The Christmas Rose

by Dilly Court

  On the far side of the room Cecilia was hanging on to the bedpost for dear life while Hebony did her best to whittle her mistress’s waist to a hand span, tugging on the corset strings until Rose was certain they were going to snap. Eventually a gasp from Cecilia put an end to the torture.

  ‘That’s enough, Hebony. I can hardly breathe.’

  Hebony tied the strings in a bow and stood back, awaiting instructions. Cecilia released her grip on the bedpost and straightened up, panting as if she had just run a race. ‘What we go through for the sake of beauty,’ she gasped.

  ‘You won’t be able to eat a thing,’ Rose said, shrugging. ‘Is he worth it, Cissie?’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Rose. Of course he is. Seth Mallinson might well rise to consul one day, if the post is reintroduced. He’s wealthy in his own right, and I should think that he’s ambitious. I like that in a man.’

  Rose slipped the gown over her head. ‘What would your parents think of such a match?’

  ‘For heaven’s sake, Rose, I’ve only just met the man. I’ll worry about that if and when the time comes, although, without being immodest, I have broken a few hearts in my time.’

  Rose had no answer for this. She beckoned to Hebony. ‘Would you do me up, please?’

  Sunlight forced its way through tiny gaps between the curtains. Rose sat up in bed, yawned and stretched. She could tell from the even breathing that Cissie was still asleep, and judging by the amount of champagne she had drunk the previous evening, it was likely that she would not be up in time for breakfast. Rose had watched the interplay between her friend and Seth Mallinson with a feeling of amusement mixed with foreboding. She could see from the change in Desmond’s expression that he did not approve, and Elizabeth seemed bemused by her daughter’s conduct. Rose wondered how much they knew of Cissie’s life in London, where she had been free to do as she pleased, and wealthy enough to get away with behaviour that might outrage the more conventional onlooker. Cecilia Sheldon had enjoyed the freedom to go about unchaperoned usually reserved for married women, and, if she were to be believed, had taken lovers when and as she pleased. Time would tell how deeply she felt about her latest conquest, but Rose suspected that Seth Mallinson was well and truly smitten.

  She went into the bathroom and luxuriated in a hot bath before getting dressed. Then, having checked and found that Cecilia was still deeply asleep, Rose decided to go to the dining room in the hope that Desmond and Elizabeth would be there, as she did not fancy breakfasting on her own.

  Desmond was seated at the table, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. He looked up as Rose approached. ‘Good morning, Rose. You’re up early.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Rose smiled at the waiter who pulled up a chair for her, and she sat down. ‘I want to ask a favour.’

  He folded the paper, eyeing her curiously. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘I want to visit the barracks at Kasr-el-Nil. Max, my fiancé, is in the 7th Dragoons and I’ve been told that’s where they’re stationed.’

  ‘I see.’ He frowned thoughtfully. ‘I’m not sure that one can simply turn up and ask to be admitted. There are protocols for this sort of thing, Rose.’

  ‘What should I do to get permission to see Max?’

  ‘There is much to do to get the embassy running normally again, but I might be able to help although it will take time. It won’t be today, and that’s a certainty.’

  ‘But I’ve come all this way, and I’ve waited so long to see him, Mr Sheldon. Isn’t there anyone who could help me?’

  ‘You’ll just have to be patient for a while longer. I’m sorry, but I’m more concerned about my son at this moment. Finding out what’s happened to Eugene must come first.’

  ‘Of course, I understand that, sir. I’ll do anything I can to help find him.’

  A wry smile flitted across Desmond’s aquiline features. ‘Bravely said, but this isn’t London. You can’t come and go as you please. Private Cook will continue to be your bodyguard and I want you to promise that you won’t step outside unless he accompanies you.’

  Rose was about to protest, but she could see that Desmond was in no mood to make concessions. She nodded. ‘I promise.’

  ‘Thank you, and I’ll see what I can do to obtain permission for you to visit the barracks.’ Desmond glanced at the waiter who was hovering behind her chair. ‘However, I believe in starting the day with a good breakfast. Order what you want, Rose. That poor fellow has been standing there for ages.’

