Curse of the Kings (12 page)

I laughed at myself. I was trying to convince myself that the only thing he would want from Theodosia was her fortune. And even if he did, as if he would write such a letter!

ow is Mamma behaving these days?she asked me idly one afternoon when she had invited me to her room.

ery much as usual.

expect she has been even worse since the ball.

our expectations are correct.

oor Judith!

h, we all have our problems.

es,she sighed.

urely not you, Theodosia?

She hesitated. Then she said, udith, have you ever been in love?

I felt myself starting to flush uncomfortably but fortunately it was not meant to be a question so much as the preliminary to confidences.

t wonderful,she went on, nd yet I a little scared.

hy should you be scared?

ell, I not very clever, as you know.

f he in love with you

f! Of course he is. He tells me so every time I see him every time he writes

I half wanted to make an excuse to escape, half wanted to stay and be tortured.

really find archaeology rather boring, Judith. That the truth, and of course it his life. Ie tried. Ie read the books. I love it when they find something wonderful, but it mostly about tools for digging and kinds of soil and so on and all those boring pots and things.

f youe not interested perhaps you shouldn pretend to be.

don think he expects me to be. I shall just look after him. That all he wants. Oh, it will be wonderful, Judith. But I worried about my father.

hy should you be worried about him?

e won like it.

on like it! But I thought he was anxious for you to marry Tybalt.

ybalt! I not talking of Tybalt.

This was singing in my ears. It was like listening to some heavenly chorus. I cried: hat! Not Tybalt. Youe joking!

ybalt!she cried. And she repeated his name with a sort of horror. ybalt! Why I be scared to death of him. I sure he thinks I am quite foolish.

e serious, of course, which is much more interesting than being stupidly frivolous.

van is not frivolous.

van! So it Evan!

ut of course it Evan. Who else?

I began to laugh. nd those letters tied up with blue ribbon and all this sighing and blushing. Evan!I hugged her. h, Theodosia, I so happy I had the presence of mind to add: or you.

hatever come over you, Judith?

ell, I didn think it was Evan.

ou thought it was Tybalt. That what people think because that what Father wants. He love to see a match between our families. He always been a great admirer of Sir Edward and interested in everything he does. And he would have loved me to be like you and able to learn about all this stuff. But I not like that, and how could anybody want Tybalt when there Evan!

ome might,I said calmly.

hen they must be mad.

o mad that they might think youe mad to prefer Evan.

t good to talk to you, Judith. We don like to tell Father, you see. You know what families are. Evan people were very poor and he worked his way up. There was some relative who helped him and Evan wants to pay him back every penny he spent on him. And wee going to do that. I think it to his credit that he come so far. It nothing to be ashamed of. Why Tybalt inherited all sorts of advantages, whereas Evan worked for his.

t very laudable,I said.

udith, you like Evan, don you?

f course I do; and I think you and he are ideally suited.

hat wonderful. But what do you think Father will say?

here one way of finding out. Ask him.

o you think one could do that?

hy ever not.

ut if he refuses.

el stage an elopement. A ladder against the wall, the bride-to-be escaping down it and then off to Gretna Green or as that rather a long way from Cornwall, perhaps a special license would be better.

h Judith, youe always such fun. You make everything seem a sort of joke. I so glad Ie told you.

o am I,I said with heartfelt conviction.

hat would you do?

should go to your father and say, love Evan Callum. Moreover I am determined to marry him.

nd suppose he says no?

hen we plan the elopement.

wish we could do that now.

ut you must ask your father first. He may be delighted.

e won be. He got this fascination for the Traverses. I believe he would have gone to Egypt if he been well enough.

oul probably go some time with Evan.

go anywhere with Evan.

hat does Evan say?

e says that wee going to be married whatever happens.

ou may be cut out of your father will.

o you think I care for that? I rather have Evan and starve.

t won come to that. Why should it? He has a good job at the university, hasn he? You have nothing to fear. Even if you don inherit a vast fortune you will be a professor wife.

f course. I don care about Father money.

hen youe in a strong position. You must fight to marry where you please. And you can begin too soon.

She hugged me again.

I was so happy. How pleasant it is to work for someone happiness when doing so contributes to your own!

Theodosia was right when she had said that her father would not be pleased about the wedding.

When she broke the news there was a storm.

Theodosia came to my room in tears.

e won have it,she said. e furious. He says hel stop it.

ell, you have to stand firm if you really want to marry.

ou would, wouldn you, Judith?

o you doubt it?

ot for a moment. How I wish I were like you.

ou can be.

ow, Judith, how?

tand firm. No one can make you marry if you won say the appropriate words.

oul help me, won you, Judith?

ith all my heart,I said.

have told Father that he can cut me out, that I don care. That I love Evan and that I going to marry him.

hat the first step then.

She was greatly comforted and she stayed in my room while we made plans. I told her that the first thing she must do was write to Evan and tell him the state of affairs. We would see what he would say.

shall tell him that you know, Judith, and that we can count on you.

I was surprised to receive a summons from Sir Ralph. When I went to his apartments he was in an armchair in a dressing gown and Blake was hovering. He dismissed Blake and said, it down, Miss Osmond.

I obeyed.

have the impression that you are interfering in my daughter affairs.

know that she wishes to marry,I said. cannot see that I have interfered.

ndeed! Didn you tell her to come and deliver her ultimatum to me?

did tell her that if she wished to marry she should tell you so.

nd perhaps ask my permission?

es.

nd if I did not give it, to defy me?

hat she will do is entirely a matter for her to decide.

ut you, in her position, would not think of obeying your father?

f I decided to marry then I should do so.

n spite of the fact that you went against your father wishes?

es.

guessed it,he said. ropping her up. That what youe been doing. By God, Miss Osmond, you have a mighty big idea of your importance.

don know what you mean, Sir Ralph.

t least you admit to some ignorance. I glad to see you have a little humility.

