The Regency (112 page)

‘
I can prevent you,' James said in a low voice. 'You think
you can coerce me into letting you marry her; perhaps you
even contemplate elopement — I understand you have tried
that before.' Hawker looked away. 'Well, I can lock Fanny up,
and keep her under lock and key until you are taken up, or
forced to flee the country. What do you say to that, Mr
Hawker?'

‘
I acknowledge that you could do that. But you will not.’

‘
Why not, pray?'

‘
Because you would not break her heart,' he said quietly. James stared at him in silence for some time. Then he said, ‘For God's sake, man, if you love her, why do you want to do
this to her? Why do you want to ruin her?'

‘
I won't ruin her. I will make her happy. Ah, yes, I know
that hurts! You don't want it to be true that I can make her
happier than you can. I understand you, you see, Mr Morland.
And you must try to understand me. I will be Fanny Morland's
husband, and I will have the spending of her fortune; but I
will never be the cause of her regretting, for a single moment,
that she married me.’

James stared at him, appalled to be feeling the beginnings
of sympathy for this man, and clenching his fists he cried, ‘God damn you to hell, Hawker! You will not marry her! I
will see you dead first!' And he stormed out.

*

Fanny came to see him the next morning. The formal dinner
the night before had prevented any conversation between them, but she sought him out early, before the rest of the
household was astir, and found him in the steward's room, sitting in the window-seat, staring out at nothing. His face
was haggard, his eyes, as he looked up at her, were lost.

She came across to him and kissed his cold forehead, and
pushed his hair back. 'You have ruffled it with your fingers,' she said gently. 'It looks like a bird's nest. Have you a comb
about you?’

He produced one silently, and endured her touch as she
combed his hair to her satisfaction. His heart felt as though it
had been torn, and was bleeding.

‘
There,' she said at last. 'You are decent again.' She sat on
the edge of the desk, facing him, her knees almost touching
his, looking at him with love and pity. 'Come, Papa, you must
not torture yourself. I hate to see you so unhappy. I love you,
you know.'

‘If you loved me —' he began in a low voice.

‘No, don't say it,' she said quickly. 'You must not make
conditions: I do not. I say I love you, Papa; and because you
love me, you will let me do as I want. I know that it is right
for me, and the more countenance you lend it, the better.
Don't you want me to be happy.?'

‘You will not be happy with him!' he cried out in anguish.

She took his hand and stroked it. 'Yes, yes I will!' she said
eagerly. 'You don't understand him, Papa, but I know him,
better than I know myself. We will be happy together, you'll
see. Speak to Uncle Ned for us, dearest Papa! Speak to him
today. Let us announce our betrothal as soon as possible. I
want to be married. Please, Papa, don't turn your face away
from us.' He was silent, and she looked at him carefully.
‘There was a time,' she said quietly, 'when you defied every
one — even respectability itself — for the person you loved.
Don't make me do the same.'

‘
Oh God, Fanny!' he cried out, and held out his arms to
her. She came to him, kneeling before him, allowing herself to
be folded in his arms, feeling his tears on the crown of her head. He hugged her to him, rocking her in silent anguish;
and when at last he released her and put her away from
him, she saw the change in him. He looked exhausted beyond
emotion.

‘
Very well,' he said. 'If it's what you truly want, I'll speak
to Ned.'

‘Thank you, Papa,' she said.

He shook his head. 'Go — go now. I can't bear any more.
Oh Fanny!’

She went out quickly.

‘
Have you lost your senses? Fanny marry that fortune-
hunter?' Edward said in astonishment. 'He owes money every
where!'

‘
Yes, I know,' James said wearily, facing the long uphill
struggle to persuade his brother of something he wanted even
less himself. 'But it's Fanny's own choice. She's in love with
him, and she's adamant that she wants to marry him.'

‘
Don't talk like a fool! You can't let her choose someone
like that! Good God, Jamie, what kind of father are you?
She's the biggest heiress in Yorkshire! You can't let her marry
a penniless rogue like Hawker, just because she fancies she's
in love with him!’

James tried a different tack. 'You think her love cannot be
real because he's penniless? Can one only be in love with
someone wealthy, then?’

Edward coloured slightly. 'Of course 1 don't mean that.
But Fanny's just a girl — she doesn't know what she wants.
She'll be in love with someone else in a week or two. And in
any case,' he went on before James could interrupt, 'it's the
duty of a father — and a trustee — to protect a young woman
against making foolish marriages — and particularly against
falling into the clutches of a fortune-hunter!'

