Midsummer's Eve

"He has already finished with politics. He says the whole world is his field. You'll do no good. You will just bring it all up again and it will be more distressing to your family than ours.”

"I suppose," said Joe sadly, "this means that communication between us is impossible.”

We said goodbye. Peterkin shook hands with Joe, and Joe held mine for some time looking at me appealingly; but I was too bewildered to give him the encouragement he obviously sought. I could not get Helena's sad face out of my mind.

"He's right," said Peterkin as we walked away. "It does make friendship between our families out of the question.”

I think Joe did try to get Chloe's account of what happened into the press, but he failed to do so. I imagine this was due to Peter's influence because, as had been said of him before, he had his fingers into many pies. He could do a great deal of manipulation in many directions and I was sure that if he had not been taken by surprise and the story of his business had not been given to a particularly scurrilous newspaper in the first place he would have been able to prevent the facts being published.

But of course, once the story was out all the papers had to make what sensation they could from it.

We must have been frustrated in his schemes but at least he had driven Uncle Peter from Parliament.

Moreover there was a great deal about the coronation festivities in h papers and people were more interested in that then anything else at the moment.

A Coronation Fair had been opened in Hyde Park and the Queen herself had been there to see it. Accounts of it filled the papers and the people were so busy reading about that, that the impact of Chloe's story would be lost upon them. They had finished with Joseph Cresswell and Peter Lansdon. They had both supplied scandalous titbits which had been gratefully received, but the element of surprise had gone; they had both been knocked off their high perches and there was nothing else which could be done to them. The coronation festivities, the Queen with her little figure and regal manner-that was what they wanted to read about. She reviewed five thousand troops in Hyde Park and the people cheered her wildly. Everything was going to be different now we had a young girl on the throne to take the place of those doddery rather boring old gentlemen.

One morning John Milward called at the house. He looked very young and rather frightened, but he had come to see Helena and I was pleased about that. He had not left it just to his father to break off the marriage.

When I saw Helena she had regained her radiance.

"I wanted you to be the first to know," she said. "It's going to be all right.”

"You mean... ?”

She nodded. "We're going to be married. Oh, it won't be an expensive wedding. Who wants that, anyway?”

"Not you," I cried, hugging her.

"We shall be poor.”

"You'll have your allowance.”

'John will have to do some work or other." My heart sank a little.

I could not imagine John's doing some work or other.

'But we don't care. He's going to defy his family. He doesn't care about being cut off. He only cares about me.”

'Oh, Helena, I'm so glad. I misjudged him. I thought he was weak.”

We're going to be very strong.”

"It's wonderful.”

"Do you think Papa... ?”

I thought about that enigmatical man and it occurred to me that, wicked as he must be, he would not be one to stand in the way of his daughter's happiness. In fact I could imagine his delight in snubbing the Duke.

At least Helena's happiness was saved.

For a whole week Helena continued in a state of bliss. She saw John every day. She had been so unhappy that no restrictions were put on her by Aunt Amaryllis, who was delighted at the return of John for Helena's sake. John came to the house and was alone with Helena for long periods of time. They walked in the Park together.

He had left the ducal roof and was sharing rooms with a bachelor friend of his. I said to Peterkin: "He's got more spirit than I thought. I wouldn't have believed he could have stood out against his family.”

Peterkin agreed with me.

How wrong we were to think all was well! His family must have brought great pressure to bear on him and John, after all, was not the man to withstand it.

He did not even come to tell Helena himself; he explained by letter. She showed it to me.

My dearest Helena, I am so sorry but I cannot go on with this. You have no idea what I have had to put up with from my family. It's not just being cut off. Where would we live? My father says I shall have nothing ... nothing at all. They are all against me, Helena.

I can't stand it. I know I should never be any good at earning a living. What could I do?

I love you. I shall always love you. But it has to be goodbye.

John I have never seen such misery as I saw in Helena's face. I cursed him. He should never have come back. It would have been better if she had just had the one blow.