The Mighty and Their Fall (17 page)

“She would have, if it was what you suggest. She will have the one her uncle gave her.”

“I take it from both him and her. I see it as a twofold charge. I shall answer to them both.”

“And to all of us, Father, if you mean what you say,” said Egbert. “But she will have what is hers.”

“The power to pass my brother's gift from his hand to mine. It is a cause for pride, a thing to carry with her, an addition to her life.”

“And light enough to carry. She would hardly feel the weight.”

“I shall not carry it,” said Lavinia, in a light tone, not looking at her father. “It is not what Uncle Ransom wished. He did not mean what Father says.”

“We know what he meant,” said Ninian. “What did he say when he returned to us? What were his first words?”

“Is it second thoughts that are recommended?” said Hugo.

“I am thinking of his last ones, Father. He left all he had to me. You said it was your wish, and held to it when he questioned it. Did your words mean nothing?”

“My brother understood me. We understood each other.”

“What did you understand?” said Egbert. “He could have left the money to you.”

“The money?” said Ninian, in a dreamy tone. “Yes, that was the form it took. I was to take his gift in the form he chose, in the way he chose. And I do so willingly.”

“There is no reason to be unwilling, if your words are true.”

Ninian gave a faint smile, and stood as if aloof, with his hand on his chin.

“The money is mine, Father,” said Lavinia. “I am not afraid of the word. None of us is afraid of what it means. I shall do as my uncle said.”

“Has my daughter changed?” said Ninian.

“She has learned that she is not only your daughter. Perhaps it is a change.”

“It is still my marriage?” said Ninian, stooping to look into her face.

“That is in the past. This is the future. And it was never your marriage. It was the difference in yourself. You ask me if I have changed. There was no need to ask it of you. Uncle Ransom said we had something of each other.”

“Uncle Ransom said? So that is his place now. So inheritance can do as much as this.”

“We do see its forces working,” murmured his son.

“To what did the desire for it lead you, Father? I am forced to remind you of it.”

“Forced?” said Ninian, gently. “Nothing would force me to recall any similar thing in your life. We have nothing of each other there.”

“Well, we will leave the matter. There is nothing more to be said.”

“The one thing. The word of the future. It is true that it hardly needs saying. That we will work together for the common good, using what is ours to further it. If it is transferred to my name, it will ease your burden. We must not forget your youth. It should be a happy partnership.”

“I should once have thought so. But the change has come. And there may be other changes. I may not always be with you. Our lives may go apart.”

“If you marry, a portion will be assigned to you. You should be distinguished from the others. Your uncle would wish it, and we should follow his wish.”

“We know his last decision. That I should have the whole. And I have a legal right to it.”

“Legal? I was thinking of the moral one,” said Ninian, so incidentally as hardly to utter the words.

“I am going to marry, Father. The money may not be too much. I have no knowledge of such things. I am marrying a poor man.”

“She is,” said Hugo, moving forward. “And a man who is nothing else, except old and over-familiar. I hope it is true that frankness is disarming.”

There was a pause before Ninian spoke.

“You do not mean you want to marry my daughter?”

“What did you think I meant?”

“I could not believe my ears. I do not now.”

“We have found it hard to believe ours. But ears seldom really deceive.”

“Lavinia, you have been carried away. The sense of having money has upset you. You did not think of the effect on other people. This is not the way to use it. I beg you to think again.”

“I have thought, Father. This is what we both have wished. And now we can have it.”

“If Hugo—if your uncle was worthy of the name of a man, you could have had it before.”

“Well, of course I am not that, Ninian.”

“It is an unthinkable thing. It is unnatural and unfit. There can only be one opinion.”

“I never like things that are described as natural. And we should not be the slaves of opinion.”

“We can be the slaves of things that I will not state.”

“I am sure you are wise, Ninian. Then I will not either.”

“What is your feeling for Lavinia herself, apart from them.”

“You must know there are things that are never put into words.”

“As you have said, there is nothing in your favour. Your best years are behind. You are old compared with her. You might be her father.”

“No, Ninian, I could not take your place.”

“And you are almost a relation. She sees you as an uncle.”

“No, not now, Father,” said Lavinia. “I have not since I was a child.”

“And how long is that? And how long has this been threatening? Since the promise of your uncle's money?”

“Long before with me,” said Hugo. “As soon as it could be with her. And now it can be realised.”

“You would not work for your wife, like other men?”

“Ninian, I am what I am. That is what you have against me. If I were not, you would have nothing. And if I were as other men, Lavinia might not have accepted me.”

“You talk as if recognising your failings altered them.”

“Well, you might feel you had never liked me so well.”

“So it is not a serious thing. I thought you could not mean it.”

“It is serious, Father,” said Lavinia. “You should not find it so strange. When you resolved to marry yourself, you meant it.”

“Marriage means a loss,” said Teresa. “In this case it is a double one. Are we to make it greater than it is?”

“It will be nice to be missed,” said Hugo. “Though it seems it ought not to be. And I never know how people know about it.”

“Will you live far away?” said Egbert.

“Near enough to be in touch with you. Lavinia made it a condition. I am in her power, as I have really always been.”

“We can see the change,” said Ninian. “Lavinia, think while there is time. You are in early youth. You have met few men. You must wait for the chances of your life. And your uncle should know it.”

“Well, I did know I was not a chance,” said Hugo.

“You have taken one. It seems it must be recognised. How great do you mean it to be? How much of Ransom's legacy do you see as yours?”

“None of it. It is Lavinia's.”

“So the whole. But how does she see it? It was destined for the place, to ensure its future. She can only feel a part of it is hers.”

“I see it all as mine, Father. My uncle would have wished me to have it. He felt you should abide by your words. When people do something for themselves, they do say someone else would have wished it. But it may be the truth.”

