The face under the simple straw hat also showed surprise.
"Are you L-Lord Rule?" demanded the lady.
He was amused. "I have always believed so," he replied.
"Why, I th-thought you were quite old!" she informed him ingenuously.
"That," said his lordship with perfect gravity, "was unkind in you. Did you come to see me in order to - er - satisfy yourself as to my appearance?"
She blushed fierily. "P-please forgive m-me!" she begged, stammering dreadfully. "It w-was very r-rude of m-me, only you"s-see I was surprised just for the m-moment."
"If you were surprised, ma"am, what can I be but deeply flattered?" said the Earl. "But if you did not come to look me over, do you think you could tell me what it is I am to have the honour of doing for you?"
The bright eyes looked resolutely into his. "Of c-course, you don"t know who I am," said the visitor. "I"m afraid I d-deceived you a little. I was afraid if you knew it was not L-Lizzie you might not receive me. But it was not quite a l-lie to say I was Miss W-Winwood," she added anxiously. "B-be-cause I am, you know. I"m Horry Winwood."
"Horry?" he repeated.
"Horatia," she explained. "It is an odious name, isn"t it? I was given it on account of Mr W-Walpole. He is my G.o.dfather, you understand."
"Perfectly," bowed his lordship. "You must forgive me for being so dull-witted, but would you believe it? - I am still quite in the dark."
Horatia"s gaze faltered. "It is - it is very d-difficult to explain it to you," she said. "And I expect you are horridly shocked. But I did bring my m-maid, sir!"
"That makes it far less shocking," said his lordship rea.s.suringly, "But would it not be much easier to explain this very difficult matter to me if you were to sit down? Will you let me take your cloak?"
"Th-thank you," said Horatia, relinquishing it. She bestowed a friendly smile upon her host. "It is not anything n-near so difficult as I thought it would be. Before you came in my spirits quite f-failed. You see, my M-mama has not the smallest n-notion of my being here. But I couldn"t think of anything else to do." She gripped her hands together, and drew a deep breath. "It is because of L-Lizzie - my sister. You have offered for her, haven"t you?"
Slightly taken aback, the Earl bowed. Horatia said in a rush: "C-could you - would you m-mind very much - having m-me instead?"
The Earl was seated in a chair opposite to her, absently swinging his eyegla.s.s, his gaze fixed on her face in an expression of courteous interest. The eyegla.s.s stopped swinging suddenly, and was allowed to fall. Horatia, looking anxiously across at him, saw a rather startled frown in his eyes, and hurried on: "Of c-course I know it ought to be Charlotte, for she is the elder, but she said nothing would induce her to m-marry you."
His lips quivered. "In that case," he said, "it is fortunate that I did not solicit the honour of Miss Charlotte"s hand in marriage."
"Yes," agreed Horatia. "I am sorry to have to say it, but I am afraid Charlotte shrinks from the idea of m-making such a sacrifice even for L-Lizzie"s sake." Rule"s shoulders shook slightly. "Have I said"s-something I shouldn"t?" inquired Horatia doubtfully.
"On the contrary," he replied. "Your conversation is most salutary, Miss Winwood."
"You are laughing at me," said Horatia accusingly. "I d-daresay you think I am very stupid, sir, but indeed, it is most serious."
"I think you are delightful," said Rule. "But there seems to be some misapprehension. I was under the impression that Miss Winwood was - er - willing to receive my addresses."
"Yes," concurred Horatia. "She is w-willing, of course, but it makes her dreadfully unhappy. Th-that"s why I came. I hope you don"t m-mind."
"Not at all," said his lordship. "But may I know whether I appear to all the members of your family in this disagreeable light?"
"Oh no!" said Horatia earnestly. "M-mama is excessively pleased with you, and I myself d-don"t find you disagreeable in the least. And if only you would be so v-very obliging as to offer for m-me instead of Lizzie I should like you very well."
"But why," asked Rule, "do you want me to offer for you?"
Horatia"s brows drew close over the bridge of her nose. "It must sound very odd," she admitted. "You see, Lizzie must m-marry Edward Heron. Perhaps you do not know him?"
"I believe I have not the pleasure," said the Earl.
" W-well, he is a very particular friend of ours, and he loves L-Lizzie. Only you know how it is with younger sons, and poor Edward is not even a Captain yet."
"I am to understand that Mr Heron is in the Army?" inquired the Earl.
"Oh, yes, the T-tenth Foot. And if you had not offered for L-Lizzie I feel sure M-mama would have consented to him being contracted to her."
"It was most lamentable of me," said Rule gravely. "But at least I can remedy the error."
Horatia said eagerly: "Oh, you will take m-me instead?"
"No," said Rule, with a faint smile. "I won"t do that. But I will engage not to marry your sister. It"s not necessary to offer me an exchange, my poor child."
"B-but it is!" said Horatia vigorously. "One of us m-must marry you!"
The Earl looked at her for a moment. Then he got up in his leisurely way, and stood leaning on the back of a chair.
"I think you must explain it all to me," he said. "I seem to be more than ordinarily dull this morning."
Horatia knit her brows. "Well, I"ll"t-try," she said. "You see, we"re so shockingly poor. Charlotte says it is all P-Pelham"s fault, and I dare say it may be, but it is no use blaming him, b-because he cannot help it. G-gambling, you know. Do you gamble?"
"Sometimes," answered his lordship.
