Free The Emperor by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles Page B

curricle and-four and shock the dowagers. We ought to have a place of our own: it's time we gave our own dinners and balls.'
    ‘Think of me, a hostess!' Lucy marvelled.
    ‘ Oh, you'll be first-rate. And I'll give you any odds, that our parties are the most talked-about of the Season.’

    *
    At the end of February Mrs Haworth came down from Morland Place to Wolvercote to be with Lucy during her lying-in. She found her sister larger than ever, but still cheerful and practical, despite her discomfort.
    ‘ I shouldn't be surprised, from the size of me, if it weren't twins,' she said. 'Wouldn't that be a splendid thing, Polly? Two for the price of one – or rather, for the pains of one.'
    ‘As long as they were boys.'
    ‘ Yes, that's the worst of it. I don't mind for myself, but Chetwyn must have his heir. But tell me all the news of home. How do you all go on?'
    ‘ As well as can be expected, in the circumstances,' Mary sighed.
    ‘Oh dear, that does sound gloomy. What's the matter?'
    ‘ Mrs James, as usual. It makes such a bad atmosphere in the house, her and James not being upon terms. One can never feel comfortable.'
    ‘ Poor thing! It must be hard to be forced to leave home and marry a stranger, just to give him an heir.'
    ‘Like you, in fact,' Mary said.
    ‘ Not at all like me,' Lucy said, surprised. 'I wasn't forced – and Chetwyn wasn't a stranger. He and I are the best of friends, always have been. Do you think I would have married him if it weren't so?'
    ‘But you weren't in love with him,' Mary said.
    ‘ Oh, love!' Lucy made a face. 'I know nothing of this love of yours! You females are always talking about it, but I think you invent it, to make yourselves mysterious.'
    ‘ You're a female yourself,' Mary pointed out, and Lucy frowned, and then placed a hand over her belly and smiled ruefully.
    ‘ Just now, I am forced to agree with you. Well, what has Mrs James done now, to make you so cross, Poll? I'm sure she's a very good creature: why can't you get on with her?'
    ‘ Her upbringing has been so different from ours; and she has been mistress of her own house so long, she can't seem to understand that she is not mistress any more. You heard about the affair of the pianoforte? Her father's breach of delicacy was beyond anything, in sending such a gift, accom panied by a letter saying that as we would not provide her with the things she needed, he must do it for us –'
    ‘I'm sure he said no such thing.'
    ‘ Those were not his words, but that was certainly the sense of it. But her father's indelicacy was more than matched by hers, in accepting such a gift, and having it put in the drawing-room in place of the harpsichord, without asking Mama's permission, or thinking for a moment of anyone's convenience but her own. And that was not the only thing. He is constantly sending her things, not just personal gifts, but horrible great pieces of furniture, all covered with gilding and scroll-work, and statues and ornaments, which she places about the rooms in common use, so that you would hardly recognize the place now.'
    ‘Can't Mama speak to her?'
    ‘ Oh, you know Mama – she's hardly ever at home anyway, and she hates to hurt anyone's feelings. Though I think even she thought Mrs James had gone far enough when she changed rooms with her while Mama was out.'
    ‘Not really!'
    ‘ Oh yes: she said that it was more suitable for Mama to have the great bedchamber, and that Mappin had told her that Mama never liked the red room, which you know is not true, because it always used to be Great Uncle George's room, and Mama was very fond of him. Mama was most put out, but she didn't like to make a fuss when Mrs James had done it for a kindness, which was how it appeared, so she said only that she wished Mrs James had asked her about it beforehand, so that she could have saved the servants all the trouble of changing back. But Farleigh told me afterwards that Dakers told her that Mrs James's real reason for wanting