“Yes, I’ll come tomorrow,” he said. “Must make sure Charlie don’t catch me napping first!”
Kitty was a good deal amused, but as she and Meg began to walk back to Berkeley Square, Meg said: “Poor Freddy! He is for ever being obliged to get Charlie out of a scrape, you know!”
“But I thought Charlie was the clever one!” objected Kitty.
“Oh, yes, indeed he is! He took a great many prizes at Eton, and never finds the least difficulty in learning anything! Only, of course, Freddy is the eldest, besides being on the town, and so it is not to be wondered at that Charlie depends upon him in all his absurd fixes. Charlie,” said Meg, with simple pride, “is very wild, you see.”
Upon the following morning, while she waited for Meg in the barouche, outside a shop in Bond Street, Kitty heard her name spoken, and turned her head from the contemplation of a hat in a milliner’s window across the street to find that Mrs. Broughty and Olivia had paused beside the carriage.
She saw at once that Olivia was looking pale and unhappy, and realized, as soon as Mrs. Broughty began to speak, that that lady was very much incensed at the knowledge that she had been to the masquerade. The most profuse apologies to Miss Charing tripped off her tongue; she dared not hope that she would forgive Olivia for having drawn her into such a scrape; feared she must have been very much disgusted; scarcely knew how she herself could ever venture to look dear Lady Buckhaven in the face again. Hoping very much that Meg would not suddenly appear to put her to this necessity, Kitty said everything that was proper, even going so far as to assert mendaciously that she had passed a very agreeable evening.
“I would not have had such a thing happen for the world!” Mrs. Broughty declared, a flush of annoyance in her cheeks. “Opera House masquerades indeed! I cannot conceive how Olivia can have consented to such a vulgar scheme, for you are not to be thinking, Miss Charing, that I have not taught her better, as I don’t doubt you must be. Fine doings for a gentleman’s daughter, as I have been telling her ever since I heard about this start! If she does not destroy all her chances, it will be no fault of hers, I am sure! I was never more put-out in my life!”
“Oh, pray, hush, ma’am!” begged Kitty, perceiving that Olivia was on the brink of tears. “There was no harm done, I do assure you! Have you some errand in Bond Street? I am awaiting Lady Buckhaven, and should be so much obliged to you if you will permit Olivia to bear me company for a few minutes!”
“I am sure the obligation is all on my side, dear Miss Charing, for I was prepared for you to cut the connection, and never have another word to say to Olivia! I am bound for Hookham’s Library, and I shall be very happy to leave Olivia with you, if you will be so condescending as to overlook her conduct.”
“If Olivia will be so good as to stroll with me down the street, I will bring her to Hookham’s in a few minutes,” promised Kitty, descending from the barouche. Addressing the footman who had jumped down to open the door for her, she said: “If her ladyship should return before I do myself, please inform her that I shall not be gone above fifteen minutes!” She then bowed civilly to Mrs. Broughty, and bore Olivia off in the opposite direction to Hookham’s, saying, as she slipped a hand in her arm: “We cannot talk freely in the carriage, so I thought you would not object to walking a little way with me. My dear, pray do not look so cast-down! Indeed, there is not the least need! I am sorry your Mama should be so much vexed, and fear you have been having a sad time of it, poor little thing!”