Then she said,
“I am sure it will all happen to you in time. I have seen much of the world myself, as you know, because I fell in love with Edward.”
She stopped for a moment before she added softly,
“But I married him because I loved him and if we had been forced to spend our lives in a small village I would have been just as happy.”
She spoke with a sincerity that Elva found very moving.
“You are exceptionally lucky, Aunt Violet, but I can assure you that when I looked round the ballrooms in London, I saw no one there with the intelligence of Uncle Edward. Unless they were at least sixty years old!”
Lady Violet laughed.
“You are just making a story out of it, Elva. You have not really tried out London properly. Be a good girl, come back with me now, and you can stay with me if you like before we depart for Madrid, where you know Uncle Edward has just been appointed Ambassador.”
“I should love to stay with you, Aunt Violet, but you know quite well that you are only asking me so that I can go to more of those ghastly balls. I really cannot waste my time all over again, listening to endless idiotic remarks of even more brainless young men.”
Lady Violet laughed as if she could not help it.
“Can you tell me then what I am to say to your father, my darling Elva? I wrote and told him I would come down to the country to see you.”
“Tell him that I am just impossible and you have now washed your hands of me,” suggested Elva impishly. “You can tell him too that I am perfectly content here at home and if I marry at all it will be to one of his horses!”
Lady Violet laughed again.
“You are quite hopeless! I cannot imagine what your father will say.”
“He will say it all to me in double measure when he returns home! So in the meantime please just allow me to enjoy myself in my own way. I am trying to think how I can undertake my travels in reality, instead of having to do them in my mind and by reading books.”
“The trouble with you is that you read too much, my dear. I was absolutely astonished the last time I came to stay here and saw the number of new books you had brought into the library.”
“Some of them are extremely interesting. There was one volume on South America which has made me determined that sooner or later I must visit that continent even though I may have to go disguised as a llama!”
“Now you are just being preposterous,” said Lady Violet. “Let me make one point quite clear before we go any further. It will be quite impossible for you to wander about the world at your age looking as you do.”
She paused before she resumed,
“I think you will find it very hard to persuade your father either to take you himself or to find you the right chaperone and guide which you would certainly require. In addition a great deal of the world is in a tumultuous state at present.”
“I do know,” responded Elva, “which makes travel even more interesting. There is a war going on in Sweden, so obviously I cannot go there. Also there is fighting in Turkey, and France is in turmoil after their Revolution.”
“I think you will find,” replied Lady Violet crisply “that there are a great number of other places that are too dangerous for casual visitors. Therefore your journey around the world will be quite a short one!”
“It will be better than nothing,” came back Elva.
Before Lady Violet could think of any response, Beecham entered with tea and arranged a table in front of the sofa where Lady Violet was sitting.
A footman wearing the Earl of Chartham’s livery bought in a silver tray. On it was the kettle, the teapot, the cream jug and the sugar bowl. Another footman carried in cakes, hot buttered toast in a silver container and a plate of cucumber sandwiches. When it was all laid out, it looked very inviting.
Lady Violet was wondering what she should tell her niece about the rigors of travelling, as for her it very often meant sleeping in extremely uncomfortable beds and eating indifferent food served by untrained and sometimes not too clean servants.
Then she thought it was no use arguing any further with Elva as doubtless her father would have a great deal to say to her when he came home. Perhaps if she lived alone in the country until he returned she would find that rather boring as well.
Elva had been educated by governesses and tutors and at times she had other girls of her own age to share her lessons. The Earl had insisted that she was taught foreign languages as he had been when he was a boy.
It was a peculiarity of the Chartham family down the ages that they should speak foreign languages and travel extensively around the world – something which had stood Lady Violet in good stead when she married a diplomat.
She could appreciate, although she considered it would be a mistake to say so, that Elva’s present feelings were based on heredity.
Her tutors had instructed her in French, German and Spanish and a little Russian, so it was only natural under the circumstances that Elva should desire to travel abroad.
However it was most unfortunate that she should make a scene only a month after becoming a debutante. After all, she was being chaperoned in London by one of the more distinguished members of the family.
Lady Violet looked back to when she was the same age and recognised that she too might easily have felt the same as Elva, but she had been fortunate enough only a month after beginning to enjoy the Season to have met Edward Grange.
They had not been allowed to marry at once in case they changed their minds. It was only when the autumn had come and the family was still urging them to remain patient that they threatened to run away.
Rather than be embarrassed by a scandal, which this would undoubtedly have caused, they were allowed to marry.
Lady Violet could indeed remember all too clearly her ecstasy as they had been driven away from their huge wedding reception.
All that she and Edward had wanted was to be alone, preferably in some foreign country where no one could interrupt them, and everything had been perfect for her.
But Elva had not fallen in love.
In fact she had been most scornful of every young gentleman she had encountered, nor had she appreciated the compliments she had received from those who found her beauty irresistible.