‘I think Hawker really does care for her,' James began.

‘
Fiddlesticks! He's after her money, and you know it! As
soon as a betrothal was announced, he could raise credit
against her expectations — that's what your precious Hawker's
after. I've wondered at you before now, this year, letting
her stand up with him at dances, letting him run tame about
the house. I think you must have pigeons in your cock-loft,
Jamie. Well I tell you this — I take my duties a little more
seriously than you seem to. I certainly won't consent to this
nonsensical idea of yours.’

*

It was a long and tiring day. When the racing was over, and
everyone went back to Morland Place to dine and change for
the Grand Bali at the Assembly Rooms, there was a feeling of tension and unhappiness, quite at odds with the holiday spirit
which prevailed amongst the servants. Even the children felt it, and were subdued, and retired to their nursery-dinner and
bedtime routine without any protest, glad to get away from
the grown-ups.

The argument between Edward and James continued at
intervals before and after dinner; while Fanny seemed un
concerned by all the undercurrents of which she could not be
unaware, Héloïse looked anxious and tried to keep Sophie
from being affected by the atmosphere, and Mathilde
remained sunk in deep and complex reflection, and struggled
to come to some understanding of herself.

At the ball, Hawker walked up to Fanny at once, and claimed her hand for the two first, and Edward, having
waited in vain for James to send him about his business,
stumped off to the card-room to cool his temper. An hour
later, he sought out James with a particularly grim expression
on his face, and asked him to step aside and speak to him.
They found a quiet corner in one of the corridors, and
Edward said in a low, urgent voice, 'Jamie, I've just been
speaking to Colonel Brunton, and he's told me some things
about our friend Hawker that I think you ought to know.’

James listened in silence to a recitation of the gaming-hell and elopement story. He had not told Edward — indeed, anyone — the whole of Hawker's infamy, thinking that if he was forced at last to accept him as a son-in-law, the fewer people
who knew about it the better. But it seemed that it was already
too late.

‘Yes, I know,' he said when Edward had finished.

‘
You know?' Ned said in disbelief. 'You know all that, and
you still want her to marry him?'

‘
I don't want it,' James said desperately. 'It's the last thing
I want! But you must understand, Ned, that if we don't agree,
she'll force our hands.'

‘
Poppycock! I won't be told what to do by a chit of a girl,
even if you are so feeble-minded as to —'

‘
Listen!' James said desperately. 'If we refuse to allow her
to marry, she will either elope with him, or — or she'll do
something worse.
Do you understand me?
You know how
determined Fanny is. She'll find a way to do it, even if we
keep her locked in her room. And we can't keep her locked up
for ever. The scandal will be far less if we put a brave face on
it, and give our consent, make this man as respectable as we
can, and just live the talk down.'

‘It's insane,' Edward said plainly.
You're
insane.'

‘Then tell me what to do. You tell me what we
can
do.’

There was a silence as Edward ran through his thoughts;
and then slapped his fist into his palm. ‘Damnit, I won't have
my hand forced.'

‘
There's no way out,' James said miserably. 'I've thought
and thought. If Fanny were any other girl, we could just hold
firm and refuse, but she means every word she says — you
know she does. And if she elopes, or — or becomes pregnant,
the scandal will be far worse.’

Edward breathed hard. 'I always said you spoiled her! You let her have her own way too much when she was a child!'
James stared at the ground. 'Don't you think I know that?'
he said quietly.

Edward put a hand on his shoulder. 'I'm sorry, Jamie. I
know this hurts you.' He thought for a while. 'Let me try
talking to Hawker. He can't play on my heart-strings the way
he can on yours. Maybe I can buy him off.'

‘You can try,' James said without hope.

‘
Damn it, if he marries her, all this about the Rickard girl
will come out. Everyone will think we condone that sort of
thing. Our name will be ruined. We'll never live it down.’

*

'How is it going?' Hawker asked Fanny, as they stood up for
their second dance together.

She shrugged. 'As well as can be expected. I hate to make
them unhappy, you know. Oh Fitz, why can't things be easy?'

‘
A question I've asked myself all my life. But don't worry,
darling, it will be all right once we're married. They'll see how
happy you are, and they'll forgive me.'

‘I don't think they'll ever forgive you,' Fanny said sadly.

‘
Well, then, we can ignore them. In two years you will be of
age, and then you can do what you like. We can go abroad if
you like —’