do anything secretly. I am not in the least ashamed of loving Deb!’
‘It would be very odd if you were,’ commented Ravenscar. ‘I apprehend that Miss Grantham has accepted your offer??
‘Well, not precisely,’ Adrian confessed. ‘That is, she will marry me, I know, but she is the most delightfully teasing creature-! Oh, I can’t tell you, but when you know her better you will see for yourself!’
Ravenscar set down his tankard. ‘When you say “not precisely”, what do you mean?’
‘Oh, she says I must wait until I come of age before I make up my mind—as though I could ever change it! She did not wish me to say anything about it yet, but someone told my mother that I was entangled—entangled!—by her and so it all came out. And that is “in part” why I have come to you, Max.’
‘Oh?’
‘My mother will listen to you,’ said Adrian confidently. ‘You see, she has taken an absurd notion into her head that Deb is not good enough for me. Of course, I know that her being in Lady Bel’s house is a most unfortunate circumstance, but she is not in the least the sort of girl you might imagine, Max, upon my word she is not! She don’t even like cards above a little! It is all to help her aunt.’
‘Did she tell you so?’
‘Oh no, it was Kennet who told me! He has known her since her childhood. Really, Max, she is the dearest, sweetest—oh, there are no words to describe her!’
Mr Ravenscar could have found several, but refrained.
‘She is not like any other woman I have ever met,’ pursued his lordship. ‘I wonder that you were not struck by it!’
‘Well, I have met rather more women than you have as yet had time to,’ said Ravenscar apologetically. ‘That might account for it.’
‘Yes, but I should have thought that even you—however, that’s neither here nor there! What I want you to understand, Max, is that I mean to marry Deb, whatever anyone may choose to say about it!’
‘Very well; and now that I understand that, what do you expect me to do about it?’
‘Well, Max, I thought I could talk to you so much more easily than to my mother. You know how it is with her. Just because Deb has been in the habit of presiding in a gaminghouse, she will not listen to a word I say! It is monstrously unjust! It is not Deb’s fault that she is obliged to be friendly towards men like Filey and Ormskirk: she cannot help herself! Oh, I can scarcely wait to take her away from it all!’
‘I see,’ said Ravenscar. ‘I must own that you have taken me by surprise. No doubt I quite mistook the matter, but I should have said that it was Ormskirk’s suit which the lady favoured, rather than yours.’
Adrian looked troubled. ‘No, no, you don’t understand! It is that which makes me so anxious—in short, Lady Bel is under an obligation to Ormskirk—a monetary obligation, you know—and Deb dare not offend him. It is an intolerable position for her! If only I had control of my fortune now, I would put an end to it on the instant!’
Mr Ravenscar experienced no difficulty at all in believing this, and could only be thankful that there were still two months to run of his cousin’s minority. ‘May I ask if the source of your information is again Mr Kennet?’ he inquired
‘Oh, yes! Deb will not say a word about it! But Kennet, knows all the circumstances.’
‘Miss Grantham is happy in the possession of so devoted friend,’ remarked Ravenscar ironically.
‘Well, yes, I suppose—except that—Well, he is not quite the sort of fellow who—But that will all be changed when we are married!’
‘Miss Grantham’s parentage, I need hardly ask, is respectable?’ said Ravenscar, in a matter-of-fact voice.
‘Oh, yes! The Granthams are related to Amberley, I believe they are some sort of cousins: I am not precisely informed Deb’s father was a military man, but he sold out.’ Lord Mablethorpe looked up with a disarming smile. ‘Well, the truth is, he was a gamester, I suppose.
‘It would be very odd if you were,’ commented Ravenscar. ‘I apprehend that Miss Grantham has accepted your offer??
‘Well, not precisely,’ Adrian confessed. ‘That is, she will marry me, I know, but she is the most delightfully teasing creature-! Oh, I can’t tell you, but when you know her better you will see for yourself!’
Ravenscar set down his tankard. ‘When you say “not precisely”, what do you mean?’
‘Oh, she says I must wait until I come of age before I make up my mind—as though I could ever change it! She did not wish me to say anything about it yet, but someone told my mother that I was entangled—entangled!—by her and so it all came out. And that is “in part” why I have come to you, Max.’
‘Oh?’
‘My mother will listen to you,’ said Adrian confidently. ‘You see, she has taken an absurd notion into her head that Deb is not good enough for me. Of course, I know that her being in Lady Bel’s house is a most unfortunate circumstance, but she is not in the least the sort of girl you might imagine, Max, upon my word she is not! She don’t even like cards above a little! It is all to help her aunt.’
‘Did she tell you so?’
‘Oh no, it was Kennet who told me! He has known her since her childhood. Really, Max, she is the dearest, sweetest—oh, there are no words to describe her!’
Mr Ravenscar could have found several, but refrained.
‘She is not like any other woman I have ever met,’ pursued his lordship. ‘I wonder that you were not struck by it!’
‘Well, I have met rather more women than you have as yet had time to,’ said Ravenscar apologetically. ‘That might account for it.’
‘Yes, but I should have thought that even you—however, that’s neither here nor there! What I want you to understand, Max, is that I mean to marry Deb, whatever anyone may choose to say about it!’
‘Very well; and now that I understand that, what do you expect me to do about it?’
‘Well, Max, I thought I could talk to you so much more easily than to my mother. You know how it is with her. Just because Deb has been in the habit of presiding in a gaminghouse, she will not listen to a word I say! It is monstrously unjust! It is not Deb’s fault that she is obliged to be friendly towards men like Filey and Ormskirk: she cannot help herself! Oh, I can scarcely wait to take her away from it all!’
‘I see,’ said Ravenscar. ‘I must own that you have taken me by surprise. No doubt I quite mistook the matter, but I should have said that it was Ormskirk’s suit which the lady favoured, rather than yours.’
Adrian looked troubled. ‘No, no, you don’t understand! It is that which makes me so anxious—in short, Lady Bel is under an obligation to Ormskirk—a monetary obligation, you know—and Deb dare not offend him. It is an intolerable position for her! If only I had control of my fortune now, I would put an end to it on the instant!’
Mr Ravenscar experienced no difficulty at all in believing this, and could only be thankful that there were still two months to run of his cousin’s minority. ‘May I ask if the source of your information is again Mr Kennet?’ he inquired
‘Oh, yes! Deb will not say a word about it! But Kennet, knows all the circumstances.’
‘Miss Grantham is happy in the possession of so devoted friend,’ remarked Ravenscar ironically.
‘Well, yes, I suppose—except that—Well, he is not quite the sort of fellow who—But that will all be changed when we are married!’
‘Miss Grantham’s parentage, I need hardly ask, is respectable?’ said Ravenscar, in a matter-of-fact voice.
‘Oh, yes! The Granthams are related to Amberley, I believe they are some sort of cousins: I am not precisely informed Deb’s father was a military man, but he sold out.’ Lord Mablethorpe looked up with a disarming smile. ‘Well, the truth is, he was a gamester, I suppose.
Similar Books
