A Dangerous Fortune - Ken Follett [23]
“Thank you. If Hugh works hard he will one day earn a comfortable living.”
Lady Stalworthy looked a little taken aback. “His father left nothing at all, then?”
“No.” Augusta needed to let her know that Hugh would get no money from his uncles when he married. She said: “He will have to work his way up in the bank, living on his salary.”
“Ah, yes,” said Lady Stalworthy, and her face showed a hint of disappointment. “Florence has a small independence, happily.”
Augusta’s heart sank. So Florence had money of her own. That was bad news. Augusta wondered how much it was. The Stalworthys were not as rich as the Pilasters—few people were—but they were comfortable, Augusta believed. At any rate, Hugh’s poverty was not enough to turn Lady Stalworthy against him. Augusta would have to use stronger measures. “Dear Florence would be such a help to Hugh … a stabilizing influence, I feel sure.”
“Yes,” said Lady Stalworthy vaguely, and then she frowned. “Stabilizing?”
Augusta hesitated. This kind of thing was dangerous, but the risk had to be taken. “I never listen to gossip, and I’m sure you don’t either,” she said. “Tobias was quite unfortunate, of that there is no doubt, but Hugh shows hardly any sign of having inherited the weakness.”
“Good,” said Lady Stalworthy, but her face showed deep anxiety.
“All the same, Joseph and I would be very happy to see him married to such a sensible girl as Florence. One feels she would be firm with him, if …” Augusta trailed off.
“I …” Lady Stalworthy swallowed. “I don’t seem to recall just what his father’s weakness was.”
“Well, it wasn’t true, really.”
“Strictly between you and me, of course.”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have raised it.”
“But I must know everything, for my daughter’s sake. I’m sure you understand.”
“Gambling,” Augusta said in a lowered voice. She did not want to be overheard: there were people here who would know she was lying. “It was what led him to take his own life. The shame, you know.” Pray heaven the Stalworthys don’t bother to check the truth of this, she thought fervently.
“I thought his business failed.”
“That, too.”
“How tragic.”
“Admittedly, Joseph has had to pay Hugh’s debts once or twice, but he has spoken very firmly to the boy, and we feel sure it will not happen again.”
“That’s reassuring,” said Lady Stalworthy, but her face told a different story.
Augusta felt she had probably said enough. The pretense that she was in favor of the match was wearing dangerously thin. She glanced out of the window again. Florence was laughing at something Hugh was saying, throwing her head back and showing her teeth in a way that was rather … unseemly. He was practically eating her up with his eyes. Everyone at the party could see they were attracted to each other. “I judge it won’t be long before matters come to a head,” Augusta said.
“Perhaps they have talked enough for one day,” Lady Stalworthy said with a troubled look. “I had better intervene. Do excuse me.”
“Of course.”
Lady Stalworthy headed rapidly for the garden.
Augusta felt relieved. She had carried off another delicate conversation. Lady Stalworthy was suspicious of Hugh now, and once a mother began to feel uneasy about a suitor she rarely came to favor him in the end.
She looked around and spotted Beatrice Pilaster, another sister-in-law. Joseph had had two brothers: one was Tobias, Hugh’s father, and the other was William, always called Young William because he was born twenty-three years after Joseph. William was now twenty-five and not yet a partner in the bank. Beatrice was his wife. She was like a large puppy, happy and clumsy and eager to be everyone’s friend. Augusta decided to speak to her about Samuel and his secretary. She went over to her and said: “Beatrice, dear, would you like to see my bedroom?”
4
MICKY AND HIS FATHER left the party and set out to walk back to their lodgings. Their route lay entirely through parks—first Hyde Park, then Green Park, and St. James’s Park—until they reached the river. They stopped in the middle of Westminster Bridge to rest for a spell and look at the view.