Page 26 of The Irish Gypsy
Kitty went to find a footman to order thetea, feeling grateful toward Patrick and at the same time hatingherself for feeling that gratitude.
As soon as she was out of earshot Julia said,"Well! Don't you know it's bad form to keep your mistress under thesame roof as your family?"
Patrick glared at her with ice-cold eyes andJulia paled and realized she shouldn't have spoken to him soboldly.
He said quietly, "Kitty has refused to be mymistress. You'd better keep a civil tongue between your teeth whenyou are speaking to me, miss. Now be good enough to tell me whatoccurred with Father."
"Well, it really all started this morning.Father got into the most violent argument with two draymen who cameto make a wine delivery. Somehow ninety-six bottles were smashedand Father demanded they replace them at their own expense. Theshouting match went on for hours. The whole household was in astate of upheaval. At lunchtime he still hadn't calmed down. Themen were long gone, but he kept at it with Barbara and me for hisaudience. I swear he covered every conceivable subject, from theinefficiency of the British working classes to the folly of puttinga woman on the throne. He drank deeply at lunch and I suspectcarried on throughout the afternoon. Just when everything seemed tohave quieted down and settled back to normal he clutched his headand fell to the floor. It took us forever to get him upstairs andinto bed. We sent for the doctor immediately but he didn't come forages and ages, and you know the rest. I was going mad, not knowingwhere you were, but Terry said he would find you."
Patrick said, "I think I'll go up and speakwith the doctor. Terry said something about a stroke. I imaginethat's what he has had. He does tend to live at the top of hisvoice, doesn't he?"
Kitty came back into the room and Julia saidto her, "Well, Irish, you've more sense than I gave you credit for,rejecting our Patrick. He thinks he's God's gift to women, youknow. Now then, what I have to figure out is how to keep thisbusiness from affecting my wedding plans. If he dies now, I'll killhim!" She laughed at herself. "Well, that's Irish if I've everheard it.
Barbara cried, "Julia, how can you think ofyourself at a time like this?"
Julia looked at Kitty and said, "You know,don't you? A woman has to take care of Number One first. Men willalways sacrifice our wishes for their convenience. A woman isexpected to give all for love, but what man is willing to do that?If a woman doesn't take care of herself, no one else will. I'm asurvivor and so is Kitty. You, my little gutless wonder, will fallby the wayside because you've got a wishbone where your backboneshould be! For God's sake stop sniveling. Ah, here's the tea. Ithink I'm going to have some brandy in mine. How about you,Kitty?"
Kitty nodded her appreciation and Barbarapiped up, "I'll join you, by God."
Patrick went quietly into his father'sbedroom to find the doctor just closing his bag. "Ah, Mr. O'Reilly,glad to meet you, sir. I'm very pleased to be able to tell you thatyour father's stroke was a slight one. He's settled quitecomfortably now. He'll be in a very heavy sleep for the rest of thenight, but that's quite natural. His eyes have a great deal ofblood in them. It will take a few days before his system drains itaway. I can't be sure if there will be any paralysis until I checkhim tomorrow." He glanced over to the bed and beckoned Patrickoutside the room. "Now, I don't want to worry you unduly, but theseslight strokes sometimes are warnings, and quite often days orweeks later they are followed by a massive stroke that eithertotally paralyzes or kills. All you can do at the moment is keephim warm and quiet."
Patrick saw the doctor to the front door andcame back to answer the questions his sisters would put to him.
"The doctor says he's been very fortunate andit's just a mild stroke. I'll sleep in Father's room tonight and Isuggest you girls go to bed and get some rest. You can take overtomorrow. You know what he's like when he's ill--you'll be run offyour feet fetching and carrying." He looked at Kitty. She wasdeathly pale and swaying on her feet. A great wave ofprotectiveness swept over him. He wanted to pick her up and carryher to bed. He wanted to cradle her against his heart and beg herforgiveness for being such a swine to her. He swore he'd make it upto her, but now wasn't the time. He decided the kindest thing hecould do was leave her alone, so he said good night and went to hisfather.
