The Buccaneers

Mrs. St. George remains disappointed by her failure to introduce Virginia and Nan successfully in New York. She blames Virginia’s role in a prank at the Assembly but believes that the main obstacles are Colonel St. George’s manner and his alliance with the Clossons. Miss Testvalley argues that serving as Conchita’s bridesmaids has helped the girls’ visibility and proposes that “a London season” (86) may raise the girls’ social profile. Virginia considers the idea.

Miss Testvalley’s suggestion becomes the new plan. Although Mrs. St. George hesitates to face a foreign country alone, fearing that the Colonel will disapprove, her husband states that his profitable business dealings with Closson will fund the European trip and the prospective London season. Mrs. St. George complains, but Virginia counters that social success in London would strengthen their position in New York. Nan proposes that Miss Testvalley accompany them, and it is understood she is needed as much by the mother as by the daughters.

In the summer twilight at Honourslove, Sir Helmsley Thwarte and his son Guy walk the terrace and discuss their family and plans. The estate’s history and past sacrifices (including the sale of a Titian to cover losses from Sir Helmsley’s ventures) frame their talk. Guy recalls his shift from diplomacy to railway engineering in order to earn money for the family. He has been chosen for a lucrative South American project that will require him to spend time abroad. Sir Helmsley respects his son’s persistence but fears these new risks. The exchange turns when Guy asks for permission to invite certain guests. Sir Helmsley presses him, and Guy admits to having met two American sisters in London; he wishes to invite them, in company with Lady Conchita. Sir Helmsley reacts sharply to the idea of Americans and to the rumors that the elder sister may marry Lord Seadown. He asks Guy directly about his motives. Guy evades the question, insisting that his request is for the sake of hospitality only. Sir Helmsley presses further, and when Guy insists that he will not take “any wife” (97) until his return, Sir Helmsley grudgingly yields.

The narration reviews the strain between father and son. Both men love the family estate of Honourslove but differ greatly in temperament. Lady Thwarte had once steadied the household, and her death has altered the balance. Sir Helmsley had hoped that Guy would successfully take over his position, but Guy prefers to earn funds via work rather than marriage. Guy’s plan to travel intensifies the question of who will be the future mistress of the house. In Sir Helmsley’s study, the talk ends as father and son pause before Lady Thwarte’s portrait. Sir Helmsley gives his permission for Guy to invite the St. George girls.

Arriving at Allfriars, Virginia and Nan marvel at the vast Palladian house. Virginia says that it is “just like a [jail]” (99), but Nan sees it as “a palace.” Conchita greets them warmly with her poodle and escorts them inside. In their room, a lady’s maid prepares their dresses. Nan had wanted Miss Testvalley to come but was told that girls who were “out” in society did not travel with a governess. Miss Testvalley instructed them to behave as if they were accustomed to servants and society. In her room, Conchita describes the household to the girls, stating that Lord Brightlingsea is absorbed in maintaining the estate, while Lady Brightlingsea is kind but reserved, the daughters are shy, and Seadown is present but speaks little. She explains that she has grown used to the “ocean of silence” (102). She adds that Miss Jacky March has arrived, and in confidence, she reports that Miss March “was madly in love with Lord Brightlingsea” (103) long ago. (He was the man who jilted her.)

Lord Brightlingsea waits in the red drawing room, contemplating estate duties and the expense of upkeep. He notes that Seadown has come and suspects the man’s intention to request money. Lady Honoria enters; she says their mother is with Seadown and mentions that two American girls, friends of Conchita, are expected to arrive and are reputed to be rich. Honoria reminds him that Miss March is in the house and that he once jilted her, a fact she says he should remember. He dismisses the matter as “that old nonsense” (106). Virginia and Nan then enter the drawing room, and Lord Brightlingsea immediately becomes courteous. Virginia introduces them. Miss March follows them in, and Lord Brightlingsea struggles to remember anything about her.

