Charity Girl Part 15

"He was probably in gaol," said Simon. "For anything I know, he may practise all kinds of roguery, but I fancy his chief business is fuzzing, cogging, and sleeving. And I should think," he added, "that he'd be pretty good at drinking young 'uns into a proper state for plucking! A Captain Sharp, Hetta!" he said, seeing that she was looking bewildered. "Sort of fellow who carries a bale of flat-size aces in his pocket, and knows how to fuzz the cards!"

"Good G.o.d! Do you mean he is a cheating gamester?" she gasped.

"You cannot possibly know that, Simon!"

"Oh, can't I just?" he retorted. "You must think I'm a slow-top! What else could I think of a fellow that carries half-a-dozen visiting-cards in his pocket-book, all of 'em with different names, and says that places like Bath and Harrowgate offer no scope for a man of his genius? Of course they don't! There's no deep play in the watering-places where people go for their health! And if you think Des will be ready to give her up to a rascal that will drag her all over Europe with him, rubbing shoulders with all the rags and tags of society, you can't know Des as well as I thought you did!"

"No, no, indeed he wouldn't be!" she said, very much shocked. "But, surely, if that is the kind of life Mr Steane leads, he cannot wish to be saddled with Cherry? Why should he?"

"I don't know, and I don't mean to waste my time trying to hit upon the reason. What I want you to understand, Hetta, is that he means mischief, and dangerous mischief, what's more! When I saw what his game was, and realized what a deuced unpleasant scandal he could start, if he accused Des of seducing that tiresome girl, promising to marry her, and then tipping her the double, I told him that so far from doing any of those things Des had placed her in the care of some old friends of ours, and had himself posted off to find her grandfather. He pretended that he didn't believe it. He even had the curst insolence to say- Well, never mind that! So I was forced to tell him that the girl was residing with Lady Silverdale, who was a widow, moving in the first circles, and as starched-up as my father! I meant it for the best, Hetta, but it gave him the chance to land me a heavy facer. He asked me how it came about that such a lady had consented to receive into her house a girl brought to her by a man of Desford's reputation-oh, yes! I was forgetting that piece of lying insolence! Des, you'll be interested learn, is a rake and a libertine!- without her maid, or any other attendant!" He broke off suddenly, and jerked up his head, listening to the sound of an approaching carriage.

"Oh, my G.o.d, here he is!" he said. Two strides took him to the window, and while Henrietta waited in some anxiety, he stood watching the chaise-and-pair until it drew up below the terrace. He then uttered a groan, and said: "Ay, it's Steane all right and tight!"

"I was never nearer in my life to playing least-in-sight!" confessed Henrietta. "What am I to say to him, Simon? I promise you I am in a perfect quake!"

"No need for you to be in a quake!" answered Simon, in a heartening tone. "But there's just one thing I must mention!"

"Yes, there is need! I've lost Cherry! And if she isn't found-Oh, I do wish Desford were here!"

"For the lord's sake, Hetta, don't you get in a stew!" begged Simon, alarmed. "And as for Des-You know, I've been thinking about him, and it's my belief he will be here! If he went to Bath, we know he reached the place behind Steane, don't we?"

"Do we?" she said distractedly.

"Of course we do! Steane didn't meet him there, and the schooldame, whatever her name may be, didn't tell him she had seen him. All she told him was that Lady Bugle had fetched Cherry away, and had taken her to live with her. I wish you will take a damper, Hetta! If you mean to fly into the twitters we shall be bowled out!"

This severity had its effect. She said: "No, no, I promise you I won't!

But I find my mind is less strong than I believed it to be-in fact, it is all chaos! Oh, heavens, that is Grimshaw's step! In another moment Mr Steane will be upon us!"

"No, he won't. Grimshaw will show him into the library, and it won't hurt him to kick his heels there for a while. Never mind him, just mind me! If Des visited Miss Thingummy after she'd seen Steane, what would he do? Drive back to London as fast as he could, of course!"

"Unless he followed Steane to Maplewood," she said doubtfully.

"No," said Simon, shaking his head. "I own I did think of that myself, but the more I consider the matter the more I feel he wouldn't have done any such thing. Well, do but put yourself in his shoes, Hetta! He knew that Cherry wasn't living with her aunt, and he must have known that the Bugles wouldn't have encouraged that old court-card to linger in their house! I daresay he didn't know that Lady Bugle had told Steane that he had 'ravished' her away, but he must have thought the chances were that Steane would have left that place before he could reach it."