She was just as lovely, Lady Violet decided, as her mother had been and it was rather an unusual loveliness which made her stand out amongst other girls of her own age.
She was very slim owing to the amount of exercise she took. Her hair was golden and yet it contained some of the exquisite fiery lights which had been such joy for Italian artists.
Elva boasted the perfectly clear pink and white complexion of an English rose. Her eyes were the dark blue of the Mediterranean with a sparkle that men found irresistibly attractive.
It was thus not surprising that she was so much admired and Lady Violet was very proud of the success of her niece.
But it had never occurred to anyone that Elva was not enjoying herself at the London Season.
They now finished their tea, Elva having enjoyed a good number of the delicious treats provided by cook, the redoubtable Mrs. Medway, who had been at The Towers for over thirty years.
“Will you be staying with us, Aunt Violet?” asked Elva.
“I would love to do so if you will have me,” she answered, “but I do have to return back to London early tomorrow morning as your cousin, Varin, whom you may remember, has particularly asked to see me.”
Elva looked puzzled for a moment.
“Oh, you mean the Duke of Sparkbrook. I saw he had just come into the title. What is he like?”
“He is an amusing and charming gentleman,” said Lady Violet, “and of course the family are very anxious now he is the head of the family that he should marry.”
“Is there any hurry for him?” asked Elva. “How old is he?”
“He must be about thirty and I find him delightful. But like you he enjoys travelling abroad and up to now has not spent a grea
t deal of time in England.”
“I think he sounds very sensible,” remarked Elva. “When you are telling Papa that I have returned home and mean to stay at home, will you also make it absolutely clear to him that I have no intention of being pressed into marriage.”
She accentuated the word ‘no’ and then added,
“Cousin Muriel, who has been chaperoning me, made it obvious that she expected me to acquire a large number of proposals and to accept one of them before the end of June!”
Lady Violet’s lips tightened.
She had always felt Cousin Muriel to be a rather tiresome woman. But she had not imagined she would be quite so foolish as to press the idea of marriage on Elva the moment she had left the schoolroom.
As if she sensed what her aunt was thinking, Elva continued,
“You must not really blame Cousin Muriel. She is obsessed with the idea that everyone in the family must make a grand marriage of some sort.”
She gave a little laugh as she carried on,
“When I told her I had no intention of marrying anyone, she almost had a stroke!”
“Did you really say that, Elva? But of course you did not mean it.”
“I did mean it,” said Elva firmly. “I do not intend to marry anyone unless by a miracle I met someone, as you did, who wants to travel abroad and who, of course, loves me as much as I would love him.”
“I was so very lucky,” admitted Lady Violet and I am sure, dearest, that you will find someone you love. But he is not likely to be sitting here in a cabbage field, nor will he drop down the chimney. You just have to be circulating in the Social world to meet such a man.”
Elva laughed.
“I do not believe you meet anyone intelligent in those stuffy ballrooms. The majority of men attend the balls simply to enjoy some good food and plenty of drink without having to pay for it.”
Lady Violet looked shocked.
“You must not make those sorts of remarks, Elva. People would be horrified if they heard you.”
“They will not hear me if I remain here, but they will hear me if I am in London!”
There was really no answer to this remark and after a quiet moment Lady Violet said,
“The parties which are given for debutantes are to enable them to meet many eligible and charming bachelors amongst whom, if they are lucky, will be someone they want to marry.”
“That is the way you describe it, Aunt Violet, but Cousin Muriel is very different. She said to me, ‘you are a very pretty girl and you have money of your own, which is a great advantage. You must now marry someone with an important title to give you a place in Society that all your friends will envy’.”
Elva mimicked Cousin Muriel’s voice as she spoke and Lady Violet could not help but burst out laughing.
Equally she considered it was a great mistake that such a comment had been made to Elva.
She was far too intelligent not to realise that this was what every ambitious mother hoped would happen to her daughter.
“Why don’t we forget Cousin Muriel,” she now suggested. “Come back to London with me, Elva, and I promise you I will not make you go to any party you don’t wish to attend. I am sure that before Edward and I have to leave for Madrid I can take you to some really amusing balls where you will meet extremely intelligent gentlemen. Although they will undoubtedly be a great deal older than you.”
Elva considered her aunt’s invitation for a moment.
“If I come back for a week or so, will you really promise not to make me do anything I do not want to do?”
“I promise – ”
“Well that means I do not have to go to any balls! I do not have to go to debutante luncheons, and I can – ” She thought for a moment before finishing, “What I would really love to do is to be with Uncle Edward and his friends and listen to them talking about the situation in Europe and the trouble that is brewing up in Turkey.”
Lady Violet held up her hands.
“I can see that Edward would really enjoy having you with him, but while you may learn a great deal about the present problems of the world, I cannot imagine what will happen to you when we leave for Madrid.”
