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.As she ran the last few steps towards her home, she saw that a mountain of luggage was in the hall still waiting to be carried upstairs.That must mean Cousin Charlotte had arrived.Hester smiled, and for a moment, her face lit up, and the air of repression left her.She went directly to her mother’s sitting room, and hearing her cousin’s voice, she hesitated for a moment at the door.Charlotte was describing a gown she had seen in La Belle Asemblee, the magazine that all ladies of fashion avidly sought, and Araminta was eagerly asking for more details of the latest designs.She stopped speaking and frowned as her daughter entered.“You have been a long time, Hester?”“Mrs.Simpkins kept me talking,” Hester said.“I came straight home afterwards, Mama.” There was no need to mention the gentleman who had stopped to speak to her, for it was but a chance meeting.“It is good to see you again, Cousin Charlotte.I hope you have come to stay with us for a long visit?”“As to that, I am on my way to Bath where I shall spend a few weeks for the sake of my health.Danbury may visit from time to time I daresay, but his work in the House keeps him in London much of the time—and that is the reason, I have come here to beg the favor of your company, Hester.I have persuaded dear Araminta that she must spare you to me, and I have her agreement.”“Mama has agreed, but.” Hester’s gaze flew to her mother’s face.She knew very well that her father had forbidden such pleasures for his daughter, and she had not expected her mother to relent so easily.There must be more to this than she was being told.“I am not sure that I ought to accompany you, Charlotte, though of course I should like it above all things but.”“You will not refuse me?” Charlotte asked, an air of hurt innocence about her now.“I have been unwell, Hester dear, and need someone to look after me, run little errands and make sure I do not neglect myself, which I shall surely do if I am left to my own devices.”Hester looked at her doubtfully.Cousin Charlotte had always been kind to her, and though she was aware of Hester’s shameful secret, she had never reproached her for her sin.Indeed, it was because of Charlotte’s intervention that she had not been entirely banished from her home.If her cousin truly needed her, then she would be unkind to refuse.“Mama?” Hester looked to her mother for guidance.“I have given my permission,” Araminta said with a faintly conscious glance at her hands.“Charlotte believes that you will do her some good, and since she has shown us many kindnesses in the past, I think you should oblige her.”“Of course, I should be happy to oblige you, cousin,” Hester said, still doubtful and yet wanting to believe that it was actually happening.“If you are both sure.”“Perfectly sure,” Charlotte told her, seizing the moment.“Had you refused me I am not sure that I could have gone alone.” She gave a little cough behind her gloved hand.“But with you to watch over me and the excellent waters at the Pump Room, I am certain of affecting a complete cure.”Hester gave her a fleeting smile.She had the oddest feeling that she was being lied to, but as she could not see why either her mother or cousin should lie about something like this, she dismissed the notion as mere fancy.“I am very grateful for the opportunity,” she said, and then, with a tinge of pink in her cheeks.“I promise I shall do nothing to shame you—or Mama.”“I am perfectly certain that you will not,” Charlotte replied.“You are a delightful girl, Hester, perfectly behaved at all times, and I hope you know that I am extremely fond of you?”“Thank you.” Hester felt the first flicker of excitement.It seemed almost unreal that she was to be given such a treat.Her wickedness had led to a cancellation of the season that had been planned for her eighteenth year, and for some time, she had been excluded from the discreet and rather dull dinners that her parents gave for their neighbors, though after a while she had been permitted to attend.She had gradually been allowed to visit ladies whom her mother approved, but only in Araminta’s company.She had been excluded from any entertainment that might include young men, and when one of their neighbors’ daughters had invited her to a little dance to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, Hester had been forced to pretend to illness.The offer to accompany her cousin to Bath was beyond her dreams.“This is very good of you, cousin.”“I am only too happy that you have consented to bear me company,” Charlotte said, a little, satisfied smile about her mouth.In her youth she had been a beauty and the toast of her year, and now she was still what people termed a handsome woman, her dark hair showing no signs of dulling or turning grey, her eyes as bright as a young girl’s, and just now they were sparking with mischief.“I daresay you may find it a little dull, my dear, but we shall get on very well together [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]