The Accidental Marriage (4 page)

‘Just simple English nursery rhymes. They already know several.’

Frederick had entered the room during this conversation, and nodded to Fanny.

‘Of course, my dear. Julia, you are not saying you cannot manage the girls, are you?’

‘They will do their best, but Paula is only four.’

‘You must impress on them that it is important for them to make a good impression.’

Why? Julia wanted to ask. Then she understood. Frederick had insisted that Fanny invited the Russian Countess Tania with some unpronounceable title. Frederick no doubt wished to show off his children to his latest flirt.

* * * *

The party was going well. The cook they had hired with the apartment had produced a magnificent buffet. Julia had been helping, pressed into service when the cook had protested at the work involved, saying darkly that her mistress never entertained on such a lavish scale. By judicious flattery Julia had worked out a menu, and when she promised to help, saying she would assist the maids with the tedious preparation, while the cook could demonstrate her skills with the more difficult aspects, the woman had been mollified.

Julia just had time, before the first guests arrived, to change into the new evening gown Fanny had insisted on buying for her. It was of a delicate apricot-coloured silk, the skirts gored and wider than had been fashionable. The neckline was low, but Julia had seen others, including Fanny’s own, far lower. Instead of ruffles round the hem and the edges of the puff sleeves being of a darker shade, which is what Julia would have expected, hers were a pale cream, and she had pale cream sandals, plus a gauze scarf in a darker shade of apricot. Julia put on her only jewellery, a gold chain and simple gold earrings, and decided she did her sister proud. Would Sir Carey think so?

Fanny wanted the girls to display their singing before the buffet, so that they could go to bed at their normal time. When the guests were assembled, all drinking champagne, Frederick called for silence, and Julia led the two little girls, dressed in pretty white dresses trimmed with artificial flowers, into the salon. She took up her position at the pianoforte, and giving a nod of encouragement to the girls, began to play.

Alice was to sing first. Julia thought that her example would encourage Paula, who was far more nervous. After a false start, during which Julia heard a quiet titter which she suspected came from the Countess Tania, Alice managed to sing
Oranges and Lemons,
without getting any of the names incorrectly, and retreated, blushing furiously, at the generous applause she received.

‘Now Paula,’ Frederick announced.

Paula stepped forward, and Fanny moved to hold her hand, to give encouragement. The child was gulping nervously, and when Julia played the opening notes of
Baa Baa Black Sheep,
she turned away and hid her face in Fanny’s lap.

‘Try again,’ Julia whispered, and Paula glanced up at her, bit her lip, and once more faced the audience.

She managed the first few words, and Julia, to encourage her, sang softly with her. It wasn’t enough. Suddenly the child turned and weeping hysterically, ran from the room. Fanny jumped up but Julia was before her.

‘I’ll go to her. You must stay with your guests,’ she said hurriedly, pushing Fanny round.

Over her sister’s shoulder she glimpsed Frederick’s furious face.

The guests had begun to talk to cover the momentary awkwardness, but Julia heard yet another titter. Furious, she stalked from the room, followed by a nervous Alice, and went to find and comfort Paula.

It was some time before the child, exhausted by her weeping, fell asleep. Julia considered going to bed herself, but knew Fanny would need her support. The buffet, which had, she was told by a nervous Fanny, been much appreciated, was finished, and Julia thought longingly of the delicacies she had intended to sample.

Some of the guests were getting ready to leave, but Sir Carey, who had been sitting at the far end of the salon while the girls had been performing, came up to Julia and smiled.

‘Your own voice should have been entertaining us,’ he said. ‘It is very accomplished. You could earn your living with it if you had to.’

‘It would certainly be preferable to grooming cats,’ Julia said, laughing.

‘Little Paula will overcome her shyness in time. She is too young to face so many strangers and be expected to perform.’

‘That was what I told Fanny,’ Julia said, ‘but Frederick was determined to show them off.’

And furious, she discovered when all the guests had departed. The last one had barely left the apartment when he turned on her and, ignoring Fanny’s pleas to let it rest, berated her for Paula’s exhibition.

‘You should have prepared her better!’ he raged. ‘What a fiasco! What do you think our friends thought of such a display of temper?’

