Andrew Taylor - The American Boy

"I am in receipt of another letter from Mrs Frant," he said with a trace of irritation. "You are aware that her uncle, Mr Wavenhoe, has been very ill for some time?"

"Yes, sir."

"His medical attendants now believe him to be at death's door. He has expressed a wish to say farewell to his great-nephew. Mrs Frant requests that you convey her son to Mr Wavenhoe's house, where she and the rest of his family have gathered. And she further requests that you remain with him while he is there."

I confess my heart leapt at the prospect of being under the same roof as Sophia Frant for a few days. "But surely that will be most inconvenient for the conduct of the school, sir? Could she not send a servant instead to collect him?"

Bransby held up his hand. "Mr Wavenhoe's establishment is in some disorder. Both Mrs Frant and the boy's old nurse are fully occupied in nursing Mr Wavenhoe. She does not wish her son to be neglected, or to mope, while he is with them." He took a pinch of snuff and sneezed. "As to the inconvenience, that is to some extent mitigated by the fact that Mrs Frant is prepared to pay handsomely for the privilege of having your company for her son. It should only be for a day or two."

For an instant, a wild hope surged through me: could Mrs Frant have invited me for her own sake, rather than her son's? A moment's reflection was enough to show me my folly.

"You will leave this afternoon," Bransby said. "I could wish it otherwise. Sooner or later the boy must learn to stand on his own two feet."

When Charlie Frant heard that I was to take him to his uncle Wavenhoe's, and why, his face aged. The skin wrinkled, the colour fled. I glimpsed the old man he might at some point in the future become.

"May Allan come with me, sir?" he asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. But you must bring your books."

Later that day we drove up to town. Charlie resisted my efforts at conversation, and I was reminded of that other journey, when I had taken him back to school in disgrace. Although it was only the middle of the afternoon, it was such a raw, damp, grey day it felt hours later than it really was. When we turned from the noise and lights of the bustle of Piccadilly into Albemarle-street, what struck me first was the quiet. They had put down straw to muffle the sound of wheels and bribed the organ grinders, the beggars and the street sellers to take themselves elsewhere.

Mr Wavenhoe lived in a substantial house near the northern end of the street. The servant took our hats and coats in the hall. Men were talking in raised voices in a room on the right of the front door. There were footsteps on the stairs. I looked up to see Flora Carswall running towards us, her feet flickering in and out on the stone steps. She stooped and kissed Charlie who shied away from the embrace. She smiled at me and held out her hand.

"Mr Shield, is it not? We met briefly outside my cousin's house in Russell-square."

I told her I remembered our meeting well, which was no more than the truth. She said she was come to take Charlie up to his mother. I asked after Mr Wavenhoe.

"I fear he is sinking fast." She lowered her voice. "These last few months have not been happy ones for him, so in some respects it is a blessed relief." Her eyes strayed to Charlie. "There is nothing distressing about it. Or rather, that is to say, not for the spectator." She coloured most becomingly. "Lord, my father says I let my tongue run away with me, and I fear he is right. What I mean to say, is that Mr Wavenhoe looks at present like one who is very tired and very sleepy. Nothing more than that."

I smiled at her and inclined my head. It was a kindly thought. To see the dying is often disagreeable, particularly for a child. The sound of male voices became louder behind the closed door.

"Oh dear," Miss Carswall said. "Papa and Mr Frant are in there." She bit her lip. "I am staying here to help Mrs Frant with the nursing, and Papa looks in at least once a day to see how we do. But now I must take Charlie up to his mama and Kerridge or they will wonder where we are." She turned to the footman. "Show Mr Shield up to his room, will you? And he and Master Charles will need a room to sit in. Has Mrs Frant left instructions?"

"I understand the housekeeper has lit a fire in the old schoolroom, miss. Mr Shield's room is next door."

We went upstairs. Miss Carswall led Charlie away. I looked after her, watching her hips swaying beneath the muslin of her gown. I realised the footman was doing the same and quickly looked away. We men are all the same under the skin: we fear death, and in our healthy maturity we desire copulation.

We climbed higher and the footman showed me first into a bedroom under the eaves, and then into a long schoolroom next to it. There were fires burning in the grates of both rooms, a luxury I was not used to. The man inquired very civilly if I desired any refreshment, and I asked for tea. He bowed and went away, leaving me to warm my hands by the fire.

A little later, there came footsteps on the stairs, followed by a knock on the door. I looked round, expecting Charlie or the footman. But it was Mrs Frant who entered the room. I stood up hastily and, made clumsy by surprise, sketched an awkward bow.

"Pray be seated, Mr Shield. Thank you for coming with Charlie. I trust they have made you comfortable?"

Her colour was up and she had her hand to the side, as though running up the stairs had given her a stitch. I said I was well looked after, and asked after Mr Wavenhoe.

"I fear he is not long for this world."

"Has Charlie seen him?"

"No – my uncle is asleep. Kerridge took Charlie downstairs with her for something to eat." Her face broke into a smile, instantly suppressed. "She believes she must feed him every time she sees him. He will be with you directly. If you need any refreshment, by the way, you must ring the bell. As for meals, I thought it might be more convenient if you and Charlie had them up here."

She moved to the barred window, which looked across an eighteen-inch lead-lined gully to the back of the parapet of the street facade. She wore greys and lilacs today, a transitional stage before the blacks she would don when her uncle died. A strand of hair had escaped from her cap, and she pushed it back with a finger. Her movements were always graceful, a joy to watch.

She turned towards me, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth as though impatient with herself. "You must have lights," she said almost pettishly, tugging the bell. "It is growing dark. I cannot abide the dark."

While we waited for the servant to come she questioned me about how Charlie was faring at school. I reassured her as best I could. He was much happier than he had been. No, he was not exactly industrious, but he coped with the work that was expected of him. Yes, he was indeed occasionally flogged, but so were all boys and there was nothing out of the way in it. As for his appetite, I rarely saw the boys eating, so I could not comment with any authority, but I had seen him on several occasions emerging from the pastry-cook's in the village. Finally, as to his motions, I feared I had no information upon that topic whatsoever.

Mrs Frant blushed and said I must excuse the fondness of a mother.

A moment later, the footman brought my tea and a lamp. When the shadows fled from the corners of the room, then so did the curious intimacy of my conversation with Mrs Frant. Yet she lingered. I asked her what regimen she would like us to follow while we were here. She replied that perhaps we might work in the mornings, take the air in the afternoons, and return to our books for a short while in the evening.

"Of course, there may be interruptions." She twisted her wedding ring round her finger. "One cannot predict the course of events. Mr Shield, I cannot-"