"If you can say that such a relationship is a beneficial and positive thing, then I know my mother and father will agree with it. We want you to talk about it with them and get them to support our decision and feelings," Christopher said to me.
I asked a few more questions about the duration of their relationship, the extent of it and how serious they were about the matter. Christopher told me that currently, no-one else knew about the relationship, not his family or Jane's family. To date, Christopher and Jane had shared letters, but the relationship was still fresh and they had only met in person four times, twice being in Bath. Jane and Christopher did admit though that they had devised a new plan that would allow them to see each other every day. Each night, Christopher would travel to Mayfair, to the house of the Cromwell's were Miss Jane was the governess, and she would go to the garden at a designated time each evening and there they could see each other and converse with one another.
"Very well," I said. "If two people are in love and they are determined to be with each other, then I feel I must do the utmost to make sure that such a relationship can flourish."
"So you will speak to my parents?"
"I will speak to your parents and tell them my thoughts. You are my friend and Miss Jane is a pleasant woman. Whatever you wish, I will do to the best of my power," I said with honesty.
"What will you tell Mr. and Mrs. Campbell?" Jane inquired.
"Whatever it is that you tell me to tell them," I replied
Christopher Campbell and Miss Jane were pleased by my words and thanked me. They believed that I was doing them a favour out of the pure goodness of my heart. They were both adamant that a word of encouragement from me would have a much deeper effect on Mr. and Mrs. Campbell than if it had come from them. Although I did like the two young people I sat in the box with, and I did want to help them out of kindness, the clogs in my head were turning as I devised how I could use this situation to my own advantage.
"Could you perhaps do me one thing for me, Miss Jane?" I then said.
"Anything you want, Monsieur Levasseur," the fast-paced response came.
"I would like very much to meet Mrs. Cromwell. I knew her brother and would like to speak to her and offer her my condolences. I would like to do this sorrowful thing privately without Mr. Cromwell being present if that is at all possible. I would prefer it if he did not even know about the meeting taking place."
"I'm sure it can be arranged. Mr. Cromwell will leave the city for several days on a business errand soon. If you can wait for a few days I'm sure such a meeting could be arranged."
"Splendid," I remarked.
In the end, it was settled that Miss Jane would pass any comments about organising a meeting between Monsieur Levasseur and Mrs. Cromwell to Christopher during one of their daily rendezvous. Jane said that she would try to organise a formal meeting at the house between the two parties. She said if that failed then she would try to schedule an event, such as a walk in the park for the family, and coordinate it so that Monsieur Levasseur would be there and waiting to speak with Mrs. Cromwell. The terms were agreed by all three of us sitting in the box and when that matter of business was settled we left the theatre. Each of us delighted with the results of the evening.
Chapter 18 - The Interlude
I purchased a wooden picture frame and placed the sketched image of William Underhill inside of it. There was no question that Miss Jane had talent as I saw an incredible likeness between her art and the way my physical features once were. I kept the framed photograph in my hotel room for two days and although I did not continually stare at it, when, on the occasion when I did glance at it, it brought me a sense of happiness. I was once so happy and carefree, and the image froze my youthful face in a time when I did not have a care in the world. When I looked at the framed image I reminisced about simpler times, but when my attention was not on the framed sketch then the frame’s only function was to collect dust.
A meeting between me and the Campbell's had not yet been arranged for it was considered best to let the meeting happen naturally and not be forced on my part. If it was hastily done, then Christopher Campbell feared that his parents would see past the ploy and not go along with my recommendations. However, a meeting that had occurred was between me and the night porter of the hotel. Throughout the two days, I sent him on more errands trying to uncover more and new information, but he had ultimately failed in every regard. I paid the man a handsome wage for his troubles, though he yielded no actual results for me.
For each of the three nights that had elapsed since I watched the performance of Macbeth in the Theatre Royal, Christopher Campbell had come to my hotel to chat with me. Together the two of us sat in the lobby of the hotel and conversed. We sat near the well-lit fireplace and felt the warmth of the flames as we talked in depth to each other. On the first two nights, we drank coffee and tea, on the third night we both drank whiskey.
"Will your business in London take much longer to conclude?" Christopher Campbell asked me.
"I am not sure. It shouldn't be any longer than a month I think, but I do not know how long."
"I will be sad to see you depart back to your native country. In the short time I've known you we have grown friendly."
"Yes, we have," I confirmed.
"It's a pity you cannot stay longer."
"Yes, but when I leave, you will hopefully have Miss Jane as your prize and wife-to-be. That is enough to make our parting a happy one and I know that you will not be left lonely on the day of my departure."
"You are correct again, Monsieur Levasseur," Christopher Campbell chuckled.
The rendezvous that happened in secret each night between Christopher Campbell and Miss Jane took place in the garden of the Cromwell's residence. At their house, they had a splendid back garden with a water fountain, many delicate flowers of many colours and an area of well-cut grass where their infants could play. Each night, at a designated time, Miss Jane would temporarily take a leave of absence from her duty for five minutes and go to the garden. Mr. Campbell was positioned behind the garden fence and out of sight. Their conversations began and finished in less than five minutes and apart from repeatedly confessing their love for one another in many different ways, not much else was discussed.
