‘After Waterloo I was in Paris for nearly three months on the Duke of Wellington’s staff, Miss Payne.’
His mother continued, ‘You can imagine how much he has had to do to catch up! The house is still not in order even yet.’ Mrs Calthorpe gave Katharine a rueful smile. ‘So it isn’t altogether surprising that this is the first time my son has been able to visit you. Has he not explained that?’
‘He has not yet had an opportunity, ma’am.’
‘But—’ began Adam. He was interrupted again, somewhat arbitrarily, by Mrs Payne.
‘Are you staying locally, Mrs Calthorpe?’ she suddenly asked. ‘Not that we know many of our neighbours as yet.’
Her husband broke in. ‘Oh, come, my dear! I am sure we know at least a dozen families! All of them delightful company. Are you staying with the Faulkners, perhaps?’ he said, turning to Adam. ‘The Faulkners are a charming family, Calthorpe. He is Master of the local hunt, y’know. A very good fellow. Do you hunt?’
Adam’s suspicions were aroused. It occurred to him that the Paynes seemed very anxious to prevent him from talking to Katharine Payne. In fact, their attitude had been curiously obstructive from the start. He answered politely, ‘When I can. And no, we are not staying with the Faulkners, but with the Quentins, who live on the other side of Basingstoke. Mrs Quentin is an old friend of my mother’s.’ Then, before either of them could interrupt again, he went on, ‘I hope you will excuse me, sir, but I should very much like a word with Miss Payne. I knew her brother very well. If she could bear it, I should like to have a private talk with her.’
After an infinitesimal pause his host said, ‘By all means, my dear fellow, by all means! Go ahead!’
Adam turned to Katharine. ‘Might I suggest a short walk? It is still quite light.’
Katharine said quickly, ‘I should like that very much, Lord Calthorpe.’
‘My dear child, it is far too cold—’
‘Please excuse me, Uncle Henry. I intend to talk to Lord Calthorpe.’ Henry Payne was obviously not particularly pleased, but there was little he could do in the face of such a very direct statement.
Katharine fetched her wrap and put on some boots, and she and Adam walked a short way down the drive.
‘There are many things I should like to ask you, Miss Payne,’ said Adam. ‘Why you failed to tell me who you were when we last met is one of them. But we don’t have much time. It is cold, and will soon be dark.’
‘I see no reason to explain anything to you, sir. And I agree that we mustn’t waste time. Now that you are here I…I have a favour to ask of you. I suppose I’m asking for your help, after all!’
Adam thought with a twinge of amusement that she didn’t have the appearance of someone who was asking a favour. Her air was aggressive rather than ingratiating. He said, ‘That’s the third time you have made a comment which I don’t quite understand!’
‘Really?’
‘You have three times implied that I have been somehow negligent. What did you mean?’
‘I should have thought that was obvious. My brother died in June. It is now November,’ she said shortly.
‘But—’
‘I know, I know! I put you off coming at first. Perhaps that annoyed you. Is that why you never wrote again? I…I would have expected you to have more understanding, Lord Calthorpe!’
‘You are wrong. I was not annoyed, and I did understand.’
‘Then why did you not answer when I wrote again?’
‘Again?’
‘I wrote to ask you very particularly to come. I hoped you would!’
‘I have never had a second letter from you.’
She gave a snort of disbelief. ‘Oh, come! There’s no need for this, I am not a simpleton. You must have!’
Adam looked at her for a moment. Then he said coolly, ‘Miss Payne, you have no reason to trust me, I know. But I was a good friend of your brother’s. Tell me why you appear to have such a low opinion of me.’
She stared at him. Then she said slowly, ‘I know I had no right to expect anything. But Tom thought the world of you. And you wrote such a…such a comforting letter after his death. At the time I didn’t want to talk to anyone. But then…afterwards, when I really needed someone, you failed me.’
Adam was angry. ‘How?’
‘I asked you for your help last August, and since then this visit is the first I have heard from you. You don’t think that is “negligent”—your word, I believe?’
