CHAPTER 46

Lady Mary’s Dream

When the Duke and his daughter reached Custins they found a large party assembled, and were somewhat surprised at the crowd.  Lord and Lady Nidderdale were there, which might have been expected as they were part of the family.  With Lord Popplecourt had come his recent friend Adolphus Longstaff.  That too might have been natural.  Mr and Miss Boncassen were there also, who at this moment were quite strangers to the Duke; and Mr Lupton.  The Duke also found Lady Chiltern, whose father-in-law had more than once sat in the same Cabinet with himself, and Mr Monk, who was generally spoken of as the head of the coming Liberal Government, and the Ladies Adelaide and Flora FitzHoward, the still unmarried but not very juvenile daughters of the Duke of St Bungay.  These with a few others made a large party, and rather confused the Duke, who had hardly reflected that discreet and profitable love-making was more likely to go on among numbers, than if the two young people were thrown together with no other companions.

Lord Popplecourt had been made to understand what was expected of him, and after some hesitation had submitted himself to the conspiracy.  There would not be less at any rate than two hundred thousand pounds,—­and the connection would be made with one of the highest families in Great Britain.  Though Lady Cantrip had said very few words, those words had been expressive; and the young bachelor peer had given in his adhesion.  Some vague half-defined tale had been told him,—­not about Tregear, as Tregear’s name had not been mentioned,—­but respecting some dream of a young man who had flitted across the girl’s path during her mother’s lifetime.  ‘All girls have such dreams,’ Lady Cantrip had suggested.  Whereupon Lord Popplecourt said that he supposed it was so.  ’But a softer, purer, more unsullied flower never waited upon its stalk till the proper fingers should choose to come and pluck it,’ said Lady Cantrip, rising to unaccustomed poetry on behalf of her friend the Duke.  Lord Popplecourt accepted the poetry and was ready to do his best to pluck the flower.

Soon after the Duke’s arrival Lord Popplecourt found himself in one of the drawing-rooms with Lady Cantrip and his propose father-in-law.  A hint had been given him that he might as well be home early from shooting, so as to be in the way.  As the hour in which he was to make himself specially agreeable, both to the father and to the daughter, had drawn nigh, he became somewhat nervous, and now, at this moment, was not altogether comfortable.  Though he had been concerned in no such matter before, he had an idea that love was a soft kind of thing which ought to steal on one unawares and come and go without trouble.  In his case it came upon him with a rough demand for immediate hard work.  He had not previously thought that he was to be subjected to such labours, and at this moment almost resented the interference with his ease.  He was already a little angry with Lady Cantrip, but at the same time felt himself to be so much in subjection to her that he could not rebel.