“I will come back here and ride the horses,” replied Elva mischievously. “I can assure you they are far more interesting and know a great deal more than those empty-headed young men who have nothing better to do than to dance with debutantes like me!”
Lady Violet laughed again.
“You are so incorrigible, Elva. Very well, and as it is only five o’clock and the horses have rested, we might as well return to London today. Edward hates being alone and we shall be there by half past seven if we hurry.”
“I will go and get myself ready immediately,” Elva volunteered. “Luckily all my London clothes are still with Cousin Muriel, so we can easily send a servant round to collect them.”
“I only hope she is not offended by your walking out on her.”
“Does it matter if she is?” asked Elva. “Papa gave her quite a lot of money for chaperoning me and I don’t suppose he will want to have it back.”
“People might think it rather strange that you have come to stay with me,” mused Lady Violet, “and that of course would upset Cousin Muriel.”
“All we have to say is that I am staying with you until you return to Madrid.”
Elva paused for a moment before she added,
“After all I have hardly seen her all the time I have been growing up, so it cannot be a blow either to her heart or her pocket.”
As she finished speaking Elva slipped out of the room and her aunt heard her running down the passage.
She made a gesture which would have told anyone watching her that she found her niece impossible.
It had always been the same and Elva invariably managed to get her own way.
Because she was so bright and intelligent it was really impossible for anyone to control her, but equally she was afraid that the girl would find herself in trouble sooner or later if someone did not protect her from herself.
That, she admitted, was almost impossible.
Half an hour later Lady Violet and Elva set off for London in a comfortable open chaise drawn by four well-matched horses.
As they trotted off down the drive Elva sighed wistfully,
“I hate leaving the horses. They were so pleased I had come back from London and now I feel deeply that I am betraying them by leaving so quickly.”
“You will have to return very soon,” Lady Violet told her, “for the simple reason that your uncle and I are leaving for Madrid in a week or at the most in ten days time.”
“As quickly as that?”
“Of course what I am really hoping,” confessed Lady Violet, “is that having a taste of London again you may want to stay on.”
“I rather thought that was at the back of your mind, Aunt Violet. And the answer is no! No! No! I will not go back to Cousin Muriel and when you and Uncle Edward leave I shall leave too.”
Lady Violet decided that it was hopeless to argue anymore. At least it would pacify the Earl for the moment that Elva was at least back in London.
She tried to think of which engagements she had organised for the next few days. Whatever they were she was certain they would be with some of her husband’s friends who were senior diplomats or politicians.
Elva would obviously find them interesting and she could not help ruminating that the Social world made so little sense whilst it continued to disapprove of women being too clever.
Girls were brought up primarily to be married and therefore it was a big mistake for them to be intellectuals as well. It only made them restless.
Of course, it was different for men.
At an early age they were sent to a Public School and on to University. Then they could decide what would interest them for the rest of their lives.
Lady Violet realised how fortunate she had been in falling in love with a diplomat. He not only enjoyed his work, but was treated with respe
ct and deference in every country where they had been posted.
Lady Violet realised that reports on Edward sent back to London were outstanding and glowing.
The Prime Minister, William Pitt, had found them difficult to believe, but that was until he came to know Edward well. Then, like everyone else, he appreciated the quickness of his mind and treasured his sense of humour and all the original ideas he expounded on every political issue.
‘I have been lucky, so very, very lucky,’ she told herself.
But her marriage was undoubtedly a miracle which might happen only once in a thousand years. Men like her husband were hard to find!
They drove on with Elva beside her looking very lovely and Lady Violet could not but help wondering what would happen to the girl.
‘She is far too intelligent to be happy with anyone second rate,’ she thought. ‘And she is too beautiful not to have a great number of men pursuing her.’
It was a tragedy that her mother was no long alive. The Countess would never have made the silly mistake that Cousin Muriel had made of telling Elva she must get married quickly.
‘I will do everything I can,’ decided Lady Violet, ‘but there is very little time to do it in and Edward will be so busy before we depart for Madrid.’
She sighed deeply and Elva turned towards her.
“I can see you are worrying about me,” she said. “You are not to do so. I promise you I can look after myself.”
“I wish that were true, my dearest. You know it is impossible at your age. I was just wishing your mother was still with us.”
“I often wish so too,” answered Elva. “I know she would agree with me that I am right in not wasting my time with Cousin Muriel.”
“You cannot be so sure.”
“I am quite sure,” replied Elva quietly. “I often feel that Mama is looking after me and guiding me from Heaven.”
She was silent for a moment.
“You may think it very strange, but I was so absolutely certain when I ran away from London and came home that Mama knew what I was doing and approved.”
“Do you really think that she would approve of your leaving without any explanation to the people who were trying to help you? Even if you felt the way they were doing it was wrong?”
Rivals for Love Page 2