‘I assure you on my honour that I have never had a second letter from you.’
Katharine looked searchingly at him as if trying to read the truth from his face. Then she said reluctantly, ‘I suppose it could have gone astray. I wasn’t sure of your direction so I sent it to your headquarters in London.’
‘It could have—but most mail sent there has reached me. But I’m puzzled—why do you say that you have never heard from me again? I have written four times!’
She stopped and stared at him. ‘When?’
‘At intervals spread over the months since Tom was killed.’
‘Four times! I suppose you sent them here? To Herriards?’
‘Of course. Where else?’
‘How odd! How very odd!’
‘Are you telling me that you’ve had none of my letters since the first one?’
‘Not one.’ They looked at one another in silence for a moment. Then Katharine said nervously, ‘Could they have all been lost in the post…?’ Her voice trailed off. There was an awkward silence. Then she said harshly, ‘Tilly suggested I should write to you again and give her my letter to post. I refused to accept what she implied.’
Adam said gravely, ‘Miss Payne, I’m afraid Miss Tillyard’s suspicions were fully justified. Someone has been…intercepting your correspondence.’ He glanced at Katharine Payne. She was whiter than ever. A new emotion joined the others he had felt towards this girl. He felt pity. He put his arm round her, half expecting the usual rejection. But instead she gave a sob and turned to hide her face against his coat. Almost without volition his other arm completed the circle of comfort, and, for a moment, they were held in a curious bond, which neither of them quite understood. Then she gave a muffled exclamation and threw his arm off.
‘I’ve asked you before not to touch me!’ she said belligerently.
He might have known she would react badly, thought Adam. This was obviously a woman who didn’t believe in the weakness of the weaker sex! After a pause he said calmly, ‘You wanted my help, I believe. How can I oblige you?’
‘I would like, if possible, to live elsewhere. My cousins are… I don’t trust… What we have just found out…’ Her voice wavered. She stopped, then began again more firmly, ‘I do not find my cousins at all congenial.’
‘I noticed that this afternoon,’ Adam said gravely.
‘You are laughing at me again! And I assure you it is no laughing matter.’
‘No, truly, I am not. I am here to serve you. Tell me what it is you want.’
‘Tom may have told you that I am not exactly poor, but perhaps he didn’t make it clear that I have no control over any money until my twenty-fifth birthday. And that is still four years away.’
Adam looked at her in surprise. So she was only twenty-one! He would have said she was considerably older.
She went on, ‘I need your help in persuading my guardians to increase my allowance from the estate my grandfather left me. If I had a little more, just enough to live modestly with my governess somewhere away from Herriards… And before you say anything, I have already written to General Armitage, to no effect. He approves of Henry Payne, you see, and thinks I am merely suffering from the vapours.’
‘I saw the General in Bath before I came here. You’re right. He thinks very highly of your cousin.’
‘I suppose you do, too,’ she said bitterly.
‘Don’t be absurd! Of course I don’t! Not now. And as for Walter…’
‘They are trying to force me to marry him. And my guardians a
re not averse to such an idea.’
He stopped and stared. ‘You can’t be serious! That would never do!’
‘I’m relieved you agree,’ she said with a touch of irony. ‘To some, the idea of reuniting the Payne wealth with the Payne estate, regardless of feeling, might seem quite rational.’
‘They can’t make you marry anyone!’
‘No, they can’t. But the pressure is sometimes almost more than I can bear. Which is why…which is why I may have overreacted this afternoon. Walter is determined to marry me, and he never stops trying to…to persuade me. He is convinced that I will eventually give in. He knows that I have no one to help me, you see. Tilly has been the only person I could even talk to.’
‘Ah! The real Miss Tillyard, I take it?’
‘Tilly was my governess, and became a very good friend, especially after my grandfather died. Though she is powerless to help me, I don’t know what I would have done without her to confide in.’
He thought for a moment then said, ‘I know General Armitage. Who is your other guardian?’
‘Sir James Farrow. He lives in Basingstoke, but he’s ill. He doesn’t receive visitors. Not me, at least. He, too, approves of Henry Payne.’ Katharine Payne’s voice cracked.
