Snobbery with Violence by MC Beaton Read Free Book Online

again,’ said the earl gloomily. ‘I’m in a fix. Sit down. Have sherry. Help yourself. Have you eaten?’
    ‘I had lunch on the train. Let’s get to business.’
    ‘Right. His Majesty is threatening to come on a visit.’
    ‘A great expense.’
    ‘That’s not the problem. It’s Rose. I’ve heard a whisper that His Majesty is going to try his luck with her.’
    ‘And you want the visit stopped?’
    ‘But how?’
    ‘Leave it to me.’
    The earl and Lady Polly had intended to keep the news of the captain a secret, but Rose was accompanied on her walks by her maid and a footman. Two days after the captain’s visit, as she was walking along a country lane, she was only dimly aware of the footman, John, and her maid, Yardley, talking in low voices. But she heard the name ‘Cathcart’ and swung round.
    ‘What about Cathcart?’ she demanded.
    ‘I was saying that we did not often get callers,’ said Yardley, ‘and John here was remarking that the last caller was a certain Captain Cathcart.’
    ‘Back to the house,’ ordered Rose and set off at a great pace.
    She marched into her father’s study as soon as she arrived home. The earl was asleep in an armchair by the window, a newspaper over his face. Rose snatched the newspaper away and shouted, ‘Pa! Wake up!’
    ‘Eh, what?’ The earl struggled awake and looked up into the furious face of his daughter.
    ‘What was that man doing here?’
    ‘What man?’
    ‘Cathcart.’
    ‘Oh, him. Just a social call.’
    ‘I don’t believe it.’
    ‘Don’t you dare to question me, my girl! I told him to call if he was ever in the neighbourhood and he did, and that’s that. Now run along.’
    After a few days, as Rose was being dressed for dinner by Yardley, she heard a carriage arriving and went to the window and looked down. Her mouth tightened into a thin line. Captain Harry Cathcart descended and then helped a woman down from the carriage. He held out his arm to her and they disappeared below the window up the stairs to the main door.
    ‘Hurry up!’ snapped Rose to her maid. ‘We have visitors.’
    She waited impatiently while the maid finished strapping her into a long corset and putting on her stockings and attaching them to the long suspenders. Then came the knickers, several petticoats and a taffeta evening gown. Her hair was then pulled up over the pompadours, or rats, as the pads were commonly called, and pinned in place. Rose snatched up her evening gloves and put them on as she headed rapidly out of the room.
    She made her way down to the drawing-room to find only her mother there. ‘Dinner has been delayed a little,’ said Lady Polly. ‘You father has business to attend to.’
    ‘What business?’
    ‘I am afraid I do not know. I never interfere in your father’s business affairs.’
    ‘It’s something to do with me. I know it.’ Rose paced up and down.
    ‘The world does not revolve around you,’ said the countess sententiously. ‘Do sit down.’
    But Rose continued to pace.
    The doors were thrown open and the earl appeared, followed by Harry and a cheaply dressed over-made-up girl. She was wearing a tight gown of lavender crêpe de Chine. The neckline was very low and the gown appeared to be held up by two strings of beads on the shoulders. Her hair was an improbable shade of gold. Rose thought she must have travelled in evening dress, for there had surely been no time for such a quick change.
    ‘Captain Cathcart, you know,’ said the earl. ‘May I present Miss Daisy Levine.’
    ‘Pleased, I’m sure,’ said Daisy, sinking down into a low curtsy. Her face was covered in white lead with two rouged circles on her cheeks and her long eyelashes were darkened with lampblack. Her large green eyes were slightly protruding.
    Lady Polly stared at her husband with a look of outrage on her face.
    ‘I’ve told Brum to lay two more places for dinner,’ said the earl. ‘We’ve got fifteen minutes. I wanted to keep this from you, Rose, but the