‘Temper?’ Julia repeated. ‘That was not temper! Paula was devastated at the commotion she had caused, but you should never have insisted on her performing. If it was a fiasco it was your doing! But I’m sure most of your guests understood and were sympathetic. Apart from whoever it was who could not control her deplorable tittering.’

He went red, but after glaring at her stormed out of the room, and moments later they heard the outer door of the apartment slam.

Fanny began to cry. ‘He’s gone to her!’ she sobbed. ‘Julia, what shall I do?’

They had just finished breakfast, and Maggie had taken the girls away to start the lessons Julia had set them, when a visitor was announced.

It was Sir Carey. Julia found herself slightly breathless, and inwardly chastised herself. It was inappropriate. From his handsome clothes he was clearly affluent, and she was a penniless governess. Nonetheless she wished she had put on one of the new gowns Fanny had insisted on buying her, instead of the old grey one.

‘Forgive me, ladies, for calling at such an hour, but I have a meeting with Lord Castlereagh shortly. I wanted to reassure myself that little Paula is not too distressed after last night.’

Fanny smiled at him. ‘How kind, Sir Carey. She is a little subdued, but Julia has given her some pictures to colour. It’s her favourite occupation at the moment, and will take her mind off it.’

He smiled. ‘All little girls seem to enjoy that. My sisters were for ever plaguing their governess to allow them such a treat, instead of doing sums.’

‘How many sisters do you have?’ Fanny asked.

‘Two, half-sisters, aged twelve and fifteen. My father married again after my mother died. Unfortunately he and their mother died several years ago when there was an outbreak of cholera in the nearby town, so I am responsible for them.’

‘You are married? Your wife must be a help to you,’ Fanny said, and Julia shrivelled inside. How could her sister be so obvious?

Sir Carey was shaking his head. ‘Not yet, Lady Cunningham, but I am to be wed in the spring, when I go back to England. Angelica is not very much older than my sister Caroline, and I am sure they will get on famously.’

It didn’t matter to her in the least, Julia told herself firmly. How could such an attractive man not be married or betrothed. Even if he were free, there was no chance of him looking towards dowerless, insignificant Julia Marsh for a wife. She was being foolish even thinking of such a possibility. She felt a pang of envy for the unknown Angelica, and firmly suppressed it.

Sir Carey was rising to his feet. ‘I must be going. No doubt I will see you both at the Peace Ball next Tuesday?’

‘Yes, we will be there. Prince Metternich is generous with his invitations. I hear he has over two hundred people to dine at the Chancellery every Monday.’

‘Have you not been?’

Fanny shook her head. ‘Frederick isn’t in that strata of society,’ she said wryly.

‘We must see what we can do to get you invitations. Now, ladies, farewell.’

* * * *

‘What is it you are doing to drive Frederick into the arms of other women?’ Frau Gunter demanded.

Julia stiffened, angered by the old woman’s imperious tone. She glanced at Fanny, who shrank back into the chair, and looked as though she would burst into tears at any moment.

‘I haven’t done anything,’ Fanny managed.

‘Sit up straight! No wonder the girls are so undisciplined when you cannot even conduct yourself with proper decorum. I hear they made an unseemly commotion at your little party.’

Fanny was on the verge of tears, so Julia intervened, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

‘Alice sang beautifully, but it was too much strain for Paula, being forced to sing in front of so many strangers. She’s only four! It’s hardly surprising she found it impossible.’

‘Only four, indeed! At that age I was conversing in German, French and Italian to my parents’ visitors. And who asked you to contradict me? You are only the governess, and not a very good one at that if you cannot train the girls to behave with decorum.’

‘They are not circus animals to be trained,’ Julia said through gritted teeth. Really, this old woman was impossible. She needed someone to stand up to her. ‘And if Frederick is making a fool of himself and causing talk, that is his doing, not ours. It’s pathetic for a grown man to be in such a pet just because Paula cannot obey his idiotish commands!’

‘How dare you speak to me in such a manner! Leave us. And if Fanny cares for my opinion she will dismiss you at once.’

Julia slowly rose to her feet, but instead of leaving the room she crossed to the bellpull and tugged it. Klara, the housemaid, entered, looking faintly scared.

‘Frau Gunter is leaving, Klara. Please show her out.’

