Presently, they were joined by Mr Joshua Armstrong, Her Ladyship's cousin. Rebecca had developed a great admiration for this gentleman and regarded him as a most appropriate suitor for her niece, although she had made no mention of her hopes to Lady Ashton. He had appeared to show a keen interest in Lilian when she was in London, and Becky had sensed that he was attracted to her, although there was no evidence of any serious intention on his part. If only Lilian could be worked on, to give up Mr Adams and return with her to London, she thought, there was no knowing what might transpire when the two met again.
Becky was impatient to be gone and rather than wait for a hansom cab, Mr Armstrong drove her to the railway station in his gig. Helping her out of the vehicle and accompanying her to the train, he was courtesy itself and asked to be remembered to Miss Harrison and sent his compliments to her mother, by this gesture entrenching even deeper in Becky's mind his credentials as a most acceptable prospect for her niece.
Becky's unheralded arrival at the Dower House disconcerted her sister and annoyed Lilian intensely. Seeing her aunt alight at the gate, Lilian, who was looking out from the bedroom window, rushed into her mother's room to announce the news.
"Mama, you will not believe this, Aunt Becky is here; look, she is just getting her luggage out of the cab. What could she want now?" she cried, clearly unhappy with this turn of events.
Catherine looked and hurried downstairs, urging her daughter to be polite and conceal her irritation. She well knew that Lilian was aware that her aunt Becky had reservations about Mr Adams.
"Do be nice to her, my love, she is probably here to wish you and Mr Adams well and ask about your wedding plans," she said, but not with much conviction, for Catherine knew in her heart that Becky's sudden arrival did not bode well. Nevertheless, she welcomed her sister and asked Mrs Giles to make all necessary arrangements for her stay. Lilian, having greeted her aunt somewhat less warmly, returned to her room, claiming she had a headache.
The sisters were in the parlour, taking tea, when Rebecca explained the purpose of her sudden visit.
"I had to come, Cathy my dear, I could not have lived with my conscience if I had not. I knew, if I could only see you and advise you of what I have heard, you would see it differently. My friend Lady Ashton agreed. 'Do go to your sister, Becky,' she said, 'tell her how truly horrified we all were to learn about this Mr Adams's family scandal. I am sure she will not permit her daughter to make such an unfortunate marriage.'"
Catherine, unwilling to let her continue in this vein, interrupted her. "Becky, if this is to do with Lilian and Mr Adams, it is of no use at all to try to change her mind. Lilian knows all of the facts, which you detailed in your letter. Mr Adams told her himself, as he told me, before he proposed to her and she, having considered them, has accepted him and I have given them my blessing. I agree that the circumstances you speak of seem shocking, but they are none of them a reflection upon Mr Adams, of whom we have had only good reports. I cannot agree that he should be reviled for the actions of his parents when they were younger than he is today. Besides, they love each other, Becky," she said, with such quiet deliberation that Becky was temporarily silenced.
But not for long.
"I cannot accept this, Cathy," she said, recovering fast. "I used to believe all that too, but look where it got poor Julian and Josie. He loved her too, and I thought that was all that mattered and did everything I could to encourage them; indeed I blame myself, for my Josie was miserable. If only I had not persuaded her to marry him…"
Catherine interrupted her again, "But Becky, is that not what you want me to do with Lilian, except you would have me persuade her to give up Mr Adams, whom she loves and who loves her in return? You would like her to give him up. What benefit is there in such an exercise, which will only leave everyone miserable? I can see none."
Rebecca was unwilling to give up so easily.
"Catherine, what would you say if I told you that there was a much better prospect for Lilian: a Mr Joshua Armstrong, a cousin of Lady Ashton and a very eligible young gentleman indeed? His connections are excellent and he has well over five thousand a year, even before he inherits his father's estate. Now he, I know, is very fond of Lilian and has asked most particularly to be remembered to her and to you, Cathy. Would that not be a much better proposition for Lilian?"
This proposal was met with such incredulity by Catherine, as to make Mrs Tate doubt whether her sister was listening at all. Demonstrating her indifference, Catherine stated that she could not speak for her daughter, but she did not think Lilian would have any interest in the intentions of Mr Joshua Armstrong at all. For herself, Catherine declared that she hardly knew Mr Armstrong and could not see any value in the proposition.
"Lilian has hardly mentioned his name at all since her return," she said.
Undaunted, Rebecca persisted. "Do you not think I should speak to Lilian about it? He was excessively keen that I should give her his warmest regards…"
"My dear Becky, speak to Lilian if you wish, I shall not discourage you, and do give her Mr Armstrong's regards, but let me warn you, you will be wasting your breath for she will not listen," said Catherine, and even as she did so, the door opened and Lilian walked into the room.
She was dressed for driving out, and Rebecca was quite struck by the unusual lightness of her countenance and manner as she greeted her. This was indeed a very different Lilian to the unhappy young girl who had left London with her mother some weeks ago. Lilian reminded her mother that Mr Adams was to call for her at eleven; it was now not quite half past ten. Her enhanced confidence was difficult to miss.
Seeing an opportunity, which might not be repeated, Rebecca greeted her niece and launched directly into a description of a most entertaining ball given by Lady Ashton, to which all of the ladies and gentlemen had been instructed to wear medieval costumes.
"I confess I was quite astonished at the numbers of gallant knights and their ladies who arrived at the ball, including some of those with whom you might wish to claim an acquaintance, Lilian."
When Lilian showed little interest, she went on, "Mr Vanstone was there and Mr Josh Armstrong, of course—they looked splendid as two of King Arthur's knights! Mr Armstrong is a very fine-looking gentleman, as you will recall, I am sure. I was sorry that you had returned home just the week before the ball; I am sure you would have found it excessively enjoyable. Mr Armstrong certainly remarked that you would have enjoyed it, and I do believe he missed you and particularly asked to be remembered to you, Lilian, and your mama."
