The Eustace Diamonds | Page 7

duty by her as the widow of the late and the mother of the
present baronet. And they did not find much cause of complaining as to
Lizzie's conduct in these days. In that matter of the great family
diamond necklace, which certainly should not have been taken to

Naples at all, and as to which the jeweller had told the lawyer and the
lawyer had told John Eustace that it certainly should not now be
detained among the widow's own private property, the bishop strongly
recommended that nothing should be said at present. The mistake, if
there was a mistake, could be remedied at any time. And nothing in
those very early days was said about the great Eustace necklace which
afterwards became so famous.
Why Lizzie should have been so generally disliked by the Eustaces it
might be hard to explain. While she remained at the palace she was
very discreet, and perhaps demure. It may be said they disliked her
expressed determination to cut her aunt, Lady Linlithgow; for they
knew that Lady Linlithgow had been, at any rate, a friend to Lizzie
Greystock. There are people who can be wise within a certain margin,
but beyond that commit great imprudences. Lady Eustace submitted
herself to the palace people for that period of her prostration, but she
could not hold her tongue as to her future intentions. She would, too,
now and then ask of Mrs. Eustace and even of her daughter an eager,
anxious question about her own property. "She is dying to handle her
money," said Mrs. Eustace to the bishop. "She is only like the rest of
the world in that," said the bishop. "If she would be really open, I
wouldn't mind it," said Mrs. Eustace. None of them liked her, and she
did not like them.
She remained at the palace for six months, and at the end of that time
she went to her own place in Scotland. Mrs. Eustace had strongly
advised her to ask her aunt, Lady Linlithgow, to accompany her, but in
refusing to do this Lizzie was quite firm. She had endured Lady
Linlithgow for that year between her father's death and her marriage;
she was now beginning to dare to hope for the enjoyment of the good
things which she had won, and the presence of the dowager countess,
"the vulturess," was certainly not one of these good things. In what her
enjoyment was to consist, she had not as yet quite formed a definite
conclusion. She liked jewels. She liked admiration. She liked the power
of being arrogant to those around her. And she liked good things to eat.
But there were other matters that were also dear to her. She did like
music, though it may be doubted whether she would ever play it or

even listen to it alone. She did like reading, and especially the reading
of poetry, though even in this she was false and pretentious, skipping,
pretending to have read, lying about books, and making up her market
of literature for outside admiration at the easiest possible cost of trouble.
And she had some dream of being in love, and would take delight even
in building castles in the air, which she would people with friends and
lovers whom she would make happy with the most open-hearted
benevolence. She had theoretical ideas of life which were not bad, but
in practice she had gained her objects, and she was in a hurry to have
liberty to enjoy them.
There was considerable anxiety in the palace in reference to the future
mode of life of Lady Eustace. Had it not been for that baby-heir, of
course there would have been no cause for interference; but the rights
of that baby were so serious and important that it was almost
impossible not to interfere. The mother, however, gave some little signs
that she did not intend to submit to much interference, and there was no
real reason why she should not be as free as air. But did she really
intend to go down to Portray Castle all alone--that is, with her baby and
nurses? This was ended by an arrangement in accordance with which
she was accompanied by her eldest cousin, Ellinor Greystock, a lady
who was just ten years her senior. There could hardly be a better
woman than Ellinor Greystock, or a more good-humoured, kindly
being. After many debates in the deanery and in the palace, for there
was much friendship between the two ecclesiastical establishments, the
offer was made and the advice given. Ellinor had accepted the
martyrdom on the understanding that if the advice were accepted she
was to remain at Portray Castle for three months. After a long
discussion between Lady Eustace and the bishop's wife the offer