Intrigue & Infamy by Carol Hedges

Author:Carol Hedges [Hedges, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little G Books
Published: 2019-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

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Meanwhile, Harry Haddon is sitting at his desk in the small room that used to be a cupboard. He has meekly endured a scolding from the Pater, gone without his usual heavy luncheon, and managed to fill in a whole page of his black-bound ledger.

Now Harry is composing a letter to Juliana. It is the sort of letter a chap ought to write to the woman he is about to marry, although it is causing him much head-scratching and quill-chewing.

The girls Harry used to keep company with never required two pages of eloquent penmanship, being content with him leaving the money on the night-stand. Thus, he is having to dig deep to come up with something original and meaningful.

Notwithstanding his best efforts, Harry is struggling. He is mining every poem, every play, every bit of Ovid that he can recall. The resulting epistle is a stitchery of literary scraps, a thing of rags and patches, which he finally signs off with a flourish.

Having spent the best part of the afternoon upon his letter, Harry prepares to leave the office. He places the ledger on a shelf, puts a cover over his desk and places the letter to Juliana in his topcoat pocket.

The street outside is filling with pale stoop-shouldered clerks, all set upon one destination: home. Harry Haddon betakes himself to the nearest hostelry for a hot pie and a refresher. Normally, he would dine at his club, but as he is avoiding Cooper, Rice and the other chaps, it is not currently a place he wishes to visit.

After dining, Harry returns to his bachelor apartment, posting his letter to the fair Juliana on the way. When he gets in, he will find two letters on the hallstand awaiting his attention. One is from the management of the Cremorne and contains the bill for a lavish supper for eight, with champagne and other wines, plus breakages.

Harry will deal with this by readdressing the envelope to Anthony Rice, with an angry note saying that, as he considers their friendship at an end, he feels under no obligation to foot the bill for an entertainment that he did not attend. He will ring for his man, and instructs him to take the letter straight round to Rice’s address, but not to stay for a reply.

The other letter, to which he will turn his attention once the man has left, is from his aunt Lady Grantley, proposing an evening supper and ball to be held to celebrate his engagement. This letter will also inform Harry that invitations have been sent to his dear schoolfriends Anthony Rice, Giles Cooper and David Stuchberry.

Harry Haddon will end the first day of his reformed life with his face in his hands and a looming sense of approaching crisis.

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