"Has she not given any information yet on when a meeting can be set up between Mrs. Cromwell and me?" I then asked Christopher Campbell.
"She has not mentioned it."
"Has Mr. Cromwell vacated London City yet in pursuit of his business affairs?"
"Miss Jane did not say, but I don't believe so."
"You must tell her she needs to start setting up the meeting. When you see Miss Jane tomorrow you must make her understand the importance of this meeting and the urgency with which I want it made."
"I will, Monsieur," Christopher Campbell said. "To be honest, Miss Jane finds Mrs. Cromwell a little solemn and difficult to approach. I think she has not yet initiated an introduction for you as Mrs. Cromwell is not a talkative woman or a very happy one."
"Miss Jane has described Mrs. Cromwell's character as such to you?" I enquired.
"Perhaps she was not so blunt, but she said that she was certainly a cold creature. But not just Mrs. Cromwell, Miss Jane says that Mr. Cromwell is just as bad. For example, Miss Jane wanted to show Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell her sketch of William Underhill, the one she gifted to you, to see if they saw a likeness in the sketch. When she showed them the sketch, Mrs. Cromwell turned pale and began to weep and Mr. Cromwell demanded that it not be shown to him or his wife again. He said that all portraits of William Underhill were not allowed in the house. Miss Jane found it extremely cold of Mrs. Cromwell to not want to see an image of her deceased brother and to have none permitted to hang in her household."
I listened intently to Christopher's story and the reasoning behind Miss Jane's opinion of my sister. If I had been in Miss Jane's situation then I probably would have felt the same feelings towards Mrs. Cromwell. However, I was her brother a
nd I had known her for all of her life, except for the past three. I knew that she was not a cold character and nor would she ever ban or not permit a portrait of mine to be hung in her household. I knew that Mr. Cromwell would have been the one who wanted to quash the memory of me.
"I see," I said reluctantly. "Well, please ask Miss Jane to do what she can. I would hate to depart from London to Paris and not have had the honour of meeting Mrs. Cromwell properly."
The slurping of our whiskeys and the crackling of the fire soon replaced our conversation. There was a period of silence when both Christopher Campbell and I were deep in thought. I was thinking about my sister and her children and her household. I did not know what Christopher was thinking about until he opened his mouth to speak once more.
"I think tomorrow will be a good opportunity for you to speak to my parents,” Christopher said to me.
"Why do you think tomorrow is a good day?"
"It is just that enough time has gone by since the theatre. Even more, enough time has gone by since the dinner party with my parents and I think they will be happy to see you and listen to your words."
I reluctantly agreed with Christopher Campbell's words. I had already promised that I would do the man the favour of talking to his parents and trying to convince them that their son's connection with Miss Jane was a good one and that she was worthy of marriage. However, I had hoped that Miss Jane would have been able to help me a little more on my own task of meeting my sister before I had to seek out the Campbell's, but unfortunately, that had not happened.
"Are they going to invite me to dinner? Or shall I invite them to dinner? How should the situation be approached?" I asked Christopher, wanting to know the preferred method of the meeting.
"Whichever one you prefer, Monsieur Levasseur. I am just happy in the knowledge that you are going to do this huge favour for Miss Jane and me. I will not dictate any terms to you."
"I shall send them an invitation to dine at a restaurant with me tomorrow. You are to be present I expect?"
"I hadn't considered my presence. Again, I am wholly in your debt and will do whatever is easier for you."
It was settled that dinner would be arranged for the entire Campbell family, Christopher and Phillip included. We would go to a restaurant and there I would praise Miss Jane and speak about what a wonderful person she was and what a good addition to any family she would make. Christopher would be there to listen and watch me speak all the kind words under the sun about Miss Jane and afterward he would relay the outcome of the events to Miss Jane when they met in secret that evening. Christopher Campbell also promised that during the secret meeting, he would insist that Miss Jane rush and create a meeting between Monsieur Levasseur and Mrs. Cromwell.
Chapter 19 - Mrs. Cromwell
The dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Campbell happened the next evening as was scheduled. A location and time were selected and decided upon. Thankfully, on this occasion, the Campbell family arrived on time and I was not left waiting. Unfortunately, the plan that I and Christopher Campbell had devised was ultimately flawed. We had planned and spoken about the conversation that I would have with Mr. and Mrs. Campbell about Jane, but we never anticipated how his parents would respond. It was between the first course and the second course of our meal when I brought up the subject of Miss Jane.
"Yes, a splendid young girl. Ms. Emma Tilney had nothing but great things to say about her," Mrs. Campbell responded, nodding her head.
"Now she is the governess of Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell's children," I added.
"Is that so? I was unaware of that. How did that information reach you?" Mrs. Campbell added.
I paused and tried to think of a suitable response, but nothing came to my head. I could not think of one believable lie that Mr. and Mrs. Campbell would not find suspicious. It was embarrassing to think that I was able to parade around my hometown in the disguise of a French man, yet I could not think of a simple lie concerning Miss Jane.