She had been regarding him intently, trying to get her thoughts into order, but at this she said quickly: "He did know that! Lady Emborough wrote to your mama, telling her that she had received a visit from Lady Bugle, demanding to know what Des had done with her niece, and I informed Des of it!"

"That settles it, then!" said Simon. "Des would have returned to London immediately! And when he reached Arlington Street Aldham gave him the letter I scribbled-there can be no doubt about that!-and as soon as he had read it it's Carlton House to a Charley's shelter that he set out instantly to join me here. I shouldn't wonder at it if he were to arrive at any minute!"

He was interrupted by Grimshaw, who came in to announce Mr Steane's arrival, but when Grimshaw had withdrawn, he said: "There's just one more thing I must warn you about, Hetta! Well, as a matter of fact, it's why I rode out here as fast as I could! Steane thinks you're betrothed to Des."

Henrietta had been tidying her ruffled hair in front of the mirror, but at this she turned, showing Simon a startled face. "Thinks I'm betrothed to Des? Why should he think anything of the sort?"

"Well," said Simon, a trifle conscience-stricken, "I told him you were!"

"Simon!" she uttered "wrathfully. "How could you have told him so when you must know there isn't a word of truth in it?"

"It was the only thing I could hit upon to account for Lady Silverdale's having received Cherry, under such dashed havey-cavey circ.u.mstances,"

he explained. "And also it seemed to me the surest way of sending him to gra.s.s, if it came to an action for breach of promise. Well, it stands to reason that if Des was betrothed to you he wouldn't have offered another female marriage, or brought her to visit you!"

"I think it was an infamous thing to have done!" she said, those expressive eyes of hers flaming with anger.

"No, no!" he a.s.sured her. "Only thing I could do! I promise you Desford won't care a straw!"

"Desford!" she said chokingly. "And what about me, pray?"

"Hang it all!" he protested. "Why should you care either? Ten to one it won't leak out, because unless I'm much mistaken Steane don't mean to stay in England a day longer than he need. Besides, I told him the engagement hadn't been announced yet-I said that was on account of my father's health, by the by: not stout enough yet for dress-parties-so if he does blab it abroad you have only to deny it, or cry off, if you prefer."

"Oh, how abominable you are! I'll never forgive you for this!" she told him, an indignant flush reddening her cheeks.

"Well, never mind that!" he said, in a consolatory tone. "If I'd guessed you might object to it, I wouldn't have done it, but I did do it, and there's nothing for it but to stick to it. You must see that, Hetta!"

"I don't!" she snapped.

"Do you mean to say that you're going to tell Steane you ain't engaged to Des?" he gasped. "Of all the shabby things to do! I wouldn't have believed it of you! I thought you was too much of a right one to run away just when poor old Des most needs your help! Turning missish at such a moment! Dashed well stabbing him in the back!"

"Oh, be quiet!" she said crossly. "If this horrible creature is rag-mannered enough to ask me, I shan't deny it. But what I shall do, Mr Simon Carrington, is to give you your own again!"

'That's the hammer!" he said encouragingly. "I knew I could depend on you! Always said you were as sound as a trout! Now, you go and hold up your nose at that oily old rascal-and take care you don't let him guess I'm here, for it won't do if he realizes I came to warn you!"

With these kindly words, he patted her on the shoulder, and held open the door for her, meeting the scathing glance she threw at him with eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with laughter.

He then shut the door again, and retired to the broad window-seat to await the arrival of his brother. He had no doubt that Desford would arrive; the only doubt it was possible for one of his sanguine temperament to entertain was whether Desford would reach Inglehurst in time to deal with Mr Wilfred Steane before poor Hetta had been driven into the last ditch. But the longer he pondered over the question the more convinced did he become that Desford would arrive in time to take the management of what (d.a.m.n it all!) were his affairs, not his brother's, or Hetta's, into his own hands. It wouldn't be like Des not to make all haste to their rescue, he decided.

And his confidence was justified. Twenty minutes after Henrietta had joined Mr Steane in the library a postchaise-and-four swept round the bend in the avenue, and brought young Mr Carrington to his feet. So sure was he that its pa.s.senger was Desford that he did not wait to watch the steps being let down, but went hastily out into the hall, and intercepted Grimshaw, who was treading majestically across it towards the door. "No need for you to trouble yourself!" he said. "It's only my brother! I'll let him in!"

