Callander Square - Anne Perry [26]
Charlotte was pale. She stood just inside the door, her eyes wide.
“Emily, you promised!”
Emily had no idea what she meant.
“You promised!” Charlotte said fiercely. “What do you imagine the Balantynes will do if they discover you know such a thing? From what you said of Lady Augusta, she will hardly sit by and allow you to ruin Christina! Have you no sense at all? I shall tell George myself, and perhaps he will be able to prevent you from being so idiotic!”
Emily waved her aside.
“Oh for goodness’ sake, Charlotte; do you imagine I don’t know how to conduct myself socially? I have climbed far higher than you ever will. Mostly, of course, because you won’t exert yourself. But do you imagine that because you won’t keep your opinions to yourself that I cannot, if I wish? I can lie so that Mr. Pitt would not know it, and certainly not Augusta Balantyne. I have no intention of ruining either myself, or George.
“Now please pay attention to what I have been telling you about Christina! I have no idea who the man may be; but while I was there an opportunity arose, and I had the most brilliant idea. Naturally I seized upon it immediately. General Balantyne is writing a military history of his family, of which he seems to be extraordinarily proud. He needs some help to keep himself organized, take notes, and so forth.” She stopped for a moment to draw breath, her eyes on Charlotte. For the first time she actually considered the possibility that Charlotte might refuse.
“Well?” Charlotte said with a slight frown. “I cannot see what General Balantyne’s military memoirs have to do with Christina’s fears.”
“Why, they are the perfect answer!” Emily banged her hand on her skirt in frustration at Charlotte’s obtuseness. “I have volunteered that you will go and help him with his papers! You are the ideal person. You even like military matters—you can remember who fought whom, in which battles, while most of us cannot even recall why, and certainly don’t care. You must go and—”
Charlotte’s face had fallen in incredulity.
“Emily, you must have lost your senses! I cannot possibly go and—and work for General Balantyne! It would be preposterous!” But even as she was saying it, her voice was slowing down, the outrage slipping out of it. Emily knew that in spite of her words, she had not at all dismissed the idea, in fact she was, in framing its very ridiculousness to herself, turning over in her mind the faint possibility of accepting it.
“Thomas would never permit it,” Charlotte said carefully.
“Why not?”
“It would be—unseemly.”
“Why? You do not need to take any payment for it, if it is beneath his dignity for you to do so. All he needs to know is that you are helping a friend, and at the same time pursuing your own interest. And who knows what you may discover? You will actually be in the house, day by day!”
Charlotte opened her mouth to protest again, but her eyes were looking beyond Emily, into the distance of her imagination, and there was a deep light in them. Emily knew she had won, and there was no time for decorating the victory.
“I shall call for you tomorrow morning at half past nine. Wear your best dark dress, that wine one, it is new enough, and the color becomes you—”
“I am not going in order to engage his attentions, Emily!” Charlotte made a last, automatic protest.
“Don’t be obtuse, Charlotte. Every woman, if she succeeds at anything, does so by engaging some man’s attentions. Anyway, whatever your purpose is, it can hardly hurt!”
“Emily, you are a thoroughly conniving creature.”
“So are you, you are just afraid to admit it to yourself.” She stood up. “I must go.