Free Portrait of Jonathan by Margaret Dickinson Page A

it here?’
    â€˜Oh so much, Lady Melmoth. I’m so grateful to you for all you did in bringing my grandfather and me together.’
    â€˜Nonsense, dear child. We were only too glad to be of some use. But Lavinia, whilst we have a moment to ourselves, I want a quiet talk with you. It may be none of my business, but knowing your grandfather would never discuss such matters with you—well—I think you should know.’
    â€˜Know what, Lady Melmoth?’
    The good lady sighed. ‘Your father has caused your grandfather a great deal of unhappiness in the past.’
    â€˜Oh, I can guess he has, for they have been estranged for years—and I can see now that it could not have been Grandfather’s fault.’
    â€˜Quite so. But you are now making up for all his past unhappiness. Lord Rowan loves you dearly and you will be a great comfort to him.’
    â€˜I’ll try, r-really I will.’
    â€˜Of course you will, child. But I think you should be warned. Your father may try to use you for his own ends, he may try to get you to intercede for him with your grandfather.’
    The girl nodded, understanding quickly.
    â€˜But,’ Lady Melmoth continued, ‘you should have nothing to do with them, your father, your mother, or your brother.’
    Lavinia looked surprised, but not shocked.
    â€˜I know this is a terrible thing to be telling a young girl, but Lord Melmoth and Jonathan have now found beyond doubt that your father and your brother are still engaged in business with Lord Thorwald and Lord Myron, who, as you know, are rivals of the Keldon Line—and such rivals who would stop at nothing, absolutely nothings to put the Keldon Line out of business and rain us. Do you understand, Lavinia?’
    She nodded again.
    â€˜So it would be wiser if you severed all connections with the rest of your family, as indeed your grandfather has done. You don’t mind , do you?’
    â€˜No—no. In time I would probably have forgiven them for their treatment of me, but if they are working against Grandfather and Lord Melmoth and—and J-Jonathan, then I can see you are right.’
    â€˜It goes against my nature, I must admit,’ sighed Lady Melmoth, ‘to preach non-forgiveness. I have always believed that life is too short to quarrel, especially with one’s family, but your parents have been given more than one chance to rectify the mistakes they have made and be reconciled with your grandfather—but their treatment of you, my dear, has put an end to any possibility of reconciliation in the future, I know.’
    â€˜Why did they invite you to dine and at the same time send me to Lord Myron?’
    Lady Melmoth glanced at the girl shrewdly. Lavinia was not the simpleton one could have once supposed when they had first met her.
    â€˜Ah—now this is getting a little involved with business intrigue, my dear. If I tell you, you must promise never to tell anyone for it could have serious repercussions upon your grandfather and on all of us.’
    â€˜Of course, I won’t say a word,’ Lavinia breathed.
    â€˜You know of Jonathan’s steamship?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    Lady Melmoth smiled. ‘We call it “Jonathan’s” although, of course, it is the Company’s but he centres all his hopes upon it. He says it is the ship of the future, that one day the clipper ships—dependent upon the elements as they are—will be obsolete eventually.’
    â€˜I understand, but why should Lord Thorwald be opposed to it?’
    â€˜They don’t believe in steam, neither do they have the capital, from what we hear, to risk building a steamship which after all might be a failure. It has not been proved yet.’
    â€˜But if Jonathan believes in it, then it must be all right.’
    Lady Melmoth smiled at the implicit faith Lavinia placed in Jonathan.
    â€˜Well, we all hope so, naturally.’
    â€˜But I still