Grimshaw looked at once surprised and disapproving, but he bowed, and went back to his own quarters, reflecting that Mr Simon always was a regrettably harum-scarum young man, much too p.r.o.ne to brush aside the ordinary conventions of Polite Society.

Simon went bounding down the steps just as Desford alighted from the chaise, and called out: "Lord, am I glad to see you, Des! You old slip-gibbet!"

"I'll be bound you are," said the Viscount, receiving this unflattering appellation, and the playful punch to his ribs which accompanied it, as marks of affection, which, indeed, they were. "I'm much obliged to you, bantling: no reason why you should be called upon to enter into this imbroglio!"

"Oh, gammon!" said Simon. "A pretty fellow I should be to have given you the bag! And a rare hank you'd be in if I had, let me tell you!" He lowered his voice, and said seriously: "It's worse than you know, Des."

"Good G.o.d, is it?" He nodded to his head postilion, saying briefly: "I don't know how long I shall be: probably an hour or two. We shall spend the night at Wolversham." He turned back to Simon, as the chaise moved on towards the stables, and asked: "Has Steane arrived yet?"

"Yes, about half-an-hour ago. He's with Hetta, in the library."

"Then I had best lose no time in joining them."

"Oh, yes, you had, dear boy!" said Simon, acquiring a firm grip on his arm. "What you had best do is to listen to what I have to tell you, if you don't wish to make mice feet of the business! We'll take a little stroll along the terrace, as far as that d.a.m.ned uncomfortable stone seat, where we shan't be overheard."

"If you're going to tell me that Steane is a fat rascal, I know it already.

I visited Miss Fletching the day after Steane had been there, bullocking her until the poor lady succ.u.mbed to an attack of the vapours. I don't know what upset her most: the thundering scolds she got from him, or the discovery that he had grown very fat. From what she said to me, I'd no difficulty in gathering that he hasn't altered since the days when he was obliged to fly the country. What's his lay? Card-sharping?"

"Undoubtedly, I should think, though I daresay he ain't particular.

Any form of flat-catching, from the looks of him! His present lay, my boy, is to compel you to marry his precious daughter!"

The Viscount burst out laughing. "Well, he'll be queered on that suit!"

"If I were you, Des, I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Simon.

"My dear lad, I am quite certain of it! I met her for the first time at a ball the Bugles gave, and had a conversation with her; on the following day I encountered her on my way to London, took her up into my curricle, and conveyed her first to London, and then brought her here, since when I haven't laid eyes on her. So if Steane has any notion of accusing me of having seduced her the sooner he rids himself of it the better it will be for him." He saw that Simon was looking unusually grave, and said, in a little amus.e.m.e.nt: "I'm not shamming it, you know!"

"Well, of course I know it! But this fellow could make nasty mischief.

What if he set it about that you stole Cherry away from her aunt's house, under a promise to marry her?"

"Good G.o.d, is he as bad as that?"

Simon nodded. "I daresay you could disprove a charge of having made off with her, and kept her until you was tired of her-"

"What, in one day? Doing it too brown, Simon!"

"The point is can you prove it was only one day? I shouldn't think that Bugle woman would support you: she's already told Steane you ravished Cherry out of the house. Seems one of her daughters overheard what you and Cherry were saying, on the night of that ball."

"Well, she didn't overhear me trying to persuade Cherry to run off with me. And considering upwards of half-a-dozen people saw me leave Hazelfield some time after breakfast on the following morning, and the Silverdales took charge of Cherry that same evening, I don't think that c.o.c.k will fight!"

"No, very likely not, but you wouldn't want such an on-dit to be running round the town, would you? You know what all the tattlemongers would say: No smoke without fire! and the lord knows there are enough of them on the town!" He grinned, watching the kindling of the Viscount's eyes, and the hardening of the lines about his mouth. "Never mind looking like bull-beef, Des! Would you want that?"

The Viscount did not answer for a moment, but sat frowning down at his own finger-nails. He had turned his closed hand over, and seemed to find the row of well-kept nails interesting. But presently he straightened his fingers, and looked up, meeting Simon's eyes. "No, I wouldn't," he replied. He smiled faintly. "But I hardly think he will attempt anything of that sort. For one thing, it would be to lay himself open to reprisal; and for another, he must surely know that he is in extremely ill-odour here.

No one for whose opinion I care a b.u.t.ton would believe a word he said."

"What about your enemies?"

"I haven't any!"

"Why, you old windy-wallets!" exclaimed Simon indignantly. "Talk of ringing one's own bell-!"

The Viscount laughed. "No, no, how can you say so?"

