much about you; I am very happy
to renew our acquaintance under more conventional circumstances.’
He bowed very low over her hand. ‘I have
been counting the hours until my friend Sidney should be well enough for this
visit,’ he said in an unexpectedly light voice. ‘But I am come at his request,
or I should not have ventured to intrude upon you.’
‘Oh, I know. He told me he had asked you
to call.’ She turned to Miss Fallowfield and said, ‘Susanna my love, did you
not tell me you have a letter to write? You should not lose any time. Off with
you; Sir Marmaduke will excuse you.’
Susanna slipped from the room while the
gentleman was making his bow to the Signora. That lady regarded him shrewdly
and then cast a thoughtful look at Zanthe, who was all smiles and blushes. She
pursed her lips a little and then said, ‘I, too, must take my leave. Will you
give me your arm to my carriage, Lady Brookenby?’
‘You will excuse me for a moment, Sir?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about me,’ he answered
jovially.
The shower had passed, and the sun was
once more shining. The two ladies stood upon the steps, the contrasting dark
and fair beauties making a picture worthy of a better audience than the butler
and a couple of chair-men lounging at the stand across the street.
‘You be careful what you’re about, my
dear,’ cautioned the Signora, dropping her Italian accent and mannerisms like a
cloak. ‘I see what you’re up to, of course, but if you want to make Jarvis
jealous, you should pick on someone a bit safer. I wouldn’t trust that one as
far as I could throw him. Nasty type, believe me; I’ve known a score of them.’
‘Oh, but I don’t merely want to make him
jealous. That would not fit the purpose at all, for it would just make him
unhappy and not advance my case one whit. No, he must believe he has to rescue
me. And for that, I need to be in some kind of fix.’ She laughed happily. ‘Sir
Marmaduke is exactly what I require.’
‘Have you thought what might happen if
he doesn’t rescue you?’
‘Oh, I am not afraid of that. Jarvis is
a born rescuer. Besides, what could happen? I am not a poor little
maidservant to be ravished by the wicked nobleman.’
‘No, but you have a handsome fortune,
and I’ll wager his pockets are pretty much to-let. I wouldn’t put it past him
to try and compromise you so you have to marry him,’ the Signora said, bluntly.
‘Oh, do you think so,’ said Zanthe in
delighted accents. ‘That would be perfect!’
Signora Villella burst out laughing. ‘Well,
I see you don’t need my advice.’
‘Not yet, but I shall certainly let you
know if I do.’ She paused and then said in a considering tone, ‘It could do no
harm, I suppose, if you just mentioned to Jarvis that you had met Sir Marmaduke
at my house. It might take a little time before the gossip reached him, otherwise.’
‘Don’t you worry; I certainly will. He
needs to keep a better eye on you, young lady, and so I shall tell him!’
The two ladies parted upon the best of
terms, and Zanthe returned to the morning-room to find Margery and her brother
entertaining Sir Marmaduke. She was somewhat put out. Parry’s presence made no
difference to her plans, but it would be difficult to flirt with Sir Marmaduke
under her sister-in-law’s disapproving nose.
However, she need not have worried. The
gentleman required no encouragement for his gallantries whatsoever. By the time
he took his leave, he had solicited both Zanthe and Margery to stand up with
him at the Fancy Ball in the Upper Rooms on the following Friday, and engaged
himself to drive Parry, with his sister in attendance, the next fine afternoon
in his phaeton so that the ‘poor old fellow’ could get out into the fresh air.
Zanthe was rather expecting a scold from
Margery when their visitor had departed, but it was no such thing. Her
sister-in-law was in raptures.
‘What a charming man! Such an air, such
breeding! My dear Zanthe, I could see
to renew our acquaintance under more conventional circumstances.’
He bowed very low over her hand. ‘I have
been counting the hours until my friend Sidney should be well enough for this
visit,’ he said in an unexpectedly light voice. ‘But I am come at his request,
or I should not have ventured to intrude upon you.’
‘Oh, I know. He told me he had asked you
to call.’ She turned to Miss Fallowfield and said, ‘Susanna my love, did you
not tell me you have a letter to write? You should not lose any time. Off with
you; Sir Marmaduke will excuse you.’
Susanna slipped from the room while the
gentleman was making his bow to the Signora. That lady regarded him shrewdly
and then cast a thoughtful look at Zanthe, who was all smiles and blushes. She
pursed her lips a little and then said, ‘I, too, must take my leave. Will you
give me your arm to my carriage, Lady Brookenby?’
‘You will excuse me for a moment, Sir?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about me,’ he answered
jovially.
The shower had passed, and the sun was
once more shining. The two ladies stood upon the steps, the contrasting dark
and fair beauties making a picture worthy of a better audience than the butler
and a couple of chair-men lounging at the stand across the street.
‘You be careful what you’re about, my
dear,’ cautioned the Signora, dropping her Italian accent and mannerisms like a
cloak. ‘I see what you’re up to, of course, but if you want to make Jarvis
jealous, you should pick on someone a bit safer. I wouldn’t trust that one as
far as I could throw him. Nasty type, believe me; I’ve known a score of them.’
‘Oh, but I don’t merely want to make him
jealous. That would not fit the purpose at all, for it would just make him
unhappy and not advance my case one whit. No, he must believe he has to rescue
me. And for that, I need to be in some kind of fix.’ She laughed happily. ‘Sir
Marmaduke is exactly what I require.’
‘Have you thought what might happen if
he doesn’t rescue you?’
‘Oh, I am not afraid of that. Jarvis is
a born rescuer. Besides, what could happen? I am not a poor little
maidservant to be ravished by the wicked nobleman.’
‘No, but you have a handsome fortune,
and I’ll wager his pockets are pretty much to-let. I wouldn’t put it past him
to try and compromise you so you have to marry him,’ the Signora said, bluntly.
‘Oh, do you think so,’ said Zanthe in
delighted accents. ‘That would be perfect!’
Signora Villella burst out laughing. ‘Well,
I see you don’t need my advice.’
‘Not yet, but I shall certainly let you
know if I do.’ She paused and then said in a considering tone, ‘It could do no
harm, I suppose, if you just mentioned to Jarvis that you had met Sir Marmaduke
at my house. It might take a little time before the gossip reached him, otherwise.’
‘Don’t you worry; I certainly will. He
needs to keep a better eye on you, young lady, and so I shall tell him!’
The two ladies parted upon the best of
terms, and Zanthe returned to the morning-room to find Margery and her brother
entertaining Sir Marmaduke. She was somewhat put out. Parry’s presence made no
difference to her plans, but it would be difficult to flirt with Sir Marmaduke
under her sister-in-law’s disapproving nose.
However, she need not have worried. The
gentleman required no encouragement for his gallantries whatsoever. By the time
he took his leave, he had solicited both Zanthe and Margery to stand up with
him at the Fancy Ball in the Upper Rooms on the following Friday, and engaged
himself to drive Parry, with his sister in attendance, the next fine afternoon
in his phaeton so that the ‘poor old fellow’ could get out into the fresh air.
Zanthe was rather expecting a scold from
Margery when their visitor had departed, but it was no such thing. Her
sister-in-law was in raptures.
‘What a charming man! Such an air, such
breeding! My dear Zanthe, I could see
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