"No. I can"t remember that she did, in so many words; but she led me to suppose----"
"You"ve _inferred_; you"ve been _given the impression_; you"ve been _led to suppose_, Mr. Lambert, what did not exist. I have, however, held in my hand and carefully examined the special licence under which you performed the ceremony, and which was drawn for a marriage between Lieutenant Kingsland and myself. I was the bride whom you married; it was I who repeated the vows which you gave _me_; my name is Isabelle, also, remember, and it was I who signed that name as "bride" in your register, where it should be now, if you had not changed it."
"Bless my soul! This is most bewildering! You say I married you to Lieutenant Kingsland?"
"Yes, Mr. Lambert, you did, and Miss Fitzgerald and Colonel Darcy were the witnesses."
"But this is a serious matter, a very serious matter, Lady Isabelle.
This wedding seems to have been performed under false pretences."
"I imagine you would not find it difficult to prove that, Mr. Lambert; but before we discuss the matter farther, I want first to right myself in your eyes, to a.s.sure you earnestly and honestly that I was no party to this deception, that I did not know till this evening, till just now indeed, that you were not perfectly cognisant of all the facts. I was informed at the time that all arrangements had been made with you, and I believed of course that you knew everything. I was also told that I must be heavily veiled as, owing to the proximity of the early service, I might otherwise be seen; the signing in the vestry was hurried over as you know, and it was only when, in response to a statement of Mr.
Stanley"s, I made inquiries, that I discovered the truth. You believe me, do you not, Mr. Lambert?"
"Of course, my dear. I must believe you since you give me your word for it."
"Then set my mind at rest. Tell me this marriage was not illegal."
"I think you may be easy on that score. The licence and the signatures were regular; all the requirements were complied with; and the princ.i.p.als, or you at least, acted in good faith; but the affair is most unfortunate."
"You will be glad to learn that any objection which my mother might have had to my husband has now been removed."
"I do not know what Lady Port Arthur will think of my part in this deplorable matter, certainly very little consideration or courtesy has been shown me," said the poor old man, to whom the Dowager"s wrath was a very terrible thing.
"Have no apprehensions, Mr. Lambert, my mother shall know the truth of this matter, and where the blame rests."
"Then you really think that Miss Fitzgerald----?"
"I"m sure of it, Mr. Lambert. She has confessed to me, that if she did not actually say to you that she was going to marry Lieutenant Kingsland, she purposely allowed you to believe the same; and then a.s.sured my husband, whom I believe to be as innocent in the matter as I am, that your consent had been gained, and all arrangements made."
The old parson sat down on a rustic seat beside an elaborately natural, sheet-iron water-fall, seemingly quite crushed by the blow. But the spirit of the church militant was strong within him, and he was filled with righteous anger at his unmerited treatment; so taking his companion"s hand, he rose presently, saying:--
"Come. Let us go to your mother and tell her the truth; we owe it to her and to ourselves."
"To-morrow, Mr. Lambert--pray wait till to-morrow."
The preacher"s face hardened; he was in no mood for leniency.
"We have delayed too long already," he said, and took a step forward.
"Believe me," she replied, laying her hand on his arm, "I do not ask it from weakness, but my husband returns to-morrow, and thanks to an inheritance from an uncle who died to-day, comes back a rich man, able to support a wife. When my mother knows this, she will receive our news very differently. See," and she handed him the telegram.
"I will wait till your husband returns to speak to your mother," he replied, "but as for that unhappy girl--if it is not too late to turn her steps to the right path--I will spare no pains to bring her to a realisation of what she has done. For this, no time is like the present--no time too soon."
"I hope you may succeed," said Lady Isabelle, "but I fear you"ll find her much worse than you imagine. However, I do not wish to discourage you."
"I"m not easy to discourage in any good work, I trust, Lady Isabelle Kingsland."
She started, as her new name was p.r.o.nounced, and laying a detaining hand upon him, as he would have left her, said, her voice breaking:--
"Forgive me, Mr. Lambert. Say you forgive me."
"My poor child," he said sadly, placing one hand on her bowed head. "My poor child, you are too much in need of forgiveness from others for me to withhold mine. It is yours freely; but promise me that you"ll show your appreciation of it by coming to me in all your troubles."
She seized his other hand in both of hers, and kissing it, burst into tears.
"And now," he said sternly, "I will seek out that miserable girl."
But Miss Fitzgerald, dreading the tempest, had sought the haven of her own room.
She was not a picture of contrite repentance as she stood by the open window, looking out into the night.
"Fools all!" she mused. "So I am to blame--it is all my fault!"
An amused sneer played about her lips.
"Ah me! After all it is our faults that make life interesting to us--or us interesting to others," and she tossed away her half-smoked cigarette with a shrug.
CHAPTER x.x.x
TWO LETTERS
Precisely as the clock struck ten, Kent-Lauriston entered the smoking-room to find it in sole possession of Stanley, who stood leaning against the mantelpiece, lost in thought--a cigar, long ago gone out, hanging listlessly between his fingers.
"I"m afraid I"m late," said his genial adviser, glancing at the clock, "but I was just finishing a game of cribbage with Mr. Riddle."
"I don"t envy you his society," growled the Secretary, whose temper was not improved by recent experiences.
"You misjudge him," replied Kent-Lauriston. "He"s a very good fellow, in more senses of the word than one--he"s just given Mr. Lambert a thumping big cheque, for the restoration of his little church."
"And made you the recipient of the fact of his generosity?"
"Far from it; our gossiping little parson did that, in direct violation of a pledge of secrecy; for Riddle never wishes his good works to be known--he"s not that kind."
"I consider him a hypocrite," replied Stanley shortly.
"Then you do him a great injustice, my dear boy; and allow me to say, you"ll never make a good diplomat till you"ve arrived at a better knowledge of human nature; it"s the keystone of the profession. But, to change the subject, how have you been spending the evening?"
"Oh, making a fool of myself, as usual."
"So I suppose. What particular method did you adopt this time?"
"First, I chivied our amiable parson from pillar to post, in this very room, till I"d forced the admission of an important fact from him, and the practical admission of another."
"And then," continued Kent-Lauriston, "you went and tried the effect of your statements on the young ladies."