She hesitated. He saw regret in her face for a moment. Then her expression hardened and she said firmly: "Yes."
He stared at her. She held his look. He saw that she meant what she said, and he was oddly disappointed.
Augusta said: "It must be settled soon. Emily Maple and her parents won't be kept in suspense indefinitely."
In other words I'd better get married quickly, Micky thought.
I will, then. So be it.
Joseph and Edward returned to the box and the conversation turned to other matters.
Throughout the next act Micky thought about Edward. They had been friends now for fifteen years. Edward was weak and insecure, eager to please but without initiative or drive. His life's project was to get people to encourage and support him, and Micky had been supplying that need ever since he started doing Edward's Latin prep at school. Now Edward needed to be pushed into the marriage that was necessary for his career--and for Micky's.
During the second interval Micky said to Augusta: "Edward needs someone to help him at the bank--a clever clerk who will be loyal to him and look after his interests."
Augusta thought for a moment. "That's a very good notion indeed," she said. "Someone you and I know and trust."
"Exactly."
Augusta said: "Do you have someone in mind?"
"I have a cousin working for me at the ministry. His name is Simon Oliver. It was Olivera but he anglicized it. He's a smart boy and completely trustworthy."
"Bring him to tea," Augusta said. "If I like the looks of him I'll speak to Joseph."
"Very well."
The last act began. He and Augusta often thought alike, Micky mused. It was Augusta he should be married to: together they could conquer the world. He pushed that fantastic notion out of his head. Who was he going to marry? She should not be an heiress, for he had nothing to offer such a girl. There were several heiresses he could easily captivate, but winning their hearts was only the start: there would be a prolonged battle with the parents and no guarantee of the right result. No, he needed a girl of modest background, one who liked him already and would accept him with alacrity. His eye roamed idly around the stalls of the theatre--and lit on Rachel Bodwin.
She fit the bill perfectly. She was already half in love with him. She was getting desperate for a husband. Her father did not like Micky much but her mother did, and the mother and daughter together would soon overcome the father's opposition.
But most importantly, she aroused him.