  Rose studied the menu, but the neat copperplate handwriting might as well have been in Arabic for all the sense it made. Max was uppermost in her thoughts – she could think of nothing else. He was so near and yet he was still beyond her reach, but that would have to change. She had come this far and her patience was exhausted. She had to see Max, and the sooner the better.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rose toyed with the boiled egg she had ordered in an attempt to keep Desmond happy, but she had little appetite. She took a sip of her coffee and wrinkled her nose. It was strong and thick with grounds and it left a bitter aftertaste, although that was the least of her worries. Her thoughts were racing. If she could spend a few minutes with Max she would know instantly whether or not he still loved her, and perhaps more importantly, whether her own feelings had undergone a sea change.

  ‘Rose! Why didn’t you wake me?’ Cecilia sank gracefully onto the chair pulled out for her by an attentive waiter. ‘I opened my eyes and found you gone.’

  ‘Where is your mother, Cissie?’ Desmond folded his paper and laid it on the table. ‘I left her getting ready.’

  ‘I couldn’t be bothered to wait for her, Papa. I went to your room, but she was still fussing about her hair and poor Hebony looked as though she was about to burst into tears.’

  Desmond rose from his chair. ‘Well, I have to go to the embassy now, so make my apologies to her, Cissie. I hope to see you all at dinner, but don’t wait for me. I might be very late.’ He patted Cecilia on the shoulder as he walked away.

  ‘You should have waited for me to get up, Rose,’ Cecilia said crossly. ‘I needed your help with my stays and I had to run to Mama’s room wearing little else than my wrap. Hebony did my hair for me, but that was your job. You were supposed to take Lindon’s place.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I forgot, but you were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to disturb you.’

  ‘Well, I’m reminding you now, Rose. You’re free to spend your time as you please as long as you’re there to help me to dress and do my hair.’

  ‘I’m sorry about this morning, but I have a lot on my mind.’

  ‘You’re on edge, I can tell, Rose. I know you want to see Max, but you won’t do anything silly, will you?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ Rose looked up and saw Elizabeth approaching with a retinue of servants buzzing around her. ‘Your mama is coming, and she’s attracting a lot of attention.’

  ‘She always does,’ Cecilia said soulfully. ‘No one has eyes for anyone else when my mother enters a room. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s always been like that for as long as I remember.’

  Elizabeth took her seat at the table amid a flurry of activity as one waiter held her chair and another poured her coffee, while yet another laid a starched white napkin on her lap. ‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling graciously. She waved the menu away and picked up her cup. ‘Now then, girls, what have you planned for today?’ She looked from one to the other. ‘Nothing? I thought as much. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve hired a barouche to take us to Giza. The pyramids are always worth a visit, as is the Sphinx, and Jabari had gone to the kitchen to supervise the packing of a luncheon basket. I thought it would be fun to picnic in the place where the ancients used to do whatever they did in those places. History was never my strong point.’

  Cecilia sighed heavily. ‘Oh, Mama, do we have to? I’ve seen the pyramids and, quite frankly, I wasn’t impressed. I was rather hoping for a leisurely day with perhaps a to
ur of the bazaar.’

  ‘No, Cissie. I have it in my head that we will do some sightseeing, and maybe you will feel more enthusiastic about the history of Egypt when I tell you that we are to be accompanied by Mr Mallinson.’

  Cecilia and Rose exchanged wide-eyed glances. ‘Mr Mallinson?’ Cecilia breathed the name as if she were mentioning a deity.

  ‘Seth Mallinson, darling. Last evening at dinner I told him that I planned a little excursion today and he volunteered to escort us. I seem to remember that you had gone to the powder room with Rose, so maybe you weren’t aware of the arrangement.’

  ‘And did he accept?’ Cecilia asked casually.

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Elizabeth eyed her daughter warily. ‘I thought you were getting on rather well with him, Cissie. All things considered.’

  ‘What do you mean by that, Mama?’

  ‘He’s a well-educated, charming man, despite the fact that he’s …’ Elizabeth leaned forward, lowering her voice. ‘He’s not exactly one of us, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘No, Mama. I’m afraid I don’t.’

