crush, was it not? Ah, Lord Rotherham! Don’t disturb yourself, I beg! It is quite shocking to be invading your party in this unconscionable way, but Lady Spenborough would have it so! To own the truth, it falls out very fortunately that I should find you here, for I have been wanting to see you.’
‘Indeed!’ he said, a strong inflexion of surprise in his voice.
‘Yes, for my eldest son informs me that Gerard Monksleigh is quite a particular friend of his, and will be staying with you for Christmas. Nothing will do but that I must get up a little party for these flighty young people! I should like so much to ask Mrs Monksleigh if she will not bring her daughters to it, but how this may be done when I have not the pleasure of her acquaintance I know not, unless you will come to my aid, Lord Rotherham!’
He returned a civil answer, but could not take it upon himself to commit his cousin. Lady Silchester said: ‘The girls want to go to the Assembly at Quenbury. I don’t know how Cordelia Monksleigh likes it for Susan and Margaret, but I’m by no means sure I care to let Caroline go. Serena! What do you think of the scheme? Would you advise it?’
Serena, who had placed Emily Laleham in a chair between her own and Rotherham’s, saw the sparkle in the girl’s big, pansy-soft eyes as they were turned anxiously towards her, and smiled, saying: ‘I never attended the Quenbury Assemblies myself, but I should think there could be no harm in them.’
‘A dead bore,’ said Rotherham. ‘You will meet no one there whom you know, and, unless you have a taste for being toad-eaten, will do better to remain at home.’
‘You are too severe,’ interposed Serena, with a good deal of meaning in her voice.
‘Well, so I would,’ said his sister, ‘but now the girls have taken the notion into their heads it is very hard to know what to do. It is a great pity they can’t dance at Claycross, but with only Elphin and Gerard between the three of them, that won’t answer. As long as there are no waltzes or quadrilles I daresay Silchester would not object to Caroline’s going. Elphin will be there, after all, and if the company should be too mixed he must dance with his sister.’
‘An evening of rare pleasure for both,’ commented Rotherham.
A stifled giggle made him glance down at the enchanting face beside him. A look, half of mischief, half of consternation was cast up at him. ‘Oh, I beg your pardon!’ gasped Emily, in a frightened undervoice.
‘Not at all! When I choose to be witty I like to receive just acknowledgment. Do you mean to go to this Assembly?’
‘Oh, I don’t know! I do hope – but I’m not precisely out yet, and perhaps Mama won’t permit me.’
‘What is the significance of being precisely out?’
‘Don’t quiz her!’ said Serena, perceiving that she was at a loss to know how to answer. ‘She will be precisely out when she has been presented. When is it to be, Emily?’
‘In the spring. Mama will give a ball!’ she said, in an awed tone. ‘At least,’ she added naïvely, ‘it is Grandmama really, only she won’t come to it, which I think is a great shame.’
Rotherham looked amused, but before he could probe into the mystery of this speech, which Serena feared was his intention, his notice was claimed by Lady Laleham, seated on his left hand.
‘What do you say, Lord Rotherham? Your sister and I find that we share the same scruples, but I fancy I have hit on a scheme to make it unobjectionable for our giddy young people to attend the Assembly. Do you not agree that if we make up our own party between us it will solve the problem?’
‘Certainly,’ he replied.
With this unenthusiastic assent she was satisfied, and began at once to engage Lady Silchester’s co-operation.
Rotherham turned again to Emily, and found her face upturned, quite pink with excitement, her eyes sparkling. ‘Oh, thank you!’ she breathed.
‘Are you so fond of Assemblies?’
‘Yes, indeed!
‘Indeed!’ he said, a strong inflexion of surprise in his voice.
‘Yes, for my eldest son informs me that Gerard Monksleigh is quite a particular friend of his, and will be staying with you for Christmas. Nothing will do but that I must get up a little party for these flighty young people! I should like so much to ask Mrs Monksleigh if she will not bring her daughters to it, but how this may be done when I have not the pleasure of her acquaintance I know not, unless you will come to my aid, Lord Rotherham!’
He returned a civil answer, but could not take it upon himself to commit his cousin. Lady Silchester said: ‘The girls want to go to the Assembly at Quenbury. I don’t know how Cordelia Monksleigh likes it for Susan and Margaret, but I’m by no means sure I care to let Caroline go. Serena! What do you think of the scheme? Would you advise it?’
Serena, who had placed Emily Laleham in a chair between her own and Rotherham’s, saw the sparkle in the girl’s big, pansy-soft eyes as they were turned anxiously towards her, and smiled, saying: ‘I never attended the Quenbury Assemblies myself, but I should think there could be no harm in them.’
‘A dead bore,’ said Rotherham. ‘You will meet no one there whom you know, and, unless you have a taste for being toad-eaten, will do better to remain at home.’
‘You are too severe,’ interposed Serena, with a good deal of meaning in her voice.
‘Well, so I would,’ said his sister, ‘but now the girls have taken the notion into their heads it is very hard to know what to do. It is a great pity they can’t dance at Claycross, but with only Elphin and Gerard between the three of them, that won’t answer. As long as there are no waltzes or quadrilles I daresay Silchester would not object to Caroline’s going. Elphin will be there, after all, and if the company should be too mixed he must dance with his sister.’
‘An evening of rare pleasure for both,’ commented Rotherham.
A stifled giggle made him glance down at the enchanting face beside him. A look, half of mischief, half of consternation was cast up at him. ‘Oh, I beg your pardon!’ gasped Emily, in a frightened undervoice.
‘Not at all! When I choose to be witty I like to receive just acknowledgment. Do you mean to go to this Assembly?’
‘Oh, I don’t know! I do hope – but I’m not precisely out yet, and perhaps Mama won’t permit me.’
‘What is the significance of being precisely out?’
‘Don’t quiz her!’ said Serena, perceiving that she was at a loss to know how to answer. ‘She will be precisely out when she has been presented. When is it to be, Emily?’
‘In the spring. Mama will give a ball!’ she said, in an awed tone. ‘At least,’ she added naïvely, ‘it is Grandmama really, only she won’t come to it, which I think is a great shame.’
Rotherham looked amused, but before he could probe into the mystery of this speech, which Serena feared was his intention, his notice was claimed by Lady Laleham, seated on his left hand.
‘What do you say, Lord Rotherham? Your sister and I find that we share the same scruples, but I fancy I have hit on a scheme to make it unobjectionable for our giddy young people to attend the Assembly. Do you not agree that if we make up our own party between us it will solve the problem?’
‘Certainly,’ he replied.
With this unenthusiastic assent she was satisfied, and began at once to engage Lady Silchester’s co-operation.
Rotherham turned again to Emily, and found her face upturned, quite pink with excitement, her eyes sparkling. ‘Oh, thank you!’ she breathed.
‘Are you so fond of Assemblies?’
‘Yes, indeed!
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