But they all felt that everything would at last be ruled by what the Solicitor-General might say. The Solicitor-General was going out of town for a week or ten days,--having the management of a great case at the Spring a.s.sizes. He would think over Lady Anna"s proposition, and say what he had to say when he returned. Lord Lovel, however, had been his client, and he had said from first to last that more was to be done for his client by amicable arrangement than by hostile opposition. If the Earl could get 10,000 a year by amicable arrangement, the Solicitor-General would be shown to have been right in the eyes of all men, and it was probable,--as both Mr. Goffe and Mr. Flick felt,--that he would not repudiate a settlement of the family affairs by which he would be proved to have been a discreet counsellor.
In the meantime it behoved Lord Lovel himself to have an opinion. Mr.
Flick of course had told him of the offer,--which had in truth been made directly to himself by his cousin. At this time his affairs were not in a happy condition. A young earl, handsome and well esteemed, may generally marry an heiress,--if not one heiress then another.
Though he be himself a poor man, his rank and position will stand in lieu of wealth. And so would it have been with this young earl,--who was very handsome and excellently well esteemed,--had it not been that all the world knew that it was his especial business to marry one especial heiress. He could hardly go about looking for other honey, having, as he had, one particular hive devoted by public opinion to himself. After a year or two he might have looked elsewhere,--but what was he to do in the meantime? He was well nigh penniless, and in debt. So he wrote a letter to his uncle, the parson.
It may be remembered that when the uncle and nephew last parted in London there was not much love between them. From that day to this they had not seen each other, nor had there been any communication between them. The horses had been taken away and sold. The rector had spoken to the ladies of his household more than once with great bitterness of the young man"s ingrat.i.tude; and they more than once had spoken to the rector, with a woman"s piteous tenderness, of the young lord"s poverty. But it was all sorrow and distress. For in truth the rector could not be happy while he was on bad terms with the head of his family. Then the young lord wrote as though there had been nothing amiss between them. It had in truth all pa.s.sed away from his mind. This very liberal offer had been made to him. It amounted to wealth in lieu of poverty,--to what would be comfortable wealth even for an earl. Ten thousand a year was offered to him by his cousin. Might he accept it? The rector took the letter in good part, and begged his nephew to come at once to Yoxham. Whereupon the nephew went to Yoxham.
"What does Sir William say?" asked the rector, who, in spite of his disapproval of all that Sir William had done, felt that the Solicitor-General was the man whose influence in the matter would really prevail.
"He has said nothing as yet. He is out of town."
"Ten thousand a year! Who was it made the offer?"
"She made it herself."
"Lady Anna?"
"Yes;--Lady Anna. It is a n.o.ble offer."
"Yes, indeed. But then if she has no right to any of it, what does it amount to?"
"But she has a right to all of it;--she and her mother between them."
"I shall never believe it, Frederic--never; and not the less so because they now want to bind you to them by such a compromise as this."
"I think you look at it in a wrong light, uncle Charles."
"Well;--well. I will say nothing more about it. I don"t see why you shouldn"t take it,--I don"t indeed. It ought all to have been yours.
Everybody says that. You"ll have to buy land, and it won"t give you nearly so much then. I hope you"ll buy land all the same, and I do hope it will be properly settled when you marry. As to marrying, you will be able to do much better than what you used to think of."
"We won"t talk about that, uncle Charles," said the Earl.
As far as the rector"s opinion went, it was clear that the offer might be accepted; but yet it was felt that very much must depend on what the Solicitor-General might say. Then Miss Lovel gave her opinion on the matter, which did not altogether agree with that of her brother. She believed in Lady Anna, whereas the rector professed that he did not. The rector and Lady Fitzwarren were perhaps the only two persons who, after all that had been said and done, still maintained that the Countess was an impostor, and that Lady Anna would only be Anna Murray, if everybody had his due. Miss Lovel was quite as anxious on behalf of the Earl as was her brother, but she clung to the hope of a marriage. "I still think it might all come right, if you would only wait," said aunt Julia.
"It"s all very well talking of waiting, but how am I to live?"
"You could live here, Frederic. There is nothing my brother would like so much. I thought he would break his heart when the horses were taken away. It would only be for a year."
"What would come of it?"
"At the end of the year she would be your wife."
"Never!" said the Earl.
"Young men are so impatient."
"Never, under any circ.u.mstances, would I ask her again. You may make your mind up to that. As sure as you stand there, she will marry Daniel Thwaite, if she lives another twelvemonth."
"You really think so, Frederic?"
"I am sure of it. After what she said to me, it would be impossible I should doubt it."
"And she will be Lady Anna Thwaite! Oh dear, how horrible. I wish she had died when she was ill;--I do indeed. A journeyman tailor!