The grey eyes sparkled. "So do I," declared Horatia unexpectedly. "N-not really, of course, but with Pelham. He taught me. Charlotte says it is wrong. She is l-like that, you know, and it makes her very impatient with poor P-Pel. And I m-must say I feel a little impatient myself when Lizzie has to be sacrificed. Mama is sorry too, b-but she says we must all feel d-deeply thankful." She coloured, and said rather gruffly: "It"s v-vulgar to care about Settlements, but you are very rich, are you not?"
"Very," said his lordship, preserving his calm.
"Yes," nodded Horatia." W-well - you see!"
"I see," agreed Rule. "You are going to be the Sacrifice."
She looked up at him rather shyly. "It c-can"t signify to you, can it? Except that I know I"m not a Beauty, like L-Lizzie. But I have got the Nose, sir."
Rule surveyed the Nose. "Undoubtedly, you have the Nose,"
he said.
Horatia seemed determined to make a clean breast of her blemishes. "And p-perhaps you could become used to my eyebrows?"
The smile lurked at the back of Rule"s eyes. "I think, quite easily."
She said sadly: "They won"t arch, you know. And I ought to"t-tell you that we have quite given up hope of my g-growing any taller."
"It would certainly be a pity if you did," said his lordship.
"D-do you think so?" Horatia was surprised. "It is a great trial to me, I can a.s.sure you." She took a breath, and added, with difficulty: "You m-may have n-noticed that I have a - a stammer."
"Yes, I had noticed," the Earl answered gently.
"If you f-feel you c-can"t bear it, sir, I shall quite understand," Horatia said in a small, anxious voice.
"I like it,"said the Earl.
"It is very odd of you," marvelled Horatia. "But p-perhaps you said that to p-put me at my ease?"
"No," said the Earl. "I said it because it was true. Will you tell me how old you are?"
"D-does it matter?" Horatia inquired forebodingly.
"Yes, I think it does," said his lordship.
"I was afraid it m-might," she said. "I am"t-turned seventeen."
"Turned seventeen!" repeated his lordship. "My dear, I couldn"t do it."
"I"m too young?"
"Much too young, child."
Horatia swallowed valiantly. "I shall grow older," she ventured. "I d-don"t want to p-press you, but I am thought to be quite sensible."
"Do you know how old I am?" asked the Earl.
"N-no, but my cousin, Mrs M-Maulfrey, says you are not a d-day above thirty-five."
"Does not that seem a little old to you?" he suggested.
"Well, it is rather old, perhaps, b-but no one would think you were as much," said Horatia kindly.
At that a laugh escaped him. "Thank you," he bowed. "But I think that thirty-five makes a poor husband for seventeen."
"P-pray do not give that a thought, sir!" said Horatia earnestly. "I a.s.sure you, for my p-part I do not regard it at all.
In f-fact, I think I should quite like to marry you."
"Would you?" he said. "You do me a great honour, ma"am."
He came towards her, and she got up. He took her hand, and raised it to his lips a moment. "Now what is it you want me to do?"
"There is one very particular thing," Horatia confided. "I should not c-care to ask it of you, only that we are m-making a bargain, are we not?"
"Are we?" said his lordship.
"But you know w-we are!" Horatia said. "You w-want to marry into m-my Family, don"t you?"
"I am beginning to think that I do," remarked his lordship.
Horatia frowned. "I quite understood that that was why you offered for L-Lizzie."
"It was," he a.s.sured her.
She seemed satisfied. "And you do not w-want a wife to interfere with you. Well, I p-promise I won"t."
His lordship looked down at her rather enigmatically. "And in return?"
She drew closer. "C-could you do something for Edward?"
she begged. "I have d-decided that there is only one thing for him, and that is a P-patron!"
"And - er - am I to be the Patron?" asked his lordship.
"Would you m-mind very m-much?"
A muscle at the corner of the Earl"s mouth twitched, but he answered with only the suspicion of a tremor in his voice: "I shall be happy to oblige you, ma"am, to the best of my poor endeavour."
"Thank you very m-much," said Horatia seriously. "Then he and Lizzie can be m-married, you see. And you will tell Mama that you would just as soon have me, won"t you?"
"I may not phrase it quite like that," said the Earl, "but I will endeavour to make the matter plain to her. But I do not entirely see how I am to propose this exchange without divulging your visit to me."
"Oh, you need not m-mind that!" said Horatia cheerfully. "I shall tell her m-myself. I think I had b-better go now. No one knows where I am, and perhaps they m-may wonder."
"We will drink to our bargain first, do you not think?" said the Earl, and picked up a small gilt handbell, and rang it.
A lackey came in answer to the bell. "You will bring me-"
the Earl glanced at Horatia - "ratafia, and two gla.s.ses," he said.
"And my coach will be at the door within ten minutes."
"If - if the c-coach is for me," said Horatia, "it is only a step to South Street, sir."
"But I would rather that you permitted me to convey you,"
said his lordship.
The butler brought the ratafia himself, and set the heavy silver tray down on a table. He was dismissed with a nod, and went regretfully. He would have liked to see with his own eyes my lord drink a gla.s.s of ratafia.
The Earl poured two gla.s.ses, and gave one to Horatia. "The bargain!" he said, and drank heroically.
Horatia"s eyes twinkled merrily. "I f-feel sure we shall deal f-famously together!" she declared, and raised the gla.s.s to her lips.
Five minutes later his lordship walked into the library again.
"Ah - Arnold," he said. "I have found something for you to do."
"Yes, sir?" said Mr Gisborne, rising.