Read Online The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer - Free Book Online
Authors: Georgette Heyer
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be still in the schoolroom, for I’m sure I have never clapped eyes on her – in place of that divinely beautiful Elizabeth –’
‘Ah, but I am going to grow used to the eyebrows,’ interrupted Rule. ‘And she has the Nose.’
‘Rule,’ said her ladyship with dangerous quiet, ‘do not goad me too far! Where have you seen this child?’
He regarded her with a smile hovering round his mouth. ‘If I told you, Louisa, you would probably refuse to believe me.’
She cast up her eyes. ‘When did you have this notion of marrying her?’ she asked.
‘Oh, I didn’t,’ replied the Earl. ‘It was not my notion at all.’
‘Whose, then?’
‘Horatia’s, my dear. I thought I had explained.’
‘Do you tell me, Marcus, the girl asked you to marry her?’ said Lady Louisa sarcastically.
‘Instead of Elizabeth,’ nodded his lordship. ‘Elizabeth, you see, is going to marry Mr Heron.’
‘Who in the world is Mr Heron?’ cried Lady Louisa. ‘I declare, I never heard such a farrago! Confess, you are trying to take me in.’
‘Not at all, Louisa. You don’t understand the situation at all. One of them must marry me.’
‘That I can believe,’ she said dryly. ‘But this nonsense about Horatia? What is the truth of it?’
‘Only that Horatia offered herself to me in her sister’s place. And that – but I need not tell you – is quite for your ears alone.’
Lady Louisa was not in the habit of giving way to amazement, and she did not now indulge in fruitless ejaculations. ‘Marcus, is the girl a minx?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he answered. ‘She is not, Louisa. I am not at all sure that she is not a heroine.’
‘Don’t she wish to marry you?’
The Earl’s eyes gleamed. ‘Well, I am rather old, you know, though no one would think it to look at me. But she assures me she would quite like to marry me. If my memory serves me, she prophesied that we should deal famously together.’
Lady Louisa, watching him, said abruptly: ‘Rule, is this a love-match?’
His brows rose; he looked faintly amused. ‘My dear Louisa! At my age?’
‘Then marry the Beauty,’ she said. ‘That one would understand better.’
‘You are mistaken, my dear. Horatia understands perfectly. She engages not to interfere with me.’
‘At seventeen! It’s folly, Marcus.’ She got up, drawing her scarf around her. ‘I’ll see her for myself.’
‘Do,’ he said cordially. ‘I think – but I may be prejudiced – you will find her adorable.’
‘If you find her so,’ she said, her eyes softening, ‘I shall love her – even though she has a squint!’
‘Not a squint,’ said his lordship. ‘A stammer.’
Four
The question Lady Louisa Quain longed to ask yet did not ask was: ‘What of Caroline Massey?’ Her brother’s relations with the fair Massey were perfectly well known to her, nor was she, in the general way, afraid of plain speaking. She told herself that nothing she could say would be likely to have any effect on his conduct, but admitted that she lacked the moral courage to broach the subject. She believed that she enjoyed a good deal of Rule’s confidence, but he had never discussed his amorous adventures with her, and would be capable of delivering an extremely unpleasant snub if she trespassed on forbidden ground.
Although she did not flatter herself that her influence had had very much to do with it, it was she who had urged him to marry. She said that if there was one thing she found herself unable to bear it was the prospect of seeing Crosby in Rule’s shoes. It was she who had indicated Miss Winwood as a suitable bride. She liked Elizabeth, and was quick to value not only her celestial good looks, but the sweetness of her disposition as well. Surely the possession of so charming a wife would wean Rule from his odious connection with the Massey. But now it did not seem as though Rule cared whom he married and that augured very ill for his bride’s future influence over him. A chit
‘Ah, but I am going to grow used to the eyebrows,’ interrupted Rule. ‘And she has the Nose.’
‘Rule,’ said her ladyship with dangerous quiet, ‘do not goad me too far! Where have you seen this child?’
He regarded her with a smile hovering round his mouth. ‘If I told you, Louisa, you would probably refuse to believe me.’
She cast up her eyes. ‘When did you have this notion of marrying her?’ she asked.
‘Oh, I didn’t,’ replied the Earl. ‘It was not my notion at all.’
‘Whose, then?’
‘Horatia’s, my dear. I thought I had explained.’
‘Do you tell me, Marcus, the girl asked you to marry her?’ said Lady Louisa sarcastically.
‘Instead of Elizabeth,’ nodded his lordship. ‘Elizabeth, you see, is going to marry Mr Heron.’
‘Who in the world is Mr Heron?’ cried Lady Louisa. ‘I declare, I never heard such a farrago! Confess, you are trying to take me in.’
‘Not at all, Louisa. You don’t understand the situation at all. One of them must marry me.’
‘That I can believe,’ she said dryly. ‘But this nonsense about Horatia? What is the truth of it?’
‘Only that Horatia offered herself to me in her sister’s place. And that – but I need not tell you – is quite for your ears alone.’
Lady Louisa was not in the habit of giving way to amazement, and she did not now indulge in fruitless ejaculations. ‘Marcus, is the girl a minx?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he answered. ‘She is not, Louisa. I am not at all sure that she is not a heroine.’
‘Don’t she wish to marry you?’
The Earl’s eyes gleamed. ‘Well, I am rather old, you know, though no one would think it to look at me. But she assures me she would quite like to marry me. If my memory serves me, she prophesied that we should deal famously together.’
Lady Louisa, watching him, said abruptly: ‘Rule, is this a love-match?’
His brows rose; he looked faintly amused. ‘My dear Louisa! At my age?’
‘Then marry the Beauty,’ she said. ‘That one would understand better.’
‘You are mistaken, my dear. Horatia understands perfectly. She engages not to interfere with me.’
‘At seventeen! It’s folly, Marcus.’ She got up, drawing her scarf around her. ‘I’ll see her for myself.’
‘Do,’ he said cordially. ‘I think – but I may be prejudiced – you will find her adorable.’
‘If you find her so,’ she said, her eyes softening, ‘I shall love her – even though she has a squint!’
‘Not a squint,’ said his lordship. ‘A stammer.’
Four
The question Lady Louisa Quain longed to ask yet did not ask was: ‘What of Caroline Massey?’ Her brother’s relations with the fair Massey were perfectly well known to her, nor was she, in the general way, afraid of plain speaking. She told herself that nothing she could say would be likely to have any effect on his conduct, but admitted that she lacked the moral courage to broach the subject. She believed that she enjoyed a good deal of Rule’s confidence, but he had never discussed his amorous adventures with her, and would be capable of delivering an extremely unpleasant snub if she trespassed on forbidden ground.
Although she did not flatter herself that her influence had had very much to do with it, it was she who had urged him to marry. She said that if there was one thing she found herself unable to bear it was the prospect of seeing Crosby in Rule’s shoes. It was she who had indicated Miss Winwood as a suitable bride. She liked Elizabeth, and was quick to value not only her celestial good looks, but the sweetness of her disposition as well. Surely the possession of so charming a wife would wean Rule from his odious connection with the Massey. But now it did not seem as though Rule cared whom he married and that augured very ill for his bride’s future influence over him. A chit
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