Mrs MacAndrews ignored Williams’ blustering and confused denial of any such evil intention. ‘Come, husband, we shall dance. And watch where you are placing your great clumsy feet!’ The pair disappeared happily, closely followed by Truscott and Jane, and went to take their places among the line of couples on the dance floor.
‘She is a terrifying woman, in the nicest possible way,’ said Billy Pringle. Before they could escape to the fringes of the crowd they were trapped and caught. Mrs Wickham bore down on them with the fixed gaze of a determined matchmaker. In tow were two Miss Stocktons, Miss Crabbe and a Miss Dawlish. There was the usual flood of words.
They had been deliberately hiding – she was sure they had – for none of them had yet asked for the dance they must know she was saving for them – it was most ungallant (the last remark emphasised by striking each of the three men lightly with her fan) – and why were they neglecting such fair companions as these ladies – did they not know them – then introductions must be made.
Williams was trying to watch Truscott and Jane and did his best to ignore the flow of chatter. He saw the couple now and again, marked how gracefully Miss MacAndrews moved and felt excitement that her mother seemed to have arranged a dance for him.
Out on the floor, Lieutenant Truscott complimented his partner on her dancing.
‘You are too kind, sir,’ said Jane. Her eyes looked for a moment into his, and then flicked down and instead focused on the golden epaulette on his right shoulder. Truscott saw her blink.
‘Are you disturbed, Miss MacAndrews?’ he asked with real concern, as they once again passed close, her right hand held high in his left as she turned.
‘It is merely a bad memory. My first ball was two and half years ago, when the regiment was in Port Royal. All the uniforms brings it back so very vividly.’ He noticed that her eyes were glassy as she looked up at him once more, the move complete and they again followed the other dancers down the length of the ballroom.
‘But surely that was a happy event?’
‘It was, but nearly all the men I danced with that night were dead by the end of the year. The fever, you know.’
Truscott, like Pringle and most of the other officers, had joined the regiment after it had returned or had been at the depot during its service in the Caribbean. Still, everyone knew of the losses.
‘It is a soldier’s fate, ma’am. Sad, but we all must take the risks. At least . . .’ He struggled for a moment. ‘. . . at least those men first enjoyed a dance with a most beautiful and kind young lady.’ He knew it was a peculiar compliment, but his always generous nature warmed to the girl’s sympathetic spirit and he yearned to lift her sorrow.
‘You are too kind.’ Jane gave him a brittle smile. They spoke no more, but Truscott could not remember having ever enjoyed a dance more than this. It was with real warmth that he thanked her at its end, bowing once again, and then leading her back to the others.
Their arrival was a welcome relief to Williams even more than the other two. He had been jerked from his reverie by the sharp demand of Miss Elvira Stockton for him to explain his rank. He was so young, and yet the splendour of his jacket must mean that he was senior to the others. Hamish had borrowed white breeches, stockings and shoes from Pringle, but otherwise wore his regimental jacket. Like all those of the ordinary soldiers it had broad white lace in pairs running up the front, unlike the rather plainer officer’s jacket. The shoulder wings were also higher and fringed with white wool. In the candlelight it was not obvious that it was a much duller red and of coarser weave than their uniforms.
Mrs Wickham had laughed her inimitable laugh, pointing out very loudly that she should not embarrass poor Mr Williams so. He had then been forced to explain the status of a volunteer. It was always awkward proclaiming oneself to be a gentleman – surely that should be self-evident. There was the usual reaction, as the various misses realised that he would make a most unsuitable husband. The Stockton sisters remembered that they had promised their mother to ask after Mrs Fotheringham’s health, and promptly left. Miss Crabbe had evidently taken a strong liking to the bespectacled Pringle, and at Mrs Wickham’s urging he seemed to have no choice but to beg humbly for the next dance. Miss Dawlish began to look expectantly at Hanley. She was a brown-haired, plump girl, not yet eighteen. Her face might almost have been pretty, were it not for its childlike petulance.
Miss MacAndrews saved him. She arrived and boldly interrupted, reminding Mr Hanley that he was already promised to her, since Mr Pringle had so selfishly vanished. She was sure that Mr Williams would be delighted to partner Miss Dawlish.