After an early, restrained evening at Allfriars, Virginia and Nan follow the household upstairs and are surprised to find that “it’s only half past ten” (108). Conchita joins them in their room and characterizes the house routine as soporific and repetitive, adding that Seadown is burdened by an expensive liaison and might respond to kindness. She asks Virginia for her opinion of Seadown and proposes a drive to visit Guy Thwarte at Honourslove. When the sisters are alone, Virginia criticizes the silent dinner, while Nan admits she used the quiet to contemplate the house’s history. In the master bedroom, Lord Brightlingsea tells his wife that the American guests were engaging; he intends to show them the pictures the next morning. He is impressed that Nan knew “the whole history” (112) of the house.

The party visits Honourslove the following day, and Sir Helmsley and Guy guide them through the house, gardens, and family chapel. On the terrace, Guy remains with Nan, explaining the traditions of the place and quoting poetry. He asks her to linger with him and speaks of his attachment to the estate. Nan understands his feeling but questions how he can leave it; he answers that duty to the place requires sacrifice.

That evening, Sir Helmsley praises Virginia’s beauty to his son and assumes that she is the focus of Guy’s interest. Guy clarifies that he prefers the younger sister; he notes Nan’s response to the Rossetti in the study and her knowledge of the artist. He emphasizes that he is departing soon for South America and that Nan is only 18, so no steps toward marriage will be taken now. They finish the day with a walk on the terrace, each privately weighing the implications of Guy’s imminent absence and new acquaintance.

In London, during the last Drawing Room of the season, Lizzy and Mab Elmsworth are halted by the crowds observing the state carriages. Impatiently, Lizzy complains that it is “worse than a village circus” (118), but Mab enjoys the spectacle. She suddenly recognizes Virginia and Nan St. George in one of the carriages and waves to attract them, but Lizzy pulls her away, convinced that the St. George girls saw them but did not acknowledge their friends. Lizzy and Mab return to their hotel in discord.

Meanwhile, Mrs. St. George endures isolation in a London hotel. She is relieved when Mrs. Elmsworth visits. Later, Mrs. Elmsworth finds her daughters irritable about their lack of an invitation to the Drawing Room. Mab is excited to have seen the St. Georges, but Lizzy is resentful and practical. She learns from her mother that Miss March, an American resident in London with many connections, has called on Mrs. St. George. Miss March minimizes the social value of a Drawing Room and stresses the importance of entering the Prince of Wales’s circle. She notes that Lady Churt, a friend close to that circle, introduced Conchita to the Prince, who likes her Spanish songs.

Sensing an opportunity, Lizzy decides to visit Mrs. St. George with her mother the next day in order to meet Miss March. Miss March proposes that the St. George and Elmsworth families jointly hire Lady Churt’s furnished riverside cottage on the Thames, complete with staff and a setting suited to youth. She presents it as an immediate plan for the remainder of the summer, and Lizzy and Mrs. St. George respond favorably. Lizzy quickly reads the arrangement as a strategic base for shared social advancement.

At Lady Churt’s cottage at Runnymede, the St. George party settles into a social routine on the Thames. The house is arranged for outdoor leisure and constant visiting. Virginia and the Elmsworth sisters focus on the lawns, flowers, and tea, while Nan attends to the river traffic and boats. The two mothers return to their card games, and Miss March often brings news from London. To get away from her own “unhappy” marriage, Conchita frequently arrives with guests from Parliament, government offices, and the Guards. She urges cooperation among the young women so that each can develop her own appeal to visitors. She states that if they “stick to the rules of the game” (129), they will succeed.

Miss Testvalley keeps a close eye on everything. When Tony Grant-Johnston asks to bring his divorced sister, Miss Testvalley refuses, explaining to Nan the English view that a divorced woman is a “a social outcast” (130). Lord Seadown begins to visit often despite Lady Churt’s earlier prohibition. The Duke of Tintagel visits once, but Miss March is concerned that the girls do not seem impressed by his rank. As time goes on, Teddy de Santos-Dios’s practical jokes and late gatherings increase. When Miss Testvalley notices that Nan is growing thin and overexcited, she proposes a break from the constant socializing and suggests to Mrs. St. George that she take Nan to a “quiet little place in Cornwall” (133) for a while. Nan agrees readily when she hears they will stop at Exeter to see the cathedral and may visit Tintagel if the family is away. The prospect of Arthurian sites strongly appeals to her.