"Let me tell you, Des, that this is no laughing matter!" said Simon severely. "I don't say you couldn't beat him all to sticks if he accuses you of having seduced Cherry, for very likely you could-though I don't think you'd enjoy it. But you wouldn't find it as easy to fight an action for breach of promise!"

"Why not? For that to succeed Cherry's testimony would be needed, and he won't get that."

"Anyone would take you for a mooncalf!" said Simon, quite exasperated. "Next you'll say he's welcome to try it! Well, if you've no objection to setting yourself up as a subject for steward's room gossip, what do you imagine the parents would feel about it?"

"But, Simon, how could he possibly bring such an action without support from Cherry?"

"He could start one, couldn't he? What do they call it? File a suit?

Because he knows you'd pay through the nose to stop him!"

"I'm d.a.m.ned if I would!"

"And what about my father? Ay, that's another pair of sleeves, ain't it?

He would! I sent that old hedgebird here because he threatened to go to Wolversham, and hoax my father with his lying story! And the next thing was that he had the infernal bra.s.s to ask me how it came about that Lady Silverdale had been persuaded to receive Cherry at the hands of such a libertine as you are, brother! So I said that you were betrothed to Hetta!"

"You said what?" Desford demanded, taken aback.

"Well, I thought there was nothing for it but to go the whole pile,"

explained Simon. "It seemed to me to be the best thing I could say, because if he believed it he was bound to see that it turned his scheme to accuse you of having promised to marry Cherry into a case of crabs.

Which he did see! Never saw a man look so blue in my life! But if you don't like it I'm sorry, but considering you and Hetta have been as thick as inkle-weavers for the lord knows how many years, I didn't think you'd care a straw for it!"

"I don't," said Desford, a queer little smile hovering round his mouth.

"But my father already knows the true story! I told it him myself, on my way back from Harrowgate."

"Told him-Des, you didn't!" uttered Simon, turning pale with dismay.

"How could you have done anything so blubber-headed?"

There was a good deal of amus.e.m.e.nt in the Viscount's eyes, but he answered meekly: "Well, as he had already got wind of the business, and had driven over here with Mama to discover what sort of a girl I had apparently become entangled with, it seemed to be the only thing I could do."

"Lord!" said Simon, with an eloquent s.h.i.+ver. "You've got more bottom than I have, Des! Did he come the ugly?"

"Not at all! You should know him better than to think he would, when any of us three were in the suds! Oh, he read me one of his scolds, but he told me to come to him if I found myself at the end of my rope! Mind you, he'd met Cherry by that time, and knew at a glance that she wasn't a designing harpy!"

"So I might have spared myself the trouble of heading him away from Wolversham!" said Simon wrathfully. "Upon my word, Des-"

"Oh, no! I'm grateful to you for having done so! He wouldn't have believed Steane's story, but it's more than likely that he would have paid him handsomely to keep his mouth shut, and I'm d.a.m.ned if I'll allow Steane to put the screw on him! He told me himself that when he came here it was with the intention of buying Cherry off, if he found that she was a designing harpy. Never mind that! Did you come here to warn Hetta that she is engaged to me?"

"Yes, of course! I had to!"

"And how did she take it?"

"I'm bound to own that she flew up into the boughs, which surprised me. What I mean is, not like her to turn missish all at once! However, I pointed out to her that if the story were to leak out she could either deny it, or cry off, so she mended her temper, and promised she'd stand buff. No need to fear she may run shy! I'll say this for Hetta: she may be a trifle freakish now and then, but she's a right one at heart!"

"Yes, the pick of the basket!" Desford said, getting up. "And the sooner I go to her rescue-"

"Stay a moment, Des! They are all in an uproar, because that troublesome girl seems to have loped off!"

"Cherry? Good G.o.d, why?"

"Oh, Hetta thinks it was because Lady Silverdale found Charlie kissing her, and gave her a scold! She also thinks Cherry may have met with an accident, and she's sent off most of the men to search for her. The devil of it is, of course, that if they don't find her Steane will be sure to cut up rough. Very likely he'll accuse the Silverdales of having ill-used her!"

"Oh, my G.o.d, as though we weren't in bad enough loaf already!"

groaned the Viscount, striding away towards the door into the house.

"Hi, wait!" Simon called, suddenly bethinking himself of something, and jumping up from the seat. He thrust a hand into his pocket, pulled out a package, and hurried after his brother. "Here you are, old chap!" he said, holding it out, with a shy smile. "Very much obliged to you!"