Moments later Hanley found himself holding Miss MacAndrews, who stared directly up at him.
‘All this is a little tiresome, do you not think?’ Jane asked softly.
‘I would have agreed, until now.’ He smiled. For all the whirl of the wider dance, this was the most intimate moment he had enjoyed with a woman since Madrid.
‘You are kind,’ she said, returning his smile and seeming to press a little closer. ‘But I remember the balls in Charleston last year – the colours and the light. It is not London or Paris . . .’
‘Or Madrid or Rome,’ he said.
‘Oh, have you been to those places?’ There was a thrill in the girl’s voice. ‘I so dearly want to travel more.’
Williams passed them, clutching Miss Dawlish in his arms. The look of concentration on his face was almost savage in its intensity, and most of the time he looked downwards, checking that his feet were obeying him precisely.
Hanley could not help smiling. Jane also grinned. ‘Poor Williams,’ she said, ‘I was most unkind to him just now. Well, I shall make it up to him, and dance with him later on.’
‘Are you sure you want to take the risk?’ Williams had made a mistake and his feet were thrashing wildly as he tried to recover. ‘He is not the best of dancers.’
‘He will be when he dances with me,’ the girl said with an assurance that was surprising, and all too reminiscent of Mapi. The memories pressed in on his mind once more, and so he looked straight into Miss MacAndrews’ eyes, and tried not to think, but to enjoy her beauty and the movements of the dance itself.
Hanley and Miss MacAndrews certainly danced well. The tall, dark officer seemed to sweep the diminutive girl effortlessly round, her white dress billowing with the motion. Everyone could see that they made a grand couple. Ensign Redman could sense that this did not encourage great affection for them from either of the Miss Stocktons.
‘Who is that officer?’ asked the older sister. ‘Is he new?’
‘That is our Mr Hanley. Like me he belongs to the grenadiers, but has only joined the regiment after a prolonged leave of absence.’
‘Ah, then is he a man of means?’ Her interest was pricked. Handsome was all very well, but to little end if not accompanied by a decent income. ‘I must say he looks quite dashing, although that MacAndrews girl is too abandoned to be fully decent.’
‘He is something of a mystery, beauty fear not well connected,’ replied Redman, and then decided that no one could blame him if he repeated, but did not confirm, a rumour that was doing the rounds. ‘He is a grand fellow, although very dark. They do say his mother is a Hindoo . . .’
By this time Williams and Miss Dawlish were several steps behind everyone else. They barged into one couple, and so he lifted his partner inches from the ground as he took long strides to catch up. Miss Dawlish gasped in surprise, then stumbled as he put her down in a patch of clearer floor. Williams at this point realised what he had done and stared back at her, his mouth agape. He grabbed at her to break her fall, nearly lost balance himself and only just kept her upright. The girl pulled away from him and then there was a sound of tearing, audible even over the music and the chatter of the now fascinated crowd. Miss Dawlish’s pale pink dress had ripped a good six inches up from the hem, showing a white petticoat beneath.
Both of them froze in horror. There were cries from the crowd, quickly drowned out
by gales of laughter. Williams sprang backwards, as if stepping away could somehow repair the damage. Miss Dawlish looked at him, then down at her torn dress. Then she screamed – the loudest noise Williams felt he had ever heard in his entire life. The girl fled, still shrieking, and was soon whisked away by Miss Crabbe and Miss Fotheringham herself. Williams’ apologies were drowned in the noise, and now he wanted only to be away from here. He too hurried out of the ballroom.
‘Poor Williams,’ whispered Miss MacAndrews to Hanley, as if speaking of a small child.
The incident was one of the most talked about of the entire evening. For the men – and especially the officers of the 106th – it was a grand joke. Such things happened and no harm had been done. The ladies expressed huge sympathy for the unfortunate Miss Dawlish. Some of them were even genuine, although she was not an especially well-liked individual. Most felt repeated description of the incident made her embarrassment all the more delicious.