Nan and Miss Testvalley discuss Honourslove and Guy Thwarte. Nan reports that he plans to earn money abroad in order to maintain his home. Miss Testvalley comments that such places often require an heiress. They also speak about Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s work. Nan says she has read The House of Life and that Guy felt they would “be certain to like the same things” (135). Miss Testvalley approves of Nan mentioning the family connection to Rossetti but advises discretion because “there are people who don’t appreciate his poetry” (135). Plans are made for Nan’s departure to Cornwall.

The new Duke of Tintagel—also called Ushant—is “burdened with scruples” (137). His caution contrasts with his late father’s costly sense of ducal obligation. The former Duke insisted on maintaining rank and producing an heir, burdening the estate by financing many daughters and reviving the uninhabited Gothic castle at Tintagel. The new Duke intends to preserve Tintagel, Longlands, and Folyat House while reducing overall expenses. The Duchess (his mother) supports these efforts but presses him to marry advantageously. In a morning interview, she suggests a visit to Scotland and hints that Ushant might marry Jean Hopeleigh for her settlements, as this arrangement would resolve liabilities such as the unpaid roof. The Duke says that he “will never marry anyone who hunts [him] down for the sake of [his] title” (139). He wants to find a woman who does not even know what a Duke is. He rejects discussion of wealthy marriages and announces a trip to Tintagel to review accounts with the agent, Mr. Blair.

On the train west, he reflects on the tension between public duty and private choice. He longs for anonymity and small routines, recalling a boyhood wish to be a clock-seller. He is fascinated by clocks and wishes that he could spend his days winding all the clocks in his family homes. At Tintagel, he spends the morning with Blair and the housekeeper and takes a solitary walk to consider the issue of marriage. He feels bound to marry and produce heirs, but he wants to choose a wife freely. He recalls a failed courtship of a reserved Norfolk girl whose silence discouraged him. He also thinks of the American visitors at Runnymede. One fair young woman—Nan—appealed to him as a possible wearer of the Tintagel jewels, but he dismisses an American match due to the inevitable social complications, concluding that he must find an English bride of established lineage and genuine simplicity.

In Cornwall, Miss Testvalley drives to Polwhelly to visit the vicarage, leaving Nan at the Trevennick inn with instructions to rest. Later, Nan leaves the garden and climbs to the ruins of Tintagel, where she encounters the Duke of Tintagel himself as he privately reflects on duty and marriage. Noticing Nan absorbed by the sea, he approaches, and Nan turns and makes stilted conversation. She recalls seeing him among the visitors at Runnymede and mistakes him for Mr. Robinson. When pressed, he identifies himself, and Nan assumes that he is the brother of the Folyat girls who were formerly taught by Miss Testvalley. She speaks enthusiastically about the governess and about Dante Gabriel Rossetti. When Nan asks about poems from The House of Life, the Duke admits to having “very little time to read poetry” (149). Nan mentions that she and Miss Testvalley are soon returning to Runnymede.

Concerned about Nan’s safety in the fog, the Duke offers to walk her back to Trevennick. She agrees, and they descend in silence. At a fork above the village, she declines further escort and proceeds down the lane while he remains at the top, watching. Nan meets Miss Testvalley, and the governess reproves her for leaving the garden. Nan explains that “there was a gentleman there who brought [her] back” (151) and points him out. Miss Testvalley recognizes him as the Duke of Tintagel. Nan is surprised, having assumed that he was a younger son. She remarks that if he is the Duke, then he is the man whom Miss March wishes Virginia to marry. After a moment, she concludes that he is “one of the stupidest young men [she] ever met” (153). Miss Testvalley replies that she hopes he thinks nothing worse of Nan.

Hector Robinson is a confident Conservative Member of Parliament and an industrial heir. He is also a keen social climber. He balances two targets: the fashionable “Mayfair” for access, and the respectable “Belgravia” for marriage. After a failed proposal to Lady Audrey de Salis, he focuses on the circle at Runnymede, where Conchita hosts Virginia St. George, Lizzy and Mabel Elmsworth, Lord Seadown, and others. Robinson notes Seadown’s interest vacillating between Virginia’s beauty and Lizzy’s wit and astutely tracks the tensions within the group. In private, Mabel asks Robinson to urge Seadown to choose between Lizzy and Virginia.

