Club” for gaming in Pall Mall in 1763, and a year later he built “Almack’s Assembly Rooms” in King Street. It was said to be quite a sight to seeMcCall’s Scotch face framed in a bag wig and his plump wife serving all the dukes and duchesses with tea and cakes. By clever management, he ensured that the assembly rooms should cater only to the very rich and so the rooms automatically became the home of the Exclusives. Now they have their awesome patronesses. Do you crave vouchers?’
‘Not I,’ said Diana, lounging back against the settle in what she hoped was a masculine manner. ‘Silly little misses and their pushing mamas.’
‘You are hard on the fair sex,’ laughed Lord Dantrey. ‘What do you wish to do now? Go to the opera?’ He raised his quizzing glass and studied Diana’s clothes. ‘I am afraid you will need something more suitable than what you have on.’
‘Could we not go somewhere a little less grand?’ said Diana nervously, remembering that the Italian opera was, in its way, as exclusive as Almack’s and that there was a supper and a ball after the performance.
‘Very well. We shall go to the play. Finish your wine.’
Lord Dantrey began to talk lightly of this and that. A shadow fell across their table as two very young men strolled past to the far end of the coffee room.
Peregrine Armitage sat down and stared at his twin, James. ‘I swear upon my life that was sister Diana, dressed as a man, sitting at that table with that gentleman.’
‘It can’t be,’ said James. ‘The light is poor and the candle on their table was nearly burned down to the socket.’ He craned his neck. ‘The servant has justreplaced it with a new candle. Can you see anything, Perry, without making it obvious that you’re staring at them?’
If it’s her, she’s got her back to me,’ said Peregrine. ‘I tell you what. I’ll stroll over to the door and look out and then walk back.’
James waited anxiously. Peregrine slid back into his seat and ran a worried hand through his black curls. ‘It’s Diana all right,’ he groaned. ‘Putting up a good show, and she’s wearing our clothes. What are we going to do? She must have gone mad.’
‘Who is she with?’
‘I don’t know. But he’s years older than her and he don’t look as if he’s up to any good.’
‘We’d best tell Father.’
‘We can’t tell Father, you numbskull. We’re supposed to be in school. If he finds out we manufactured that letter about a death in the family, he’ll curse and rant and rave, fit to beat the band. Then we’ll get expelled if it ever comes out.’
‘Then what shall we do? It’s terrible sitting here helpless while Diana behaves like Letty Lade. She must have run away from home with this man. If that’s the case, he ain’t respectable and he ain’t got marriage in mind. Oh, what are we to do?’
‘Tell Minerva.’
‘Worse and worse. Minerva thinks we’re still children. She’d march us back to school and read us a sermon at the same time. We’ll write an anonymous letter to Father. It is all we can do.’
‘No, it’s not all we can do. We will simply march upto Diana and tell her we’ve recognized her. She’ll be in no position to report us .’
But when the twins went up to the table at which Diana had been sitting, it was to find both she and her companion had left.
‘Well, that’s that,’ said Peregrine gloomily.
‘We’ll send an anonymous letter to Father, and then we’d best return to school as fast as we can!’
Diana found herself in the pit at Haymarket Theatre, her companion having paid the three shillings each for tickets. She shifted uneasily on her hard bench, for the fop behind her had his feet up on it. The whole theatre smelled of oranges, the old prejudice against fresh fruit being indigestible having long disappeared. Despite the fact that the oranges sold in the theatre were a ridiculous price – sixpence as opposed to the twopence halfpenny that one
‘Not I,’ said Diana, lounging back against the settle in what she hoped was a masculine manner. ‘Silly little misses and their pushing mamas.’
‘You are hard on the fair sex,’ laughed Lord Dantrey. ‘What do you wish to do now? Go to the opera?’ He raised his quizzing glass and studied Diana’s clothes. ‘I am afraid you will need something more suitable than what you have on.’
‘Could we not go somewhere a little less grand?’ said Diana nervously, remembering that the Italian opera was, in its way, as exclusive as Almack’s and that there was a supper and a ball after the performance.
‘Very well. We shall go to the play. Finish your wine.’
Lord Dantrey began to talk lightly of this and that. A shadow fell across their table as two very young men strolled past to the far end of the coffee room.
Peregrine Armitage sat down and stared at his twin, James. ‘I swear upon my life that was sister Diana, dressed as a man, sitting at that table with that gentleman.’
‘It can’t be,’ said James. ‘The light is poor and the candle on their table was nearly burned down to the socket.’ He craned his neck. ‘The servant has justreplaced it with a new candle. Can you see anything, Perry, without making it obvious that you’re staring at them?’
If it’s her, she’s got her back to me,’ said Peregrine. ‘I tell you what. I’ll stroll over to the door and look out and then walk back.’
James waited anxiously. Peregrine slid back into his seat and ran a worried hand through his black curls. ‘It’s Diana all right,’ he groaned. ‘Putting up a good show, and she’s wearing our clothes. What are we going to do? She must have gone mad.’
‘Who is she with?’
‘I don’t know. But he’s years older than her and he don’t look as if he’s up to any good.’
‘We’d best tell Father.’
‘We can’t tell Father, you numbskull. We’re supposed to be in school. If he finds out we manufactured that letter about a death in the family, he’ll curse and rant and rave, fit to beat the band. Then we’ll get expelled if it ever comes out.’
‘Then what shall we do? It’s terrible sitting here helpless while Diana behaves like Letty Lade. She must have run away from home with this man. If that’s the case, he ain’t respectable and he ain’t got marriage in mind. Oh, what are we to do?’
‘Tell Minerva.’
‘Worse and worse. Minerva thinks we’re still children. She’d march us back to school and read us a sermon at the same time. We’ll write an anonymous letter to Father. It is all we can do.’
‘No, it’s not all we can do. We will simply march upto Diana and tell her we’ve recognized her. She’ll be in no position to report us .’
But when the twins went up to the table at which Diana had been sitting, it was to find both she and her companion had left.
‘Well, that’s that,’ said Peregrine gloomily.
‘We’ll send an anonymous letter to Father, and then we’d best return to school as fast as we can!’
Diana found herself in the pit at Haymarket Theatre, her companion having paid the three shillings each for tickets. She shifted uneasily on her hard bench, for the fop behind her had his feet up on it. The whole theatre smelled of oranges, the old prejudice against fresh fruit being indigestible having long disappeared. Despite the fact that the oranges sold in the theatre were a ridiculous price – sixpence as opposed to the twopence halfpenny that one
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