“Truth does not need a veil,” said Ninian, gravely. “So we do not see it here.”

“It has needed one in your case and mine. We found it, when it did not have it.”

“What does Egbert feel?” said Ninian. “He will come after me here. It will be a poor inheritance, when they all take their share. My brother meant it to be otherwise.”

“Not at the end, Father. He left all he had to Lavinia. He was in no doubt.”

“Was he not? He would have kept a will in my favour, if
I could have fulfilled a certain condition. I could not, as matters were. But it showed his mind.”

“I remember, Father,” said Lavinia.

“So we should not take this will as essentially his true one,” said Ninian, continuing at once. “It is a chance that it stood as it did.”

“The matter is settled,” said Egbert. “Lavinia takes what is hers. We should all do the same. We must not betray disappointment. We should not feel it.”

“That is said,” said Ninian, gently. “But why should we not betray it? We betray our other feelings. Of course I am disappointed. I might be a lesser man, if I were not. I hoped to improve my forefathers' land, to benefit my family, to safeguard your future. They are a man's natural wishes. I am not ashamed of them.”

“Well, I am of mine,” said Hugo. “I want to live on inherited means and consider only one person besides myself. I knew I was a lesser man. But perhaps I hardly knew how much.”

“Come in, Miss Starkie,” said Ninian, raising his voice. “Come in and bring your flock. We have an engaged couple to present to you. It is a thing you did not expect.”

“I did not, Mr. Middleton. What is on foot? Are they acting a play? Where are the two protagonists?”

“It may turn out in that way. It is serious at the moment. Let the leading characters come forward and speak for themselves.”

“Why, Lavinia, what a solemn face! You don't look much of a bride. I know people weep at weddings. But it is usually the bride's mother, I am told.”

“Lavinia's mother would weep at this one,” said Ninian.

“Why, what is it? It is not a serious thing? Is there a real bridegroom? Not Lavinia's uncle? No, it cannot be.”

“Hugo is not my uncle,” said Lavinia. “He is not Grandma's son. He and I are not related.”

“I know you are not. But it is almost the same. It does not make much difference.”

“Well, I would hardly say that,” said Ninian, smiling. “But in a sense it is true. They are too much uncle and niece to be a success as anything else.”

“Do you give your consent, Mr. Middleton? I can hardly think it.”

“I have not been asked for it. And I realise you have not. They may have been afraid of our answer.”

“They may well have been of mine. I could not pretend to approve. And Lavinia is too young to take such a step. I cannot but feel you should oppose it.”

“You can hardly suppose I have not done so. But I am powerless.”

“In a legal sense. But not in any other.”

“In every sense. I admit I hardly knew it.”

There was a silence, broken by Leah.

“Is he marrying her because she is rich now? He didn't want to before.”

“He must answer you himself,” said her father.

“I have always wanted to,” said Hugo. “But I was too poor to think of it.”

“That has a better sound,” said Ninian. “But is there any real difference?”

“Yes, there is a real one. But not the one you mean.”

“Was it hard to be silent, Uncle?” said Agnes, taking a step forward, with brighter eyes.

“Well, it was at times.”

“So there has been a romance, and we did not know.”

“If there had been, you would have known,” said Ninian.

“Hardly at her age,” said Miss Starkie. “That is no proof of anything. We may wish it was.”

“But none of us at any age knew. Did you know, Egbert?”

“I feel now that I did in a way, Father.”

“Oh, we all feel it now. That is saying nothing.”

“Lavinia, think of the future,” said Miss Starkie. “You might be left a widow when you were still young.”

“I should otherwise always be single. I would not marry any other man.”

“Do you not congratulate me, Miss Starkie?” said Hugo.

“I have long done so in your character of uncle. This new one is too much for me. I cannot deny it. The disparity in age speaks for itself.”

“It could have saved itself the trouble,” said Lavinia.

“And if it is not an intrusive question, what of the material problems? You have always lived in your brother's house.”

“In this house. Ninian is not my brother. And not at his expense. I am not quite without means. And Lavinia will have what her uncle leaves.”

“But that surely passes to her father. Whether or no there is a will. Forgive me, if I am wrong.”

“It would be harder to forgive you, if you were right,” said Ninian. “No, the money is not to be mine. My brother left it to Lavinia. We will not talk about whose it will be.”

“It can be put in a word, Father. It will belong to Hugo and me.”

“But you will not act in haste,” said Miss Starkie. “Remember the life behind you. You have always felt more for your father.”

“Not always. Not for some time. As you imply, it is in the past.”

“We are thrust aside, Miss Starkie. We are in a similar place. We must be content to have served our purpose.”

“I should be indeed. But I feel I can hardly have served it. I did not look for this. It is no good to deny it.”

“It does seem too late,” said Hugo.

“I am hardly myself, Mr. Hugo. I hope you don't misunderstand me.”

“No, you have taken no risk of it.”

“You feel with me, Teresa?” said Ninian.

“For my own sake rather than theirs. This may settle two lives that needed it. But it is hard to be sure.”

“Well, we wish them well. There is no need to say it. We must put aside our own feelings. They are after all a part of ourselves. We will go forward with them, hoping for them everything, grudging them nothing. I say the last for myself. Lavinia will believe me and see me as her father.”

“Yes, I will, Father,” said Lavinia, moving to his arms, as he held them out to her.

“Father can't marry Lavinia,” said Leah, standing with her eyes on them.

“Of course he cannot,” said Miss Starkie. “What a foolish speech!”

“I said that he couldn't, not that he could. And I never know why they can't.”

“They would, if the law allowed it,” said Hengist. “Or why does there have to be a law?”

“And he is married to
her
,” said Leah.