Portrait of Jonathan (11 page)

Lavinia and her friend Phillippa, ready at last, found themselves
standing on the steps at the front of the house, awaiting the arrival of
Giles and Phillippa’s brother who was coming to escort her home.

‘I hope you will like my brother, Lavinia,’ Phillippa Selwyn remarked as
they reached the driveway. ‘I am sure he will fall in love with you at
once.’

Lavinia laughed. She had told no one, not even Phillippa, of her
affection for Jonathan and so that no one would suspect she had always
indulged in the chatter of ‘match-making’.

‘I am sure, Phillippa, that with all the other girls here, he will never
notice me. He will be mesmerised with so many eligible females at once.’

‘Ah, but don’t forget we are to travel to England together. You’ll have
plenty of time to ensnare him with your charms, whilst
I
shall
enslave Giles Eldon.’

‘Oh no—if anyone is going to enslave Giles, it will be me—I have prior
claim, don’t forget,’ Lavinia teased her friend.

‘Then that leaves me with no one,’ Phillippa replied, pretending to pout.
‘Are you really attracted to Giles, Lavinia, you’ve not said?’

‘He’s very kind and very good-looking,’ she replied guardedly. ‘But shall
we say more of a brother to me.’

‘There you are then,’ Phillippa waved her slender hand, ‘you don’t want
him yourself, but you won’t let
me
have him. Really, Lavinia,
you’re …’

But her remonstrations were cut short as Lavinia interrupted her friend
with a cry of delight.

‘Here’s Giles,’ and as a carriage drew to a halt, she hurried forward to
meet the tall figure stepping down from it.

‘Giles! Giles!’

The young man looked around and his eyes came to rest upon the girl
hurrying towards him. Lavinia saw the puzzlement on his face turn to
surprised wonderment.

‘Vinny—Vinny, is it really you?’

As he took her outstretched hands in his, she laughed delightedly, but
could not resist teasing him.

‘Giles—have you forgotten me in only a year? Shame on you—you wound me,
sir!’

‘Forget you! Never, Vinny, but you’ve changed so—grown up. You’re lovely—
beautiful’

‘Nonsense, Giles,’ she laughed.

‘It is not nonsense,’ he murmured, continuing to gaze at her as if he
could not believe the picture before his eyes.

‘Good grief,’ he exclaimed as he began to recover from his surprise,
which Lavinia realised was genuine, ‘it hardly seems possible—just wait
till old Jonathan sees you!’

The smile faded a little from her face as Giles touched upon the subject
closest to her heart—even she dared not put into words the hopes she
cherished.

‘Come,’ she said putting her hand on his arm, ‘and meet my dear friend,
Phillippa Selwyn.’

Lavinia noticed the startled look in his eyes, but he remained silent as
she led him forward to meet her friend. The formal introductions over,
there was an awkward pause. Giles seemed ill-at-ease and unwilling to meet
Phillippa’s eyes, although he answered her questions politely enough.

‘Did you have a good journey, Mr Eldon?’

‘Yes, Lady Phillippa, I thank you.’

Another pause.

‘I understand we are to travel back together—the four of us,’ she
continued.

‘Four?’ Now he looked at her questioningly.

‘Why yes, my brother, Francis too. He should be here any moment.’

Giles stiffened visibly and could not hide a fleeting frown.

‘Why, Mr Eldon, are you not agreeable to the arrangement? Do you
know
my brother?’

‘I …’

Giles was, however, saved the embarrassment of answering her direct
question, for at that moment the subject of thier conversation approached.

‘Phillippa.’

‘Francis—at last, I thought you had forgotten to come.’

They greeted each other casually with none of the affection which had
been underlying the greeting between Giles and Lavinia.

Phillippa made the introductions.

Lord Francis took Lavinia’s hand in his, kissed the tips of her fingers
and gazed into her eyes.

‘Enchanting,’ he murmured.

Lavinia smiled politely but she was not taken in by what she was sure was
flattery.

As Phillippa introduced Giles, the two men eyed each other warily.

‘So, the
younger
Eldon, eh?’ Lord Francis Selwyn raised a
quizzical eyebrow. ‘We’ve never met, but no doubt you’ve heard of me, eh?’
He laughed.

‘I have,’ replied Giles shortly. ‘Good morning, Lady Phillippa. Come
Lavinia …’

‘But Giles …’ she glanced helplessly at Phillippa who seemed as puzzled
as Lavinia.

