“I went to one in St. Albans some years ago,” Sedela told him. “It was not a very good one, but Papa and Mama took me as a Christmas treat. I think I was more thrilled by the monkeys than anything else.”
“Then we will make certain,” the Marquis promised, “that whoever else has a good seat in the big top, you and I will have the best. Anyway it is what we deserve after all the trouble we have taken!”
“Just in case it rains,” Sedela said, “I am arranging tea in the ballroom for your guests from the County who disdain going to anything as vulgar as a circus and who would prefer to stay on the green lawns.”
“I will definitely be with the hoi polloi in the big top!” the Marquis said firmly.
Sedela laughed.
“I would not be surprised to find you riding round the ring performing on one of the horses or even joining in with the clowns!”
“Perhaps that is what I am best suited for!” the Marquis commented.
He waited for Sedela to contradict him and any other woman would have protested that he was far too clever for that.
Instead Sedela chuckled.
“If you think yourself a clown, that is exactly what you will be.”
“If you talk like that,” the Marquis said, “I will forget how old you are and give you a good spanking!”
“I think that is unlikely,” Sedela answered. “Now that you are so important, you have to behave like a gentleman, whether you like it or not!”
She looked at him as she spoke in a provocative way from under her eyelashes.
It was an entirely artless gesture, which he remembered she used to make as a child and it struck him that it was a pity she had grown up.
He knew he had never met in London, in France or anywhere else any woman so unselfconscious or so completely ignorant of her own charms. He found himself thinking that if she went to London she would be an instant sensation.
Properly dressed and chaperoned by somebody of significance she would take the Beau Monde by storm.
Then he thought it would spoil her.
He could not bear to think of her flirting as Esther did with every man she met.
He did not want Sedela’s artless way of talking to be changed into the affected language of the Beau Monde.
Where every other sentence contained a double entendre.
‘She must stay as she is!’ he thought to himself determinedly.
Then he wondered if, after tomorrow, that would be possible.
Amongst the multitude of people who had been asked to his party there would be a number of men of about the same age as himself.
Their names, which he had forgotten until he read them, were on the list that Sedela had given to him.
Their parents lived in the country, but they had been in London enjoying the ‘social round’ and at least half a dozen of them were members of White’s Club.
Abruptly he asked her,
“What are you going to wear tomorrow?”
He saw that Sedela looked somewhat surprised at his question.
“A new gown,” she replied, “which Nanny has made for me from some material of my mother’s, and it is very very pretty!”
She paused before she asked,
“Are you afraid of being ashamed of me?”
“No, of course not,” the Marquis answered. “I had just thought that it was something I should have asked before and perhaps given you one as a present.”
“It is very kind of you to think of it, but Nanny was insistent that I should look smart and she has been working until midnight every night. So mind you tell her, no matter what you really think, that I looked nice.”
The Marquis thought that that would certainly be an understatement.
Smiling he suggested,
“Let’s get luncheon over as soon as possible so that we can go and see how the circus is getting on.”
“I expect we shall find that a crowd of small boys have managed to clamber over the walls and they will only behave if you take command,” Sedela said.
“I thought that I would not be allowed to have a moment to myself.” the Marquis complained.
“I have never known you with nothing to do, Ivan, and the day that does happen I think you will find that you have become a very old man walking with a stick!”
The Marquis was laughing as they went into the dining room.
It suddenly occurred to him that every meal they had together was always very amusing.
He had come down to the country bitter, angry, and furious with himself and he had found that his first meals, which he had taken alone were, to put it mildly, gloomy.
Then because he had so many things to discuss with her he had invited Sedela to join him and time seemed to fly by.
There were not enough hours in the day to get through everything that had to be accomplished.
There were so many questions to be asked, so many decisions to be made.
It was only after tea and before she went home to dinner that they had a chance of talking of other subjects that interested them.
The Marquis was not surprised to find how well read Sedela was and he had always known that the General was an extremely intelligent and cultured gentleman.
He soon found that Sedela had been far better educated than most young women of her age and that she had an informed opinion on every subject they discussed.
Besides this she usually had a number of astute and interesting suggestions to make.
Especially where it concerned himself.
“You must make a speech about this,” she would say. “They would listen to you in the House of Lords if you told them how badly that particular law works out in the country, however well it may in the City.”
He knew that he had never had such conversations with Esther or with any of the other women he had ever been involved with.
When he had not been making love to them, there had been intervals of boredom.
Sedela had been quite right in thinking that the boys of the village would have discovered the circus before they reached it.
There was a crowd of them gazing at the caged animals and watching the big top being erected by the circus hands.
When they saw the Marquis coming, they hurriedly slipped away behind the bushes.
“Shall I drive them off?” he asked Sedela.
