see it all! The only comfort I have is that I shall very likely die before it happens, because I can feel my spasms coming on already.’
She closed her eyes as she spoke, apparently resigning herself to her approaching end. Miss Grantham said defiantly: ‘I am not in the least sorry. I will make him sorry he ever dared to think I was the kind of creature who would entrap a silly boy into marrying me!’
This announcement roused Lady Bellingham to open her eyes again, and to say in a bewildered way: ‘But you told me you said you would marry him!’
‘I said so to Ravenscar. That is nothing!’
‘But I don’t see how he can help thinking it if you told him
So!’
‘Yes, and I told him also, that I meant to set up my own faro-bank when I am Lady Mablethorpe,’ nodded Miss Grantham, dwelling fondly on these recollections. ‘And I said I should change everything at Mablethorpe. He looked as though he would have liked to hit me!’
Lady Bellingham regarded her with a fascinated stare. ‘Deb, you were not—you were not vulgar?’
‘Yes, I was. I was as vulgar as I could be, and I shall be more vulgar presently!’
‘But why?’ almost shrieked her ladyship.
Miss Grantham swallowed, blushed, and said in a small-girl voice: ‘To teach him a lesson!’
Lady Bellingham sank back again. ‘But what is the use of teaching people lessons? Besides, I cannot conceive what he is to learn from such behaviour! I do hope, my dearest love, that you have not got a touch of the sun! I do not know how you can be so odd!’
‘Well, it is to punish him,’ said Miss Grantham, goaded. ‘He will not like it at all when he hears that Adrian is going to marry me. I dare say he will try to do something quite desperate.’
‘Offer you more money?’ asked Lady Bellingham, once more reviving.
‘If he offered me a hundred thousand pounds I would fling it in his face!’ declared Miss Grantham.
‘Deb,’ said her aunt earnestly, ’it is sacrilege to talk like that! What—what, you unnatural girl, is to become of me? Only remember that odious bill from Priddy’s, and the wheatstraw, and the new barouche!’
‘I know, Aunt Lizzie,’ said Deborah, conscience-stricken. ‘But indeed I could not!’
‘You will have to marry Mablethorpe,’ said Lady Bellingham despairingly.
‘No, I won’t’
‘My head goes round and round!’ complained her aunt, pressing a hand to her brow. ‘First you say that Ravenscar will be sorry when he hears you are to marry Mablethorpe, and now you say you won’t marry him!’
‘I shall pretend that I am about to marry him,’ explained Miss Grantham. ‘Of course I shall not do so in the end!’
‘Well!’ exclaimed Lady Bellingham. ‘That is shabby treatment indeed! I declare it would be quite shocking to serve the poor boy such a trick P
Miss Grantham looked guilty, and twisted her ribbons. ‘Yes, but I don’t think that he will mind, Aunt Lizzie. In fact, I dare say he will be glad to be rid of me presently, because ten to one he will fall in love with someone else, and I assure you I don’t mean to be kind to him! And in any event,’ she added, with a flash of spirit, ’it serves him right for having such an abominable cousin’
Chapter 6
When Lord Mablethorpe was admitted to the house in St James’s Square, he was quite as much surprised as delighted to find Miss Grantham in a most encouraging mood. He was so accustomed to her laughing at him, and teasing him for his adoration of her, that he could scarcely believe his ears when, in response to his usual protestations of undying love, she allowed him to take her hand, and to press hot kisses on to her veined wrist.
‘Oh, Deb, my lovely one, my dearest! If you would only marry me!’ he said, in a thickened voice.
She touched his curly, cropped head caressingly. ‘Perhaps I will, Adrian.’
He was transported with rapture immediately, and caught her in his arms. ‘Deb! Deb, you are not funning? You mean it?’
She
She closed her eyes as she spoke, apparently resigning herself to her approaching end. Miss Grantham said defiantly: ‘I am not in the least sorry. I will make him sorry he ever dared to think I was the kind of creature who would entrap a silly boy into marrying me!’
This announcement roused Lady Bellingham to open her eyes again, and to say in a bewildered way: ‘But you told me you said you would marry him!’
‘I said so to Ravenscar. That is nothing!’
‘But I don’t see how he can help thinking it if you told him
So!’
‘Yes, and I told him also, that I meant to set up my own faro-bank when I am Lady Mablethorpe,’ nodded Miss Grantham, dwelling fondly on these recollections. ‘And I said I should change everything at Mablethorpe. He looked as though he would have liked to hit me!’
Lady Bellingham regarded her with a fascinated stare. ‘Deb, you were not—you were not vulgar?’
‘Yes, I was. I was as vulgar as I could be, and I shall be more vulgar presently!’
‘But why?’ almost shrieked her ladyship.
Miss Grantham swallowed, blushed, and said in a small-girl voice: ‘To teach him a lesson!’
Lady Bellingham sank back again. ‘But what is the use of teaching people lessons? Besides, I cannot conceive what he is to learn from such behaviour! I do hope, my dearest love, that you have not got a touch of the sun! I do not know how you can be so odd!’
‘Well, it is to punish him,’ said Miss Grantham, goaded. ‘He will not like it at all when he hears that Adrian is going to marry me. I dare say he will try to do something quite desperate.’
‘Offer you more money?’ asked Lady Bellingham, once more reviving.
‘If he offered me a hundred thousand pounds I would fling it in his face!’ declared Miss Grantham.
‘Deb,’ said her aunt earnestly, ’it is sacrilege to talk like that! What—what, you unnatural girl, is to become of me? Only remember that odious bill from Priddy’s, and the wheatstraw, and the new barouche!’
‘I know, Aunt Lizzie,’ said Deborah, conscience-stricken. ‘But indeed I could not!’
‘You will have to marry Mablethorpe,’ said Lady Bellingham despairingly.
‘No, I won’t’
‘My head goes round and round!’ complained her aunt, pressing a hand to her brow. ‘First you say that Ravenscar will be sorry when he hears you are to marry Mablethorpe, and now you say you won’t marry him!’
‘I shall pretend that I am about to marry him,’ explained Miss Grantham. ‘Of course I shall not do so in the end!’
‘Well!’ exclaimed Lady Bellingham. ‘That is shabby treatment indeed! I declare it would be quite shocking to serve the poor boy such a trick P
Miss Grantham looked guilty, and twisted her ribbons. ‘Yes, but I don’t think that he will mind, Aunt Lizzie. In fact, I dare say he will be glad to be rid of me presently, because ten to one he will fall in love with someone else, and I assure you I don’t mean to be kind to him! And in any event,’ she added, with a flash of spirit, ’it serves him right for having such an abominable cousin’
Chapter 6
When Lord Mablethorpe was admitted to the house in St James’s Square, he was quite as much surprised as delighted to find Miss Grantham in a most encouraging mood. He was so accustomed to her laughing at him, and teasing him for his adoration of her, that he could scarcely believe his ears when, in response to his usual protestations of undying love, she allowed him to take her hand, and to press hot kisses on to her veined wrist.
‘Oh, Deb, my lovely one, my dearest! If you would only marry me!’ he said, in a thickened voice.
She touched his curly, cropped head caressingly. ‘Perhaps I will, Adrian.’
He was transported with rapture immediately, and caught her in his arms. ‘Deb! Deb, you are not funning? You mean it?’
She
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