behind him. Whatever the discussion was going to be, he didn't want
to know about it. It never paid to get involved in the quarrels of the
Quality!
Anthea waited until the proprietor was gone; then she spoke quietly,
determined to ignore the accusation in Castor's voice. "We came to
rescue your daughter from Lord Sterne," Thea said bluntly. "Though I
now perceive that there was no need for me to do so. Very clever of
you, Weylin! Or was it Calandra's notion for you to take her place?"
"Mine," he retorted indignantly.
"Clever?" Castor demanded. "You're pleased to see the boy here with
Lord Sterne? Have your wits gone begging?"
No one paid Marwood the slightest heed as Radbourne observed
dryly, "It was either very clever or very foolhardy, Seabrook. Perhaps
both! Suppose Sterne had taken you to some deserted house? Do you
really imagine you would have been a match for him? Particularly in
skirts?"
"I ... I never thought he would try to abduct me Cal-, I mean,"
Weylin stammered. "I ... I overheard him tell Mrs. Taggert he only
intended to put a fright into Cal."
"Abduct my Calandra? Abduct her?" Castor Marwood said with an air
of bewilderment. "But I thought you said you ran away with his
lordship because he promised you all manner of things, Seabrook."
"Oh, shut up!" Sterne flung at Castor testily.
"Must you be an absolute fool? I meant to abduct your daughter and
bring her here. To you. Since she would have spent the night in my
company, between us we could have forced her marriage to me by
Special License. I have one in my pocket. A license, I mean."
"But instead you spent the night with Weylin? Cold comfort that must
have been!" Giles observed with no little amusement. "Sometime you
must tell me how it is you failed to notice the difference. If you were
indeed close enough to compromise Miss Marwood's honour!"
Weylin's face held a look of outrage and he would have spoken hotly
had Giles not held up a hand to forestall him. Silkily Giles went on, "I
suggest you leave England for a while, Lord Sterne. Perhaps visit the
Continent, or even cross the Atlantic. But in any event, you are to
leave Miss Calandra Marwood alone. If I hear of your annoying her
or any of her friends or family again, I shall make it my business to
see that the story of last night's escapade becomes the latest on- dit
among the ton. Somehow I don't imagine you would like that very
well."
For a moment Lord Sterne could only stand there regarding
Radbourne with an expression of rage. Finally he bowed, however,
and said, "Very well. I shall go. But someday, Radbourne, there shall
be a reckoning between us!"
Giles also bowed. "I look forward to that day," he said simply.
Sterne turned on his heel and left, slamming the door of the private
parlour behind him. Anthea could not help but shiver. "Don't be
afraid, my dear," Giles said, putting an arm around her. "I assure you
there is no need to be."
"By Jove, you're a regular Trojan, sir!" Weylin exclaimed.
Marwood was not so pleased. "Unhand my sister!" he thundered. "I
must be grateful that you tried to come to my daughter's rescue, even
if, as it appears, her rescue was totally unnecessary. Gratitude cannot
compel me, however, to condone your unwelcome attentions toward
my sister!"
"Unwelcome attentions?" Weylin repeated, puzzled. "They don't
seem unwelcome to me."
"Young man," Castor said with an air of outrage, "I advise you to be
silent!"
"Unwelcome?" Anthea demanded.
"Hush, my love," Giles told her soothingly. "Marwood, I find your
words and tone offensive. But perhaps you are unaware that your
sister is about to become my wife?"
Castor permitted himself to laugh. "Whatever other follies my sister
may allow herself to commit, I am persuaded that marriage to a man
such as yourself is not among them."
"You seem very certain of that," Giles observed mildly.
"I am." Marwood permitted himself a slight bow. "I fancy myself to
be a man of common sense. My sister has always had the highest
regard for propriety, and although she has a streak of levity about her
that I cannot like, I find it impossible to believe that she could so far
forget herself as to marry a man who is an acknowledged rake.
Absolutely out of the question, I assure you! Isn't it, Anthea, my
dear?"
Anthea's eyes glittered dangerously as she regarded her brother.
Softly she said, "Propriety? Tell me, brother. If Lord Sterne had
succeeded in his plot, and brought Calandra here instead of Weylin
Seabrook, what would you have done?"
"Told her to marry him, of course," Castor replied uneasily. "Nothing
else to have been done, would there? And I must say that I take it very
unkindly that young Seabrook saw fit to interfere. Otherwise we
might have had it fixed up all right and tight between us by now."
"And what of Calandra's feelings?" Anthea demanded hotly.
"Feelings? Nonsense!" Castor retorted just as hotly. "Her feelings
matter no more than yours do. Mere missishness! She'd soon have
gotten over it, I promise you! Permit me to say that I know more of
the world than you do, my dear Anthea, and that for my daughter to
follow in your footsteps and become a spinster an ape- leader is
totally repugnant to me! Perhaps you like being called an eccentric,
but would my Cal? I'll not have her whistle her future ruin
it merely because she is timid or shy! And furthermore, with two
sisters yet left at home to provide for, and funds at low tick, I should
have thought she would show less selfishness. Where am I to find
another suitor for my Cal with such a title and as well-heeled as Lord
Sterne? He don't show it in his clothes or manners or habits, but
Sterne's one of the richest men in England. Aye, and with a title that
goes back a long ways!"
"But Cal don't care about such things!" Weylin protested.
Patiently Marwood replied, "That is because Calandra is very young
and very foolish."
Radbourne coughed politely. "Will it make my suit more acceptable
to you, Marwood, if I point out that I, too, have a title and am
well-heeled?"
"You?" Castor was visibly affronted. "What the devil good does that
do me? I don't get any money from it if you marry my sister. But
Sterne! His lordship was kind enough to offer to forgo a dowry. Aye,
and pay me a handsome sum on the side, as well."
With an effort, Anthea dragged her brother's attention back to the
matter at hand. "Castor," she said patiently, "if you believe Calandra
would have had no choice but to marry Lord Sterne, then surely you
agree that I have no choice but to marry Radbourne. After all, I spent
the night with him in his curricle."
Castor permitted himself to smile and wag a finger playfully at Thea.
"Now, now, my dear! An open curricle is scarcely a likely place for
scandalous behaviour. Particularly for a woman your age. While I
cannot like the expedition, I would only call it foolish. To say more
would be to refine too much upon the matter. No, I could not call it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]