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Authors: Georgette Heyer
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arrange.’
‘No, I suppose it’s not,’ said the free-trader thoughtfully.
‘You see, if I were a man I could be a highwayman, or a smuggler like you. I expect you have had many, many adventures.’
‘I have,’ said the young man rather ruefully. ‘So many that I’m devilish tired of ’em.’
‘But I have had only this one small adventure, and I am not yet tired. That is why I am going to London.’
‘If you take my advice,’ said the young man, ‘you’ll give up this notion of being a governess. Try something else!’
‘Well, perhaps I will be a milliner,’ said Eustacie. ‘When I get to London I shall consider carefully what is best for me to do.’
‘Yes, but you aren’t going to London to-night,’ he said.
‘I am going to-night! You don’t understand! If I do not go to-night I shall be found, and then I shall have to go to Bath to play backgammon, and be married to a person without sensibility!’
He seemed to be much struck by this, and said seriously: ‘No, that would be too bad. We must think of something. You’ll have to stay with me, at least till Abel reports all clear, of course, but there’s bound to be a London coach through Hand Cross in the morning.’
‘And I tell you that in the morning it will be too late!’ said Eustacie crossly. ‘I find that you are quite abominable! You spoil everything, and, what is more, I think you are excessively impertinent, because you have taken my horse away and stolen my pistol!’
‘No, I haven’t,’ he replied. ‘I’ve only had your horse tethered so that he can’t stray. As for your pistol, you can have that back now if you wish,’ he added, diving his hand into his pocket and pulling out the weapon. ‘Though what in the world you want with an unloaded duelling pistol –’ He stopped suddenly, feeling the balance of the gun, and stepped into the moonlight to examine it more closely. Eustacie saw that he was very tall and fair, dressed in a common frieze coat and breeches, with a coloured handkerchief round his neck, and his pale gold hair loosely tied back from his face. He looked up from the pistol in his hand, and said sharply: ‘How did you come by this?’
‘Well, it is not precisely my own,’ said Eustacie. ‘It –’
‘I know that. Who gave it to you?’
‘Nobody gave it to me!’
‘Do you mean you stole it?’
‘Of course I did not steal it! I have just borrowed it because I thought it would be a good thing to take a pistol with me. Du vrai , it belongs to my cousin Ludovic, but I feel very certain that he would not mind lending it to me, because he is of all my family the most romantic.’
The free-trader came back to her side in two quick strides. ‘Who the devil are you?’ he demanded.
‘I do not see what concern it is –’
He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. ‘Never mind that! Who are you?’
‘I am Eustacie de Vauban,’ she answered, with dignity.
‘Eustacie de Vauban…Oh yes, I have it! But how do you come to be in England?’
‘Well, my grandpapa thought that they would send me to the guillotine if I stayed in France, so he fetched me away. But if I had known that he would make me marry my cousin Tristram, who is not amusing, I should have preferred infinitely to have gone to the guillotine.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ he said. ‘Is he at the Court? If you’re running away from him I’ll do what I can to help you!’
‘Do you know him, then?’ asked Eustacie, surprised.
‘Do I know him! I’m your romantic cousin Ludovic!’
She gave a small shriek, which had the effect of making him clap his hand over her mouth again. ‘Fiend seize you, don’t make that noise! Do you want to bring the Excisemen down on me?’
She pulled his hand down and stood clasping it between both her own. ‘No, no, I promise I will be entirely quiet! I am so enchanted to meet you! I thought I never should, because Tristram said you could not set foot in England any more.’
‘I
‘No, I suppose it’s not,’ said the free-trader thoughtfully.
‘You see, if I were a man I could be a highwayman, or a smuggler like you. I expect you have had many, many adventures.’
‘I have,’ said the young man rather ruefully. ‘So many that I’m devilish tired of ’em.’
‘But I have had only this one small adventure, and I am not yet tired. That is why I am going to London.’
‘If you take my advice,’ said the young man, ‘you’ll give up this notion of being a governess. Try something else!’
‘Well, perhaps I will be a milliner,’ said Eustacie. ‘When I get to London I shall consider carefully what is best for me to do.’
‘Yes, but you aren’t going to London to-night,’ he said.
‘I am going to-night! You don’t understand! If I do not go to-night I shall be found, and then I shall have to go to Bath to play backgammon, and be married to a person without sensibility!’
He seemed to be much struck by this, and said seriously: ‘No, that would be too bad. We must think of something. You’ll have to stay with me, at least till Abel reports all clear, of course, but there’s bound to be a London coach through Hand Cross in the morning.’
‘And I tell you that in the morning it will be too late!’ said Eustacie crossly. ‘I find that you are quite abominable! You spoil everything, and, what is more, I think you are excessively impertinent, because you have taken my horse away and stolen my pistol!’
‘No, I haven’t,’ he replied. ‘I’ve only had your horse tethered so that he can’t stray. As for your pistol, you can have that back now if you wish,’ he added, diving his hand into his pocket and pulling out the weapon. ‘Though what in the world you want with an unloaded duelling pistol –’ He stopped suddenly, feeling the balance of the gun, and stepped into the moonlight to examine it more closely. Eustacie saw that he was very tall and fair, dressed in a common frieze coat and breeches, with a coloured handkerchief round his neck, and his pale gold hair loosely tied back from his face. He looked up from the pistol in his hand, and said sharply: ‘How did you come by this?’
‘Well, it is not precisely my own,’ said Eustacie. ‘It –’
‘I know that. Who gave it to you?’
‘Nobody gave it to me!’
‘Do you mean you stole it?’
‘Of course I did not steal it! I have just borrowed it because I thought it would be a good thing to take a pistol with me. Du vrai , it belongs to my cousin Ludovic, but I feel very certain that he would not mind lending it to me, because he is of all my family the most romantic.’
The free-trader came back to her side in two quick strides. ‘Who the devil are you?’ he demanded.
‘I do not see what concern it is –’
He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. ‘Never mind that! Who are you?’
‘I am Eustacie de Vauban,’ she answered, with dignity.
‘Eustacie de Vauban…Oh yes, I have it! But how do you come to be in England?’
‘Well, my grandpapa thought that they would send me to the guillotine if I stayed in France, so he fetched me away. But if I had known that he would make me marry my cousin Tristram, who is not amusing, I should have preferred infinitely to have gone to the guillotine.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ he said. ‘Is he at the Court? If you’re running away from him I’ll do what I can to help you!’
‘Do you know him, then?’ asked Eustacie, surprised.
‘Do I know him! I’m your romantic cousin Ludovic!’
She gave a small shriek, which had the effect of making him clap his hand over her mouth again. ‘Fiend seize you, don’t make that noise! Do you want to bring the Excisemen down on me?’
She pulled his hand down and stood clasping it between both her own. ‘No, no, I promise I will be entirely quiet! I am so enchanted to meet you! I thought I never should, because Tristram said you could not set foot in England any more.’
‘I
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