  ‘His mother was an Indian princess.’ Elizabeth glanced round as if expecting the other guests to be hanging on her every word. ‘He inherited a fortune from his grandfather, who was a nabob, but he has mixed blood, Cissie.’

  ‘Of course I knew that,’ Cecilia said airily. ‘I think it’s terribly romantic and he’s a charming gentleman.’

  ‘And extremely handsome,’ Rose added mischievously.

  ‘Yes, indeed, and I believe he has had a distinguished career in the Indian Army.’ Elizabeth’s hand shook slightly as she picked up her cup and she sipped her coffee. ‘All I’m saying is, perhaps he might not be as well received in society circles at home, so I want you to be careful, Cissie.’

  ‘Shame on those who are so small-minded,’ Cecilia said angrily. ‘If a man is considered good enough to die for his country, then he should be welcomed anywhere. Don’t you agree, Rose?’

  ‘I do.’ Rose could feel the tension building between mother and daughter and she decided to change the subject. ‘The outing sounds wonderful, Mrs Sheldon, but I wonder if I might be excused.’

  Elizabeth turned to her, eyebrows raised. ‘For what reason, Rose? Are you unwell?’

  ‘No, not at all. I’m feeling fine, but I have an article to finish and send off to the office in Fleet Street.’

  ‘Surely you could do that tomorrow?’ Elizabeth’s smooth brow furrowed in a frown. ‘You might not get another chance to see such wonders. Besides which, Jabari and Hebony are accompanying us, albeit in another vehicle, and I can’t leave you on your own.’

  ‘I’ll have Private Cook to keep me company, Mrs Sheldon,’ Rose said hastily. She glanced at Cecilia, hoping for support from her, but her friend was staring into space with a dreamy expression on her face. Rose gave her a surreptitious nudge. ‘I’ll be in safe hands, won’t I, Cissie?’

  Cecilia turned to her with a start. ‘Oh, yes. Most definitely.’

  ‘Very well, but I don’t approve of young women trespassing in an exclusively male domain,’ Elizabeth said tartly. ‘I’m sorry, Rose, but I speak as I find, and I think what you’re doing is most unladylike. Goodness knows what your fiancé will think.’

  Rose was not going to be dragged into an argument that she had no chance of winning. Mrs Sheldon might appear to be meek and mild when in the company of her husband, but Rose was seeing another side of her and she realised that Cissie’s mother was a woman with an iron will, which she managed to disguise beneath sweet smiles and a calm demeanour. Cissie herself seemed to revert to childhood when in her mother’s company, and the confident, outgoing society darling was completely overshadowed.

  Elizabeth pushed back her chair and two waiters rushed to her assistance. ‘I’m going to my room to make myself ready, Cissie. We’ll leave in half an hour.’ She fixed Rose with a stern look. ‘You can still change your mind.’

  ‘You’re not planning to visit the barracks, are you, Rose?’ Cecilia said in a low voice as her mother glided out of the dining room.

  ‘I’m saying nothing, Cissie. You might succumb to your mother’s interrogation and tell her everything.’

  ‘As if I would! I’m perfectly capable of standing up to my mother.’

  Rose raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

  An hour later, having seen Cissie and her mother set off together with Seth Mallinson, followed in a smaller carriage by Jabari and Hebony with a wicker hamper large enough to feed a small army, Rose sent for Private Cook. They met in the vestibule and she told him that she intended to visit the barracks at Kasr-el-Nil. She had expected an argument, but to her surprise, he merely nodded.

  ‘I was stationed there before I was posted to Alexandria. Shall I go and find a cab, miss?’

  ‘Yes, please do.’ Rose waited while he strode off purposefully, and he returned minutes later.

  ‘Right, miss. Let’s go, although I have a feeling I might get into trouble for this.’

  ‘No, you won’t,’ Rose said casually. ‘You’re doing as I ask, and I’ll stand by that. All I want is five minutes with my fiancé and then I’ll be satisfied.’