“You could not be so cruel,” she answered. “They are so thrilled by what they are now seeing and so am I. We cannot be selfish and keep it all to ourselves.”
They walked towards the men who were coping with the tent and the circus owner came out to greet the Marquis.
He was a handsome man and Sedela reckoned that he would look very much the part when he appeared in his top hat and red coat to introduce the various circus acts.
“I’ve got some very original items to show your Lordship,” he was saying to the Marquis, “including a snake charmer, which I’ve added to the turns and I likes to think it’s what no other circus has on offer at the moment.”
“Why is that?” asked the Marquis.
“Your Lordship knows better than anyone else there’s been no chance of having any ships in from the East while them Frenchie were ready to sink anythin’ that carried the British flag.”
“Thanks to Lord Nelson they did not succeed,” the Marquis smiled.
“That be true enough,” the circus owner replied, “and now we’ve got some new animals. My tiger’s a real fine one, as your Lordship’ll see and a young elephant’s replaced the old one that died on me three years ago.”
He took them proudly to see his animals.
Sedela loved the tiger and the lions, which were also new. There were monkeys, which had arrived on a ship from South Africa only two months ago.
Also a black panther from India, which, the circus owner told them, was very dangerous.
The Marquis was interested to see the circus horses, which he acknowledged were outstanding and sleek.
“I am certainly very grateful t
o you,” he said to the circus owner when they had inspected everything, “for coming so far off your usual track.”
“It’s a real pleasure, your Lordship,” he replied.
They walked back towards the house and Sedela was aware that as they left the small boys came creeping out from behind the bushes.
She was not surprised that they were thrilled and she knew that the circus was a far better one than she had dared to anticipate.
“We are lucky to have engaged it,” she said to the Marquis.
“I agree,” he replied, “but I am not going to ask you what it is costing.”
“A lot of money, but you cannot count in hard cash the pleasure it will give to the children, if no one else.”
“And, of course, to you,” the Marquis said.
“I am thrilled, delighted and entranced!” Sedela flashed.
“One day you will have to grow up.”
“Not until I have seen the circus!” she answered the Marquis quickly.
He laughed again.
When they reached the house, they found that the guests who were staying with the Marquis had begun to arrive.
Here again Sedela had remembered which of his relations were the most important.
And which would be extremely indignant and upset if they were forgotten.
Because his house party consisted entirely of his relatives they accepted Sedela as one of themselves.
“I am so sorry to hear,” one of the Marquis’s elderly aunts said to her, “that your dear mother and father cannot be here.”
She bent forward to kiss her.
“I am so glad to see you again, my dear,” she went on. “You were always such a pretty and delightful child.”
Because the Marquis had insisted on it, Sedela had moved into Windle Court for the party.
“There are a thousand things to see to with so many staying with me,” he insisted, “and you know I have no hostess. You can look after their comforts far better than anybody else can.”
“Of course I will, if you want me to,” Sedela smiled.
“Then let me make it quite clear that I do want you!” the Marquis answered firmly.
She was delighted at being needed by him and she ran upstairs to tell Nanny the good news.
“What do you think, Nanny?” she asked. “Ivan has asked me to stay here when his relations arrive tomorrow. I have already told the housemaids to make me up a bed here next to you.”
“That’s a good idea. Miss Sedela,” Nanny replied, “and you know I would like to have you.”
“I want to make certain of that, Nanny,” said Sedela, “since it is Ivan who is getting all your attention and I am jealous!”
“There’s no need for you to be,” Nanny answered her sharply. “Love’s not a cake that you can cut into pieces so that, if someone has too big a slice, the others starve.”
Sedela had often heard Nanny say this before.
She smiled as Nanny went on,
“There’s enough love in me for you, for Master Ivan and a dozen others and the sooner they arrive the better!”
Sedela laughed.
She knew that Nanny was once again referring to Ivan getting married and having babies.
She looked over her shoulder before she said in a low voice,
“I think he is happy again, Nanny, and has forgotten that woman who upset him so much.”
“And so I should hope!” Nanny asserted. “But I don’t trust her and that’s a fact!”
Sedela looked anxious.
“What do you mean?”
“I had a letter from Lucy this mornin’ and she told me she’s plannin’ something’, Lucy doesn’t know what, but she knows it’s somethin’ to do with Master Ivan.”
“Oh, Nanny, I hope not!” Sedela cried. “He is just like his old self again now.”
She sighed before she went on,
“When he first came home he kept thinking about her. I could see it in his eyes and sense the anger and bitterness coming from him.”
“That’s just what I feared,” Nanny murmured.
“Now he is quite different,” Sedela went on, “and I am sure he is not thinking of her even at night. Although he pretends not to, he is enjoying every minute of the excitement over the circus and the party.”
Nanny put her hand on Sedela’s shoulder.
“You’ve done your best, dearie,” Nanny said, “and no one could do more.”