Adam suppressed his impulse to offer her a sympathetic arm. He was beginning to know Miss Katharine Payne and was pretty sure she wouldn’t accept it. But he was concerned for her, all the same. Her eyes were huge in her pale face, every line of that thin body expressing tension. She had clearly been under an unbearable strain for months. He made up his mind. Even without his promise to Tom, he would have done all he could to rescue any woman from Henry Payne’s tyranny. The man was clearly a villain. His boldness in suppressing their letters was astonishing, and his lack of scruple would be a continuing threat to Katharine. As for Walter…
After a moment’s thought, he said, ‘I wonder how ill Sir James really is? And if the Quentins know him?’ He took Katharine’s hand in his and held it reassuringly. ‘I’ll talk to them tonight and see Sir James as soon as I can. Try not to worry. We shall find something to do.’
For a moment Katharine Payne gripped his fingers so tightly that it was almost painful. She looked directly up at him, eyes wide open in appeal. They were beautiful eyes, he thought in surprise. Not mudcoloured at all, but the golden brown of sherry wine. Then she let go of his hand and said quietly,
‘Thank you! You…you have no idea how much this means.’
It was as well that he had not expected effusive thanks or desperate pleas for speed. Not from this lady. Katharine Payne may be near the edge, but, as long as she remained in control of herself, she would regard desperate appeals or tears of gratitude as signs of weakness. Such determination to be strong was admirable, but not attractive in a woman, Adam thought.
‘From what you have told me, your “escape”, as you call it, will mean a lot to your cousin, as well. Too much, perhaps. May I suggest that you keep our plans to yourself until they are complete?’ He looked at her ironically. ‘We don’t want him worried before it is necessary. How often do you visit your governess?’
‘Once or twice a week.’
‘Can you call on her tomorrow afternoon? Is she discreet?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Then I will leave news of any progress with her. We might even meet there.’
On their way back to the Quentins Adam and his mother discussed what they had seen and heard.
‘Thank heavens we came, Adam! They are a dreadful family! Poor Katharine Payne!’
‘Surely the daughter is charming? I rather liked her. In fact—’
His mother looked at him pityingly. ‘My dear boy, I would have thought maturity would have given you more sense! Catherine Payne—how confusing those names are!—Catherine Payne, by whom I mean the blonde miss who sat by her mother, is a spoiled little minx. Another Julia Redshaw, if ever I saw one.’
Adam shook his head at his mother and smiled. ‘Do you still condemn Julia for my unhappiness ten years ago? You mustn’t be too hard on her, ma’am. I forgave her a long time ago. After all, she merely faced reality before I did. At the time I had nothing to offer her. Much as she loved me—’
‘Loved you! No more than she loved all the other young men who buzzed around her like bees round a honey pot!’
‘You are mistaken, Mama. I know that Julia loved me—she just didn’t love me enough. But why are we discussing something that was over long ago?’
‘Because Henry Payne’s daughter is another such girl. However, you are quite right. We shall forget Julia Redshaw. What are you proposing to do about Katharine? Tom’s Katharine.’
‘I have promised to help. I shall certainly write tonight to General Armitage—he ought to be informed of our visit and what we have discovered. I’m sure he’ll agree that Kate should leave Herriards.’
‘But that will take weeks! The girl needs more urgent help than that.’
‘I agree. I’ll see Sir James Farrow, her other guardian, while we are here. He lives in Basingstoke. The Quentins probably know him.’
‘And supposing you do convince these guardians? What then? Where will the girl go?’
‘She proposes to set up house with her old governess.’
His mother turned round in her seat to stare at him. ‘Are you out of your mind, Adam? You mustn’t allow that!’
‘Mama, Katharine Payne is a very determined young woman. I don’t think anyone could stop her doing exactly what she had decided.’
‘Nonsense! Of course you could! What is more, those guardians would never consent to her scheme—and I would agree with them! The girl is far too young to cut herself off from society in that way. She should be enjoying herself, going to balls, to parties, wearing pretty dresses, meeting eligible young men…’
‘And how am I to arrange that?’
