Heartsease; Or, The Brother's Wife Part 72

--Chevy Chase

Two days after, Miss Gardner calling, found Mrs. Martindale alone in the drawing-room, and pretty well again. The project for the party was now fully developed, and it was explained to Violet with regrets that she was unable to share it, and hopes that Theodora and her brother would not fail to join it.

'Thank you, I believe Captain Martindale will be at Windsor; he will be on guard next week.'

'Ah! that is provoking. He is so valuable at this kind of thing, and I am sure would enjoy it. He would meet some old schoolfellows. You must use your influence to prevent him from being lazy. Guardsmen can always get leave when they think it worth while.'

'Perhaps if Theodora wishes to go, he may manage it; but I am afraid it is not likely that he will be able.'

'You will trust us for taking care of our dear Theodora,' said Miss Gardner; 'we know she is rather high-spirited, and not very fond of control. I can quite enter into your feelings of responsibility, but from my knowledge of her character, I should say that any sense of restraint is most galling to her. But even if we have not the pleasure of Captain Martindale's company, you may fully reckon on our watching over her, myself in especial, as a most dear younger sister.'

'Is your party arranged?' asked Violet.

'Yes, I may say so. We hope for Mrs. Sedley and her daughters. Do you know them? Charming people whom we met in Paris.'

Violet was not acquainted with them, and tried to find out who were the rest. They seemed to be all young ladies, or giddy young wives, like Mrs. Finch herself, and two or three foreigners. Few were personally known to the Martindales; Lord St. Erme was the only gentleman of their own set; and Violet could not smile, as her visitor expected, on hearing how he had been enticed by hopes of meeting Miss Martindale.

Jane Gardner perceived the disapprobation. 'Ah! well,--yes. One cannot but own that our dear Theodora's spirits do now and then make her a little bit of a flirt. It is the way with all such girls, you know. I am sure it was with my sister, but, as in her case, marriage is the only cure. You need not be in the least uneasy, I a.s.sure you. All will right itself, though a good deal may go on that startles sober-minded people like us. I could condole with you on the charge, but you will find it the only way not to seem to thwart her. Violet thought it best to laugh, and talk of something else.

'Then I depend on you for the cream of our party,' said Miss Gardner, taking leave.

'I cannot tell whether Captain Martindale can come,' said Violet, somewhat bewildered by the conversation.

'Is that girl a nonent.i.ty, or is she a deep genius?' said Jane to herself as she walked home. 'I cannot make her out. Now for the trial of power! If Theodora Martindale yields to the Fotheringhams now, and deserts Georgina, it will be a confirmation of all the absurd reports.

As long as I have it to say the Martindale family are as intimate as ever, I have an answer for Lady Fotheringham, and if Mark is smitten with her, so much the better. I hope Percy Fotheringham may be properly rewarded for his presumption and ill-nature. The sooner they quarrel the better. I will send Theodora a note to put her on her mettle.'

The note arrived while Percy was spending the evening in Cadogan-place, and Theodora talking so happily that she grudged the interruption of opening and reading it.

'DEAREST THEODORA,--One line further to secure you, though I told Mrs.

Martindale of our plans. She would make no promises, but we reckon on your independence of action, at least. "Should auld acquaintance be forgot?"

'Yours affectionately,

'J. GARDNER.

'P.S.--Mrs. Martindale looked very well. I hope she will have no recurrence of faintings.'

'From Jane Gardner,' said Theodora; 'only to put me in mind of the picnic. Will you go, Arthur?'

'I never was more glad to be on her Majesty's service. What an abominable bore it would be!'

'That is what gentlemen always say of picnics,' said Theodora.

'Not at all,' said Percy. 'A real country party of merry happy people, knowing each other well, and full of genuine honest glee, is one of the most enjoyable things that can be.'

'That it is!' cried Violet. 'There was the day we went up Skiddaw, with no one but our cousins and Mr. Fanshawe, and dined on the mountain in sight of the valley of St. John; and the rain came on, and Mr. Fanshawe sat all the time holding an umbrella over Annette and the pigeon-pie.'

'That was worth doing,' said Percy; 'but for a parcel of fine ladies and gentlemen to carry the airs and graces, follies and compet.i.tions, born in ball-rooms and nursed in soirees, out into pure country air and daylight, is an insult to the green fields and woods.'

'That is a speech in character of author,' said Theodora.

'In character of rational being.'

'Which you would not have made if the party had not been Georgina Finch's.'

'I had no notion whose it was, or anything about it.'

'It is for her birthday, Tuesday,' said Violet. 'They are to have a steamer to Richmond, walk about and dine there; but I should not think that it would be very pleasant. Mrs. Bryanstone had one of these parties last year to Hampton Court, and she told me that unless they were well managed they were the most disagreeable things in the world; people always were losing each other, and getting into sc.r.a.pes. She declared she never would have another.'

'Mrs. Bryanstone has no idea of management,' said Theodora.

'I know who has less,' said Arthur. 'Your Georgina will let every one take their chance, and the worse predicaments people get into the louder she will laugh.'

'There is nothing so intolerable as a woman who thinks herself too fashionable for good manners,' said Percy.

'Is any one waiting for an answer?' asked Violet.

'There is none,' said Theodora. 'They know I mean to go.'

'To go!' exclaimed all three, who had thought the question settled by Arthur's refusal.

'Yes, of course; I go with Georgina.'

'With Mark Gardner, and the king of the clothes-brushes, and all their train, in moustaches and parti-coloured parasols!' cried Percy.

'Theodora, I thought you were a sensible woman.'

'I am sorry if I forfeit that claim to your regard.'

'Well, if I was your mother! However, it is devoutly to be hoped that it may rain.'

He then changed the conversation, and no more pa.s.sed on this subject till, as he wished her good night, he said, in a low voice, 'Think better of it, Theodora.'

'My mind is made up,' was the proud reply. In a few seconds he called Arthur to him on the stairs. 'Arthur,' he said, 'if your sister is set on this wrong-headed scheme, at least don't let her go with no one to look after her. Let her have some respectable person with her, merely for propriety's sake. She fancies me prejudiced, and we have agreed to dispute no more on the woman's goings on; but you have the keeping of her now.'

'I wish Mrs. Finch was at Jericho, and Theodora after her!' exclaimed Arthur, petulantly; 'they will worry my wife to death between them.'

'Then Theodora had better go home,' said Percy, soberly.

'No, no; we can't do without her. She takes good care of Violet, and is very attentive and useful, and I can't have Violet left alone. If we could but get her down off her high horse, and drive that impudent woman out of her head!--if you can't, no one else can.'

'It is very unfortunate,' said Percy. 'There is so much generous feeling and strong affection to prompt her resistance, that it is hard to oppose her, especially as I do believe there is no worse than folly and levity in this friend of hers. I wish these occasions would not arise. Left to herself these people would soon disgust her but for her own sake we must interfere, and that keeps up her partisanship.'

'What is to be done?' was Violet's disconsolate beginning, as soon as she could see Arthur alone.