On a hot August afternoon, a reduced party gathers under the cedar. Lady Churt (the owner of the cottage and someone who is presumed to be intimately close with Seadown) arrives unannounced. She quickly joins a high-stakes poker game and loses heavily, including the money she borrowed from Seadown. A dramatic hand ends with Miles Dawnly’s winning with a royal flush. Lady Churt rises, declares that she cannot continue, and issues pointed remarks about Seadown’s presence at a house that she has let.

The confrontation sharpens when she states her intention to take Seadown back to London. Silence follows until Lizzy intervenes, urging Virginia to “tell him at once that he has [Virginia’s] permission to announce [their] engagement” (169). Seadown, seeing Virginia’s distress, confirms the engagement and asks Lady Churt to be the first to congratulate them. Lady Churt coldly congratulates Virginia, then adds that she cannot congratulate her on her choice of husband. She departs, escorted by Miles Dawnly. Observing the scene, Robinson concludes that Lady Churt has overreached and that Lizzy acted decisively to protect her friend and settle the matter, even though she sacrificed her own chance of marrying Seadown. His “admiration” for Lizzy grows because her quick initiative stabilized the social crisis and secured Virginia’s position.

The Duchess of Tintagel, breakfasting with Lady Almina Folyat and Lady Gwendolen de Lurey, reads of Lord Seadown’s engagement to Virginia St. George and reacts with indignation. She criticizes American methods and worries about her son Ushant’s whereabouts. She reviews the burdens that she expects to hand to his future wife, then learns from a servant that the Duke has remained at Tintagel. When he later returns to Longlands, he says little about his stay and indicates that he will go to London. The Duchess withholds an invitation to Seadown after the engagement and refuses to receive the St. Georges at the family shooting parties. Mention of the Hopeleighs’ arrival unsettles the Duke, who decides to leave.

He travels to the empty cottage at Runnymede, recalling recent visits in Cornwall when he escorted Nan St. George from Tintagel’s ruins and later saw her with Miss Testvalley.

As Miss Testvalley manages Virginia’s sudden engagement and Mrs. St. George’s agitation, she reflects that Nan is different and is not suited to a routine of fashionable obligations. The Duke calls at Runnymede to see Miss Testvalley. He examines a faulty clock, then inquires about the wedding timetable. He learns that the wedding will be in London, that the family will return to New York afterward, and that Nan will have a New York season. In a nervous, roundabout manner, he lets Miss Testvalley know that he is interested in marrying Nan. Seeking guidance, he asks if Nan’s feelings might correspond to his. Miss Testvalley refuses to answer, describing Nan as “still a child” (184). She advises him to wait until Nan returns to England. The Duke does not want to wait, as Nan’s “childish innocence” (184) appeals to him. Miss Testvalley provides the London address where Ushant can find Nan.

This chapter is presented as two letters. The first is from the Duchess of Tintagel to Sir Helmsley Thwarte and invites him to the Longlands shoot. She writes that Selina Brightlingsea’s eldest son, Seadown, is marrying an American and that there will soon be “two daughters-in-law of that nationality” (186). She states that Ushant believes they ought to “do [their] cousinly duty” (187) by inviting Seadown, his fiancée Virginia St. George, and her family. She asks Sir Helmsley to “help [her] out with all these strange people” (187).

The second letter, from Sir Helmsley to his son Guy, describes the former’s presence at Longlands during the St. Georges’ visit. Sir Helmsley recalls that before Guy left for Brazil, he had urged Sir Helmsley to invite the two American sisters to Honourslove. Sir Helmsley reports that Seadown is now to marry the elder, whom he regards as “the beauty” (188). He reports that Colonel St. George is said to be very rich, though he is wedded to American habits that seem strange to the British. Sir Helmsley characterizes Virginia as composed and exacting, then notes that the younger sister Annabel (Nan) is receptive and inquisitive. He observes the difficulty the household has in adapting to the American guests and recounts provincial remarks directed at them. He reports that the Duke of Tintagel appears unusually informed and attentive toward the younger sister and suspects that the invitation was meant to show the family “what marriage with an English duke means” (192). He mentions Miss Testvalley’s continued guidance, her link to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and a planned visit to Honourslove to view Sir Helmsley’s Rossetti. He closes with routine news from Honourslove and a postscript that the Duchess inquired about Guy’s return.