Growing Good (16)

Delight in such small pleasures

Di – Diana, Lady Rollo Beaufoyle, looked at her husband leaning against the marble mantlepiece in the smaller drawing-room at Norleigh Hall, and thought that no-one would imagine how he, that looked the epitome of the phlegmatic Milord Anglais, was so given to being in a fuss.

Here he was – and it had been the like since little Rudolph had been born! – in a fret about whether Essie – his elder brother Sallington – would ever marry, and whether their precious little Dolphie ought therefore to be educated in the expectation that, one day, he would fall heir to the Dukedom of Mulcaster. Was ever rather worse when they returned from a family party at Qualling.

Di, whose own father had succeeded most unexpected as Marquess of Offgrange, having spent the preceding years hunting plants in the jungles and pampas of the Spanish Americas, could not see that this was a great problem. Did they bring him up a responsible thoughtful educated young man – and at present he was not even breeched! – surely 'twould serve.

It is not just that I fear Flora Ferraby will suddenly take a freak to marry him at last –

Di raised her eyebrows and said, o, people always hark back to that boy-girl romance, but these days I see him a deal more conversable with Hannah Roberts –

(Lord, she should not teaze Rollo! Flora was shocking but the Ferrabys were acceptable: Hannah was brilliant, a respected writer and editor, but visibly part-African and the daughter of – however superior their positions – servants.)

Rollo’s classical features took on the aghast expression of a Greek hero that had just encountered a gorgon: he then shook himself and said, and then there are these fellows that one supposes confirmed bachelors or long-resigned to faithful widowerhood, suddenly go marry or woo women young enough to be their daughters or even grand-daughters – look at Sir Godfrey Allder, and Fendersham making a spectacle of himself over Theodora Saxorby.

This is your brother Essie you are talking of, said Di drily. 'Tis true that men may come to an age when they behave extreme oddly, but somehow I cannot fancy it of him – he already has his eccentricities, whereas in most cases there is some matter of breaking out.

You may be right, Rollo sighed. He gazed down into the fire for several moments, then looked up, remarking that there were rumours of a general election in the spring or summer –

Di suppressed a groan.

And Ackerton gives himself out determined to stand down at Tapperbridge – I fancy m’father had Bobbie Wallace in mind to take over, but here he is elected for Firlbrough – I wonder –

Rollo! she cried. Quite aside from the fact that even more than putting up Bobbie would look like the old days of pocket boroughs were you to stand for Tapperbridge, are you sure you should care for a Parliamentary career?

She very much thought he would not. Rollo was very dedicated to matters of sanitary reform but she was convinced that he was better and happier pursuing those outside the Commons, and that in the capacity of a Member would find all the other matters of the day excessive trying. And the intricacies of procedure ennuyant in the extreme

One would desire to do one’s duty –

O, come, my love, you are doing such fine work with your committees and producing reports and statistics, you are not in the least idle.

For here was Rollo, not merely a perfect Apollo in looks – an acclaimed athlete though he gave a deal less time to sports these days – but showing most conscientious about considering upon problems of sanitation and public health, and poring over medical journals and reports of Medical Officers of Health and of associations that had been set up for improvements or to advance some particularly beneficial practice –

Was it, perchance, the burden of being the second son? And not merely second to Sallington, the child of the Duke’s first and much-loved Duchess that had died at his birth, but also the second child of his second marriage – coming after Cathy, that both her parents had doated on from the day of her birth? Had been entire happy to have her still about the household well past the usual age of marriage, although there had been plenty of offers, until she had set her heart on the Lost Heir to the Marquessate of Bexbury. Not only that, but it was quite clear that Gillie, Lord Gilbert, had a particular place in his mother’s heart over their mutual passion for languages. Di also suspected that although he tried to conceal it, His Grace had a particular fondness for his hoyden daughter Lady Isabella.

She jumped up. I promised Henrietta that we should take the pineapple and other treats to the Misses Fenring once we had got back, and she had had her rest –

Rollo frowned –

– we shall take the pony-chaise, 'tis no weather for an agreeable stroll to their cottage! And it is so pretty in her to want to do that –

Rollo, somewhat reluctantly, smiled. It is so, he said. Like some moral children’s tale.

