Cousin Prudence by Sarah Waldock Page A

our first meeting I was too incensed to be intimidated by anyone; and since that time he has been the soul of courtesy and amiability.”
    Lady Katherine’s eyebrows shot up.
    “Truly?  That does not sound like Gervase” she said disbelievingly.
    Prudence chuckled.
    “Well he is rag mannered in the extreme and offhand in his manner but there is nothing that any woman who sees
    past that can complain about in his inherent courtesy and chivalry,” she said.
    Lady Katherine regarded her with approval.
    “I like you, girl,” she said, “you’re not in the least bit missish and you have a direct way that does not stray into impudence; and a sharper eye for the true character of a man than most.  You may sit beside me and entertain me with your side of the tale of your meeting with Gervase.  It will not of course be any different in detail, for he is truthful even to admitting his faults; but I shall be amused to hear it from your perspective.  Kitty shall talk to Mr and Mrs Knightley.”
    Prudence proceeded, once Emma and George had greeted the dowager, to tell the story, not omitting her solecism over the definition of a dandy, and the old woman laughed.
    “No, Gervase would not care to be taken for a macaroni!” she said “As WE used to call a fribble in my young day! Well he needs the odd set down; there have been times lately when I have thought him too top-lofty and sneering, though that’s partly through having inherited care of a youth like Arthur when he lost his brothers and then his father in the space of just three years.  And a man of eight-and-twenty years might be expected to be ready to have responsibility for his own nursery, but to suddenly have care of a youth of some fifteen summers cannot be easy; and it has made him stern of manner.”
    “He seems to have most excellent care of Mr Alver ,” said Prudence, “who is a most pleasant youth but sadly unsteady as yet.”
    “Oh Arthur has some growing up to do but he has no real vice to him ,” said Lady Katherine, “ah, here is Georgiana – Alverston’s sister – and her eldest.  “Georgiana, my love, Diana; permit me to introduce you.”
    Prudence, Emma and George found themselves introduced   to   Georgiana,   Lady   Greyling   and   the
    Honourable Miss Diana Wrexham, daughter of Earl Greyling and  Georgiana, Lady Greyling.  Prudence found
    it confusing that titles were not necessarily the same as family names! 
    Georgiana was a vivacious woman of some thirty years who was fashionably dressed and evidently considered herself a woman about town whilst enjoying her various interesting offspring; she gravitated to Emma to ask if Mrs Knightley had any children yet, and as Emma blushed and replied,
    “Not quite yet’ proceeded to give her some good – and it may be said fairly earthy – advice about surviving the Season whilst in an Interesting Condition.  Emma was delighted and it did not need much in the way of discreet enquiry to get  Georgiana onto her favourite subject, which was her children.  They were soon comparing notes about the five Wrexham offspring and Emma’s nephews and nieces as though they had known each other for ever.
    The Honourable Diana was a thin child of about eleven or twelve with big grey eyes and a wealth of black hair that seemed to have no curl to it at all and was strained back into a plait.
    Prudence smiled at her.
    “Do you like London, Miss Wrexham?” she asked.
    The child looked pleased to have the formal address.
    “Well, if you please, Miss Blenkinsop, I have to say ‘no not really’ because there is very little to do here,” she said, “my next brother, William, is at school – he has just gone off for the summer term – so there are only the little ones and Nurse because my governess took the measles.  That’s why Mama had to bring me; she said Aunt Katherine would not mind.”
    “Measles!  That must be very unpleasant for the poor woman; and how inconvenient for you!”