together. ‘It must have…’ and stopped. Justine did not seem to be paying attention to her at all, instead her gaze had been drawn to someone somewhere behind Annabel and turning, Annabel saw her brother Henry making his way towards them from across the room.

‘Miss Beresford,’ he said, bowing in what Annabel considered to be an unnecessarily unbrotherly way and taking Justine’s hand. ‘We haven’t met, but please allow me to introduce myself; I am Henry Black, Annabel’s brother.’

‘I’m very pleased to meet you,’ Justine said, ‘but, please, we are practically related, can we not be on first name terms? I am Justine.’ Annabel found herself feeling a little speechless, her mother had always said that it would never be proper, under any circumstances, to progress to such intimacies on a first acquaintance, but then her mother could never have imagined a situation where her son was introduced to his sister’ sister, so perhaps the usual rules did not apply.

‘Justine,’ Henry said, ‘It’s a beautiful name.’

‘Thank you,’ Justine said. ‘Do you know, you’d never believe what I saw in church yesterday? Why, Lady Parkinson wore the most outrageous hat, I declare it was simply covered in enormous peacock feathers!’

‘I thought you said…’ Annabel began, but Henry said ‘Really?’ and Annabel found she was totally forgotten.

Feeling rather out of sorts, she drifted over to Augusta. ‘I thought it would be wonderful to have a twin like that,’ Augusta said, ‘but she seems to have been very easily distracted.’

‘
Yes,’ Annabel said, surprised at the bitterness in her voice. Augusta hastily changed the subject.

‘
Madeline will be playing tonight, and she hopes to persuade you to sing with me while she accompanies us. What do you say?’

Annabel glanced across the room to where Justine appeared to be in deep conversation with Henry, and wondered if her sister would be impressed or amused by hearing her sing; or perhaps Justine would not even notice. She turned to Augusta. ‘Of course I’ll sing with you, I’d be delighted.’

Aunt Delilah’s musical evening began, as her gatherings usually did, with her husband playing on the pianoforte and despite knowing Madeline’s eyes were on her, Annabel couldn’t help glancing at the door to see if Mr Denham would arrive just in time for the start of the entertainment, but during the whole of the first half the door remained firmly shut. When Uncle James had finished his pieces he then accompanied two violinists who were followed by Aunt Delilah herself doing a recitation from
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
, it was not quite in keeping with the other offerings, but Annabel knew the evening would not be complete for her Aunt without a chance to shine before her guests. Sitting in the front row between her parents, she tried not to keep looking at the door and she was relieved when the first half of the programme drew to a close and refreshments were announced. Annabel helped herself to a glass of lemonade and then drifted towards the window where her brother and Justine were chatting.

‘
Annabel,’ Henry summoned her over just as Justine said ‘Hannah,’ and then looked rather more mortified than Annabel felt the slip strictly warranted. ‘Or perhaps I should call you Hannabel?’ her sister suggested with a giggle and darted a quick glance towards Henry as if to see if he were amused by her wit.

‘
If you must,’ Annabel said, feeling rather irritated, Henry was her brother, not Justine’s, Justine shouldn’t be behaving in such a familiar way with him on so short an acquaintance. Then she chided herself for being petty, Justine had been more than happy to share her home with her, she shouldn’t begrudge her the company of her brother, perhaps Justine thought of Henry as a sort of adoptive brother, having none of her own and if so it was nice that she could give something to the Beresfords who seemed to be offering her so much. Annabel fixed a smile on her face and tried to think that way.

‘
What do you think?’ Justine asked Henry, touching his arm and leaning rather intimately towards him.

Annabel expected her brother to gently pull away from such familiarity, but instead Henry seemed to be charmed by it. ‘Hannabel,’ he said musingly, ‘It could be seen in the nature of a compromise, both mothers contributing to the name, everyone should be happy.’

‘
Hannabel it is then!’ Justine said brightly.

‘
Only if she’s going to take up driving a team of elephants,’ a sardonic voice said from just behind her, ‘and although I think she’d be quite capable of it if she put her mind to it, I see Miss Black preferring far more elegant animals as her mode of transport.’

Annabel whirled around to find Jack Denham standing right by her, so close she could almost feel warmth radiating from him, he was looking at Justine and Henry with rather narrowed eyes, but she sensed that she was really at the centre of his attention. ‘I do like to ride horses,’ she said mildly, smiling up at him.

‘
So do I,’ Jack said and for a moment the rest of the world seemed to fade away and it was just Annabel and Jack alone together, with Jack about to suggest they went riding together, she was sure.

‘
Oh!’ Justine cut in. ‘I’ve just had the most marvellous idea! Let us all, all four of us, go riding together and take a picnic. Jack, you’re always saying town gets too stuffy for you and that spring was made for being in the countryside. Let’s ride out tomorrow, with Henry home for the next few days it’s the perfect opportunity!’

Looking at Jack, Annabel could see that it would be utterly impossible for him to decline such an enthusiastic invitation, and, she reminded herself sharply, why would he want to? Justine was the girl to whom he had given his heart.

Jack glanced questioningly at her and Henry, ‘That’s a splendid idea,’ he said, apparently reading assent in their eyes, and it was, Annabel had to grudgingly admit, it would be fun to spend a day out of doors and with her brother there to chaperone they would be the epitome of respectability. She had missed being able to give her horse her head and have a real gallop and she would enjoy spending a day with Jack, now all she had to do was persuade herself to view him in a brotherly light.

A practised arpeggio on the piano drew their attention back to the purpose of the evening and looking over to it Annabel saw Madeline seated there with Augusta hovering by her side. Augusta beckoned discreetly and Annabel remembered that she had promised to sing with her. Suddenly something which had seemed a simple drawing room entertainment such as she had done many times in the past took on alarming proportions. What would the Beresfords think of her singing? Would they find it vulgar? During her time with them none of them had seen fit to play or sing for each other or any of their numerous guests. Then there was Jack, if he were as educated in music as he was in art he would know at once that her voice was really of a rather indifferent quality and did not compare at all with Augusta’s. Her own efforts must surely seem pretentious beside her two cousins and she shook her head frantically at Augusta, wondering if she could convince her of a sudden attack of laryngitis.

‘
Your friend looks a little nervous,’ Jack said beside her.