Read Online Bething's Folly by Bárbara Metzger - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bárbara Metzger
Ads: Link
Burke.
After Carleton had been served and the butler turned to Ferddie, the Marquis could not help overhearing Lady Burke’s nervous whisperings to the footman, whose sleeve she pulled at to punctuate her urgency: “John, listen to me, you must find Miss Elizabeth! She’ll be at the dratted stables, so run! Tell her it is an emergency, tell her anything but get her here!”
John looked hurriedly at the guests to see if his mistress was in any immediate danger, then quickly departed, to the butler’s surprise and displeasure as he turned around to find his assistant gone without having passed any refreshments. He did so himself with resigned dignity, then asked if there would be anything else.
“No, that will be all, Taylor, thank you. That is, I think so. Yes, well Elizabeth will be coming shortly.” Lady Burke firmly addressed this last to Carleton, although she followed it with a barely audible muttering: “Gads, I hope so! Having to fetch her out of the stables now ... if she’ll come. Aubry will just have to see... ” She was meanwhile buttering a muffin fastidiously, which she then fed piece by piece to the fat little dog next to her.
Carleton wondered what had her so fidgety, whether it was his presence, fear of the threatening Uncle Aubry, or, worst of all, her niece’s unpredictable temperament. It must be a combination of all three, he decided, if not her own eccentric nature. Eccentric, hell, he amended. Miss Bethingame’s aunt was decidedly screw-loose! What an environment for a young girl! To make some effort at conversation, he asked Lady Burke how she had done at the card tables the night before, which turned out to be a brilliant stroke on his part. The lady brightened immediately and went into a lengthy, detailed description of her partners, her hands, the particulars of the betting. Carleton only had to nod or murmur agreement, so he was free to reflect on other things, like what in the world he was doing here, and how treacherous friends could be at times. Ferddie Milbrooke had not said ten words since their arrival, only sitting there with a saintly smile on his face, enjoying the whole preposterous scene immeasurably. Most likely memorizing it, Carleton fumed, to taunt him with it later. The Marquis glared over at his friend, who merely raised his glass in a mock salute.
Lady Burke was running down, beginning to lament her early departure from the cards, when a door to the rear of the house was slammed. “Oh, dear Lord” was the last thing she said before boots were heard running down the hall, and a fierce scrabbling, and hopefully reassuring calls of “Aunt Claudia, I’m coming!”
They could hear the butler coming down the front hall: “Miss Elizabeth, wait! Don’t!” met by shouts from the back hall: “Taylor, Aunt Claudia!”
Milbrooke and Carleton were on their feet by now, facing the door and expecting who knows what when it burst open and Miss Bethingame rushed in, followed by the butler, the footman, a small man in rough clothes and a large, muddy, spanielly-looking dog. The pug on the couch took one look at this last intruder and bounded off on a ferocious-sounding but completely ludicrous attack. The spaniel began darting around the room, barking joyfully at this new game. Lady Burke took one look at her niece—high boots, woolen shirt knotted at the waist and britches—and fainted dead away on the sofa.
Miss Bethingame glanced at Ferddie, whose mouth was hanging open in stupefaction, then turned to Carleton, knowing immediately what had happened. She directed one scathing word at him— “You !”—before hurrying to her aunt’s side.
The tea table went over with a crash and yelping. The pug withdrew from battle in a fit of wheezing; the spaniel kept up its excited barking; Lady Burke moaned.
Miss Bethingame reached for a pillow to put under her aunt’s head, then turned to face Carleton, her eyes sparking fire, her fists clenched. “If I were a man I would
After Carleton had been served and the butler turned to Ferddie, the Marquis could not help overhearing Lady Burke’s nervous whisperings to the footman, whose sleeve she pulled at to punctuate her urgency: “John, listen to me, you must find Miss Elizabeth! She’ll be at the dratted stables, so run! Tell her it is an emergency, tell her anything but get her here!”
John looked hurriedly at the guests to see if his mistress was in any immediate danger, then quickly departed, to the butler’s surprise and displeasure as he turned around to find his assistant gone without having passed any refreshments. He did so himself with resigned dignity, then asked if there would be anything else.
“No, that will be all, Taylor, thank you. That is, I think so. Yes, well Elizabeth will be coming shortly.” Lady Burke firmly addressed this last to Carleton, although she followed it with a barely audible muttering: “Gads, I hope so! Having to fetch her out of the stables now ... if she’ll come. Aubry will just have to see... ” She was meanwhile buttering a muffin fastidiously, which she then fed piece by piece to the fat little dog next to her.
Carleton wondered what had her so fidgety, whether it was his presence, fear of the threatening Uncle Aubry, or, worst of all, her niece’s unpredictable temperament. It must be a combination of all three, he decided, if not her own eccentric nature. Eccentric, hell, he amended. Miss Bethingame’s aunt was decidedly screw-loose! What an environment for a young girl! To make some effort at conversation, he asked Lady Burke how she had done at the card tables the night before, which turned out to be a brilliant stroke on his part. The lady brightened immediately and went into a lengthy, detailed description of her partners, her hands, the particulars of the betting. Carleton only had to nod or murmur agreement, so he was free to reflect on other things, like what in the world he was doing here, and how treacherous friends could be at times. Ferddie Milbrooke had not said ten words since their arrival, only sitting there with a saintly smile on his face, enjoying the whole preposterous scene immeasurably. Most likely memorizing it, Carleton fumed, to taunt him with it later. The Marquis glared over at his friend, who merely raised his glass in a mock salute.
Lady Burke was running down, beginning to lament her early departure from the cards, when a door to the rear of the house was slammed. “Oh, dear Lord” was the last thing she said before boots were heard running down the hall, and a fierce scrabbling, and hopefully reassuring calls of “Aunt Claudia, I’m coming!”
They could hear the butler coming down the front hall: “Miss Elizabeth, wait! Don’t!” met by shouts from the back hall: “Taylor, Aunt Claudia!”
Milbrooke and Carleton were on their feet by now, facing the door and expecting who knows what when it burst open and Miss Bethingame rushed in, followed by the butler, the footman, a small man in rough clothes and a large, muddy, spanielly-looking dog. The pug on the couch took one look at this last intruder and bounded off on a ferocious-sounding but completely ludicrous attack. The spaniel began darting around the room, barking joyfully at this new game. Lady Burke took one look at her niece—high boots, woolen shirt knotted at the waist and britches—and fainted dead away on the sofa.
Miss Bethingame glanced at Ferddie, whose mouth was hanging open in stupefaction, then turned to Carleton, knowing immediately what had happened. She directed one scathing word at him— “You !”—before hurrying to her aunt’s side.
The tea table went over with a crash and yelping. The pug withdrew from battle in a fit of wheezing; the spaniel kept up its excited barking; Lady Burke moaned.
Miss Bethingame reached for a pillow to put under her aunt’s head, then turned to face Carleton, her eyes sparking fire, her fists clenched. “If I were a man I would
Similar Books
