Crown Phoenix: Night Watchman Express Page 24

  ***

  imon knocked on Barbara’s door, and she softly responded, “Come in!” When he entered her room, she was sitting at a mirror, holding up a necklace of red stones, but she turned when she saw him. “Simon!” she said gladly. “The very person! Will you do up the catch in this necklace for me!”

  “By all means,” he said, striding forward and grasping the delicate thing. “How does it work – oh, I see. But do I get a reward, Barbara?”

  “What reward did you have in mind?” she laughed, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

  He finished doing up the catch, and leaning forward, put his hands on her shoulders and met her eyes in the mirror. “Something really meaningful,” he said seriously, “such as letting me take you in to dinner.”

  She laughed delightedly. “Oh, spare my blushes!” She stood up and placed her fingertips on the arm that he held out. “Of course you may. You know I don’t want anyone else taking me in to dine. But may I ask you something?”

  He held the door open and said, “Anything.”

  “Where did you learn how to flirt like that?” She came very close to him, but didn’t move to pass through the doorway. “My heavens, you are just a schoolboy, and yet you manage to put most of the grown men I know to shame!”

  “Just a schoolboy!” he echoed in mock anger. “Miss Cantwell, I’ll have you know I only have one more year of school!”

  Barbara reached around him and closed the door again, so they were alone together. “And after that?” she breathed.

  He looked down at her, fascinated by the perfect shape of her eyebrows against her white forehead. “I don’t know,” he said, “I never really thought about it.”

  “Ah,” she said. “Perhaps you will be going into the company?”

  He frowned, surprised. “Pearson’s? I don’t think so. It would be too easy. I want to make my own career.”

  “Very noble,” she responded. “But Simon, may I just tell you one thing in confidence? One day, very soon, we will all be rich; not just well-to-do, but hopelessly, disgustingly wealthy.” She laughed a low breathless bubble of mirth. “Can you imagine it?”

  “Is that what you want?” he replied, smiling.

  “Indeed I do. Of course, there will be some difficult things we will all have to do before.”

  He leaned a bit closer to her. “That sounds intriguing. What difficult things?”

  “Oh, distasteful things, actions that we would really prefer not to take. Still, if we – if you – do them well, you shall have your real reward.” She laughed again.

  Simon smiled, but he shook his head. “You know, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “How do you feel about Miriam, Simon?”

  “Oh!” Simon shrugged. “I don’t know. When I first met her, I thought she was one of the rudest girls I’d ever seen. However, she’s not all that bad. Now that I’ve gotten to know her, I think she’s all right, for a girl. Writes stories – pretty decent ones, actually.”

  “And what if your parents want you to marry her?” Barbara asked, stroking the material of his coat sleeve under her hand.

  Shocked, Simon asked, “How the devil did you know about that?”

  “Ah! So you already knew. That makes things easier. What I wanted to tell you was to not worry about her; there are always ways of ridding yourself of boring annoyances.”

  “Boring annoyances,” he repeated, frowning slightly, his eyes intent on her face.

  She stopped him by putting one hand on his lips. “Listen, Simon, no more talk now. Take me to dinner. And think of this. Sometimes putting something pleasant off for a few years makes it all the better when one achieves that pleasure at last, after a period of duty.”

  “Duty,” he repeated mechanically, reopening the door and stepping back.

  She took his arm and nestled next to him for a brief instant. “Duty. Exactly.” She stepped into the hall, certain that he would follow her.

  That night, Miriam stayed in her room with Mana. Simon had forgotten to tell Neil to get dressed for dinner in his rush to escort Miss Cantwell, so he was upstairs as well.

  Downstairs, during dinner, Simon kept quiet. No one noticed, however, thanks to Barbara’s bright chatter and constant stream of conversation. He watched her, seeing how the glowing coils of her hair lay against the deep copper of her dress, and he said nothing.

  After dinner, they retired to the drawing room for coffee. “I feel as if you had lived here almost as long as we have, Barbara,” Theodosia said, pouring out a cup and handing it to Valiant.

  “Oh, darling Theo, I just couldn’t be more comfortable!” Barbara said, stirring her own coffee. “It’s such a wonderful house!”

  “You and Simon certainly seem comfortable,” Theodosia said archly.

  “Yes, I will miss him so much when he goes back to school, won’t I, Simon? And the staff you have is so well-trained, Theo.”

  “They do well enough,” Theodosia responded with a sniff, putting down her cup. “But I had to deal with such nonsense at the beginning; believe me, Barbara, you don’t know what I suffered.”

