‘Did I know what, Mama?’
‘Why, that your uncle Henry is coming to London, on a matter of business! Bonamy told me that he had heard someone say that he was coming, and he said that he would invite him to his party! To be sure, Bonamy couldn’t recall who had told him of it, but I wholly believe it, because it is just the provoking sort of thing Henry would do! When anyone would have supposed that he would be fixed in Nottinghamshire – or do I mean Northamptonshire? Oh, well, it’s of no consequence, and you will know! Wherever it was that he purchased a property when he retired! My darling, I know you have a kindness for him, but you must own that nothing could be more unfortunate than this ridiculous start! I don’t feel that he can be depended on not to recognize you, do you?’
‘On the contrary!’ said Kit emphatically. ‘He would know me within five minutes of clapping eyes on me! When is he coming to London?’
‘Oh, not until next week!’ she assured him. ‘There’s no need to be in a pucker, Kit!’
‘No – not if I can get out of town!’ he said. He looked at her, between amusement and exasperation. ‘Mama, I don’t think you can have the smallest notion of the dangers of this appalling situation! I met a friend of Evelyn’s on my way to Mount Street, and gave him the cut direct! God knows who he is! I brushed through – said I had been in the clouds, and he swallowed it. But what if he’d guessed I wasn’t Evelyn? A pretty case of pickles that would have been, wouldn’t it?’
‘Yes, but he didn’t guess, and I’m persuaded no one will, except your uncle, or some particular friend of yours, and you may easily avoid them. However, I think you are very right to remove from London, for I perfectly understand that it must be very exhausting to be always on the watch for Evelyn’s friends. Not that I believe any of them would suspect a take-in. Well, look at Bonamy! I did think that he might recognize you, and I let you come into the room just to see whether he would. It wouldn’t have signified if he had, because I should have disclosed the whole to him, and he wouldn’t have breathed a word to a soul, but he hadn’t a notion!’ Her eyes searched his face, trying to read his thought. She stretched out her hand, and when, with a faint, rueful smile, he took it in his, she said coaxingly: ‘Dearest, why do you look like that? Are you not enjoying yourself? Not at all?’
‘No, Mama, I am not enjoying myself!’ he replied, with admirable restraint.
‘Oh, dear!’ she sighed. ‘I thought you would! Why, you were used positively to revel in hoaxing people! Quite as much as Evelyn did! And if ever you were discovered it was always he who made the fatal slip, never you!’
His fingers closed round her hand. ‘Do but consider!’ he begged. ‘In the old days we were just kicking up a lark: we never ran that rig for a serious purpose! Now, think, love! What if the fellow I met today had known me? You might trust Ripple with the truth, but how could I trust a stranger, who, for anything I know, may be no more than a chance acquaintance of Evelyn’s? The story would have been all over town by now, and what would be Miss Stavely’s feelings when it reached her ears?’
She thought this over, and nodded. ‘Very true! It wouldn’t do, would it? So awkward to explain it satisfactorily! You don’t think Cressy suspects, do you?’
He shook his head. ‘No, because she scarcely knows Evelyn. But she’s no fool, Mama, and if she grew to know me – then she would recognize the imposture as soon as she met Evelyn again.’
‘Yes, but she won’t grow to know you. You shall leave for Ravenhurst immediately, and if Evelyn hasn’t returned by then – though surely he will have done so? – I shall join you next week. It would look very particular, you know, if I were to leave London in a pelter.’
‘Of course it would, and I beg you won’t do so! You need not come to Ravenhurst at all, love: you will be bored to death there!’
‘Kit, how can you think me such an unnatural wretch?’ she said indignantly. ‘It is all my fault that you are obliged to air your heels in the country, and the least I can do is to bear you company! For it isn’t as though you have a chère amie in England, which, of course, would be far more amusing for you – though I don’t think you could take her to Ravenhurst, even if you had.’
‘No,’ he said unsteadily. ‘I don’t think I could!’ His gravity broke down; he went into a fit of laughter, gasping: ‘Oh, Mama, what next will you say? First it was Ripple’s corset, and now my chère amie! Such a want of delicacy, love!’
‘Fiddle, Kit! What a wet-goose I should be if I thought you knew nothing about the muslin company! Of course you do, though not, I fancy, as much as Evelyn does, which I am excessively thankful for. Oh, Kit, what can have happened to Evelyn? Where is he?’
