Read Online The Bohemian Girl by Frances Vernon - Free Book Online
Authors: Frances Vernon
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in the first place, Edward opened the door.
He startled Kitty, and when she looked up, she thought he looked ridiculously startled too. ‘Well, Teddy my love?’ she said. ‘How was it, then?’
‘Dear little Kitty,’ he said, ‘dear little girl.’ Edward sat down on the bed, removed his monocle, and sighed. His face was pale.
Kitty watched him for a few moments, then said: ‘Well, before we talk, you can help me dress. That’s what I’m going to wear tonight, and you can button me down the back.’
‘How soothin’ you are,’ said Edward, as he rose to obey her. ‘But I don’t think I can face the thought of Frascati’s tonight. Besides,’ he added dully, ‘it ain’t time just yet to dress, is it?’
‘What, as bad as that?’ said Kitty, seeing his expression. She paused. ‘Well, good Lord! Come, Teddy, didn’t we agree to celebrate your telling them, whatever the outcome? A brave stand, my boy! Our first appearance as a couple!’
‘Jolly good,’ said Edward, raising loving eyes. He smiled, and reached out for her.
Kitty pulled her peignoir round her and went to sit firmly beside him on the bed. ‘So they are coming the ugly?’
‘Oh, awful. Mater fainted and then refused to say a word. Absolutely. Just said she wouldn’t know you, or bow to you, etc, etc.’ Edward began to look a little better. ‘The fact is, darlin’ one, nothing and no one can remove her deepest native prejudice that every actress is a lady of the night! Mrs Siddons of sacred memory? A courtesan, don’t you know! Our own Miss Terry? Worse and worse!’
Kitty hissed. She said after a moment, ‘I suppose of course she’s too much of a lady to say such things aloud?’
‘What, in front of the girls? My darling!’
‘I was never such a bloody fool as to get caught by any man that way,’ said Kitty, very quietly. ‘Presents and promises!’ This was not true. She had been seduced at the age of eighteen.
‘Darling, I know. You’re a clever girl and, as Cornwallis says, you do deserve your coronet.’ Cornwallis was Edward’s closest friend; he had been at Oxford with him, but instead of leaving after two years to become a Guards officer had become a literary man and the master of a little literary circle. Long ago, Cornwallis had admired Edward for going into the Army out of boredom with juvenile Oxford.
‘Don’t talk to me like that,’ Kitty said.
‘Love!’ he cried. ‘Oh darling, not offended? I say!’
‘No,’ she said, ‘not really, if you’re sorry.’ She looked at him and waited.
‘ Awfully sorry. Never sorrier.’
Kitty patted his knee. ‘Well then, what about your Papa?’
‘He says he’ll raise my allowance to fourteen hundred a year.’ This was an increase of five hundred pounds. ‘And pay my debts, you know.’
‘Nice old gentleman!’ said Kitty, surprised. She wondered for a moment, then added: ‘Teddy, did you tell him alone first of all?’
‘I ought to have done,’ said Edward. ‘But it was so awfully hard to resist the temptation to announce the news in front ofMater and the girls! When Mater left the room – awfully dramatic – he took me into the study. Felt like a schoolboy.’
‘H’m. Wouldn’t it have been better to have told him straight off, and left him to – break the news to your mother?’
‘Yes, I know, darling.’
‘Oh, you are a foolish boy. What did he say besides?’
Edward moved further up the bed and Kitty, though she was usually more passionate than he, hoped he would not want to make love just yet. ‘Kitty, I don’t know how we’re to manage on fourteen hundred. The old man knows damn’ well I’ve spent more than that per annum ever since I was at Oxford! Don’t mean he hasn’t been good about paying up once in a while, but now – Kitty, what are we going to do?’
‘Well, for a start you’ll give up those lodgings of yours. That’ll be a considerable economy. And then don’t worry: I’ll contrive somehow. Lord, Teddy,
He startled Kitty, and when she looked up, she thought he looked ridiculously startled too. ‘Well, Teddy my love?’ she said. ‘How was it, then?’
‘Dear little Kitty,’ he said, ‘dear little girl.’ Edward sat down on the bed, removed his monocle, and sighed. His face was pale.
Kitty watched him for a few moments, then said: ‘Well, before we talk, you can help me dress. That’s what I’m going to wear tonight, and you can button me down the back.’
‘How soothin’ you are,’ said Edward, as he rose to obey her. ‘But I don’t think I can face the thought of Frascati’s tonight. Besides,’ he added dully, ‘it ain’t time just yet to dress, is it?’
‘What, as bad as that?’ said Kitty, seeing his expression. She paused. ‘Well, good Lord! Come, Teddy, didn’t we agree to celebrate your telling them, whatever the outcome? A brave stand, my boy! Our first appearance as a couple!’
‘Jolly good,’ said Edward, raising loving eyes. He smiled, and reached out for her.
Kitty pulled her peignoir round her and went to sit firmly beside him on the bed. ‘So they are coming the ugly?’
‘Oh, awful. Mater fainted and then refused to say a word. Absolutely. Just said she wouldn’t know you, or bow to you, etc, etc.’ Edward began to look a little better. ‘The fact is, darlin’ one, nothing and no one can remove her deepest native prejudice that every actress is a lady of the night! Mrs Siddons of sacred memory? A courtesan, don’t you know! Our own Miss Terry? Worse and worse!’
Kitty hissed. She said after a moment, ‘I suppose of course she’s too much of a lady to say such things aloud?’
‘What, in front of the girls? My darling!’
‘I was never such a bloody fool as to get caught by any man that way,’ said Kitty, very quietly. ‘Presents and promises!’ This was not true. She had been seduced at the age of eighteen.
‘Darling, I know. You’re a clever girl and, as Cornwallis says, you do deserve your coronet.’ Cornwallis was Edward’s closest friend; he had been at Oxford with him, but instead of leaving after two years to become a Guards officer had become a literary man and the master of a little literary circle. Long ago, Cornwallis had admired Edward for going into the Army out of boredom with juvenile Oxford.
‘Don’t talk to me like that,’ Kitty said.
‘Love!’ he cried. ‘Oh darling, not offended? I say!’
‘No,’ she said, ‘not really, if you’re sorry.’ She looked at him and waited.
‘ Awfully sorry. Never sorrier.’
Kitty patted his knee. ‘Well then, what about your Papa?’
‘He says he’ll raise my allowance to fourteen hundred a year.’ This was an increase of five hundred pounds. ‘And pay my debts, you know.’
‘Nice old gentleman!’ said Kitty, surprised. She wondered for a moment, then added: ‘Teddy, did you tell him alone first of all?’
‘I ought to have done,’ said Edward. ‘But it was so awfully hard to resist the temptation to announce the news in front ofMater and the girls! When Mater left the room – awfully dramatic – he took me into the study. Felt like a schoolboy.’
‘H’m. Wouldn’t it have been better to have told him straight off, and left him to – break the news to your mother?’
‘Yes, I know, darling.’
‘Oh, you are a foolish boy. What did he say besides?’
Edward moved further up the bed and Kitty, though she was usually more passionate than he, hoped he would not want to make love just yet. ‘Kitty, I don’t know how we’re to manage on fourteen hundred. The old man knows damn’ well I’ve spent more than that per annum ever since I was at Oxford! Don’t mean he hasn’t been good about paying up once in a while, but now – Kitty, what are we going to do?’
‘Well, for a start you’ll give up those lodgings of yours. That’ll be a considerable economy. And then don’t worry: I’ll contrive somehow. Lord, Teddy,
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