So Di went up to the nursery and oversaw darling Henrietta dressed up suitably warm for an excursion across the park to the cottage; and then took up the basket already prepared for the Misses Fenring; and finally went out to the stable-yard, having already bespoke the pony-chaise put in readiness.

She would drive herself, she said, with a little wink at Henrietta, meaning that she would let her hold the reins for part of the way, very carefully watched. Stowed the basket carefully, lifted in Henrietta, and got in herself.

It was, even at this stark time of year, a pleasing drive across the park – thought had been taken for it to look well even when the trees were bare and there were few flowers – but there were evergreen shrubs – the trees made attractive silhouettes – She wished Rollo could take delight in such small pleasures.

Here they were at the cottage, and the Misses Fenring peeping out at the window to see who was calling.

Di lifted Henrietta down from the chaise just as the door opened, and took the basket to give to Henrietta as the sister came twittering out, begging 'em to come in out of the cold, and into the nice warm parlour –

So they did so, for indeed one did not wish to keep hovering upon the lintel, and went in to the parlour, that she was glad to see that they must use for sitting in, rather than keeping for company. There was a good fire blazing in the hearth, and all was beautiful neat and tidy – she minded that now Essie had brought their late father Jephthah Fenring’s artistic talents to light, and his paintings began to command good prices, Essie ensured that the profits were safely invested for his daughters’ benefit. Her brother-in-law might look a dreamer, but could be very practical!

She noticed in pride of place on the parlour table The Casket, open to display the late artist’s delightful drawings of dormice, accompanied by Josh Ferraby’s entertaining and instructive essay on those creatures.

Henrietta presented 'em with the basket, and made particular mention of the pineapple, that was from Grandpapa’s pinery at Qualling –

The Misses Fenring exclaimed considerable over that – A pineapple, sister, imagine! We shall dine like fine ladies! –

And Di said somewhat of the pinery – a quaint old thing – constructed by some ancestor – but still comes about to produce this very fine fruit –

They were begged to make themselves comfortable, and perchance take a glass of homemade berry cordial?

Would be incivil to refuse – although the ladies belonged to some sect that forbade the use of spirituous liquors, this stricture did not seem to apply to home-made cordials! – and a sip or so could not harm Henrietta.

The blackberry had been particular successful, last year –

Delicious, said Di, and commenced to enquire about their health, and how matters went with them in the village, &C. Delightful creatures – had a deal of fine old country lore about plants and animals and weather signs, Di had writ some of it up and give it Hannah to publish – anonymously of course! – in The Speculum. Some of it might be superstition but there was a deal of traditional wisdom there as well.

And after she was assured that they were well, and all was well in the village, they commenced to enquiring about her and her family and the visit to Qualling.

What most interested them, she fancied, and ‘twas entirely understandable and to their credit, was news of Essie.

So she went about to recount how very successful was this exhibition he and the Duchess had organized of Arts of the Orient, for the benefit of destitute ayahs abandoned on these shores –

O, they had read of that in the press! How very inspiring! What fine work that was!

And would Lord Sallington be visiting Norleigh Hall at all presently?

Not very soon, said Di with some regret. He is holding a large party at Nitherholme for the New Year – feels that there is certain hospitality owing – also obliged to do the civil about the neighbourhood I understand –

The fine orange cat of the household, Buttercup, that was a descendant of the famed Selina, came in to see what was ado, and Henrietta quite immediate set about to entice her to her lap, where she ensconced herself, purring loudly.

The Misses Fenring looked at her very doatingly, and Di felt very doating herself. Was she correct in her suspicions about her own condition – and was exceeding early days yet, so early that she had not yet opened 'em to Rollo, for fear of the fussing over that would result – would hope that it might be another daughter. Sure, she loved Dolphie and Fulk, but it was the way of things, she feared, that as boys they would be sent away to school, enter that different world – daughters were companions.