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Authors: Georgette Heyer
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absence, having himself learnt of it through someone who chances to be a close friend of his wife. He posted up to London from Bedfordshire to appraise me of it. Pray do not think I exaggerate when I say that I have seldom seen him more profoundly shocked, or—or heard him express himself with so much violence! Believe me, sir, nothing could prevail upon him to give his consent to your nephew’s proposal!”
“I do—implicitly!” he replied, the light of unholy amusement in his eyes. “What’s more, I’d give a monkey to have seen him! Lord, how funny!”
“It was not in the least funny! And—”
“Yes, it was, but never mind that! Why should you fall into a fuss ? If the virtuous James forbids the banns, and if my nephew is a fortune-hunter, depend upon it he will cry off!” He saw the doubt in her face, and said: “You don’t think so?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. It may be that he hopes to win James over—”
“Well, he won’t do that!”
“No. Unless—Mr Calverleigh, I have reason— some reason—to fear that he might persuade her into an elopement! Thinking that once the knot was tied my brother would be obliged—”
She stopped as he broke into a shout of laughter, and said indignantly: “It may seem funny to you, but I promise you—”
“It does! What a subject for a roaring farce! History repeats itself—with a vengeance!”
Wholly bewildered, she demanded: “What do you mean? What can you possibly mean?”
“My pretty innocent,” he said, in a voice of kindness spiced with mockery, “did no one ever tell you that I am the man who ran off with your Fanny’s mother?”
Chapter IV
It was a full minute before Abby could collect her startled wits enough to enable her to speak, and when she did speak it was not entirely felicitously. She exclaimed: “Then I was right! And you are it!”
With every appearance of enjoyment, he instantly replied: “ Until I know what it signifies, I reserve my defence.”
“The skeleton in the cupboard! Only I told Selina it would prove to be no more than the skeleton of a mouse!”
“You lied, then! The skeleton of a black sheep if you wish, but not that of a mouse—even a black mouse!”
Her voice quivered on the edge of laughter. “No, indeed! How—how very dreadful! But how—when—Oh, do, pray, tell me!”
“You shock me, Miss Abigail Wendover!—you know, I do like that name!—Who am I to divulge the secret which has been so carefully guarded?”
“The skeleton, of course!”
“But skeletons don’t talk!” he pointed out.
Preoccupied with her own thoughts, she paid no heed to this, but said suddenly: “ That was why James flew into such a stew! Now, isn’t it like Jamesnot to have told me the truth?”
“Exactly like him!”
“But why didn’t George—No, you may depend upon it that he didn’t know either! Because Mary doesn’t, though she has always suspected, as I did, that there was something about Celia which was being kept secret. I wonder if Selina knew? Not the whole, of course, for if she had she would never have encouraged your nephew, would she?”
“Oh, no! She wouldn’t, and very likely Mary wouldn’t either, but George ,I feel, is another matter. Do enlighten me! Who are these people?”
She blinked. “Who—? Oh, I beg your pardon! I have been running on in the stupidest way!—talking to myself! Selina is my eldest sister: we live together, in Sydney Place; Mary is my next sister: next in age, I mean; and George Brede is her husband. Never mind that! When did you run off with Celia?”
“Oh, when she became engaged to be married to Rowland!” he answered, very much as if this were a matter of course.
“Good God! Do you mean that you abducted her ?’’ she gasped.
“No, I don’t recall that I ever abducted anyone,” he said, giving the matter his consideration. “In fact, I’m sure of it. An unwilling bride would be the very devil, you know.”
“Well, that’s
“I do—implicitly!” he replied, the light of unholy amusement in his eyes. “What’s more, I’d give a monkey to have seen him! Lord, how funny!”
“It was not in the least funny! And—”
“Yes, it was, but never mind that! Why should you fall into a fuss ? If the virtuous James forbids the banns, and if my nephew is a fortune-hunter, depend upon it he will cry off!” He saw the doubt in her face, and said: “You don’t think so?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. It may be that he hopes to win James over—”
“Well, he won’t do that!”
“No. Unless—Mr Calverleigh, I have reason— some reason—to fear that he might persuade her into an elopement! Thinking that once the knot was tied my brother would be obliged—”
She stopped as he broke into a shout of laughter, and said indignantly: “It may seem funny to you, but I promise you—”
“It does! What a subject for a roaring farce! History repeats itself—with a vengeance!”
Wholly bewildered, she demanded: “What do you mean? What can you possibly mean?”
“My pretty innocent,” he said, in a voice of kindness spiced with mockery, “did no one ever tell you that I am the man who ran off with your Fanny’s mother?”
Chapter IV
It was a full minute before Abby could collect her startled wits enough to enable her to speak, and when she did speak it was not entirely felicitously. She exclaimed: “Then I was right! And you are it!”
With every appearance of enjoyment, he instantly replied: “ Until I know what it signifies, I reserve my defence.”
“The skeleton in the cupboard! Only I told Selina it would prove to be no more than the skeleton of a mouse!”
“You lied, then! The skeleton of a black sheep if you wish, but not that of a mouse—even a black mouse!”
Her voice quivered on the edge of laughter. “No, indeed! How—how very dreadful! But how—when—Oh, do, pray, tell me!”
“You shock me, Miss Abigail Wendover!—you know, I do like that name!—Who am I to divulge the secret which has been so carefully guarded?”
“The skeleton, of course!”
“But skeletons don’t talk!” he pointed out.
Preoccupied with her own thoughts, she paid no heed to this, but said suddenly: “ That was why James flew into such a stew! Now, isn’t it like Jamesnot to have told me the truth?”
“Exactly like him!”
“But why didn’t George—No, you may depend upon it that he didn’t know either! Because Mary doesn’t, though she has always suspected, as I did, that there was something about Celia which was being kept secret. I wonder if Selina knew? Not the whole, of course, for if she had she would never have encouraged your nephew, would she?”
“Oh, no! She wouldn’t, and very likely Mary wouldn’t either, but George ,I feel, is another matter. Do enlighten me! Who are these people?”
She blinked. “Who—? Oh, I beg your pardon! I have been running on in the stupidest way!—talking to myself! Selina is my eldest sister: we live together, in Sydney Place; Mary is my next sister: next in age, I mean; and George Brede is her husband. Never mind that! When did you run off with Celia?”
“Oh, when she became engaged to be married to Rowland!” he answered, very much as if this were a matter of course.
“Good God! Do you mean that you abducted her ?’’ she gasped.
“No, I don’t recall that I ever abducted anyone,” he said, giving the matter his consideration. “In fact, I’m sure of it. An unwilling bride would be the very devil, you know.”
“Well, that’s
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