The Regency (109 page)

‘
Your scheme hasn't answered, Marmoset; it's only made
things worse. She sees more of him than ever,' James
complained.

Héloïse sighed. 'Yes, I know; but think, James, if she was
forbidden to see him, she would probably do so in secret. At
least there is nothing objectionable now. No-one can point the
finger at her.'

‘
But people are saying that he means to marry her, and that
I approve,' James cried, frustrated. 'And with his reputation,
they
will
point the finger at her. There is nothing they
might not think of her, if they think I believe she cannot do
better than this — this — reprobate!'

‘
You must find out something about him, something
enough to send him away,' Héloïse said. 'Why did he leave the
militia, for instance? Perhaps he did something in Brighton.
Why not ask Major Wiske if he can make an enquiry for you.
He is very discreet.'

‘
Very well,' James said. 'But if he comes up with nothing, I shall just have to forbid her to see him any more. I can't stand
by any longer and do nothing.’

He sent off an express the same day to Danby Wiske, who
agreed to find out what he could; and his reply came at last at
the beginning of August, on the first day of race-week. James
read, his brow darkening with anger at what he learnt of the
man who dared to pursue his daughter; who would be hanging
about their box at the Knavesmire, fetching Fanny ices,
and expecting to be invited to the celebration balls and parties
so that he could dance with her and strengthen his position
still further.

‘
Now I have him!' he exclaimed in grim triumph, and rang
the bell. In a moment Ottershaw came in. 'Where's Miss
Fanny?' he asked.

‘
I believe she's in the rose garden with her ladyship, sir,
cutting the flowers for the dinner tonight.'

‘Send someone out, will you, and ask her to come to me immediately.'

‘Very good, sir,' said Ottershaw.

 
James paced the room until Fanny came in.

‘Yes, Papa? You wanted to speak to me?'

‘
Yes — come in. Close the door,' he said. The sight of her
— so pretty in her gown of green cambric, with the long
ruched sleeves and flounced hem, so womanly with her hair
piled neatly at the back of her head, displaying her fragile jaw
and slender neck — aroused all his most protective instincts, and made him long to kill the man who threatened her peace
and well-being. 'Sit down, Fanny. I have something very
particular to say to you about Mr Hawker.’

Fanny's eyes became wary, and she sat only on the edge of
the armchair's seat, as if to be ready at any instant to get up
again. Indeed, Papa? That's just as well — I wanted to talk to
you about him myself.’

James ignored this, having worked himself up to his speech.
‘I have been very worried, Fan, about how much that young
man seems to be hanging about you. I've never liked it, but
your stepmother persuaded me not to interfere Fanny's brows rose. ‘Madame persuaded you?'

‘
She thought it better to let things run their natural course.
We both thought you would tire of him and send him about
his business.'

‘
No, Papa, you don't understand,' Fanny began eagerly,
but he held up his hand.

‘Wait, let me finish. I have not been content to do nothing,
however. I have made enquiries about Mr Hawker, and I have
to tell you, Fanny, that his circumstances are straitened — in
fact, his is deep in debt. He owes money everywhere, and the tradesmen —'

‘I know.'

‘You know?'

‘
He told me so himself, weeks ago,' Fanny said calmly.
'
He
told you?'

‘
Yes, Papa. Fitz and I are friends; there are no reserves
between us. He told me that he was
rolled up,
and was living
by what he could earn at play.'

‘
Good God, Fanny! If you knew that, why have you
continued to encourage him?'

‘I told you, Papa, we are
friends.’

James looked grim. 'I think you will find, my love, that it is
not friendship that is on his mind. He is in desperate straits, and unless I am much mistaken, it is marriage with you that
he is hoping for, in order to rescue himself from what must
otherwise follow —'

‘
Flight abroad, or debtor's prison,' Fanny supplied.
‘Fanny, I wish you will take this seriously!' James said
explosively.

‘
I do, Papa. I know he wishes to marry me; that is what I
wanted to talk to you about — to ask your permission for Fitz
and me to marry as soon as possible.'

‘Fanny, for God's sake, you must be out of your senses! You
cannot want to marry a fortune-hunter, a man unscrupulous
enough to pursue an heiress — an under-age heiress — for
the sake of her inheritance! You don't understand what —'

‘
No, it is you who does not understand!' Fanny retorted
vehemently, rising to her feet. 'I wish to marry him because I
love him, as he loves me.'

‘Love doesn't come into it, Fan. He wants your money.'