He stopped laughing, and put his arm round her, giving her a reassuring hug. ‘Don’t worry, Mama! I know no more than you do what can have happened to him, but I’m very sure he’s safe and sound somewhere. As for where he is, it seems to me that since he was last heard of at Ravenhurst I may be able to discover a clue if I go there myself. So no falling into the dismals, if you please! Promise?’
She put up a hand to stroke his cheek, smiling mistily at him. ‘You are such a comfort, dearest! I’ll try to keep up my spirits, but it will be a struggle to do so when you’ve gone away. And when I recall that I shall have to visit old Lady Stavely I feel ready to sink!’
Seven
Leaving Fimber to follow him with such articles of his brother’s wardrobe as Fimber considered indispensable, Kit drove himself down to Sussex in Evelyn’s curricle, taking Challow with him. This individual lost no time in quashing the several plans he had formed for discovering Evelyn’s whereabouts. He described these, with the freedom of an old and trusted servant, as caper-witted, adding, with some severity, that saving only his lordship he had never known anyone with more maggots in his head than Mr Kit. ‘Being as you’ve set yourself up as his lordship, sir, there ain’t nothing you can do to find him. A capital go it would be if you was to go round the countryside asking after him!’
Accustomed to the faithful henchman’s strictures, Kit said mildly: ‘I’m not really as bacon-brained as you think – not that that’s praising myself to the skies! As far as inquiring after my brother goes I know very well I’m hamstrung. But –’
‘Yes, sir, you are. And if you’ve taken a notion into your nous-box that I can do it for you, you’re beside the bridge! In course, no one wouldn’t think there was any havey-cavey business going on if I was to start asking after my lord when he’s known to be at Ravenhurst! Oh, no! Not if I didn’t ask any but whopstraws they wouldn’t! And don’t you humbug yourself into thinking everyone won’t know it, Mr Kit, because there ain’t anything that happens at Ravenhurst but what it’s talked of all over! You’ll have to show yourself abroad now-and-now, too, for you don’t want it to look as if you was hiding yourself: that ’ud make you look brummish straight off!’
‘Yes, I know all that,’ Kit said. ‘I was thinking of the toll-gates, and the pikes.’
‘Well, sir, I don’t deny I’ve thought of ’em myself,’ confessed Challow. ‘It’s my belief it won’t fadge to go asking questions there any more than it will anywhere else. Now, just you think! I do know that his lordship drove off through the main gates, but which way he took when he reached the lane I don’t know, and even if I was to discover that, cunning-like, from Tugby, at the lodge, it’s my belief it wouldn’t do us a bit of good. If he turned left-handed, it looks like he was making for the London road, but I don’t think he did, because I took that road myself, only a couple of hours after his lordship drove off, and the pike-keeper where you come out on to the post-road knows both him and me, and not a word did he say about having seen my lord when he opened the pike to let me through. Seems to me it’s more likely he turned right-handed when he got to the lane, but that don’t do us a bit of good neither. You know as well as I do, Mr Kit, that it’s not more than five miles till you get to the e
nd of the lane that way and only a step from the village. If I was to start inquiring after his lordship at that pike, we’d have the busyhead that keeps it flashing the gab in an ant’s foot, which would send my lord up into the boughs when he got to hear about it.’
‘There are other pikes and toll-gates on the road,’ Kit said shortly.
‘To be sure there are, sir, and a very busy road it is,’ agreed Challow. ‘Was you thinking of sending me to ask at all the gates and pikes up and down it, which ain’t near enough to Ravenhurst for the keepers to recognize his lordship? Because it wouldn’t fit, Master Kit! Who’s going to remember one phaeton more or less a fortnight back? Ay, and even if I did get wind of his lordship how would I know whether he didn’t perhaps turn off the post-road somewheres? I tell you, sir, it ain’t no manner of use: he could be anywhere!’
‘I’m well aware of that,’ Kit replied, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. ‘I don’t know where to look for him, even if I weren’t masquerading, because I don’t know his habits, or the company he has been keeping. But don’t you know, Challow?’ The groom did not answer; and, after a moment, Kit glanced at him, and saw that he was frowning. ‘Come, man, unbutton!’ he commanded. ‘You surely can’t suppose that my brother would want you to keep anything a secret from me!’