But something will prevent it. I really think that Providence will interfere to prevent it!" But in reference to the money she gave in her adhesion. If the great lawyer said that it might be taken,--then it should be taken. At the end of a week the Earl hurried back to London to see the great lawyer.
CHAPTER XL.
NO DISGRACE AT ALL.
Before the Solicitor-General returned to town things had come to a worse pa.s.s than ever. Lady Lovel had ordered her daughter to be ready to start to Paris by a certain hour, on a certain day,--giving her three days for preparation,--and Lady Anna had refused to go.
Whereupon the Countess had caused her own things to be packed up, and those of her daughter. Sarah was now altogether in the confidence of the Countess, so that Lady Anna had not even dominion over her own clothes. The things were stowed away, and all the arrangements were made for the journey; but Lady Anna refused to go, and when the hour came could not be induced to get into the carriage. The lodgings had been paid for to the day, and given up; so that the poor old woman in Keppel Street was beside herself. Then the Countess, of necessity, postponed her journey for twenty-four hours, telling her daughter that on the next day she would procure the a.s.sistance of magistrates and force the rebel to obedience.
Hardly a word had been spoken between the mother and daughter during those three days. There had been messages sent backwards and forwards, and once or twice the Countess had violently entered Lady Anna"s bedroom, demanding submission. Lady Anna was always on the bed when her mother entered, and, there lying, would shake her head, and then with sobs accuse the Countess of unkindness. Lady Lovel had become furious in her wrath, hardly knowing what she herself did or said, always a.s.serting her own authority, declaring her own power, and exclaiming against the wicked ingrat.i.tude of her child. This she did till the young waiting-woman was so frightened that she was almost determined to leave the house abruptly, though keenly alive to the profit and glory of serving a violent and rich countess. And the old lady who let the lodgings was intensely anxious to be rid of her lodgers, though her money was scrupulously paid, and no questions asked as to extra charges. Lady Anna was silent and sullen. When left to herself she spent her time at her writing-desk, of which she had managed to keep the key. What meals she took were brought up to her bedroom, so that a household more uncomfortable could hardly be gathered under a roof.
On the day fixed for that departure which did not take place, the Countess wrote to Mr. Goffe for a.s.sistance,--and Lady Anna, by the aid of the mistress of the house, wrote to Serjeant Bluestone. The letter to Mr. Goffe was the first step taken towards obtaining that a.s.sistance from civil authorities to which the Countess thought herself to be ent.i.tled in order that her legal dominion over her daughter might be enforced. Lady Anna wrote to the Serjeant, simply begging that he would come to see her, putting her letter open into the hands of the landlady. She implored him to come at once,--and, as it happened, he called in Keppel Street that night, whereas Mr.
Goffe"s visit was not made till the next morning. He asked for the Countess, and was shown into the drawing-room. The whole truth was soon made clear to him, for the Countess attempted to conceal nothing. Her child was rebelling against authority, and she was sure that the Serjeant would a.s.sist her in putting down and conquering such pernicious obstinacy. But she found at once that the Serjeant would not help her. "But Lady Anna will be herself of age in a day or two," he said.
"Not for nearly two months," said the Countess indignantly.
"My dear Lady Lovel, under such circ.u.mstances you can hardly put constraint upon her."
"Why not? She is of age, or she is not. Till she be of age she is bound to obey me."
"True;--she is bound to obey you after a fashion, and so indeed she would be had she been of age a month since. But such obligations here in England go for very little, unless they are supported by reason."
"The law is the law."
"Yes;--but the law would be all in her favour before you could get it to a.s.sist you,--even if you could get its a.s.sistance. In her peculiar position, it is rational that she should choose to wait till she be able to act for herself. Very great interests will be at her disposal, and she will of course wish to be near those who can advise her."
"I am her only guardian. I can advise her." The Serjeant shook his head. "You will not help me then?"
"I fear I cannot help you, Lady Lovel."
"Not though you know the reasons which induce me to take her away from England before she slips entirely out of my hands and ruins all our hopes?" But still the Serjeant shook his head. "Every one is leagued against me," said the Countess, throwing up her hands in despair.
Then the Serjeant asked permission to visit Lady Anna, but was told that he could not be allowed to do so. She was in bed, and there was nothing to make it necessary that she should receive a visit from a gentleman in her bedroom. "I am an old man," said the Serjeant, "and have endeavoured to be a true and honest friend to the young lady.
I think, Lady Lovel, that you will do wrong to refuse my request.
I tell you fairly that I shall be bound to interfere on her behalf.
She has applied to me as her friend, and I feel myself constrained to attend to her application."
"She has applied to you?"
"Yes, Lady Lovel. There is her letter."