“I want him to be happy,” Sedela sighed, “and I am sure that he is no longer in danger or he would have seen Lady Constance.”
“Now don’t you go talkin’ like that!” Nanny insisted. “It gives me the creeps, as I’ve told you before.”
Sedela remembered how upset Nanny had been when she had last seen Lady Constance and that was just before the old Marquis had died.
“Ivan is happy,” she said quickly, “and all we have to do is to enjoy ourselves at the circus. I know that you, Nanny, will be thrilled with it. I will go down first thing tomorrow and put Reserved on a special seat for you.”
“That’s ever so thoughtful of you,” Nanny said, “I wouldn’t want to miss seein’ that snake charmer. I’ve heard about those men in India, but I’ve never seen one.”
“I am more interested in the black panther. It’s the most beautiful animal I have ever seen!”
“Now all you’ve got to do is to look beautiful yourself,” Nanny smiled. “Your gown is finished and I was going to send one of the maids over with it.”
“She will not have far to go, Nanny, now that I will be next door to you and you can button it up and make sure it fits me.”
“I’d defy anyone to find anythin’ wrong with it.” Nanny said sharply.
Then she realised that Sedela was teasing her.
“You’ll be the belle of the party, Miss Sedela. I’ve also changed the flowers on your bonnet and added a few that I had by me.”
“Oh, thank you, Nanny, thank you!”
Sedela kissed the old woman then ran hastily down stairs to see if Ivan wanted her for anything.
‘I am happy – I have never been so happy,’ she thought. ‘Oh, please, God, don’t let that wicked woman in London upset it all – or hurt him!’
It was a fervent prayer that came from the very depths of her heart.
Chapter Six
The applause in the big top was deafening.
Sedela, looking at the happy faces of the children, knew that it was a huge success.
The monkeys climbed up and down the poles and their antics caused shrieks of laughter.
The lions, while in fact quite quiet, seemed, like the tigers, terrifying enough as they padded round the ring and the snakes moved obediently in response to the Indian’s pipe.
They were watched with an awe that kept everybody silent.
The greatest success of all was the elephant.
It was not a very large one, but the children found him fascinating especially when the clowns came in riding or falling off his back.
The Marquis and Sedela had organised everything most efficiently down to the last detail.
The circus performance started at five o’clock and ended at half-past six.
The more elderly people, and there were only a few of them, who did not want to attend the circus, sat in the garden or else moved into the house.
It was a lovely day with brilliant sunshine and yet it was not so hot that anyone was uncomfortable.
When the circus performance was over, the villagers and those who lived on the estate moved into two huge tents that had been erected in the field next to the garden.
There was a great deal for them to eat and the Marquis had provided huge barrels of ale and cider to quench their thirst.
The rest of the party, the Marquis’s relatives and friends, walked up to the house.
They rested in the drawing room where they were served with champagne and dinner they were told would be at a quarter-past-eight in the large dining room.
Th
e members of the house party went upstairs to change.
The younger guests were not to eat in the dining room but in the ballroom and there was a buffet there and a small orchestra that they could dance to if they wished.
Sedela came downstairs wearing the pretty evening gown that Nanny had made for her.
She could hear the music and half-wished that she could dance to it in the ballroom, but the Marquis had been insistent that she should be in the dining room.
She thought that it would be greedy of her to want anything more.
Everybody was in a very good humour and the Marquis’s relations were all thrilled to have him home.
His oldest aunt, who was in her sixties, acted as hostess at dinner. The party filled not only the large table in the centre of the room but also a number of smaller tables that had had to be erected in order to accommodate them all.
They ate a delicious meal, which Mrs. Benson and a whole posse of assistant cooks had provided.
Looking round, Sedela thought that nothing could have gone off better.
As the meal finished, she thought that the most exciting moment of the whole day would begin when it was dusk.
The Marquis’s aunt gave the signal for the ladies to leave the gentlemen.
But, as they rose from their chairs, the Marquis suggested,
“I think it would be best if we all took our places, which have been already arranged, for the fireworks. As I am supervising them being let off, I must ask you gentlemen to forgive me if we don’t pass round the port tonight.”
As they had already been offered a generous number of wines to drink, there was no protest at this.
The Marquis and the other gentlemen therefore left the dining room with the ladies.
They reached the hall.
As they did so, the Marquis saw that somebody had just driven up outside and was coming in through the front door.
As Sedela looked at the newcomer, she realised that she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
She was dazzling in the amount of jewellery she wore and there was a bandeau of diamonds round her hair, which had touches of red in it.
She wore a necklace of the same stones and bracelets that shimmered with every movement she made.
Sedela wondered who the newcomer was.
Then she was aware that the Marquis, who was only a few steps ahead of her, had stiffened and was standing still.
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