AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I dare say you think that a cowardly thing to do, but you do not know the whole! If I fall into Charlton’s hands I am lost!’
‘I begin to have fears that I may be assisting a felon to escape,’ remarked the Earl.
‘No, no, it is not at all like that!’ Mr Brown assured him.
The Earl came back to the table. ‘Well, what is it like?’ he asked persuasively.
‘Well – well, if you must know,’ said Mr Brown desperately, ‘I have been trifling with his sister!’
A muscle quivered at the corner of the Earl’s mouth. ‘That is very shocking. Er – how did you trifle with this lady?’
Mr Brown made a vague gesture. ‘Oh – how does one trifle with a lady?’
‘I wonder?’ said the Earl.
Mr Brown said with a touch of asperity: ‘You must surely know. Any man would!’
‘Certainly,’ agreed the Earl. ‘But do you know?’
Mr Brown’s eyes flew to his face, startled and questioning. Mr Brown flushed scarlet.
‘Oh!’ he said, in a small, frightened voice. ‘You have guessed the truth!’
‘Of course I have,’ said the Earl gently. He drew a chair out from the table. ‘Will you sit down and tell me the real story?’
His guest obeyed, averting a very red face. The Earl smiled a little, and said matter-of-factly:
‘I think I have the honour of addressing Miss Wetherby, have I not?’
This speech had the effect of bringing the lady’s head round.
‘Yes, I am Henrietta Wetherby. But how did you know?’
‘Another of my guesses,’ explained his lordship gravely.
Miss Wetherby edged her chair closer to the table, and tucked her legs out of sight.
‘You are extremely clever, I think,’ she said. ‘Charlton is the brother I spoke of. You see the story was partly true, I – I am Miss X, though, of course, I am not a reigning toast.’
‘Or raven-haired,’ interpolated the Earl.
‘No,’ sighed Miss Wetherby. ‘I said that because it is just what I should like to be. But the rest was true. They are trying to make me – Mamma and Charlton – marry Mr Poulton, and I won’t, I won’t!’
‘I think you are perfectly right,’ said the Earl.
‘Oh, do you know him?’ exclaimed Miss Wetherby eagerly.
‘No, but I still think you perfectly right,’ replied the Earl.
Miss Wetherby looked a little puzzled, but said: ‘Well, I am. But they would not listen to me, and Charlton has been so odious, that I made up my mind to run away. That is why I am in – in these clothes. They belong to my brother Harry. He is up at Oxford, and luckily he is not at all big. And I was going to throw myself on the mercy of a very dear friend of mine, who lives at Bath. She is excessively romantic, and I quite depended on her for help. But now that Charlton has gone there – and I must say I think it was clever of him to guess so quickly – it is all of no use. I do not know what I can do.’
The Earl said: ‘Will you put your affairs into my hands, Miss Wetherby?’
She looked hopefully up at him. ‘Have you thought of a plan?’
‘Yes,’ said the Earl. ‘I have thought of a plan, though I shall not tell you just yet what it is. Do you think you can trust me?’
‘Yes,’ said Miss Wetherby shyly. The Earl took one of her hands in his, and raised it to his lips.
