Whispering (28 page)

‘Yes, I can imagine.' How beautiful she was, in her plain morning dress, listening so intently.

‘Caterina!' But this was not the moment. ‘I'll tell you one thing, I'm not worrying any more, now I have met Wellington. It will be all right tonight. I'm sure of that.'

‘He must be quite a man.'

‘He is! But I'm ashamed. With all this going on, I have not thought enough about you. How are you proposing to get to the party tonight, you and Miss Brown?'

‘Why, in our sedan chairs, of course. Very early, long before the witches and warlocks are out. When she invited us Mrs Ware told us to come early, before the others guests. I expect she regrets it now, but never mind. Is she very angry about Frank and Harriet?'

‘I am afraid she is. She goes about looking ready to burst. I am glad you are to be there early; perhaps you may be able to calm her a little. But you must let me come and escort you.'

‘An Englishman! You're not thinking, Mr Craddock. I am a Portuguese
fidalgo
. They are my people. It's you British who are at risk tonight.'

‘But what about Luiz? What's this?' He was annoyed at the interruption.

‘A note from Madame Fonsa.' She read it quickly. ‘Good gracious, what a woman! She has invited herself to Mrs Ware's party. Proposes to go in her carriage and will take us with her. Now that
will
mean an early start. It is twice as far to the Wares' house by carriage. Does that make you feel better?'

‘Yes, I must say it does. What an intrepid old lady. I wonder how Mrs Ware will take it?'

‘Perhaps you should go back and explain to her, just in case she does not know, that Madame Fonsa is one of the greatest ladies in Portonian society and is doing her an immense, an unprecedented honour.'

‘Miss Gomez –'

‘So formal!' The dark eyes mocked him. ‘You called me Caterina just now.'

What had he meant to say? Instead: ‘Did you ever draw my caricature?'

‘Oh, dear me, yes. But hardly a caricature. I can't tell you what a hero of romance I made you look. Goodness, what a long time ago that happy journey seems.'

‘Yes, a lifetime –' But he had thought of something else. ‘And, Luiz, have you drawn him?'

‘Why, yes.' She was blushing, and he was suddenly, furiously angry.

He controlled it: ‘May I see? Just in case – It would be useful to be able to recognise him.'

‘Of course it would.' She reached into a portfolio and riffled through the drawings it contained. ‘Here you are, and here. That's not a bad likeness.'

‘He's devilish handsome.' Jeremy fought down a tide of rage. ‘How well you draw.' He was in control again.

‘Thank you.' Dryly.

‘Caterina –' But this time he was interrupted by Harriet, who bounced into the room, brimful of news. ‘There's a proclamation being made about the streets,' she told them. ‘Tonio heard it on his way back from market. The British Parliament has voted £100,000 for the relief of Portuguese suffering during the war, and Wellington is here to arrange its distribution. Mr Croft is going to handle it, apparently. I suppose Wellington told you about that when you saw him last night, Mr Craddock?'

‘Not a word.' Jeremy was ashamed to be irked by this. ‘He keeps his own council, and one must respect him for it. Oh, I knew it was under discussion before I left England, but I thought it was meant mainly for the peasants who lost everything when the Lines of Torres Vedras were built. If Croft is handling it, he will know who was worst hit by the fighting here. It's splendid news! It's hard to see how anyone could whip up anti-British feeling in Oporto tonight.'

‘Money's not everything,' said Caterina.

‘No, but when you remember that it was Wellington himself who liberated Oporto from the French you have to see that it is a powerful combination.'

‘So long as you are not pro-French. Goodness, Mr Ware, we did not hope to see you this morning!'

‘Forgive me for bursting in on you, but I've no time to lose today. My mother sent me to ask if you had heard anything from Madame Feuillide. She was supposed to come first thing this
morning to help with the final arrangements, but there has been no sign of her, and no message.'

‘Well that is a piece of good news,' said Jeremy. ‘Wellington has lost no time. I imagine she has been arrested as a suspected French sympathiser. I do wonder if anyone else was arrested with her.'

‘So do I,' said Caterina. ‘But, Mr Ware, don't tell your mother until after her party. And now, if you gentlemen will excuse us, Harriet and I must think about making ourselves beautiful for it.'