  The journey through the back streets revealed a different Cairo from the one Rose had seen when the Sheldons’ carriage had entered the city by a different route. She had seen mansions that resembled small palaces, set in the midst of landscaped gardens, overlooking the River Nile, and then there was the splendour of Shepheard’s Hotel. Now all she could see was poverty, dirt and squalor. Domestic animals and people shared crowded accommodation, and the children, although still beautiful, were barefoot, dirty and clad in rags. The stench of human and animal excrement simmered in the heat of the day, and the air was black with flies. Cook sat beside her and she could feel the tension in his body as he remained on the alert, looking to the left and right with his hand on the pistol he wore in a leather holster. They travelled in silence and progress was slow as the cab driver flicked his whip and shouted at the other road users, who responded vigorously. Carts, carriages, camels and heavily laden donkeys all vied for space, and none of them seemed willing to give way to the other. For once, Rose was glad that she did not understand their language, although their meaning was clear.

  They arrived at the barracks and Rose was amazed to see such an elegant building. Somehow she had imagined it to be gaunt and austere and prison-like, but this edifice was quite as splendid as any of those sophisticated residences she had seen on the banks of the Nile.

  Private Cook leaped from the cab and handed her to the ground. ‘If you wait here, miss. I’ll speak to the guard at the main entrance.’

  ‘All right,’ Rose said reluctantly. ‘I suppose that is the best idea, as you’re in uniform.’

  He nodded and marched off, snapping to attention and saluting the soldier on duty. The cab driver was gesticulating and holding his hand out for money. Rose took her purse from her reticule and selected a few coins at random, dropping them into his palm, which had the desired effect and he subsided, mumbling. The sun beat down from a placid blue sky and she fanned herself, shifting from foot to foot as she waited anxiously for Cook’s return. It seemed like an age, although she knew that it could not have been more than a few minutes before he was walking briskly towards her, but his expression was not encouraging.

  ‘What did he say? Can I see Max?’

  Cook shook his head. ‘Not without written permission, miss. I’m sorry, I did me best, but the sentry weren’t going to go against the rules, and I can’t blame him for that.’

  ‘What do I do now? It might take days or even weeks to get the necessary documentation.’

  ‘I’ve got an idea.’

  ‘I’ll do whatever you say, but get me in to see my fiancé. I must speak with him.’

  ‘I know the layout of this place, miss. There’s a way in that won’t be guarded.’

  ‘Will you take me with you?’

  ‘No, miss. I’ll tell the cabby where to
take you and you must wait there until I return, with or without your young man. I can’t promise anything, but if he’s in there I’ll find him for you.’ He helped her into the cab, giving the cabby instructions in halting Arabic. ‘I learned a bit of the lingo. It comes in useful at times like this.’ He grinned as he slammed the carriage door. ‘Sit tight, miss. If anyone can do this it’s me.’

  Rose was about to thank him when the cab moved forward and she had to hold on in order to prevent herself sliding off the slippery leather seat. They travelled a short distance and the driver drew his horse to a halt in a street shaded by tall trees. There was nothing Rose could do other than sit and wait. The heat was intense, despite the shade, and she could feel perspiration trickling between her shoulder blades, and there were damp patches under her arms. Her tightly laced stays made breathing difficult and her heart was beating so fast that she felt as if she had been running a race.

  After what seemed like an eternity, when Rose was giving up hope of seeing Max, she spotted Private Cook moving swiftly in the shadow of tall trees and palms, and then she realised that he was not alone. Her heart seemed to miss a beat as she recognised the tall, fair-haired officer wearing his dark blue patrol jacket, trimmed with lambskin, and a pill box hat set at a jaunty angle. He came striding purposefully towards the cab.

  ‘Max.’ Rose thrust the door open and seconds later she was in his arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

  His smile faded and he held her at arm’s length. ‘I can’t believe that you’ve come all this way to find me, Rose. What made you embark on such a reckless journey?’

  She stared at him, momentarily lost for words at the unfairness of his remark. ‘You’re to blame, not I,’ she said breathlessly. ‘You weren’t there when I arrived in London.’

  He dropped his hands to his sides. ‘You know why that was, Rose. I was called to duty.’