Lilian, who had been looking out of the window during this recital, apparently awaiting the arrival of Mr Adams, turned to face her aunt and to Catherine's astonishment, said in a voice tinged with sarcasm, "Please thank Mr Armstrong when you return to London, Aunt Becky, and would you oblige me by reminding him that on the last occasion on which we met, at your house as I recall, I thought I had made it quite plain that I had no wish to meet him or any of his friends again."
Ignoring her aunt's gasps of shock and bewilderment, she went on—
"Their behaviour towards me at Lady Ashton's house was so dishonourable, so wanting in good manners and decency, that I could never meet any of them without suffering the strongest feelings of revulsion. While I will grant that Mr Armstrong did not actively participate in humiliating me, he did nothing at all to discourage his friends in their appalling behaviour. He did come the following day to apologise for their bad behaviour, but in my estimation, he is not a gentleman at all but, like all his fine friends at Lady Ashton's ball, merely masquerades as one."
Catherine could not believe what she was hearing. She had known Lilian had been bored and not very happy in London, but she had said nothing of humiliation, nor anything of the behaviour she spoke of, on the part of the men she had met there. Catherine was shocked into silence as Lilian spoke. Never before had she seen her daughter in such a passion.
But, even as she listened, unable for a while to say anything at all, she could not help feeling a tinge of envy mixed with profound admiration at her daughter's courage and honesty. She had not thought young Lilian, gentle and demure at all times, capable of such vehement frankness.
At last finding her voice, Catherine intervened gently. "Lilian, my dear, I do not think it is fair to speak so severely of all the young gentlemen you met; there may have been one or two…"
But Lilian would not be stifled; she had held it within her for weeks, now it would all pour out.
"No, Mama, I have hitherto said nothing of this to you, out of concern for Aunt Becky, because these men are the relations and close friends of her confidante Lady Ashton, but I will be silent no longer. They are not the honourable gentlemen you believe them to be. They waste their time and money on the silliest of pastimes and spend their hours devising ways to belittle and deride those they dislike. Their greatest delight comes from the discomfiture of others, like myself, whom they believe to be their inferiors and so fair game for their cruel sport."
As Becky tried in vain to protest, Lilian ignored her and went on.
"To them, I was an object of ridicule, because I was not one of their wealthy ladies of fashion, ready and willing to flirt with all of them. As for Lady Ashton, she gains no credit as a hostess when she permits her men friends to tease and torment young women who are her guests. I am not sorry to have missed her ball; I cannot imagine that I should ever wish to attend one. Indeed, I have no wish to see any of them and will thank you, Aunt Becky, not to commend them to me or me to any of them."
So saying, she begged her mother's pardon and asked to be excused, before leaving the room and retiring to watch for Mr Adams's arrival from a window in her bedroom.
Meanwhile, her aunt, stunned by the intensity of Lilian's attack upon Lady Ashton and her friends, did not speak for fully five minutes.
Equally astounded, but with a greater understanding of her daughter's views and feelings, Catherine tried to make amends.
"Becky, I am sorry, I had no idea Lilian felt so strongly about this. As you can see, there is nothing to be gained by trying to interest her in Lady Ashton's cousin. I fear Mr Armstrong will have to address his compliments to some other young lady. I hope he will not be too put out, but I daresay, for such an eligible gentleman, it will present no difficulty at all."
Rebecca was shaking her head in confusion.
"My dear sister, I am sorry, too. I was not aware that Lilian had felt so badly treated by any of the young men at the parties which she attended at Lady Ashton's house. I cannot think how it came about. They are all young men from prominent county families, men of wealth and fashion; besides, Lilian said not a word to me about any of this."
Her complete confusion was plain. She had known nothing of Lilian's unhappy experiences.
"It is possible, of course, that a few of them may indulge in flirtation—you know how it is with young men about town—but most of them are Lady Ashton's relations and close friends, they will not do anything too outrageous under her roof! Is it possible poor Lilian may have been mistaken? Could it have been some dreadful misunderstanding?" She was trying hard to explain away what may have looked to her sister as dereliction of her duty to her young niece while she was in her care.
But Catherine was not anxious to rub salt in her sister's wounds; it was sufficient that Lilian had so spectacularly exploded the sham of Lady Ashton's rich and fashionable friends, whose worth her sister had been eager to promote. No further mortification was needed.
"It matters not now, Becky," she said charitably. "It is very unlikely that Lilian will ever meet either Lady Ashton or any of her relatives and friends again; we move in very different circles here, and when they are married, so will Lilian and Mr Adams. You need not concern yourself about it anymore; whatever occurred to upset her so is in the past and what with all the excitement of preparing for the wedding, it will soon be forgotten."
"Will Lilian ever forgive me? Can you?" Becky asked, abject in her misery.
Catherine was magnanimous. "Forgive you? Oh Becky, what is there to forgive? You thought you were doing your best for her, no doubt. I know that well. But Lilian is stronger and more determined than either of us; as you see, she has made up her mind to marry Mr Adams and will do so," adding with a curious smile, "I confess I envy her, Becky. I wish that at her age I had had such strength of will. If that were the case, my own life may well have been very different."
Rebecca looked up and caught the fleeting expression of regret that had crossed her sister's countenance and, turning to her, asked, "What do you mean, Cathy? Why do you say that?"
Catherine sighed. "It's a long story, Becky, it goes back many years to a time when we were not as close as sisters should be, and so you never knew how I lived, nor I you. But, perhaps if you have time to listen, it will help you understand why I have refused to do as you asked and persuade my daughter to abandon Mr Adams, because some people think he is not good enough for her, especially people like your friend Lady Ashton."