Виктория Холт - Beyond the blue Mountains

"Come... quickly," said Margery in a hoarse whisper.

"If your Ma was to know...”

Henry was in the kitchen. Katharine ran to him, and they dung together, kissing.

"How beautiful you are!" said Henry. She laughed almost hysterically; Henry in lamplight was such a contrast to Sir Anthony, satin-coated in candlelight. She took his hand and kissed it. She found it difficult to stop kissing it.

Henry touched her white shoulder wonderingly; then the lace and the soft material of her gown.

"You are so beautiful." he repeated.

"You are so beautiful!”

She said: "It is the dress. I would rather be in my riding kit, on the veranda with you.”

He kissed her and they looked at each other incredulously as though they could not wholly believe in the existence of each other "Why did you come?" she asked breathlessly.

"I thought of you in there ... dancing ... being so beautiful that every man must love you.”

"Stupid!" she said, and they kissed again, and his hands caressed her bare shoulders.

Margery was crying in the corner. The beauty of it! The beauty! Oh, to be young ... seventeen and eighteen, and to believe love went on for ever! The lovely children ... and me lord in there making love to her and wanting to marry her, and her wanting the other! Poor little soul!

Funny listening to their lovers' talk. It didn't mean anything but "I want you! I want you." They thought it did though, poor little innocents. You can't go on wanting for ever though, and what's a station beyond the Blue Mountains compared with a grand house in London Town! Muck and squalor, gaudy lights, and the poor and the beggars, and the lords and ladies. London! I hate you. London, I love you!

Why is it, when you think of London, you get a pain inside you that nothing could ease but a sight of the wicked old city? If you was wise, me lady, you'd choose London Town. But love and wisdom never was two to go hand in hand. Your lady mother's right, and so is the master, and what are they going to do about it, eh? And who's going to win ... you, me darling, and your rampaging lover, or wise Mamma who knows more than she'd like you to think she knows and your Papa who was born wise? And here's old Margery, watching and taking a hand. Who let him into her kitchen, eh? Who gives him bits of gossip, eh? It's nice to know you've got a hand in things ... when you're old and there's nothing much left to you but a glass of grog at the kitchen table.

He stroked Katharine's shoulders and stooped and kissed them; he murmured again and again that she was beautiful and that he had forgotten how beautiful; and neither of them gave a thought to old Margery standing there, watching them with glistening eyes.

The door opened and Carolan came in. her eyes flashing fire, but behind the fire was fear for this daughter whom she loved better than anything in the world.

"Katharine!" she said, and Katharine swung round, all defiance, ready for the fight.

"It is time you and Henry met. Mamma.”

"Henry?" said Carolan coldly.

Henry bowed.

Ah I thought Margery. He's not got the manners of the gentleman in the blue satin coat, but he's got some sort of charm, and you can see with half an eye where he gets that!

"Henry Jedborough," said Katharine, in a dignified manner.

"We are going to be married.”

Carolan turned pale.

She said: This is rather sudden, is it not?" And her eyes, as they rested on the young man, were like cold green emeralds.

"No," said Henry, jauntily.

"Katharine and I arranged it some time ago. We are tired of waiting.”

"Yes, Mamma," said Katharine, 'that is right.”

"I do not recollect your having asked my permission to propose marriage to my daughter, sir. But perhaps you have spoken to her father?”

"No!" he said, hating her because he knew she meant "Who is this crude unmannerly creature who ignores all the rules laid down by decent society?”

"We thought." he added, 'that it was a matter for us to decide.”

I know why she hates him so, thought Margery. In this light, where you can't notice the difference so much, he's the living image of his father.

"Katharine," said Carolan, ignoring him. 'it was very ill-mannered of you to leave your guests. Go back at once)' "Mamma!”

"Go back at once!”

"Mamma, please understand ...”

"My dear child, this is not the time to conduct a ridiculous scene. Mr.

... Mr. ... your friend can call upon your father tomorrow. I must really ask him to go now." Henry bowed. He had his dignity. He said: "Goodbye, my darling." And then, defiantly: "I shall see you tomorrow." And there in front of Carolan and Margery he took her into his arms and kissed her several times right on the mouth. She was quivering with desire for him in spite of the scene that had just taken place, in spite of the spectators. That was how it was when you were young, thought Margery. Love swamped everything; when young lovers kissed, they forgot everyone else. Ah! That was how it was when you were young.

He said: "Darling, promise me. Don't let them...”

"No, no, no!" she cried.

They will try ...”

They will not succeed.”

"Remember... the station ... the two of us ... beyond the Blue Mountains.”

The two of us," she said, 'darling, beyond the Blue Mountains.”

He kissed her hands he could not tear himself away.

Carolan was stamping her foot in fury.

When he had gone she looked coldly at her daughter.

"Go upstairs at once," she said.

"People are wondering what has happened to you. I am ashamed ...”

Katharine was ready to obey. She loved her mother very dearly, for indeed they were much alike, those two, and they had been very close until this Henry came. She went slowly back to the music and the guests, but she had a remote look in her eyes for her thoughts were with Henry galloping home under the stars.

Carolan turned on Margery.

"You arranged that meeting, did you? Did you?”

"Now, now," said Margery.

"What's all the excitement? If a young gent comes knocking on my door and asks for Miss Katharine, what should I do but ask him in?" Carolan, as always, was indiscreet when angry.

"I believe you arranged it, you wicked woman!”

"Here!" said Margery truculently, for, as she told herself, she was all on Miss Katharine's side, love being love and the stuff that makes the world go round. And, she reasoned, it's hard when someone who was as ready to love as most, forgets it! She thought: I don't like this house. There's ghosts in this house. I'd like to go with them two young ones, that I would. My goodness, there'll be some fireworks there. She ain't going to lose her lover like you did, Madam Carolan.

He ain't going to let that happen.

Perhaps children is wiser than their parents, because, if they wasn't, how would things get moving on at all? I'm for the young ones ... whatever you say. And she's promised I'm to go with them and he won't say no. I'm his friend. Haven't I shown him I'm on his side! And he's his father all over again and don't mind handing out a bit of flattery even to an old woman. He's made that way, and my little lady will want someone to look after her, I'm thinking. That's my home with them, on the other side of the Blue Mountains, so I ain't afraid of you, Madam Carolan, that I ain't! And I knows too much about you to pretend I ami Carolan was looking at her arrogantly.

"I said that you probably arranged it. You let him in. You doubtless suggested he should come in. You meddling old woman!”

Margery felt sorry for her. If you know human nature, she was thinking, you know what's behind words. What she meant was"You meddled in my life!" And that boy was the dead spit of his father, and she was thinking back years and years, and wanting his father, never having forgotten him. never having forgotten how, through her own pride, she had lost him.