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you speak excellent English, though. I shall try to help
but I scarcely ever notice anything wrong. Except
when you say something like feetwear. Polly giggled.
 Is not right word?
 It is not the right word. It should be footwear.
Kolya grinned and shook his head.  Is not It is not
logical, the English. Feet is the plural, foot is the
singular, nyet? If I put on only footwear I must hop.
He suited action to the word, then squawked as Lord
John s boot pinched his toes.  Chort vozmi! I hope
shoemaker works quickly.
 What does chort vozmi mean? she enquired.
 It is not good for a young lady to say these words,
Kolya reproved her, then laughed.  I see there is
advantage to live in a foreign country. When I swear,
the ladies will not be shocked.
 I may not have understood the words, said Polly
serenely,  but I could tell very well from your tone of
voice that you should not have been saying them.
That made him laugh still more. When he had
recovered from his mirth sufficiently to sit still, he
posed for her for an hour or so, before saying he must
go as the Danvilles expected him. Soon after, Ella
called her in for luncheon.
Only her mother was there, far too gratified by the
Danvilles visit of welcome to give Polly more than a
perfunctory scold for appearing in her smock. Nick
had taken some sandwiches and gone off exploring.
Polly decided to follow suit that afternoon, looking for
good places to set up her easel, but she was forestalled
by the arrival of the vicar and his wife.
38
The Reverend and Mrs. Wyndham were duly
impressed by Mrs. Howard s carefully casual mention
of the Danvilles morning call. They had already heard
that a mysterious foreigner was staying at Five Oaks
and Mrs. Wyndham was openly agog for further news.
Their hostess was no scandalmonger. She told them
only that she had met Mr. Volkov and understood that
he was a Russian. Her genteel reserve did her no
discredit in their eyes. When the vicar pleaded urgent
business and departed, Mrs. Wyndham stayed behind
to drink a dish of tea.
Pleased that her mother had so soon found a new
friend, Polly submitted patiently to an afternoon of
excruciating boredom.
When the vicar s wife left, Mrs. Howard went to the
kitchen to check on preparations for dinner. Passing
the kitchen door on her way to the studio, Polly heard
her mother s wail.
 Oh Nicky, what have you been doing?
She looked in. Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Coates, and Ella
were all staring at the scullery doorway where Nick
stood. He was plastered to the knees with mud, which
was also liberally bedaubed elsewhere upon his
person, and he wore a look of injured innocence.
 Nothing. Just fishing. I brought a couple of bream
for dinner, but if you don t want  em&  He stepped
backwards, squelching.
 Fresh bream do make a tasty mouthful, Mrs.
Coates assured him.
 Now don t you stir till you ve stripped off every
stitch you re wearing, Master Nick. Glaring at the
cook, Ella asserted the right of a longtime family
servant.  Right down to your drawers. It s a hot bath
you ll be needing.
As everything appeared to be under control, Polly
went on her way. Behind her she heard Nick s voice.
 I met a famous fellow, Mother. He lent me proper
fishing tackle today, and tomorrow he s going to take
me out shooting rabbits.
That remark did not seem calculated to soothe a
mother s anxious heart. Polly hurried her steps in the
opposite direction.
~ ~ ~
She worked in the studio until dusk, according Ned
no more than a brief wave when he looked in after
stabling Chipper. He shook his head with a grin as he
39
strolled towards the house. He had forgotten just how
single-minded she was.
For several years he had been forced to be equally
single-minded. He had worked very hard but now the
estate was running smoothly. Instead of spending his
evenings catching up on bookkeeping and business
correspondence, he had time to spare for reading and
conversation. It was a joy to have his family about
him.
Nick appeared at the back door.  Ned, Ma says I m
not to go out rabbit-shooting tomorrow.
It was a joy, Ned assured himself silently, to have
his family about him.
Diligent enquiry revealed that his brother s  famous
fellow was the eldest son of Sir Robert Brent, the
squire of Alfold Crossways, a neighbouring village. Ned
had himself taught Nick to shoot during his summer
holidays last year, but it took some time to persuade
his mother that her little boy was old enough to take
out a gun. Ned went up to change for dinner
determined to write tomorrow to the duke to request
his influence in finding Nick a midshipman s berth.
Fortunately his Grace s brother was a Lord of the
Admiralty, so it should not take too long.
At dinner, Ned told his family that Lord John had
asked him to take Mr. Volkov about with him on his
daily business and to explain to him the management
of an estate.  His lordship offered to pay me for my
pains, he added, helping himself to a large piece of
fish. Mrs. Coates had cooked the bream with a pinch
of lemon thyme, and its smell made his mouth water.
 Mr. Volkov told me he is eager to learn, Polly said.
 I believe he hopes to find a post as an overseer, for he
has nothing. Nothing but good friends, he said. Shall
you help him, Ned?
 Yes, but I shall not take the money. Lord John
insisted that the payments should be kept secret. I
daresay Mr. Volkov is too proud to accept it and I
would not have him think I was doing for friendship
what I was actually being paid for.
 A nice scruple. Mrs. Howard sounded doubtful.
 I think it s splendid of you, said Nick.  Pass the
potatoes, please, Mother, I m starving. I m glad you like
Kolya after all, Ned. He s a great gun. You must ask
him to tell you all his adventures.
 Mr. Volkov is going to sit for me.
40
Polly s statement was met with silence. Nick had his
mouth full of steak-and-kidney pie, and Mrs. Howard
looked as dismayed as Ned felt.
After a moment, he said,  I cannot think it wise.
 Most unwise, his mother seconded him.  Indeed,
Polly dear, it would not be proper.
 He did before, she pointed out, unruffled.
 But we did not know then that he was a
gentleman.
 I cannot see that it makes the slightest difference.
It is all arranged. He is coming tomorrow.
Ned knew it was useless to argue. Polly had the
faraway look in her eyes which meant she was
planning a picture. She went on eating automatically,
and she did not even hear Mrs. Howard s continued
protests.
After dinner she took a lantern and went out to the
studio. Nick asked if he could borrow Ned s fowling
piece next day and went to his brother s tiny
bookroom-cum-office to clean the gun. Ned and his
mother settled by the fire in the sitting room.
 What are we going to do about Polly and Mr.
Volkov? Mrs. Howard asked anxiously, setting neat
stitches in the wristband of the shirt she was making.
 I don t know. She positively glows when he is men-
tioned. What can we do? She is of age and he is an
intimate friend of my employer. I cannot forbid him the
house. But a match is out of the question. Though he
may be a gentleman, it seems he has not a penny to
his name.
 Then you think he has serious intentions? I cannot
be so sanguine. After all, Polly has no money either,
and she is not merely of age, she is on the shelf by
anyone s calculation. No, he is looking to amuse
himself. We must hope that a flirtation is all he has in
mind, she added ominously.
 You mean...? Surely he would not& she would
not& ! She is not a chambermaid, nor a farm girl, after
all. And for all Lord John was a Buck of the first stare
before his marriage, I never heard that he had dealings [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]