The ball continued. Miss MacAndrews danced more dances with other officers from the 106th, and once with Thompson of the Yeomanry, even though she knew her father would be less than enthusiastic about this, given his distaste for cavalrymen. She declined the invitations of any civilians, save for an elderly and rather stiff clergyman named Hawkins, whose parish lay next to this one. She found Pringle, and insisted he fulfil his promise to her, which he did with considerable delight. For a big man, inclined to plumpness, he had a remarkably delicate step. At the first opportunity, he complimented the girl on her elegance and grace.
Jane frowned. ‘Such a tribute is rather diminished by the lack of competition.’ They separated, drew back, and could not speak again until the dance brought them closer again.
‘Then may I say that your beauty would shine out in any company,’ ventured Pringle, still struggling to deal with her directness.
‘Better, although a pretty compliment should never have to live alone.’
‘Should I speak then of your perfection of figure,’ Pringle whispered as they leaned close for a brief moment, then immediately realised that this crossed the boundary of propriety.
‘Yes, I had observed your admiration.’ His eyes followed as Jane’s gaze flicked for just an instant down to the front of her dress. The pace of the dance quickened, producing an impressive motion. They stepped apart again, before Pringle could think of any response. Each spun around, and Pringle moved behind the line of men, while gaze path took her behind the ladies. At the end they turned in, and once again faced each other. Pringle was greatly relieved to see the girl smiling. She glanced beside her to Miss Crabbe.
When the couples closed, there was amusement in her voice. ‘Once again, it may be a question of comparison.’ Miss Crabbe was tall and spindly, as well as notably flatchested.
Pringle waited until there was more distance between each couple, then spoke in a voice not intended to reach more than his partner. ‘If you listen carefully, you can hear her knees knocking together.’
‘Aren’t we terribly cruel,’ said Jane, but there was mischief in her words. ‘I spoke with Miss Crabbe earlier, and her high estimation of people seemed to depend entirely on the size of their fortune.’
‘I believe that when a wealthy gentleman shows interest, then there is no concern about her knees being together.’ Pringle was amazed to have made such a comment, normal enough in chat between subalterns, but scarcely appropriate here.
The frown returned to Jane’s brow. ‘I am quite sure I do not know what you mean, sir.’ Pringle hoped that this was true, and that his coarseness would be missed, but he was not quite sure. Her eyes were bright and the sparkle of reflected light gave them a knowing gleam. ‘In case you suffer from a false impression, that was not an invitation for you to show me,’ Jane added. Pringle could not help laughing out loud, startling the nearest couples, and provoking several stern glances. Miss MacAndrews shook her head in mock disapproval.
Hanley also danced a good deal, and several of the ladies, especially the younger Miss Stockton, showed him particular favour. She was rather thrilled at the idea of dancing with a man so mysterious that he might be part Indian.
Pringle drank heavily in spite of his earlier resolution, and as the evening progressed slipped away from the main room. The dance with Miss MacAndrews had been a delight, but was scarcely calculated to calm him down. A too-eager attempt to win over a pretty little maid ended with her kicking him in the shins, at which point he decided discretion was the better part of valour. A little lost, he stumbled around until he found the library and Williams sitting reading.
‘What have you got there, Bills?’ he asked cheerfully. ‘Not a dancing manual, I trust.’
Williams looked angry for a moment, and then sagged.
‘I suppose they have sent you to find me.’
‘No, I’m just lost.’ He reached over and lifted the book to see that it was the first volume of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall. ‘You’ll be a while if you are going to read all of that.’ The distant sound of music came through the open door. It was nearly midnight.
‘We ought to go back, you know. Duty and all that,’ Pringle added after a moment.
‘I made a fool of myself.’
‘Haven’t we all.’ Pringle rubbed his shin. ‘Look, it was nothing. Accidents happen and it could have been a lot worse. My oldest sister once lost half her dress dancing with a sailor. Well, they’re all clumsy as mules when they’re on land. And she married the fellow, so it can’t have been that bad.’ He paused. ‘You obviously don’t have to marry Miss Dawlish, though. Well, I doubt she’d have you.’
‘Should I apologise?’
‘Only if you should meet her. Best not to make a fuss. I dare say she’ll be trying to forget it. Come on, we had better go.’