It was strange to put on the evening gowns Madame Feuillide had made while knowing she was under arrest. ‘I hope they aren't too hard on her,' said Harriet as they gathered their wraps around them and made their way through the house to the stable yard.

‘She'll talk her way out of it,' said Caterina. ‘I just wish we knew –'

‘I know.' No need to speak Luiz's name. Harriet caught her friend's hand and pressed it. ‘Poor Cat, I am
sorry
!' Luiz was her one-time lover, the father of her child, and the best she could hope for him was that he was safe away to a discredited life in France.

‘I hope they have got him,' said Caterina. ‘Oh, look, she is using the old Fonsa coach.' The huge lumbering vehicle had just pulled into the yard. ‘With the Fonsa arms on it, do you see?'

‘I am afraid I don't understand,' said Harriet.

‘No, love, why should you? She wants to be seen as Fonsa today, not Sanchez in her son-in-law's carriage, bearing his arms.'

‘And her grandson's. I see. Oh, poor Madame Fonsa.'

‘Nothing poor about her,' said Caterina. ‘You wait till you meet her.'

Carlotta was sitting beside the old lady in the dank-smelling carriage, and surrendered her place reluctantly to the two girls. ‘Take good care of my lady,' she told Caterina. ‘And I'll be there before you,
senhora
.'

‘Carlotta is to pick up what news she can on the way,' explained Madame Fonsa as she received Caterina's kiss and looked Harriet briskly up and down. Then she smiled at her. ‘You have been a good friend to my Caterina, I know. I am sorry to hear we are to lose you to marriage so soon, Miss Brown.' The carriage doors closed on them. ‘We will go on speaking English, I think, just to be on the safe side.' The carriage wheels groaned as it moved off, and she leaned forward to speak close to the two girls sitting opposite her. ‘I heard from my man. They got Madame Feuillide, but Luiz escaped. It's hard to know whether to be glad or sorry.'

‘It depends what he does,' said Caterina bleakly.

‘What do you expect?'

‘Something terrible, madame.' They did not talk much after that.

It had been a dark day, with scurrying rain storms, and the light was beginning to go when the carriage drew up outside the Wares' house in the Rua Nova dos Inglesas. Frank was there at once to help them alight, with Carlotta anxious by his side, and his mother in all her finery hovering in the doorway.

‘I am more than honoured,' she dropped her deepest curtsey for Madame Fonsa, gave Caterina a brief, wintry smile, and managed not to see Harriet at all. ‘I am so glad you brought your maid, madame. Madame Feuillide has failed me; I cannot imagine why. I was counting on her –'

‘My Carlotta will do anything in her power to help your guests,' said the old lady, and moved indoors on a tide of obsequious thanks.

It was a curious party. Since dinner at the Factory did not take place until the English hour of six, and most of the senior male members of the English community were at it, Mrs Ware was left to entertain the old men, the wives, the dowagers and the young, until their lords and masters chose to tear themselves
away from the vintage port and walk down, with the guest of honour, to grace her establishment. Until then, the rest of the party must mark time as best they might. There were lavish refreshments, and music, of course, and a little half-hearted dancing. Young ladies sang and one young lady played the harp, rather badly, Caterina thought. But she had preoccupations of her own. News of her swiftly broken engagement was obviously out. She was aware all the time of censorious glances, whispers behind fans, a drawing away of elderly skirts. She ignored it, busy trying to see the faces of the menservants. She knew that Mrs Ware had hired extra help for the occasion, and could not forget what Luiz had said about masquerading as one of the flunkeys. But it was a most difficult task. Wax candles had been lit in sconces throughout the house by now, and it was full of shadows and dark places. And the footmen all looked alike, resplendent in powdered wigs and high-collared livery that did not necessarily fit. She thought that instinct would tell her if Luiz were near, but could not be sure of it. Oddly, she did not feel very much afraid. She knew Luiz well enough to be sure that vengeance on her would take second place to whatever else he had planned for tonight. He was a frighteningly single-minded man, and the more she thought about it, as she chattered and smiled and curtseyed, the more convinced she was that he was here somewhere. Or out in the street, waiting for Wellington? He would never have run for safety. Not Luiz.