  “Nonsense is intolerable, isn’t it, Simon?” Barbara said, smiling. “Tell me,” she added, tracing the rim of her cup with one slim finger, “when did you hire the governess?”

  “That was the worst part,” Theodosia said. “That child of Pearson’s put up such a battle of wills when we arrived, that my nerves simply could not stand it. Isn’t that so, Virgil?”

  “What?” Virgil asked, his eyes snapping open. He quickly righted his glass of brandy, which had been threatening to spill onto his shirtfront, and took a long draught.

  “Do wake up, Virgil,” Theodosia snapped. “You’re boring poor Mr. Cantwell.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Theo,” Valiant said, waving one cigar lazily from the depths of an armchair.

  “She is an orphan,” Simon said.

  “But the governess,” Barbara insisted. “What made you consider someone of, well, her complexion?”

  Theodosia dropped her voice. “That was the strangest part,” she said, “and you may not believe it, but we don’t remember actually hiring her. There were our signatures on the contract, mine and Virgil’s, and yet to this day, I have no recollection of signing my name.”

  “Aha,” Barbara said, sitting back as if satisfied. “I thought something like that might have been the case. And you are happy with her?”

  “Well, one can hardly be happy about having a native in the house,” Theodosia said.

  “Mother, stop it!” Simon exploded, unable to keep silent in the face of such snobbery.

  “No, Simon, let her talk.” Barbara turned back to Theodosia. “And let me ask you this, Theo – would you like to get rid of her?”

  Theodosia shrugged. “I suppose so. It can hardly be thought fashionable to have a black servant in the house, unless one has a pageboy or something. However, she has given us no cause for offence, no reason to let her off, unfortunately, aside from the incident the other night. I must admit that she is perfectly polite.”

  “Well, I must disagree,” Barbara said, looking over the rim of her cup at Theodosia. “She was insolent to me this afternoon.”

  “Mana was insolent?” Simon asked. “Her manners are always perfect!”

  Theodosia slammed her cup down so hard that the saucer shattered. “Virgil, call that woman down here at once,” she demanded.

  “Who? What woman?” Virgil said, struggling to extricate himself from his chair.

  “I’ll do it,” Valiant offered, putting his cigar in a silver holder. Going to the bell, he pushed it, whistling to himself.

  “This is ridiculous!” Simon protested.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Barbara said. “Everything will work out just as I told you earlier, Simon.”

  The door opened. Furnace stepped into the room, and Theodosia instantly got up and approached him. “You will send that governess to me instantly, do you hear?” she
ordered.

  “Do you mean Miss Postulate?” he asked.

  “Of course, I mean the Postulate woman, numbskull! What other governesses are in the house?”

  He bowed. “I believe she is in the kitchen now, ordering dinner for herself and Miss Miriam,” he said, and withdrew.

  “Well!” Theodosia sat down. “You see what I mean, Barbara. Persons of quality simply shouldn’t have to put up with such things.”

  “Mother, you sound as if you were in the last century!” Simon protested. “Quality isn’t something that you’re born with, it’s something that you attain, or prove by your manner of living!”

  “Bravo!” Valiant put his cigar in one corner of his mouth and applauded.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” Barbara said to her brother. “I always knew that he was something out of the ordinary.”

  Simon ignored them. “Mother, listen to me. Miss Postulate – Mana – is a great teacher. Who cares where she comes from and what she looks like?”

  “Oh, Mana is it?” Theodosia said, giggling mirthlessly. “Wonder if she has any middle names – Gaga or Lala or whatever it is?”

  “Stop it!” Simon shouted again, standing up.

  At that instant, the door opened and Mana came in. As always, she radiated neatness and cleanness. She said, “You wished to see me, Mrs. Marchpane?”

  “I do, indeed!” Theodosia said, her face turning an unbecoming shade of puce. “Miss Cantwell tells me that you gave her grave offence today!”

  “None was intended,” Mana responded.

  “Well, what happened? Out with it!” Theodosia said, her voice rising.

  “Miss Cantwell was interested in an object of mine and wanted to buy it,” Mana said, “but as it was an heirloom, I refused.”

  “You refused!” Words failed Theodosia for a moment, and she moved her mouth, looking rather like a fish.

  The door opened again and Miriam burst in and went over to Mana. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Barbara ignored her. “Simply let me see the item, and I’ll recant my charge,” she said.

  “Go on,” Theodosia said to Mana, “show it to her at once!”

  Mana shook her head. “I’m very sorry, but I cannot do so,” she said.