"We saw her in the street one evening," Christopher chimed in. "I was visiting Monsieur Levasseur at his hotel in Mayfair and we went for an evening stroll. It was by chance that as we were walking we met Miss Jane. The Cromwell's live in Mayfair, too."
"Did you see their home? I hear it is exquisite, both inside and out," Mr. Campbell then asked, changing the conversation.
Like a fisherman trying to lure his catch, I had to tactically raise the topic of Miss Jane a few times before Mr. and Mrs. Campbell showed interest in discussing her and each time I did so, Christopher Campbell looked more uneasy.
"I think she is an attractive young girl and she has many talents. I think she would make a fine wife for someone," these were the choice of words I used to bait the Campbell's into a discussion focused on Miss Jane.
"She has a beautiful smile and good manners," Mr. Campbell said.
"Educated in books and is known to play the piano well," Mrs. Campbell added.
"Also, her personality is most agreeable. This is probably the most important quality in a person and it is something she possesses," Christopher Campbell contributed.
"Christopher and Miss Jane danced well together in Bath," Phillip Campbell then added. It was his first significant contribution throughout the dinner.
"Yes, any man would be fortunate to have her hand in marriage. I imagine a girl like her is a rare gem and one worth quickly snatching up," I then said trying to solidify the notion that Miss Jane was a prize that any parent should be happy for their son to win.
"That is where I disagree with you, Monsieur Levasseur, and I think that this is what separates our two great countries from one another. I hope you do not mean that you care to marry her as you are too high a class for such a girl. The idea of you marrying her would ruin your reputation," Mrs. Campbell said abruptly.
After Mrs. Campbell spoke, Mr. Campbell then went on to try and explain to his wife how things were different in France than they were in England. He said that the French Revolution had dismissed the idea of classes in French society and now everyone there was considered equal. Mrs. Campbell shuddered and said that she was happy she was not in France. She said she could never permit the degrading that would come from such a connection.
"Although I rather agree that the class system should be abided by and upheld, I do not feel as strongly about it as my wife," Mr. Campbell began. "In truth, if you wish to marry Miss Jane then I say go ahead as we have established she is a good girl, but be prepared to be shunned by people of high society and lose all the reputation you have created in London. If you were to marry a common girl, then that is how you would be perceived."
It took some talking to convince both the Campbell's that I had no interest in marrying Miss Jane. I told them that the very mention of her had only arisen in the conversation because I knew that she was somebody that we both mutually knew and that I had recently seen her. Although the Campbell's were hesitant to believe my story, they did eventually say they believed me.
For the rest of that evening, the topic of Miss Jane did not come up. It was only the next evening when Christopher Campbell came to my hotel that the topic of her arose once more. Needless to say, Christopher Campbell was so deeply infatuated with Miss Jane that he ignored the words of his parents. He now knew that no matter what Monsieur Levasseur did or said about Miss Jane, his parents would never consider her worthy enough to be married to their son. Christopher decided and told me that no matter what, he would not stay away from Miss Jane no matter how harshly his parents' treated him for his decision.
"No-one has the right to tell someone who they should and shouldn't love. The heart is the only master in the situation," Christopher said to me.
Once again we both sat on the armchairs in the lobby of my hotel. We again opted to drink whiskey as opposed to something light and non-alcoholic. There were some other people in the reception area of the hotel so as we spoke to one another, we made sure that our voices were low and that we could not be overheard.
"Give it time
and perhaps your parents' opinion will change," I suggested.
"No, they will not change. Trust me, I know my parents too well," Christopher said.
I had tried my best to cheer him up and try to make him see that his future was not so bleak, but he was immune to my supportive words. He changed the topic of conversation away from Miss Jane, somewhat. Thankfully, the new topic was more to my liking than the old one anyway as it revolved around my sister.
"Miss Jane has organised a meeting for you and Mrs. Cromwell tomorrow. Miss Jane has organised for you to come to the Cromwell house as she has a gift that she would like you to pick up. Mr. Cromwell is away so you will be able to see and speak to Mrs. Cromwell alone, but it will probably need to be brief."
"That's terrific news. Is it true that Miss Jane has another gift for me though? Surely she can't have another gift to give me after having only given me the sketched image of my deceased friend a few days ago," I said.
"Yes, it is another hand-drawn image of Mr. William Underhill. She drew it yesterday while the children she was tending to were asleep. At first, she wanted to pass the drawing to me and have me deliver it to you, but then she decided that it would be a good opportunity and excuse for you to arrive at the Cromwell house. Mrs. Cromwell knows through her aunt and from Miss Jane that you were an intimate friend of Mr. William Underhill so there will be no trouble in the situation."
Despite the sadness that Christopher Campbell was dealing with after his parents said publicly in his presence that Miss Jane was an unsuitable partner for marriage, I couldn't help but be happy at the good fortune that had been thrust upon me. I tried to hold my tongue from saying any joyous words and bite my gums to stop a smile from spreading across the front of my face. I was unsuccessful in both my endeavours and Christopher Campbell saw that I was cheery about the outcome.
Revenge of an Englishman Page 17