‘Offer her a home yourself.’
Adam stared at her in astonishment. ‘With the utmost respect, Mama, I would say that it is you who are out of your mind! How could I offer Katharine Payne a home—unless I married her? And now that I have met her, that is something I am not prepared to do, whatever Tom said. She’s not the sort of woman I would ever wish to marry.’
‘I expressed myself badly. I meant you could offer her a home with me. I should love Miss Payne to come to live with me at Bridge House.’
‘The idea is absurd! I’m sorry for the girl, of course, but I’m not sure I like her very much.’
‘Why not?’
‘She is everything I find unattractive in a woman. Aggressive, strong-minded, ungraceful, ill mannered…’
Mrs Calthorpe shook her head. ‘Oh, Adam, you are still so blind, for all your experience! I suppose you liked the other Miss Payne better?’
‘Of course I did! Any man would.’
‘I’m surprised. I suppose I must just hope that you’ll learn before it’s too late.’
‘What on earth are you talking about?’
‘Quality.’ He looked blank and she went on, ‘Nothing. It’s just my nonsense. Now, how soon will Tom’s Katharine be ready to join me at Bridge House? Could she be ready to travel with us when we leave here?’
‘Wait, wait! I haven’t said—’
‘But I have! If you won’t do it for Miss Payne, then do it for me. I should truly like her company. Oh, Adam, it could be so amusing! Katharine could spend the rest of the winter getting back her…her joie de vivre, and in the spring we would take a house in London for the season. I should love to do the season again, Adam!’
‘I really don’t think—’
Mrs Calthorpe gave a small sigh. ‘You really are the most obstinate person of my acquaintance.’
‘If you think that, then wait till you have more to do with Katharine Payne. She is far worse than I am.’
‘She’s had to fight to survive, Adam! No wonder she is determined. Look, if you won’t do it for me, perhaps you should do it for Tom? How is his sister ever to be safe if she never m
eets anyone we can trust to look after her? You may as well give in—my mind is quite made up. Katharine shall stay with me, and I shall sponsor her presentation in Society next year. And you could join us.’
‘Oh, no! I couldn’t possibly spare the—’
‘Of course you could spare the time! Calthorpe will be in better order by then, and you will need some amusement after all your labours. You mustn’t let yourself grow dull, Adam! Next spring is the time for you to mix in Society yourself. How else will you find a wife?’
‘I don’t think…’
‘Though why you don’t wish to marry Miss Payne is beyond me. She is the only sister of your friend, well bred, an heiress, pretty—’
‘Pretty!’
‘Perhaps not. Pretty isn’t the word.’
‘Of course it isn’t!’
‘I should have said beautiful. At least, she will be, once she is herself again.’
Adam regarded his mother with exasperation. ‘Mama, I wonder sometimes whether you know what you’re saying. How can you call Miss Payne beautiful?’ His mother would have answered, but Adam went on, ‘And if she were the queen of beauty herself I still wouldn’t marry her!’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ve told you. She’s a strong-minded shrew! She has a tongue as sharp as a sabre. I’d die the death of a thousand cuts before we had been married a year!’ Remembering Walter Payne’s bleeding nose, he added, ‘And she is not afraid to use physical violence, either.’
Mrs Calthorpe burst out laughing. ‘You poor defenceless lambkin! Has she attacked you?’
‘Not yet,’ said Adam. ‘But she probably would. And it’s all very well for you to laugh, but it isn’t easy for a gentleman to deal with a lady who doesn’t behave like one!’
‘The girl is cracking under the strain of living with Henry Payne’s family. Nothing she did at the moment would surprise me. But, Adam, she would soon change once she was free of those cousins of hers.’
Adam raised a sceptical eyebrow.
His mother went on, ‘Well then, I shan’t try to persuade you any more. But if you don’t wish to marry her yourself, you ought to see to it that she meets suitable alternatives. And she won’t do that cooped up with her governess in a cottage in the country.’
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