I was silent.

He went on: ou know that my daughter Theodosia wishes to marry this penniless fellow.

know that she wishes to marry Professor Evan Callum.

y daughter will be a very rich woman one day providing she obeys my wishes. Do you still think she should marry this man?

f she is in love with him.

ove! I didn know you were sentimental, Miss Osmond.

Again I was silent. I could not understand why he had sent for me.

ou are advising my daughter to marry this man.

? She had already chosen him before I was aware of her intention.

had a match arranged for her, a much more suitable one.

urely she is the one who should decide its suitability.

ou have modern ideas, Miss Osmond. In my day daughters obeyed their parents. You don think they should.

n most matters. But in my opinion marriage is something which should be decided on by the partners concerned.

nd my daughter marriage does not concern me?

ot as closely as it does her and her future husband.

ou should have been an advocate. Instead of which I believe you have a fancy for the profession of the man my daughter would marry if I permit it.

t true.

I saw the movement in his jaw and my spirits rose because again I was amusing him.

believe you know that I wanted another marriage for my daughter.

here has been a certain amount of speculation.

o smoke without fire, eh? Il be frank. I wanted her to marry but to a different bridegroom. You have your ear to the ground, Miss Osmond, I sure.

heard suggestions.

nd you don think it a bad idea that my daughter chose this one? That it. In fact, Miss Osmond, are you just a little pleased about it?

don know what you mean.

on you? This is the second time youe admitted ignorance. That not like you and especially to feign it. You will help my daughter to disobey her father, won you? You will be pleased to see her become the wife of this young fellow. Youe a wily one, Miss Osmond. You have your reasons.

He lay back in his chair, his face suffused with color.

I could see that he was laughing. I was overcome by confusion at the insinuation in his words.

He knew that I was delighted that Theodosia was in love with Evan Callum, because I wanted Tybalt for myself.

He waved a hand. I was glad to escape.

A few days later Sir Ralph declared that he would permit an engagement between his daughter and Evan Callum.

Theodosia was in a state of bliss.

ho could have believed, Judith, that there would have been such a complete turnabout.

think your father is really rather a sentimental man and youe so obviously in love.

t strange, Judith, how little one knows of people who have been close to one all one life.

don think youe the first to have discovered that.

The marriage was to be at Christmas time and Theodosia was plunged into a whirl of preparations.

Lady Bodrean did not approve. I heard her arguing with Sir Ralph about it. I hurried off to my own room but Jane reported afterwards, and I quite unashamedly listened to her account which I suppose was as bad as eavesdropping myself.

y word,said Jane, id the fur fly! They seem to think he not good enough for our heiress. ave you taken leave of your senses?asks Lady B. adam,says he, will decide on my daughter future.he happens to be my daughter too.nd it is fortunate for her that she has not turned out like you or I be sorry for this young man she going to marry.o youe sorry for yourself,says she. o, madam, I know how to look after myself,he says. ou knew how to scatter your bastards all over the countryside. man must amuse himself somehow,he said. Oh he the master all right. If she got hold of a meek man, she have ruled him. But not our Squire. Then she said, ou told me that she was to marry Tybalt Travers.ell, I have changed my mind.hat a sudden turnabout.he in love with this fellow.ove,she snorted. omething you don believe in, madam, I know, but I say she shall marry this fellow she chosen.oue changed your mind. How long is it since you said: want my daughter to marry the son of my old friend Edward Travers? e changed my mind, that all that to be said And on and on they went throwing insults at each other. My word, we do see life.

I thought a great deal about Sir Ralph. I was really quite fond of him.

When Alison and Dorcas heard the news they were astounded.

heodosia to marry Evan Callum! How very strange! You were so much better at all that work that he so keen on than she was.

I could see that they were nonplused. Another attempt to marry me off had failed.

Evan and Theodosia were married on Christmas Day with Oliver Shrimpton performing the ceremony. I sat at the back of the church between Dorcas and Alison; Sabina was with us.

When the bride came down the aisle on her husband arm, Sabina whispered to me: tl be your turn next.

I noticed that her eyes went to Hadrian in the front pew.

Good Heavens! I thought. Is that the way some people are thinking?

As for myself I had always looked upon Hadrian as a brother. I laughed to myself to think of what Lady Bodrean would have to say if she knew that. She would think it highly presumptuous of the companion to think of Sir Ralph nephew as a brother.

The bridal pair were spending the Christmas and Boxing nights at Keverall Court. After that they were going to a house in Devon which one of the dons at the university had lent them for their honeymoon. I was allowed to spend the day at Rainbow Cottage, returning early next morning. I wondered at this concession; then it occurred to me that Lady Bodrean probably thought that Sir Ralph, who now quite clearly had become a kind of protector to me, might invite me to the evening entertainment which was being given to celebrate both Christmas and the wedding.

I spent a quiet day, and in the evening Alison and Dorcas invited one or two of their friends and we had a pleasant evening playing guessing games.

Two days later the radiant bride left with her husband. I missed her. Everything seemed flat now that the excitement of the wedding was over. Lady Bodrean became peevishly irritable and complained continually.

I had an opportunity to talk with Hadrian who was as usual worried about money.

here only one thing I can do,he said, nd that is find an heiress to marry me as Evan has.

am sure that did not enter his mind,I said hotly.

Hadrian grinned at me. ith the best intentions in the world, he must have a feeling of relief. Money money, and a fortune never did any harm to anyone.

oue obsessed by money!

ut it down to my lack of it.

At the end of January he left and it was about that time that Lady Bodrean was indisposed for a few days and I had a little freedom.