Jeremy Craddock brought her a glass of lemonade and she told him this,
sotto voce
. He had stayed away from the Factory dinner, partly as guest of the house, partly to watch out for Luiz. ‘He must know we will be looking for him here,' he whispered back. ‘Most likely he will be in the street. That is why we are going up to meet Lord Wellington.'

‘You're going –?'

‘Yes, Frank and I. And there are soldiers in the streets. No need for anxiety there. I expect tomorrow we shall be laughing at ourselves for all this worry.'

‘I do hope so, but I don't quite believe it. I know Luiz, you see. He won't have run for it.'

Could she possibly love him still? Jeremy felt a sudden blaze of anger and pity. ‘Caterina, I am sorry. I hadn't thought –'

‘Don't think,' she said. ‘There's no time for that.' And was suddenly engulfed in a bevy of English girls who had been getting up their courage to approach her, the notorious heroine of the occasion. After being aware all evening of being the focus of unkind gossip, it was pleasant to find herself included in this chattering, cheerful group of young people, and she was sorry when a maidservant managed to catch her attention and tell her that Madame Fonsa was asking for her. ‘She is not well,
minha senhora
.'

She made swift apologies and turned to follow the messenger. ‘This way?' she asked, surprised, when the girl turned towards the stairs.

‘Yes,
senhora
,' she said hurriedly. ‘She fainted, and we took her up to the mistress's room.'

‘Fainted? Have you sent for the doctor?'

‘Of course. But she has been asking for you.'

Jeremy and Frank reached the English Factory just as a cheerful, talkative group emerged from it, Lord Wellington's spare figure unmistakable in their midst. There was a crowd in the street, but it was a friendly one and burst into a ragged cheer when the liberator of Oporto appeared. ‘All's well so far,' Jeremy said to Frank as they started back down the crowded street.

‘Yes, not a werewolf in sight. Have we been starting at shadows, do you think?'

‘I do hope so,' said Jeremy soberly.

Mrs Ware was at the door again to greet the guest of honour in his plain, impeccable evening dress, and babbled of the honour he was doing her poor house as she led him indoors. The musicians struck up ‘See the Conquering Hero', and there was a good deal of cheerful confusion as she led him between bowing and curtseying rows of guests to the inner room where Madame Fonsa sat enthroned. Frank, as man of the house, followed close behind, but Jeremy was looking for Caterina.

As the music drew to a rather ragged close, he saw Harriet. ‘Where is Caterina?' They asked each other the question almost simultaneously.

‘I've been looking for her all over,' Harriet went on. ‘She's not in any of the obvious places. She was talking to Miss Sandeman and her friends over there,' she pointed. ‘And then when I next looked for her, she was gone. I don't like it, Mr Craddock.'

‘No more do I. Oh, it's probably nothing – we shall feel fools in a minute, but I will have a word with the young ladies, just the same.'

‘Do. And I will keep looking.'

Miss Sandeman and her friends were too excited by Wellington's arrival to be very helpful, but Jeremy's persistent questions finally elicited a response from one of them: ‘A maid came and called her away,' she said. ‘I don't understand Portuguese, of course, but I caught the name Fonsa. That's the old lady she came with, isn't it?'

‘Thank you.' He left them to their giggles and made his way through the crowd to the main salon where Wellington was standing by Madame Fonsa's chair, laughing his sharp bark of a laugh at something she had just said. Impossible to intrude on this exchange, specially as he had not yet been presented to the old lady, but he was glad to see Frank in attendance, and was making his way towards him, when Madame Fonsa said impatiently: ‘But where is Miss Gomez? I sent for her ten minutes ago. I wish to present my protégée to you, milord.'

‘Delighted,' said the great man.

Harriet spoke before Jeremy could. ‘I have been looking everywhere for her, madame. And so has Mr Craddock.'

‘You sent for her?' Jeremy stepped forward. ‘Jeremy Craddock ma'am, at your service.'

‘Of course I sent for her.' The old face was suddenly haggard. ‘What have you done with the child among you? Oh, tell those musicians to stop it!'

‘Yes, do, please, Frank.' Mrs Ware stepped forward. ‘A servant has just given me this, madame. It seems to be addressed to you.'