As they moved out of earshot, Lavinia said, ‘Really, Giles, that was
uncommonly rude of you—how can you be so discourteous to my friend, even
if you do not like her brother, which is obvious?’

Giles said nothing, but she noticed that he was breathing heavily and his
lips were pursed with suppressed anger.

‘Giles—what is all this about?’

‘Vinny—you still care for Jonathan, don’t you?’

She gasped. ‘You have—it’s not fair to ask me such a question.’

‘Very well. But if you do you’ll keep away from the Selwyns.’

‘Why?’ Lavinia’s eyes were wide in astonishment.

‘Because—because Selwyn is the man Jonathan is supposed to have fought a
duel with—over Lady Anthea. It was Selwyn who gave him that scar.’

‘Oh no!’ Lavinia’s reply was but a whisper.

‘Yes,’ continued Giles bitterly. ‘It must have caused him a great deal of
unhappiness at the time—and because of Selwyn, he bears a scar which will
never allow him to forget.’

Lavinia was thoughtful. Now she understood the reason for the strangeness
in Jonathan’s letter after she had mentioned her friendship with Lady
Phillippa Selwyn. They walked over the lawn in silence. At last she said
slowly,

‘I don’t believe Jonathan is the sort to bear malice after all this
time—and even if he is, his bitterness cannot extend to Lord Selwyn’s
sister and it is her with whom I am friendly, not Lord Francis.’

‘But she’s
his
sister—a close relation.’

Lavinia withdrew her hand from his arm abruptly and turned to face him.

‘Do you class all members of a family together, Giles? Do you blame
me
for what my father and brother have done?’

‘Vinny, Vinny,’ he said placatingly, his anger dying as hers grew.
‘That’s different.’

‘Of course it isn’t. Phillippa cannot be held responsible for what her
brother did years ago, any more than I can help what my father has done.’

‘Vinny—I’m sorry—truly I am. You’re right, of course.’ He smiled
ruefully. ‘
You
may have grown up, little Vinny, but it seems that I
am as hot-headed as ever.’

Lavinia smiled, her anger forgotten now beneath his boyish admission of
impetuosity. Perhaps she had grown up quickly, she thought, in an effort
to bridge the gap of years which lay between her and Jonathan.

Lavinia was able to explain away the incident to her friend without
giving away the truth.

‘Some family quarrel ages ago, Phil, let’s take no notice if they want to
be silly.’

So the two girls agreed to ignore the coolness between the two gentlemen
on the journey home. Nevertheless, Lavinia, despite her affection for her
friend Phillippa, could not find it in herself to like Lord Francis,
Viscount Selwyn. He was handsome, there was no disputing that. But his
mouth was small and cruel and his eyes hard. He was slim and straight—like
Jonathan—but with a rigidity born of conceit. His face wore a perpetual
disdainful expression as though all his fellow creatures bored him. But,
if he wished, Lord Francis could exert a charm not easily surpassed. A
pretty compliment was ever ready on his lips and his attentiveness towards
Lavinia was only interrupted by Giles’ presence.

Phillippa, finding that some feud existed between her brother and the
attractive Giles, shrugged her shoulders philosophically and decided not
to try to indulge in a mild flirtation with him. For one thing, she might
well suffer the embarrassment of a rebuff for Giles, despite Lavinia’s
protestations, could not bring himself to act naturally towards Lady
Phillippa, and secondly, her brother would be sure to frown upon it. So
she would concentrate upon her arrival in London, which city she planned
to take by storm. At least she would do so, she mused, if Lavinia were not
such an obvious rival. Her friend was an undoubted rival for the eligible
bachelors of Society. Fortunately, there was no jealousy in Phillippa’s
nature and she was generous enough to wish for her friend’s success as
much as her own.

Their arrival at Dover was greeted by waiting relations, for there were
several other girls travelling back to England, together with other
passengers from France. From the deck, Giles seemed to be scanning the
crowd below anxiously.

‘Whom are you looking for?’ Lavinia asked.

‘I thought perhaps—never mind, no—there he is—I
thought
he’d
come,’ he said delightedly.

‘Who—who, Grandfather?’ she cried.

‘No, no, Jonathan, of course.’

‘
Jonathan!
Here. Jonathan here? Oh where?’

‘There—see, over there.’