Jonathan O'Reilly was a tough old man andwithin a few days he was recovering satisfactorily. The onlynoticeable effect the stroke had had upon him was that his speechwas slightly slurred and one corner of his mouth was lifted alittle. This gave him an appearance of perpetual amusement, whichwas, if anything, an improvement of his rather harsh features. Asthe three young women moved about his room administering to hisneeds, they cracked jokes and gave him the acerbic side of theirtongues if his demands grew too outrageous. Even Barbara learned toanswer him back. This treatment did a great deal to aid hisrecovery. If they had spoken in subdued whispers with an air ofpolite deference, he would have feared his death was imminent. Theynever saw Patrick during this time. He slept within callingdistance of his father every night, but arrived home so late andquit the house so early each morning that no one saw him. As soonas he knew his father was going to recover fully, he plunged backinto his business endeavors with unflagging vigor.
Jeffrey Linton sought him out anxiously tosee if the wedding plans would have to be altered. Relieved whenPatrick told him the wedding could go ahead as planned, he invitedPatrick to his club in St. James's Street for the evening.
"I thought you needed a title to walk intothe hallowed halls of White's."
"To become a member, perhaps, but you wouldbe coming as my guest," said Jeffrey.
"Wasn't it Beau Brummell, upon being invitedto Manchester, said, 'Gentlemen don't go to Manchester'? By thesame token, factory owners don't go to White's."
"Come now, Patrick; only last week you toldme the ideas of the Regency were dead. You're not afraid of beingsnubbed, are you?" asked Jeffrey politely.
"Afraid? Me? You must be joking! I'll pickyou up at nine."
They entered the cardroom and to JeffreyLinton's great surprise, Patrick was hailed heartily by Sir CharlesDrago. "Patrick! Christ, it's good to see you. I didn't realize howmuch you could miss London until I started seeing some familiarfaces."
Patrick clapped Charles on the back."Martinique, wasn't it? Is your term of governorship overthen?"
"It's St. Kitts. I've another three yearsyet, but my health hasn't been what it should be lately, so Ireturned for a few weeks. Damned tropics eat a man's vitals."
"Sorry, Jeffrey, this is Sir Charles Drago. Iwent to school with his younger brother Kevin. Charles, this isViscount Linton, soon to be my brother-in-law."
"So you're popping Julia off this season, areyou? I could use a wife to look after me in my declining years.You've got another sister, haven't you?" He winked.
"She's only thirteen, I'm afraid. Ask meagain in three years' time when you return from the islands,"Patrick said and laughed. He turned to Jeffrey. "Don't look soastounded that the likes of me knows the likes of him. We're bothIrish and we're both from the North. His father is the Duke ofManchester."
Charles Drago was in his early forties. Hewas a square, thick-set man with wavy dark hair showing the firsttrace of silver. He was handsome in a full-blooded, florid way. Thetropical sun never had bronzed him, but only burned him until hisskin peeled, and then repeated the process over and over againuntil he had the color of a boiled lobster. He contrasted greatlywith the rest of the English nobility currently in the room, wholooked more the color of oysters, thought Patrick privately.
Charles told Jeffrey, "This young man has aknack for making money. I can spare about thirty thousand poundsright now; how would you like to invest it for me? I'll wageryou've something cooking at the moment."
Patrick said, "Well, I've acquired partinterest in Stowils Wines, and Jeffrey here is introducing a newline into society for me. Now, the vineyards that produce this wineare in St. Emilion at Château Monlabert, and they're currently onthe market for about a hundred thousand pounds. If the three of usthrow in an equal amount, we could get them as an investment.Charles and myself will be silent partners and Jeffrey here candescribe himself as thedirecteur.Why Jeffrey, you'll beentitled to fly a flag with the company's coat of arms, afleur-de-lisand a lion or some such device, and you canhoneymoon at the eighteenth-centurychâteau.All your snobbyfriends will try to wangle invitations, and Julia will adore youfor investing her marriage portion so wisely."
"Do you think it's quite the thing for me touse Julia's money?" Jeffrey asked stiffly.
