you had offered for Elizabeth!'
'My shocking memory for names!' mourned his lordship.
Lady Louisa brought her open hand down on the table. 'Nonsense!' she said. 'Your memory's as good as mine!'
'My dear, I should not like to think that,' said the Earl. 'Your memory is sometimes too good.'
'Oh!' said the lady critically surveying him. 'Well, you had best make a clean breast of it. Do you really mean to marry that child?'
'Well, she certainly means to marry me,' said his lordship.
'What?' gasped Lady Louisa.
'You see,' explained the Earl, resuming his seat, 'though it ought to be Charlotte, she has no mind to make such a sacrifice, even for Elizabeth's sake.'
'Either you are out of your senses, or I am!' declared Lady Louisa with resignation. 'I don't know what you're talking about, and how you can mean to marry Horatia, who must be still in the schoolroom, for I'm sure I have never clapped eyes on her - in place of that divinely beautiful Elizabeth—'
'Ah, but I am going to grow used to the eyebrows,' interrupted Rule. 'And she has the Nose.'
'Rule,' said her ladyship with dangerous quiet, 'do not goad me too far! Where have you seen this child?'
He regarded her with a smile hovering round his mouth. 'If I told you, Louisa, you would probably refuse to believe me.'
She cast up her eyes. 'When did you have this notion of marrying her?' she asked.
'Oh, I didn't,' replied the Earl. 'It was not my notion at all.'
'Whose, then?'
'Horatia's, my dear. I thought I had explained.'
'Do you tell me, Marcus, the girl asked you to marry her?' said Lady Louisa sarcastically.
'Instead of Elizabeth,' nodded his lordship. 'Elizabeth, you see, is going to marry Mr Heron.'
'Who in the world is Mr Heron?' cried Lady Louisa. 'I declare, I never heard such a farrago! Confess, you are trying to take me in.'
'Not at all, Louisa. You don't understand the situation at all. One of them must marry me.'
'That I can believe,' she said dryly. 'But this nonsense about Horatia? What is the truth of it?'
'Only that Horatia offered herself to me in her sister's place. And that - but I need not tell you - is quite for your ears alone.'
Lady Louisa was not in the habit of giving way to amaze-ment, and she did not now indulge in fruitless ejaculations. 'Marcus, is the girl a minx?' she asked.
'No,' he answered. 'She is not, Louisa. I am not at all sure that she is not a heroine.'
'Don't she wish to marry you?'
The Earl's eyes gleamed. 'Well, I am rather old, you know, though no one would think it to look at me. But she assures me she would quite like to marry me. If my memory serves me, she prophesied that we should deal famously together.'
Lady Louisa, watching him, said abruptly: 'Rule, is this a love-match?'
His brows rose; he looked faintly amused. 'My dear Louisa! At my age?'
'Then marry the Beauty,' she said. 'That one would understand better.'
'You are mistaken, my dear. Horatia understands perfectly. She engages not to interfere with me.'
'At seventeen! It's folly, Marcus.' She got up, drawing her scarf around her. 'I'll see her for myself.'
'Do,' he said cordially. 'I think - but I may be prejudiced - you will find her adorable.'
'If you find her so,' she said, her eyes softening, 'I shall love her - even though she has a squint!'
'Not a squint,' said his lordship. 'A stammer.'
Chapter Four
The question Lady Louisa Quain longed to ask yet did not ask was: 'What of Caroline Massey?' Her brother's relations with the fair Massey were perfectly well known to her, nor was she, in the general way, afraid of plain speaking. She told herself that nothing she could say would be likely to have any effect on his conduct, but admitted that she lacked the moral courage to broach the subject. She believed that she enjoyed a good deal of Rule's confidence, but he had never discussed his amorous adventures with her, and would be capable of delivering an extremely unpleasant snub if she trespassed on forbidden ground.
Although
'My shocking memory for names!' mourned his lordship.
Lady Louisa brought her open hand down on the table. 'Nonsense!' she said. 'Your memory's as good as mine!'
'My dear, I should not like to think that,' said the Earl. 'Your memory is sometimes too good.'
'Oh!' said the lady critically surveying him. 'Well, you had best make a clean breast of it. Do you really mean to marry that child?'
'Well, she certainly means to marry me,' said his lordship.
'What?' gasped Lady Louisa.
'You see,' explained the Earl, resuming his seat, 'though it ought to be Charlotte, she has no mind to make such a sacrifice, even for Elizabeth's sake.'
'Either you are out of your senses, or I am!' declared Lady Louisa with resignation. 'I don't know what you're talking about, and how you can mean to marry Horatia, who must be still in the schoolroom, for I'm sure I have never clapped eyes on her - in place of that divinely beautiful Elizabeth—'
'Ah, but I am going to grow used to the eyebrows,' interrupted Rule. 'And she has the Nose.'
'Rule,' said her ladyship with dangerous quiet, 'do not goad me too far! Where have you seen this child?'
He regarded her with a smile hovering round his mouth. 'If I told you, Louisa, you would probably refuse to believe me.'
She cast up her eyes. 'When did you have this notion of marrying her?' she asked.
'Oh, I didn't,' replied the Earl. 'It was not my notion at all.'
'Whose, then?'
'Horatia's, my dear. I thought I had explained.'
'Do you tell me, Marcus, the girl asked you to marry her?' said Lady Louisa sarcastically.
'Instead of Elizabeth,' nodded his lordship. 'Elizabeth, you see, is going to marry Mr Heron.'
'Who in the world is Mr Heron?' cried Lady Louisa. 'I declare, I never heard such a farrago! Confess, you are trying to take me in.'
'Not at all, Louisa. You don't understand the situation at all. One of them must marry me.'
'That I can believe,' she said dryly. 'But this nonsense about Horatia? What is the truth of it?'
'Only that Horatia offered herself to me in her sister's place. And that - but I need not tell you - is quite for your ears alone.'
Lady Louisa was not in the habit of giving way to amaze-ment, and she did not now indulge in fruitless ejaculations. 'Marcus, is the girl a minx?' she asked.
'No,' he answered. 'She is not, Louisa. I am not at all sure that she is not a heroine.'
'Don't she wish to marry you?'
The Earl's eyes gleamed. 'Well, I am rather old, you know, though no one would think it to look at me. But she assures me she would quite like to marry me. If my memory serves me, she prophesied that we should deal famously together.'
Lady Louisa, watching him, said abruptly: 'Rule, is this a love-match?'
His brows rose; he looked faintly amused. 'My dear Louisa! At my age?'
'Then marry the Beauty,' she said. 'That one would understand better.'
'You are mistaken, my dear. Horatia understands perfectly. She engages not to interfere with me.'
'At seventeen! It's folly, Marcus.' She got up, drawing her scarf around her. 'I'll see her for myself.'
'Do,' he said cordially. 'I think - but I may be prejudiced - you will find her adorable.'
'If you find her so,' she said, her eyes softening, 'I shall love her - even though she has a squint!'
'Not a squint,' said his lordship. 'A stammer.'
Chapter Four
The question Lady Louisa Quain longed to ask yet did not ask was: 'What of Caroline Massey?' Her brother's relations with the fair Massey were perfectly well known to her, nor was she, in the general way, afraid of plain speaking. She told herself that nothing she could say would be likely to have any effect on his conduct, but admitted that she lacked the moral courage to broach the subject. She believed that she enjoyed a good deal of Rule's confidence, but he had never discussed his amorous adventures with her, and would be capable of delivering an extremely unpleasant snub if she trespassed on forbidden ground.
Although
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