Venetia Part VII

Venetia persuades her mother that she could help her to get Damerel to marry her and Lady Steeple reluctantly agrees. She tells her daughter that it is not easy to be a social exile. Venetia sets off to Mrs Hendred's house, her stepfather insisting on escorting her. He buys her a present and they meet Edward on the way. Edward is shocked to find her walking with a middle aged dandyfied rake, and they have an argument which ends in his deciding that he can't marry her, that she is not a well behaved female. She is relieved as she has never cared much for him, and has found his calm insistence that he knows everything very annoying. She has also disliked his assumption that they were engaged. She hopes that he will find another girl in Yorkshire, since he has shown an interest in Clara Denny. When she gets back to her aunt's house, she tells her that she's going home and hastens off to get a coach to Yorkshire. Mrs Hendred cannot stop her. Venetia feels that she has to get back soon because the odds are that Damerel will leave England and go abroad, if Aubrey terminates his visit to him. She arrives in Yorkshire after a tiring journey and is running short of ready money. She travels by chaise to Elliston Priory and finds that Aubrey is out and Damerel is alone and rather drunk. He is shocked that she has left her aunt and turned up at his home. Fearing for her reputation, he tries to think of a way of letting her stay the night safely. He sobers up and tells her that he will tell his servants that she had to come to see Aubrey on an urgent business matter and he will stay a night at the local inn. Venetia tells him she was unhappy in London, and tries to hit on a way of persuading him that their marriage would not cause social disaster for her. She tells him that her mother has invited her to go and stay with her and Steeple, abroad, and she is tempted to go. He has told her that no sensible man would be put off from marrying her, because of her mother's divorce, but it would not be a good idea for her to join a menage like the Steeples. Then Mr Hendred turns up, having chased after her when she left Mrs Hendred. He tries to calm matters down, telling Venetia that it would be quite scandalous to live with the Steeples but an occasional private visit would be all right. He can see that Venetia and Damerel are in love but he has a bad reputation and is not well off -having neglected his estates and been extravagant. However, he tells Mr Hendred that he would be happy to sell up some property and make a settlement on Venetia, like most husbands. Mr Hendred now decides that it would be better for them to marry, even if there is some gossip. It emerges that Lady Stoborough, one of Damerel's aunts, is an old social enemy of Mr Hendred, and he takes pleasure in thinking that she will have to show friendship to his niece, if she marries into the family and if they want Damerel to be restored to respectability. Then Aubrey comes back from visiting the local clergyman, his tutor. He tells his uncle that Venetia should marry Damerel. He tells her that he knew about his mother, since Conway told him, in case he was killed in the war.. but it means very little to him as he is not an emotional person and he never knew his mother. Meanwhile, Venetia and Damerel become engaged and plan an early wedding.