Read Online Privileged Children by Frances Vernon - Free Book Online
Authors: Frances Vernon
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sewing, Cicely,’ he snapped at her.
He closed the door behind Alice. ‘If you were just a few years younger, I’d whip you!’ he-roared at her. ‘How could you shame me in that fashion? Not only did you answer your host back — a chit of a girl, no, a child, like you — but you actually brought into the open the fact that your father was — was — a traitor!’
Alice ignored this. Her legs were shaking terribly, but she forced herself to look casually round the room.
‘Aren’t you even ashamed?’
‘Well, I’m sorry I’ve upset you so,’ said Alice, ‘but I’m not sorry I let Lord Stopsford know my mind. Uncle Roderick, can I sit down, please? I’ve got something very important to tell you and Aunt Cicely. Please.’
‘It can wait.’
‘It can’t. The chair can’t, anyway.’
Noticing that she was very pale, Mr Blentham pointed out a chair to her, into which she sank. He watched her for a moment, and then put his head outside the door to yell: ‘Cicely!’ His wife came quickly. ‘Alice has a confession to make, I suppose,’ he said. ‘She wishes you to hear it too.’
‘Yes?’ said Mrs Blentham.
‘I’m pregnant,’ said Alice.
‘You — are — what?’ whispered her uncle.
‘Pregnant. With child. Enceinte. In the family way.’
‘How can you be, girl?’
‘I had a lover in London. He was staying at an inn at Saddledown and I went out to meet him at night. He was here for about a month.’
‘But Alice — when you came to us you were only fourteen,’ said Mrs Blentham.
‘When I was thirteen I was a year past menarche,’ said Alice, ‘which is old enough to have lovers and old enough to have babies.’
‘Dear God!’
‘Right, girl, if that’s how it is you can go and lead your mother’s life. Now! Go on, get out!’
‘Roderick …’
‘I don’t care what happens to you or your brat. You won’t get a penny from me.’
‘You’ve got to use the money in trust for me for my benefit, by law,’ said Alice.
‘Roderick, don’t get so upset. Alice can go and have the baby somewhere, and then she can come back to us. It’s our duty to look after her. We promised Diana. Alice, dear, don’t worry, we’ll sort it out for you.’ It was Alice’s turn to stare.
‘Diana! Diana knew damn well that the girl could look after herself according to the corrupt way in which she was brought up. I expect she’ll go and have the child scraped out on a backstreet. According to people like that – all the Fenians and Suffragettes and Socialists and Bloomsbury pansies — certain types of murder don’t count. Eh, girl?’
‘Roderick!’ cried his wife.
‘For heaven’s sake, Cicely, the little tart’s heard all the swearing there is in the English language years ago.’
In the end, Alice’s proposal was adopted. She wrote to Augustus and Clementina, who sent her a welcoming and sympathetic telegram back. A week after she had told the Blenthams of her predicament, she left for London. Luke drove her to Tisbury station. Mrs Blentham came with her. Luke did not drive away until the train was out of sight. He had hoped to kiss Alice goodbye. He did not know that she was pregnant.
CHAPTER 6
GORDON SQUARE
BLOOMSBURY
March 1914
Anatole Brécu was sitting with Alice in the tiny garden at the back of the Woods’ house in Gordon Square. He was hardly more than five feet tall, and had a leg which was twisted so that the foot was turned sharply inwards. He was very thin. His face was pale and small, with high, sharp cheekbones and surrounded by coarse dark hair which was threaded with grey although he was only thirty-three. His nose was very long and pointed. He had a thin, wide, mobile mouth and large charcoal-grey eyes which were rimmed with long thick eyelashes. Above his eyes his eyebrows formed a broken arch. Clementina described him as ‘physically repulsive, with an ugly little face crammed with nose and mouth and eyes’. Alice promised herself that she would take
He closed the door behind Alice. ‘If you were just a few years younger, I’d whip you!’ he-roared at her. ‘How could you shame me in that fashion? Not only did you answer your host back — a chit of a girl, no, a child, like you — but you actually brought into the open the fact that your father was — was — a traitor!’
Alice ignored this. Her legs were shaking terribly, but she forced herself to look casually round the room.
‘Aren’t you even ashamed?’
‘Well, I’m sorry I’ve upset you so,’ said Alice, ‘but I’m not sorry I let Lord Stopsford know my mind. Uncle Roderick, can I sit down, please? I’ve got something very important to tell you and Aunt Cicely. Please.’
‘It can wait.’
‘It can’t. The chair can’t, anyway.’
Noticing that she was very pale, Mr Blentham pointed out a chair to her, into which she sank. He watched her for a moment, and then put his head outside the door to yell: ‘Cicely!’ His wife came quickly. ‘Alice has a confession to make, I suppose,’ he said. ‘She wishes you to hear it too.’
‘Yes?’ said Mrs Blentham.
‘I’m pregnant,’ said Alice.
‘You — are — what?’ whispered her uncle.
‘Pregnant. With child. Enceinte. In the family way.’
‘How can you be, girl?’
‘I had a lover in London. He was staying at an inn at Saddledown and I went out to meet him at night. He was here for about a month.’
‘But Alice — when you came to us you were only fourteen,’ said Mrs Blentham.
‘When I was thirteen I was a year past menarche,’ said Alice, ‘which is old enough to have lovers and old enough to have babies.’
‘Dear God!’
‘Right, girl, if that’s how it is you can go and lead your mother’s life. Now! Go on, get out!’
‘Roderick …’
‘I don’t care what happens to you or your brat. You won’t get a penny from me.’
‘You’ve got to use the money in trust for me for my benefit, by law,’ said Alice.
‘Roderick, don’t get so upset. Alice can go and have the baby somewhere, and then she can come back to us. It’s our duty to look after her. We promised Diana. Alice, dear, don’t worry, we’ll sort it out for you.’ It was Alice’s turn to stare.
‘Diana! Diana knew damn well that the girl could look after herself according to the corrupt way in which she was brought up. I expect she’ll go and have the child scraped out on a backstreet. According to people like that – all the Fenians and Suffragettes and Socialists and Bloomsbury pansies — certain types of murder don’t count. Eh, girl?’
‘Roderick!’ cried his wife.
‘For heaven’s sake, Cicely, the little tart’s heard all the swearing there is in the English language years ago.’
In the end, Alice’s proposal was adopted. She wrote to Augustus and Clementina, who sent her a welcoming and sympathetic telegram back. A week after she had told the Blenthams of her predicament, she left for London. Luke drove her to Tisbury station. Mrs Blentham came with her. Luke did not drive away until the train was out of sight. He had hoped to kiss Alice goodbye. He did not know that she was pregnant.
CHAPTER 6
GORDON SQUARE
BLOOMSBURY
March 1914
Anatole Brécu was sitting with Alice in the tiny garden at the back of the Woods’ house in Gordon Square. He was hardly more than five feet tall, and had a leg which was twisted so that the foot was turned sharply inwards. He was very thin. His face was pale and small, with high, sharp cheekbones and surrounded by coarse dark hair which was threaded with grey although he was only thirty-three. His nose was very long and pointed. He had a thin, wide, mobile mouth and large charcoal-grey eyes which were rimmed with long thick eyelashes. Above his eyes his eyebrows formed a broken arch. Clementina described him as ‘physically repulsive, with an ugly little face crammed with nose and mouth and eyes’. Alice promised herself that she would take
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