unaccountably formal when he had taken his leave. Grimy fog had permeated the room despite the drawn blinds and curtains and closed shutters. No sounds filtered up from the street below, a sure sign that the fog was very thick indeed. Sally came twitching in and drew the curtains, let up the blinds, leaned out and opened the shutters, filling the bedroom with grey light.
‘What’s the time?’ mumbled Lady Godolphin.
‘Twelve noon, my lady.’
‘Too early to get up,’ said Lady Godolphin. ‘I did not send for you.’
‘Two gentlemen have been waiting below to see you this past hour, my lady.’
‘Oh, lor’. Who are they?’
‘The Reverend Charles Armitage and Mr Radford.’
‘They should know not to come a-calling at thisunspeakable hour. Follicles!’ grumbled Lady Godolphin . ‘I suppose I had better get up. No hope of them taking themselves off anywhere?’
‘No, my lady. Matter of the urgentest, that they said, but I said you was not to be awoke, but after they became insistent, Mr Mice said to rouse you.’
‘Very well,’ groaned Lady Godolphin. ‘I do wish Charles Armitage was one of those quiet spiritual kinds of vicars. He always seems to bring drama with him.’
It took an hour for Lady Godolphin to put on her face and what she called her ‘negligent’ and declare herself fit to see visitors.
‘Well, Charles? Mr Radford?’ demanded Lady Godolphin as both men rose to meet her. ‘What’s amiss?’
The vicar and the squire waited until she was seated before the vicar began to speak.
‘When did Diana arrive to stay with you?’ he demanded.
Lady Godolphin’s eyes looked everywhere but at the vicar.
‘Don’t rightly recall,’ she said at last.
‘Then we will ask your servants, ma’am.’
‘No, don’t do that,’ said Lady Godolphin wearily. ‘I’ll tell you what happened …’
The two men listened to her, the vicar in mounting fury, and the little squire with increasing distress.
‘Well, it’s all your own fault, Charles,’ said Lady Godolphin when the story of Diana’s escapade with Lord Dantrey was finally out. ‘You would encourageher to dress up as a man. But we may forget about the whole thing, you know. As I told you, I went to see Dantrey himself and he promised he would say nothing of the matter. Diana’s still a virago intax. She told me herself that there was nothing but a kiss between them and that kiss was only because Dantrey had an understandably low view of her morals. Not only that, seems like some of the old villains like Guy Wentwater were spreading filth about your girls. Dantrey met Wentwater on his travels. So you see, you may as well be comfortable again. Why, if I thought for a moment the girl’s reputation was ruined, I would have sent for you express. Diana’s been behaving very nicely …’
‘It’s not that, ma’am,’ said Squire Radford, straightening his old-fashioned bag wig with a nervous hand. ‘Diana must marry this Dantrey. There is nothing else to be done.’
‘But why ?’
‘Because Diana had obviously been recognized. Mr Armitage received an anonymous letter.’ After the letter had been shown to Lady Godolphin, the squire continued, ‘What if the writer of this letter should speak up when the Season is at its height? Then everyone would say she had to marry Dantrey.’
‘Well, they might say that anyway.’
‘But it wouldn’t matter ,’ said Squire Radford. ‘No one really cares what is said about married women. But scandal can destroy the hopes of any young miss.’
‘Follicles!’ screamed Lady Godolphin in exasperation . ‘I used to think Mary Wollstonecraft and herright for women a load of … of … fustian. But now! Hark’ee, Charles Armitage. Is it not unfair this world of ours? A man may do as he pleases. He may drink and gamble and keep a stable of mistresses and he is accounted no end of an out-and-outer. But a gentlewoman must needs primp and simper and die of boredom in order to be comma
‘What’s the time?’ mumbled Lady Godolphin.
‘Twelve noon, my lady.’
‘Too early to get up,’ said Lady Godolphin. ‘I did not send for you.’
‘Two gentlemen have been waiting below to see you this past hour, my lady.’
‘Oh, lor’. Who are they?’
‘The Reverend Charles Armitage and Mr Radford.’
‘They should know not to come a-calling at thisunspeakable hour. Follicles!’ grumbled Lady Godolphin . ‘I suppose I had better get up. No hope of them taking themselves off anywhere?’
‘No, my lady. Matter of the urgentest, that they said, but I said you was not to be awoke, but after they became insistent, Mr Mice said to rouse you.’
‘Very well,’ groaned Lady Godolphin. ‘I do wish Charles Armitage was one of those quiet spiritual kinds of vicars. He always seems to bring drama with him.’
It took an hour for Lady Godolphin to put on her face and what she called her ‘negligent’ and declare herself fit to see visitors.
‘Well, Charles? Mr Radford?’ demanded Lady Godolphin as both men rose to meet her. ‘What’s amiss?’
The vicar and the squire waited until she was seated before the vicar began to speak.
‘When did Diana arrive to stay with you?’ he demanded.
Lady Godolphin’s eyes looked everywhere but at the vicar.
‘Don’t rightly recall,’ she said at last.
‘Then we will ask your servants, ma’am.’
‘No, don’t do that,’ said Lady Godolphin wearily. ‘I’ll tell you what happened …’
The two men listened to her, the vicar in mounting fury, and the little squire with increasing distress.
‘Well, it’s all your own fault, Charles,’ said Lady Godolphin when the story of Diana’s escapade with Lord Dantrey was finally out. ‘You would encourageher to dress up as a man. But we may forget about the whole thing, you know. As I told you, I went to see Dantrey himself and he promised he would say nothing of the matter. Diana’s still a virago intax. She told me herself that there was nothing but a kiss between them and that kiss was only because Dantrey had an understandably low view of her morals. Not only that, seems like some of the old villains like Guy Wentwater were spreading filth about your girls. Dantrey met Wentwater on his travels. So you see, you may as well be comfortable again. Why, if I thought for a moment the girl’s reputation was ruined, I would have sent for you express. Diana’s been behaving very nicely …’
‘It’s not that, ma’am,’ said Squire Radford, straightening his old-fashioned bag wig with a nervous hand. ‘Diana must marry this Dantrey. There is nothing else to be done.’
‘But why ?’
‘Because Diana had obviously been recognized. Mr Armitage received an anonymous letter.’ After the letter had been shown to Lady Godolphin, the squire continued, ‘What if the writer of this letter should speak up when the Season is at its height? Then everyone would say she had to marry Dantrey.’
‘Well, they might say that anyway.’
‘But it wouldn’t matter ,’ said Squire Radford. ‘No one really cares what is said about married women. But scandal can destroy the hopes of any young miss.’
‘Follicles!’ screamed Lady Godolphin in exasperation . ‘I used to think Mary Wollstonecraft and herright for women a load of … of … fustian. But now! Hark’ee, Charles Armitage. Is it not unfair this world of ours? A man may do as he pleases. He may drink and gamble and keep a stable of mistresses and he is accounted no end of an out-and-outer. But a gentlewoman must needs primp and simper and die of boredom in order to be comma
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