  “But you must!” Theodosia shouted.

  “Leave her alone!” Miriam yelled.

  Valiant got to his feet and strolled forward. “If I may be so bold,” he said, “why don’t you simply show her the item, Miss Postulate, and all this fighting can cease. Surely that’s fair? Barbara will promise to only look at it and not touch, won’t you, Barbara?”

  “I promise,” Barbara said, smiling at her brother.

  Mana shook her head. “I’m sorry if you have misunderstood, Miss Cantwell, but it is very important to me. I’m sure that you have items that are private to you, and I must ask you to respect my privacy as well.”

  “You will be sacked!” Theodosia screamed.

  “Will I?” Mana asked softly, staring back at her intently.

  Miriam, dying to run at Theodosia and smack her or throw coffee in her face or both, kept still with a great effort. Theodosia blinked and said, slowly, “Maybe it would be best if we just forget everything.”

  “That won’t work this time, Miss Postulate,” Barbara said, rising and approaching the older woman’s chair. Swiftly she raised one hand and dealt two blows to Theodosia’s face.

  Gasping, Theodosia looked dazed. “What on earth!”

  Barbara knelt by her chair. “Please forgive me, Theo, but you were about to faint.”

  Simon gave a swift exclamation, but Mana cut him off. “I am going to take Miriam up to her dinner,” she said.

  “You will do no such thing,” Theodosia said. “You are to leave our house this instant.”

  “It’s not your house!” Miriam shouted. “It’s my house, you idiotic, frightful… ancient!”

  “No.” Mana put her hand on Miriam’s shoulder, stopping the outburst, and smiled. “No, Miriam. Taking everything into account, I think that it’s best if I leave now, as Mrs. Marchpane wishes. However, remember what I said to you earlier.”

  “Mana, no!” Miriam sobbed, and fought to escape as a pair of arms encircled her from behind – Valiant was holding her back.

  “Now, now, careful, Miriam,” he said pleasantly as she tore at him. “You’ll give me a bruise, or even worse, you’ll untie my cravat! And we can’t have that!”

  “Tell Neil,” Mana said to Miriam, and she left the room. The door closed with finality, and Miriam sobbed as she heard Mana’s swift steps going upstairs.

  “I suppose I shall have to supervise her departure,” Theodosia said, heading for the door. “See that the girl stays here; I want no further contact between her and that woman.”

  “Done Theo,” Valiant said, effortlessly picking Miriam up and putting her in a chair. “Now, you’re going to cooperate, aren’t you? Best thing for everyone.”

  “Hey,” Simon said, coming behind Valentine and tapping him on the arm. “How about leaving her alone?”

  “Simon!” Barbara said, but for once he ignored her.

  “She’s a girl,” he continued, staring at Valiant. “If you want to say something, say it to me.”

  The man turned from the struggling girl and laughed, deep dimples appearing in his cheeks. “Your little suitor is actually becoming a man, Barbara!” he said. “Move back, sonny, out of the way.”

  “Stand up, I said!” Simon shouted.

  Miriam stopped struggling suddenly. “No,” she said. “Don’t. That’s not the way, Simon. Don’t worry, Mr. Cantwell; I’ll behave myself.”

  He still knelt in front of her, tightly holding her arms. “Can I trust you?” he asked.

  Miriam nodded. “Yes,” she said.

  Satisfied, he got up and, retrieving his cigar, resumed puffing on it as though nothing had occurred out of the ordinary that evening.

  Breathing heavily, Simon looked between Miriam and his father’s partner. “Simon,” Barbara said, “do sit down.” Reaching up, she put one hand on his arm, but he shook it off and, without a backward look, he marched out of the room. Somewhat surprised, Barbara watched him go and jumped as he slammed the door behind him.

  “Better hang on to your admirer, Barbara,” Valiant said, blowing out a long stream of smoke. “He seems to be suffering a fit of temper.”

  “He’ll come back,” she said. “Still, it is a bit annoying, especially now –” She stopped talking as Valiant waved his cigar at Miriam.

  Virgil chose that moment to snore himself awake. “What the devil?” he asked. “Where is everyone?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Virgil, old chap,” Valiant said. He carefully tapped off a disc of thick ash into the silver holder by his elbow.

  “I believe it is time for this little girl to go to her room, Valiant,” Barbara said, indicating Miriam without looking at her.

  Miriam stood up. “I’m going,” she said, “but not because you want me to; I’m leaving because I want to get away from you. And I’m not a little girl, not anymore.”

  She strode out and closed the door on Barbara’s soft laugh.