Lavinia followed his pointing finger and indeed, alone at the back of the
waiting crowd was Jonathan, standing patiently until they could join him.
Giles waved and after a few moments, Jonathan saw them and returned the
wave. Lavinia, her heart pounding foolishly, fluttered her hand briefly in
greeting, but only once for she did not wish to appear over-eager.

‘I
knew
he’d come,’ Giles repeated. ‘I know he’s so busy just now
with the ship nearing launching, but I thought he wouldn’t let me—you
down.’

Lavinia was quick to hear the slip of his tongue.

‘You, Giles? Let
you
down? Giles, did you ask him to meet us?’

‘No—of course I—er—um,’ he subsided in embarrassment. ‘Well, I did just
say—but he was coming anyway, really he was.’

The joy of seeing Jonathan waiting on the landing stage was diminished
now for he had not come at his own wish but at Giles’ insistence.

‘Giles,’ she said in sudden alarm, ‘you’ve never—told him, you wouldn’t
betray my trust, would you?’

‘No, Vinny, I wouldn’t do that. Maybe I am always putting my foot in it—I
have just now—but I don’t break a confidence like that.’

She smiled. ‘Thank you, Giles.’

Lavinia and Phillippa took their leave of each other before
disembarkation. It was obvious that Giles and Francis did not wish to
prolong each other’s company and when Francis heard that Jonathan awaited
them he was as anxious as Giles that they should part company. With
promises to correspond and to meet again at a later date, the two girls
separated, Phillippa to try her hand in the marriage-market and Lavinia to
meet again the family she loved so dearly—and one person in particular.

As he came towards them, she saw Jonathan had not changed at all and now
the long months were behind her it seemed but yesterday since she had seen
him.

But there was a change—not in him but in her and she could read in his
eyes that he saw it immediately. She was no longer a shy, awkward girl,
but a woman—Giles had said beautiful. In Jonathan’s eyes as they met she
saw first joy, then surprise swiftly followed by a strange look of
hopelessness which she found hard to understand.

‘My dear Vinny,’ he said softly as he took her hands.

‘Jonathan,’ was all she found she could say for the lump in her throat.
Her eyes filled with tears as he kissed her cheek in a brotherly manner.

Then the two brothers one on either side each took her arm.

‘Who would have thought, Giles, that this is the same little girl we
rescued that night?’ Jonathan smiled that strange half-smile as he looked
down at her.

‘I almost didn’t know her,’ Giles said. Jonathan’s smile broadened.

‘She couldn’t change so much for me—I knew she’d be beautiful one day.’

Lavinia blushed.

‘Now we’re embarrassing her—besides, you’ll make her conceited,’ Giles
admonished his brother playfully. ‘It’s not only her appearance that’s
changed—she’s already put me in my place.’

‘Really,’ Jonthan raised his eyebrows. ‘I thought we could trust you,
Giles?’

‘Oh not like that—dash it all,’ Giles said quickly. ‘You tell him,
Vinny.’

‘You remember me telling you in a letter, Jonathan, of my friendship with
Lady Phillippa Selwyn?’

She thought a look of pain crossed his face but he replied steadily
enough, ‘Yes.’

‘Well, at the time I thought your reply—your warning almost—a little
strange, but now I understand.’

Jonathan looked down at her. ‘Who told you?’ he asked sharply.

‘Why—Giles, but I knew before about— about it, but not who else was
involved—at least I did not remember the name.’

The hurt on his face was more than she could bear.

‘Oh Jonathan, I’m sorry—I should not have said anything. I should not
have caused you to remember her, forgive me,’ she said softly.

‘I’ll see about your trunks, Vinny,’ Giles said gruffly, and disappeared
swiftly into the crowd.

Jonathan and Lavinia found themselves alone. They faced each other amidst
the scurrying travellers, but alone in the crowd.

‘It’s not remembering which hurts, Vinny, but that you should know.’

‘Why—why should it matter my knowing?’

He took her hands in his. ‘I’m not proud of what happened, Vinny, in fact
I’ve always regretted it.’

She smiled, anxious to excuse him. ‘You were young and impetuous—like
Giles is now. He meant no harm in telling me—he was angry on your behalf.
You see, Lord Selwyn was with us.’

‘With you?’ Jonathan himself was angry now. ‘He didn’t—I mean …’ Jonathan
commanded his emotions quickly and managed to say calmly, but not before
she had seen how her meeting Lord Selwyn distressed him, ‘What did you
think of him?’