There was a sense of things drawing to an end by the time they returned. Nevertheless, Miss MacAndrews appeared and insisted on dancing with Williams. ‘Come, sir, you shall not escape my clutches so easily.’
‘I thought . . . I mean that I feared . . .’ he stammered, ‘that you would . . .’ He did not know how to finish. ‘I am not a very good dancer.’ He spoke as if he expected the girl to change her mind even at the last minute.
‘Then it is high time you became proficient,’ said Jane firmly. ‘Come. You do know that you are supposed to lead me?’ Her smile was warm, the mockery gentle. Williams stood tall as he took her arm and led her out on to the floor.
There was little conversation as they danced, although Jane did her best to engage him.
‘Do you not think it has been a delightful evening?’
‘Oh yes,’ agreed Williams fervently, but said no more as he concentrated on keeping in step, all the while intoxicated to be so close to the centre of his adoration.
‘The orchestra has been quite good.’
‘Oh yes.’
‘I believe Mother has quite worn Father out.’ This time there was no response, as Williams was unsure whether or not to comment on the condition of his commanding officer.
‘Do you find the yellow of Miss Fotheringham’s sash a pleasing shade?’
‘Oh yes.’
‘Although perhaps red would suit her complexion better?’
‘Oh yes.’
‘Or mud-brown?’
‘Oh yes.’
‘Are you aware that she is the Empress of China?’
‘Oh yes.’ Williams looked puzzled. ‘I beg your pardon. I fear the desire to prevent my dancing from disgracing you has made me inattentive.’
That at least was courteous, and Jane decided that it would be difficult to achieve any more than this for the moment. ‘I am quite positive you will not,’ she said, and decided to abandon attempts at further conversation. She smiled at him, and Williams’ heart soared.
Miss MacAndrews did not quite manage to make Mr Williams look competent, but she emerged with both her feet and her gown unscathed, and that was probably the best that could have been hoped for.
It was now almost one o’clock,
and this proved to be the last dance of the evening. Carriages had been waiting for some time. If the regiment’s officers had been the hosts then they would no doubt have taken the fairest of their guests ‘hostage’ and insisted on several more dances as ransom for their release. Such behaviour would have been inappropriate when they were guests of the very respectable Mr Fotheringham. They too left, unsteadily in many cases. Williams, Hanley, Truscott and Pringle walked together to their billet. It was a beautiful night, and Pringle looked up at the stars until his head swam and he began to feel giddy. Truscott needed to support him the rest of the way. The other two trailed behind them.
‘Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Bills?’ asked Hanley, using the nickname for the first time.
‘Oh yes. Indeed yes,’ replied the volunteer earnestly, knowing the world to be a truly wonderful place.
9
There were plenty of sore heads among the officers when the half-battalion marched out an hour after dawn the next morning. As it was June, the dawn came early and a good number of them had not slept at all. Billy Pringle, who had drunk heavily and dozed for just a couple of hours, looked no worse than usual – he rarely showed great enthusiasm for the early morning anyway. Redman looked unnaturally pale and red eyed, and Hanley only a little better. Williams had drunk only two glasses of wine – the most he felt that he cope with for he loathed the taste, but he suffered in order to be polite. He had not slept a wink, too full of the thrill of dancing with Miss MacAndrews. Then his doubts had returned, and he cringed as he remembered how little he had said, knowing that she must have thought him dull and uninteresting, and that she had condescended to be his partner only out of pity.
His spirits revived a little as they marched, and his fatigue vanished as the familiar rhythm of the march took over. The men were in good spirits, and once they were a discreet distance from the village they took a delight in singing cheerfully, beginning with an ironic rendering of ‘The Girl I Left Behind Me’. Williams joined in – he was Welsh enough to relish singing – and even sang lustily when the redcoats began to bawl out one of their favourites called ‘Confound our Officers’, sung to a pretty Scots tune. The 106th’s officers were rather fond of this song, and some smiled or even joined in. They were all still walking. After their horses had warmed up, the captains could ride if they chose, although as it turned out most did not. There seemed to be a feeling that they should share the hardships of their juniors, at least this time.
True Soldier Gentlemen (Napoleonic War 1) Page 10