Frau Gunter opened her mouth to protest, but rose slowly to her feet. Julia suppressed a satisfied smile. It was clearly beneath her dignity to argue in front of the servants.

‘You will regret this, Miss Marsh,’ she said as she went out of the room. ‘Believe me, you will regret it.’

* * * *

Fanny breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Oh Julia, thank you! I would have been in floods of tears soon. That horrible old woman! How dare she blame us for Frederick’s behaviour? But she will find a way of punishing us, and Frederick will no doubt blame me.’

‘If you are on your own, deny her. Maggie’s loyal to you, she’ll say you are ill, and stay with you, and if you remain in your room she’s hardly likely to force her way past Maggie. It’s beneath her precious dignity.’

‘Frederick is hoping she may leave the girls a legacy. She’s very rich.’

Julia frowned at her sister. ‘Frederick is not poor, he can well afford to give the girls whatever they need. And it’s his behaviour at fault. He’s seen everywhere with that wretched Tania, feeding the gossip. Though with all the other liaisons going on here, it’s a wonder people have time to gossip about him.’

‘He’s being much more blatant than he is in London,’ Fanny said, and sighed.

Julia looked at Fanny’s drooping lips. ‘Don’t you really mind?’ she asked gently.

A tear rolled down Fanny’s cheek. ‘Of course I mind! I love him, Julia. But everybody seems to do it, it’s the fashion, so how can I complain?’

‘I would, if it were my husband. Even if I didn’t love him I’d be angry at the humiliation.’

Fanny took out a flimsy cambric handkerchief and wiped her eyes. ‘It hurts, of course it does, but if I showed that in public people would laugh at me for being provincial and unsophisticated.’

‘Does he know? Have you told him how you feel?’

‘Yes, but he won’t listen, he says I’m being ridiculous, and there’s no more to it than him merely being pleasant and paying compliments to women, who all expect it.’

‘Stuff and nonsense! Of course we all like being praised, but women who steal husbands away from their wives are nothing but trollops, however highly born they might be!’

She stopped abruptly. It would serve no purpose to tell Fanny what she thought men like Frederick should be called.

Fanny gave a small, stifled laugh. ‘I’ve sometimes thought I should do the same, and find a man who will pay me the same sort of attentions.’

‘And make Frederick jealous?’

‘Yes,’ Fanny sighed, ‘but I can’t do it. I can’t flirt like that, so no man has ever suggested anything the least improper to me. Besides, I doubt Frederick would notice, or care if he did. He’d just think it gave him more licence.’

Julia wasn’t so sure. In her admittedly limited experience, most men regarded their wives as possessions, and reacted like dogs over bones if they thought they were in danger of losing what they owned. She began to weave fantasies in which she encouraged her sister to show an interest in another man. Sir Carey was the obvious choice, he was the only single man, or betrothed, she hastily reminded herself, they knew as more than a passing acquaintance. But somehow the notion of flinging Fanny in his path did not appeal. And she was sure, she told herself, dismissing the idea, that neither he nor Fanny would cooperate.

* * * *

Sir Carey returned to his lodgings later that day to find a letter from Angelica waiting for him. Smiling, he tore it open. It was only the third one from her, and he had concluded she was not a diligent correspondent. Caroline, the older of his sisters, was already an assiduous letter-writer, and wrote to him almost every day, letters full of her and her sister Susan’s doings, the gossip about people in the village, what the servants at Courtlands were doing, and letters she had received from her numerous correspondents, who seemed to include almost every member of her mother’s family as well as many of her former schoolfriends. Sometimes he wondered how she ever found time to do her lessons and all the other activities she described in such detail.

Angelica’s writing was still that of a schoolgirl, and her sentences stiff and formal. They showed none of the liveliness which had first drawn him to her. Had she been told what to write by Mrs Philpot, her rather formidable mother? Did that lady, who had only permitted them to be alone together for very brief periods after the betrothal was announced, consider correspondence between the happy pair needed to be supervised? Was she afraid too many expressions of regard, or even love, would contaminate her pure daughter? He thought ruefully of his own letters, which had contained warm sentiments looking forward to their happiness after they were finally together. No doubt her mother insisted on reading those.