ill-intentioned people had whispered that he was like Joshua, Ross's infamous father. There was therefore this other enormous obstacle, of which Harriet knew nothing, to any sort of reconciliation. And Valentine's manner when he came to the Bank was anything but contrite. He had lounged in a chair, his long, elegant bent leg over the arm, casually asking George's permission to name this so-called grandson after him. The strangest move on Valentine's part. Inexplicable except as a move towards a reconciliation. But to what end? There seemed to George to be only one answer: money. He said: 'I shall take no notice of his visit. If he expects to be invited here with his wife and son he will be much mistaken.'
'I have never once seen him in Falmouth or Truro,'
Harriet said. 'He has become very much of a north-coast man. I wonder how his marriage is making out.'
'His marriage? Why?'
'Well, I would think him far too free with his favours to be content to bestow them on only one woman.'
George eyed her suspiciously. 'Has he - did he ever ...'
She laughed. 'Make approaches to me? Think again. But a woman does not need to be seduced by a man to know how he feels about women in general.'
George was about to say more, but was prevented by the arrival of Ursula, his daughter by Elizabeth. She had been spending Christmas with the Rashleighs of Luxulyan. George had willingly sanctioned this, as he knew Sir Col man Rashleigh was an important man in the county. Ursula was now just nineteen. She was still stoutly built with thick legs and a noticeable bust. But because of the alchemy which begins to work on girls of this age she was less dumpy, less unattractive than she had been earlier. Her skin was good and mercifully unmarked by pox, her grey eyes, though frequently masked by sullen lids, very sharp when seen. Her straight flaxen hair was curled and dressed.
Not a vivacious girl, and when asked how she had enjoyed Christmas her appreciation was expressed in short sentences and simple monosyllables. George had early taken her away from Mrs Hemple's School in Truro -- partly because Isabella-Rose Poldark had arrived - and sent her to Madame Blick's Finishing School for Young Ladies at Penzance. He was now about to move her on somewhere else Exeter or London - where she could be taught the niceties of society life and behaviour. But he hadn't decided where. In truth, he was a little baffled by her attitude. Was no child of his ever going to conform to expectations? She was only mildly interested in clothes; (Harriet, when she could find the time, would give advice to her dressmaker). She was only mildly interested in boys. She was only mildly interested in horses and foxes and the countryside. What she was interested in was metals and mines: tin stamps, copper smelting; the side products of Cornish mining such as gold, silver, zinc, iron, lead. George sometimes blamed himself for ever buying her that clever reconstruction of a Cornish mine, built by an out-of-work and crippled miner, which she had played with endlessly as a child. True it was not an inappropriate or unwelcome hobby for one living in the centre of the Cornish mining areas, but not quite the thing for a woman, a young girl of quality.
'Oh,' said Ursula at supper that evening. 'Erica Rashleigh knows Bella Poldark.'
We all live too close together, George thought between his mental teeth, Cornwall is just a big village.
'Indeed,' he said discouragingly.
'I hardly knew her,' said Ursula; 'she was among the juniors. I know you don't like them, but she seemed to have sufficient agreeableness. They say she sings.'
'Walter, you may bring the port.'
'Very good, sur.'
'Bring the '87,' said Harriet. 'Last night's was over the top.'
'Very good, m'lady.'
'I thought it was well enough,' said George snappily, after the butler had gone.
'Uh-huh,' said Harriet. 'Did they give you port at the Rashleighs, Ursula?'
'No, Mama. Erica is only eighteen, and not treated yet as if she
'I have never once seen him in Falmouth or Truro,'
Harriet said. 'He has become very much of a north-coast man. I wonder how his marriage is making out.'
'His marriage? Why?'
'Well, I would think him far too free with his favours to be content to bestow them on only one woman.'
George eyed her suspiciously. 'Has he - did he ever ...'
She laughed. 'Make approaches to me? Think again. But a woman does not need to be seduced by a man to know how he feels about women in general.'
George was about to say more, but was prevented by the arrival of Ursula, his daughter by Elizabeth. She had been spending Christmas with the Rashleighs of Luxulyan. George had willingly sanctioned this, as he knew Sir Col man Rashleigh was an important man in the county. Ursula was now just nineteen. She was still stoutly built with thick legs and a noticeable bust. But because of the alchemy which begins to work on girls of this age she was less dumpy, less unattractive than she had been earlier. Her skin was good and mercifully unmarked by pox, her grey eyes, though frequently masked by sullen lids, very sharp when seen. Her straight flaxen hair was curled and dressed.
Not a vivacious girl, and when asked how she had enjoyed Christmas her appreciation was expressed in short sentences and simple monosyllables. George had early taken her away from Mrs Hemple's School in Truro -- partly because Isabella-Rose Poldark had arrived - and sent her to Madame Blick's Finishing School for Young Ladies at Penzance. He was now about to move her on somewhere else Exeter or London - where she could be taught the niceties of society life and behaviour. But he hadn't decided where. In truth, he was a little baffled by her attitude. Was no child of his ever going to conform to expectations? She was only mildly interested in clothes; (Harriet, when she could find the time, would give advice to her dressmaker). She was only mildly interested in boys. She was only mildly interested in horses and foxes and the countryside. What she was interested in was metals and mines: tin stamps, copper smelting; the side products of Cornish mining such as gold, silver, zinc, iron, lead. George sometimes blamed himself for ever buying her that clever reconstruction of a Cornish mine, built by an out-of-work and crippled miner, which she had played with endlessly as a child. True it was not an inappropriate or unwelcome hobby for one living in the centre of the Cornish mining areas, but not quite the thing for a woman, a young girl of quality.
'Oh,' said Ursula at supper that evening. 'Erica Rashleigh knows Bella Poldark.'
We all live too close together, George thought between his mental teeth, Cornwall is just a big village.
'Indeed,' he said discouragingly.
'I hardly knew her,' said Ursula; 'she was among the juniors. I know you don't like them, but she seemed to have sufficient agreeableness. They say she sings.'
'Walter, you may bring the port.'
'Very good, sur.'
'Bring the '87,' said Harriet. 'Last night's was over the top.'
'Very good, m'lady.'
'I thought it was well enough,' said George snappily, after the butler had gone.
'Uh-huh,' said Harriet. 'Did they give you port at the Rashleighs, Ursula?'
'No, Mama. Erica is only eighteen, and not treated yet as if she
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