‘It ain’t that, Master Kit,’ Challow said, shaking his head. ‘The mischief is I don’t know – not by a long chalk! That ain’t to say I haven’t had my suspicions, the same as Fimber has, but whenever his lordship goes off on one of his revel-routs he don’t take either of us with him, nor he don’t say where he’s off to. It queers me why he should tip us the double like he does, because there’s nothing we could do to stop him going the pace.’
Kit let this pass. He found nothing remarkable in Evelyn’s desire to shake off his fond but censorious guardians when he was bent on adventures of which they would strongly and vociferously disapprove; but as no useful purpose would be served by entering into discussion of this he merely said: ‘He may not tell you where he’s off to, but I’ll swear it’s a guinea to a gooseberry that you know!’
‘Not properly I don’t, sir. I’ve got my reasons for thinking there’s a ladybird in Brighton he used to have dealings with, and another one at Tunbridge Wells. It did cross my mind, when he went off alone from Ravenhurst, that that’s where he was bound for. Well, I don’t mind owning to you, sir, that when he didn’t come home to London when he was looked for, what with her ladyship getting in a twitter, and him being engaged to dine at my Lord Stavely’s, I took it upon myself to hop on to the stage, and see if I couldn’t get news of him at the Wells. I didn’t say anything about it to her ladyship, nor to you neither, Mr Kit, because I’ll take my oath my lord ain’t there, nor hasn’t been. They hadn’t seen him at the Sussex, nor the Kentish, nor even the New Inn: that’s certain-sure! I got into talk with the ostlers, for if my lord had stabled his grays at any of the inns they wouldn’t have been forgotten, even if he was! You ain’t seen them yet, but I give you my word they’re complete to a shade! Perfect in all their paces! Four of the tidiest ones you ever clapped eyes on, sir!’
‘What about the livery-stables?’ interrupted Kit.
‘No, sir – not at any which my lord would have trusted with that team. Naturally I thought of that, when I got to wondering if perhaps he’d set his peculiar up private, and wasn’t putting up at an inn at all.’ He coughed discreetly, adding, on a note of apology: ‘If I’m not speaking too free, Master Kit!’
Kit paid no heed to this, but said, frowning ahead of him: ‘My brother wouldn’t have remained with one of his peculiars at such a time as this.’
‘Just what I think myself, sir!’ said Challow. ‘Not when he’s made up his mind to step into parson’s mousetrap he wouldn’t! He’s not of that cut – let alone the danger of it! Tunbridge Wells! Lord, I saw with my own eyes upwards of half-a-dozen people there that his lordship knew well!’
Kit nodded, and relapsed into silence. The problem of his erratic twin’s whereabouts seemed insoluble; for the only explanation that occurred to him was that Evelyn, who had certainly gone off to redeem Lady Denville’s brooch, must have found that Lord Silverdale had left Brighton, and had decided to follow him to his Yorkshire estates. But no sooner had he admitted this thought into his mind than he was struck by its improbability. If Evelyn, pressed for time, as he must have known he was, had undertaken such a journey, he would not have set forth in his phaeton. Nor could there have been any reason to account for his having taken such care to rid himself of his valet. It was equally unlikely that he would not have failed to apprise Lady Denville of his intention. He might well have driven himself to London – but why leave Challow behind? – and gone on from there by post-chaise; but that he had not done so was proved by the absence of his grays from their stable.
Kit was recalled from these ruminations by Challow, who presented him with a fresh problem. ‘Begging your pardon, Mr Kit,’ said that worthy, ‘but what was you meaning to do at Ravenhurst?’
‘Do?’ repeated Kit, whose only thought so far had been to escape from a locality so fraught with peril as London. ‘I don’t know – what should I do? Fish – shoot a few wood pigeons and rabbits!’
‘Ah!’ said Challow, in the voice of one who had foreseen this answer. ‘I’m sure I wouldn’t want to throw a rub in your way, sir, but if you want to gammon everyone into believing you’re his lordship you won’t go fishing! That ain’t by any means his lordship’s notion of sport!’
Kit, who had momentarily forgotten Evelyn’s dislike of fishing, felt much inclined to damn his lordship. He quelled the impulse, but said, with a touch of exasperation: ‘You’ve only to add that as I’m nothing like as good a shot as my brother, and must therefore not take a gun out, to tip me a final settler! Don’t put yourself to the trouble of doing it, but tell me instead what the devil I am going to do!’