‘
I told you, he has not kept his circumstances secret from
me. We love each other, and that has nothing to do with
money, though of course it is better that I have money, so
that I can pay off his debts and set him up —'

‘
Fanny, you cannot be so naïve! He has pursued you in a
way no honourable man would, lied to you —'

‘He has not!'

‘
He told you he was in debt, but don't you see, that was
simply part of his plan to make you trust him.'

‘
I do trust him. He would never hurt me. He has been honest
with me. There is nothing you can tell me about him that I
don't already know.’

Did he tell you why he left the militia?' James asked
quietly.

‘
No,' Fanny said, lifting her head a little, defiantly. 'I don't
suppose it matters.'

‘
He changed from one regiment to another when his debts
grew too great. While he was in Brighton, he ran up bills to such a degree that the tradesmen complained to his colonel,
who was obliged to call in his commission. He owes money
everywhere.' Fanny's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes
glittered, but she did not speak. James felt sorry for what he
knew must be her disillusionment, but he had to go on. 'There
is more,' he said gently. 'I believe you met him in London
during your come-out, just after he had left the militia. I think you probably did not know that during that time he
was not only gaming, but had a hand in an illegal gaming-hell
in a back-street of St James's. A shady place, Fanny, where
innocent young men, fresh up to London, are robbed of their
fortunes by sharpers with rigged packs of cards, and loaded
dice. Do you understand what I'm saying?’

Fanny made no reply, only stared at him with hard, bright
eyes.

‘
This gaming-hell was the property of a married woman, a
Mrs Boyd-Carlson, of whom I'm sure you will not have
heard, but she was notorious in the fringes of London society.
Your Mr Hawker, I'm sorry to say, was her lover —'

‘No!’

— with the consent, or at least the complacency of her
husband, but that hardly makes it any better. I'm sorry, Fan,
but it was so. Everything began to get a little too hot for your
honest
Mr Hawker, and he concluded he would have to flee
abroad for a time.'

‘
I know why he went abroad,' Fanny said eagerly. 'He was
employed on a diplomatic mission, a secret one, but vital to
the safety of the country!'

‘
No, darling, that wasn't it,' James said, almost unwillingly.
‘The gaming club was drawing too much attention, pros
ecution was about to overtake him, and he fled to save himself.
But that isn't the worst. He did not intend to flee alone. He
attempted to take with him a wealthy heiress —' Fanny
started visibly — 'a Miss Rickard, daughter of a city merchant.
He tried to elope with her, Fanny, but fortunately the attempt
failed, and he had to flee alone. You see what kind of man
we are dealing with here.'

‘
It's lies, all lies!' Fanny cried passionately. 'I don't believe
you! If you had known those things, you'd have spoken up
before. You've just made it up, to turn me against him.'

‘
Fanny, darling, use your wits! I've only just learned of
these things myself. Look, here is the letter I received today
— you may read it if you wish.' She jerked her head away
angrily. 'I own I've never liked the
look of
him, but I didn't
know how bad he was, and I'm persuaded you didn't either.
Darling, I know it's a disappointment to you, but you are too
sensible to ignore these facts.’

She turned her head back to him, and fixed him with a look
which shook him, it was so hard and determined. There was
nothing of the child, or even of the woman in that gaze.
‘You're right, I didn't know all these things. But they don't
make any difference to me. I mean to marry him, and it
doesn't matter what you say to me, you won't change my
mind.'

‘
But Fanny,' James said, shocked and dismayed, 'you must
see now what he is about! You cannot still have any good
opinion of him. You wouldn't defy me simply for the sake of
defiance. You're nineteen, Fanny, not a child any longer. You
know a little of the way the world works. This man is bad,
unscrupulous, desperate —’

Her hands went down to her sides, and she spoke calmly.
‘You don't understand even yet, do you? When I came back
from London, I put him out of my mind.
I
didn't want to
love him. I certainly didn't want to marry him. I know my
own worth, Papa, as well as you do. Miss Morland of Morland
Place — I wanted an earl at the very least! But it isn't like
that now. When he came back, I saw it would not do.
I
love
him. We are right for each other. Yes —' she forstalled
James's interruption, 'yes, he wants my money. Probably he
would pursue me for my fortune even if he didn't love me.
But knowing that doesn't make any difference to what I feel
for him; or he for me.’

James felt near to tears. 'Fanny, Fanny, if you could only
hear yourself!'

‘I will marry him, Papa.'

‘No! I forbid it! I utterly forbid it! You will not see him again, and that's my last word on it.
I
will never give my consent to your marrying him, do you understand?’