‘Oh, it won’t be necessary for me to say anything!’ he replied, with one of his sardonic smiles. ‘In common with the rest of the world, he believes her to be under my protection. It is possible, however, that he may also believe me to be an indifferent guardian. That can be remedied. Do you go to the Crewes’ assembly? I’ll escort you – exercising a benevolent surveillance! I might take you both to the play, or even drive you round the park, at the hour of the Grand Strut.’
‘You are very obliging! We are indeed honoured!’
‘Yes, I rarely drive females.’
‘You will find it another dead bore, I daresay!’
‘Possibly, but I shall be upheld by a feeling of virtue.’
‘Ah, but the novelty of that will soon wear off!’ she pointed out.
The sardonic expression vanished. ‘Very good, Frederica!’ he said approvingly. ‘I don’t think it will bore me to drive you round the park.’
‘Well, that’s a comfort, to be sure! But there’s not the least need for you to include me in your benevolence! Take Charis up beside you now and then, and I shall be excessively grateful!’ She tried, unsuccessfully, to repress a mischievous chuckle, and added, with disarming candour: ‘You can’t think how much against the pluck it goes with me to administer to your vanity, cousin, but I haven’t spent all these weeks in London without realising that your consequence is enormous!’
‘Viper!’ said his lordship appreciatively. ‘I will endure the company of your beautiful but bird-witted sister, but on the condition that the tedium of these sessions will be relieved occasionally by your astringent quality. By-the-by, does rumour lie, or is my equally bird-witted young cousin growing extremely particular in his attentions?’
‘No – though in some ways I wish it did!’ replied Frederica. ‘But as for growing extremely particular – ! He seems to have conceived a violent passion for Charis the instant he laid eyes on her. I must say, I wish he were not so very handsome! I am afraid he is the only one of her admirers for whom Charis does cherish a tendre, and I can conceive of nothing more unsuitable! Nor, I fancy, would Mrs Dauntry welcome such an alliance.’
‘Certainly not. One of the tightish clever sort, my saintly Cousin Lucretia!’
‘Well, you can’t blame her for wishing her son to contract an advantageous marriage,’ said Frederica reasonably. ‘It is precisely what I want Charis to do, after all! I don’t desire to offend you, my lord, but I cannot think Endymion an eligible parti! It is all very well for his mama to talk of his being your heir, but who is to say that it will ever come to that? You are not in your dotage!’
‘Thank you!’ said his lordship, in failing accents.
Her eyes twinkled responsively, but she said politely: ‘Not at all! The thing is, however, that when Endymion is Charis’s escort I can be easy in my mind. He treats her with the greatest respect – almost with reverence!’
‘Yes, he always was a slow-top,’ he commented. ‘Poor girl! Is Buxted also dangling after her?’
‘Oh, dear me, no!’ she replied, casting down her eyes, and folding her hands primly in her lap. ‘Lord Buxted, cousin, has a decided preference for me!’
He burst out laughing. ‘No, has he indeed? I pity you, then, but think the better of him! What do you find to talk about, I wonder?’
‘Why, I am not obliged to find anything! He is never at a loss. When we have commented on the political situation, and he has been so kind as to draw my attention to some article in one of the newspapers which I might not have read, he has always plenty to tell me about himself, and his estates, and his reflections upon various subjects.’ She broke off, chuckling, but said penitently: ‘But I ought not to make game of him! He is very kind, and has a great deal of sense, even if he is a trifle prosy!’
‘Dull and respectable. But not, I fancy, your only admirer. My heart positively bled for poor Aldridge when I saw Darcy Moreton cut him out at that very tedious soirée last Wednesday.’
‘Oh, fiddle!’ she said. ‘I wish you won’t be so nonsensical! Next you will be calling Mr Moreton my flirt, and nothing, I can assure you, is farther from his thoughts, or mine!’
‘Wait until the crow is hatched before you pull it with me!’
She smiled. ‘I will – but pray believe that I don’t flirt, and I am not on the catch for a husband!’
‘Except one for Charis. Tell me! Are you enjoying your first London season?’
She answered impulsively: ‘Oh, beyond calculation! In fact, I enjoy it all so much that I fear I must resemble poor Papa more than I knew!’
He was able, by the exercise of strong self-control, to reply, with only the smallest quiver in his voice: ‘What a very alarming thought! Surely you wrong yourself!’
‘Well, I hope I do,’ she said seriously. ‘I don’t care much for cards, at all events. None of us do, except, perhaps, Jessamy, and he, you know, has such deep principles that I’ve no fears for him. I expect it is too soon to know what Felix may do, but I don’t think he will be a gamester.’
He laughed. ‘Good God, no! He will be far too busy inventing a steam-shuffler, or a mechanical-dealer, to take any interest in mere gaming! How does he go on? Where is he? Don’t tell me he has set forth on another steamboat expedition!’
‘No – though I collect he is much interested in some project to build ocean-going steamboats! I think he learned about it on his trip to Ramsgate, but I fancy the inventor is an American, for which I am truly thankful! Even Felix couldn’t go all that way!’
‘I wouldn’t risk a groat against the chance! Very likely he will sign on as cabin-boy in a sailing-vessel bound for America, and we shall next hear of him in New York!’
‘For heaven’s sake, don’t put such a notion into his head!’ she b