‘Now, now!’ responded Challow, indulgently chiding. ‘There’s no call for you to take a pet, Master Kit! All I’m saying is that if you do take a gun out you don’t want anyone to go with you – no loader, nor Mr Willey, which is my lord’s new gamekeeper. You ain’t seen him yet, nor he won’t know you from my lord, if he don’t see you shooting.’
‘Thank you!’ said Kit, a reluctant grin banishing his frown. ‘Stop depressing my pretensions, and tell me who is likely to recognize me at Ravenhurst!’
‘I been thinking of that, sir, and it don’t seem to me that anyone will, barring Mrs Pinner – and seeing as how she lives in the cottage by the west gates now I daresay you could keep out of her way.’
He sounded doubtful, but Kit had no doubt at all that there was no possibility of keeping out of his old nurse’s way. He exclaimed: ‘Keep out of Pinny’s way? I don’t mean to try! If I can’t trust her, there’s no one, not even my mother, whom I can trust!’
‘That’s true enough,’ agreed Challow. ‘What’s more, sir, if anyone was to get a suspicion you wasn’t his lordship – not that I think anyone will, for the new butler, which my lord engaged a year ago, when it got to be beyond old Mr Brigg to be jauntering up and down from London, ain’t never laid eyes on you, and he don’t know his lordship very well neither, for, barring the couple of nights we spent at Ravenhurst a fortnight back, my lord hasn’t been next or nigh the place since he was here in November, with a party, for the shooting – however, if he did happen to be more of a downy one than I take him for, he won’t think no more about it when me, and Fimber, and Mrs Pinner carry on as though everything was natural and above-board. Well, why should he, Master Kit? No one that didn’t know you like we do would ever think of you taking it into your head to run a rig like this!’
Kit opened his mouth to refute the suggestion that he had ever taken any such idea into his head, but shut it again, as he remembered that it had been his own light-hearted words which had put it into his mama’s head.
Pe
rceiving that the unwonted frown had deepened on his young master’s brow, Challow said encouragingly: ‘Now, you don’t need to get into the hips, sir, only because I’ve dropped a warning in your ear! You carry it with a high hand, and you’ll do!’
It seemed, when they reached Ravenhurst, that he was right. Since his arrival was unexpected, he found the great gates shut. Tugby, whom he had known all his life, came out of the lodge, looking startled, when Challow blew a sharp summons on the yard of tin, but as soon as he saw Kit he hurried forward to open the gates, ejaculating, ‘My lord! Well, I never did!’
‘Didn’t expect to see me again so soon, did you?’ said Kit cheerfully.
‘No, that I didn’t, my lord! But I’m mighty glad you’ve come back. We don’t see enough of you these days.’ He set wide one half of the gate, and returned to pull back the other, looking up at Kit, and saying: ‘And have you had word from Mr Christopher, my lord? I hope he’s well?’
‘Yes: he’s in prime twig – and sends his remembrances to all his old friends here.’
‘Ah, we want him home, don’t we, my lord?’ said Tugby. ‘It don’t seem right to see you here without him.’
Driving through the park, along the well-kept avenue, very much the same thought was in Kit’s mind. Ravenhurst was the home of his boyhood, and he loved it; but all his memories of it were so inseparably linked with his twin that the place seemed empty without him, and even a little strange.
Half-ashamed to find himself sentimentalizing, he tried to shake off his depression, and to take pleasure instead in seeing that although it had seldom been visited since his father’s death everything was in excellent order. But when he entered the house the feeling of emptiness was oppressive, and made him regret that he had come back to it alone. It had little to do with Evelyn, as he realized. When the family was in residence, upwards of twenty indoor servants were employed; and he could scarcely remember a time when no guests had been entertained there; and since the household had always known when to expect my lord and my lady he had never before found the saloons and the drawing-rooms shrouded in holland covers. He thought it was enough to cast the most cheerful person into gloom, and wondered for how long he would be obliged to remain there. He also wondered, and with a flicker of amusement, for how long his mother would bear it. She frankly disliked country life; and the only things that made her sojourns at Ravenhurst tolerable were a succession of visitors, and its proximity to Brighton.