bear in mind dear Lady Emberley ’ s express wishes concerning our future union! Once your services are no longer required by Miss Grafton, I fancy you will wish to reconsider the advantages of a respectable marri a ge! Sir Edmund, should I find myself in London, I shall take the liberty of calling in Upper Brook Street — yes, indeed I shall!”
And with this, and another hearty and protracted shake of Sir Edmund ’ s hand, he at last left the room.
Recovering from her stunned silence, Elinor said faintly, “W-well! Was ever anything so mortifying ?” But the unsteadiness of her voice was mostly due to amusement, and resting her elbows on the desk and laying her head on her clasped hands, she gave way to peals of laughter.
“Or diverting!” said Sir Edmund, at long last able to give rein to his own mirth. When he could speak again for laughing, he inquired, “Good God, can my deplorable old Cousin Sophronia really have intended you to marry that — that ecclesiastical stockfish?”
“Oh, dear me, yes!” Elinor told him, wiping the tears of amusement from her eyes. “You see, she thought it just the way to provide for me, and to that end she left Mr. Spalding some money — ”
“Which I observe he has no scruples in accepting!”
“No, why should he? It was meant, I own, as a kind of — well, a dowry, and you must admit a generous one, but nobody actually said so. However, I could not like the notion — ”
“I should think not!”
“I did try to be grateful. I even wondered, for a little while, whether it would do. Mr. Spalding really is an estimable man, you know, and one ought to appreciate him at his true worth, only — only he appreciates it so well himself, that it somehow seems superfluous for a wife or anyone else to do so too. He could not believe that it was not merely out of consideration for Lady Emberley I refused to regard the engagement as a settled thing. And though you might not think it, I have often tried to convince him of that. Well! I can only say, Sir Edmund, that I am heartily grateful to you for coming to my rescue with that tall tale of yours. You did it quite beautifully.”
“Tall tale?” said he. “I hope it will be no such thing, Cousin Elinor.”
A flush again stained her cheeks as she stared blankly at him, quite bewildered.
“I see I am going too fast — too fast for you, that is, but your suitor led me, hopefully, to anticipate. May I in all seriousness beg you to consider the idea of coming to London to look after young Persephone? I was just going to put the suggestion to you, you know, when the good Mr. Spalding insisted on interrupting us.”
“W-were you?” said Elinor faintly, feeling as if the ground were not quite steady beneath her feet.
“Indeed I was. I do urgently require a lady to chaperon Persephone — and I warn you, it could be an arduous task. As I ’ ve discovered, she can be a very headstrong child, and it was thus with some trepidation that I was about to put my request.”
Looking at Sir Edmund, Elinor could not believe that he had ever felt trepidation in his life. “But — but this is ridiculous!” she managed to say.
“Why? It is all just as I told Mr. Spalding, Cousin Elinor — I have ulterior motives in claiming our relationship, you see. Who could possibly be better than a cousin to help my sister with the problems of Persephone ’ s come-out? Problems like that ,” he added reflectively, as Persephone ’ s voice soared up again, unleashed from all restraint, in a passionately felt lyric of what he fancied was very modern composition.
“Yes,” Miss Radley soberly agreed. “Such a very marked talent — how wicked it would be to thwart it! And yet, I do see that it may make life more difficult for her.”
“I knew you would. At least you ’ re under no illusions! What ’ s more, the child took to you at once, you can ’ t deny that. So will you take her on ? ”
“Oh, I should like it of all things!”
And with this, and another hearty and protracted shake of Sir Edmund ’ s hand, he at last left the room.
Recovering from her stunned silence, Elinor said faintly, “W-well! Was ever anything so mortifying ?” But the unsteadiness of her voice was mostly due to amusement, and resting her elbows on the desk and laying her head on her clasped hands, she gave way to peals of laughter.
“Or diverting!” said Sir Edmund, at long last able to give rein to his own mirth. When he could speak again for laughing, he inquired, “Good God, can my deplorable old Cousin Sophronia really have intended you to marry that — that ecclesiastical stockfish?”
“Oh, dear me, yes!” Elinor told him, wiping the tears of amusement from her eyes. “You see, she thought it just the way to provide for me, and to that end she left Mr. Spalding some money — ”
“Which I observe he has no scruples in accepting!”
“No, why should he? It was meant, I own, as a kind of — well, a dowry, and you must admit a generous one, but nobody actually said so. However, I could not like the notion — ”
“I should think not!”
“I did try to be grateful. I even wondered, for a little while, whether it would do. Mr. Spalding really is an estimable man, you know, and one ought to appreciate him at his true worth, only — only he appreciates it so well himself, that it somehow seems superfluous for a wife or anyone else to do so too. He could not believe that it was not merely out of consideration for Lady Emberley I refused to regard the engagement as a settled thing. And though you might not think it, I have often tried to convince him of that. Well! I can only say, Sir Edmund, that I am heartily grateful to you for coming to my rescue with that tall tale of yours. You did it quite beautifully.”
“Tall tale?” said he. “I hope it will be no such thing, Cousin Elinor.”
A flush again stained her cheeks as she stared blankly at him, quite bewildered.
“I see I am going too fast — too fast for you, that is, but your suitor led me, hopefully, to anticipate. May I in all seriousness beg you to consider the idea of coming to London to look after young Persephone? I was just going to put the suggestion to you, you know, when the good Mr. Spalding insisted on interrupting us.”
“W-were you?” said Elinor faintly, feeling as if the ground were not quite steady beneath her feet.
“Indeed I was. I do urgently require a lady to chaperon Persephone — and I warn you, it could be an arduous task. As I ’ ve discovered, she can be a very headstrong child, and it was thus with some trepidation that I was about to put my request.”
Looking at Sir Edmund, Elinor could not believe that he had ever felt trepidation in his life. “But — but this is ridiculous!” she managed to say.
“Why? It is all just as I told Mr. Spalding, Cousin Elinor — I have ulterior motives in claiming our relationship, you see. Who could possibly be better than a cousin to help my sister with the problems of Persephone ’ s come-out? Problems like that ,” he added reflectively, as Persephone ’ s voice soared up again, unleashed from all restraint, in a passionately felt lyric of what he fancied was very modern composition.
“Yes,” Miss Radley soberly agreed. “Such a very marked talent — how wicked it would be to thwart it! And yet, I do see that it may make life more difficult for her.”
“I knew you would. At least you ’ re under no illusions! What ’ s more, the child took to you at once, you can ’ t deny that. So will you take her on ? ”
“Oh, I should like it of all things!”
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