Lady Anne Granard/Chapter 54
CHAPTER LIV.
The meeting between Lady Anne and Lord Rotheles was more affectionate than any other had been since the days of their infancy, and in the eyes of Helen more affecting also, for both were much reduced by sickness, and each so sensible of the change experienced by the other, as to wear in their expression that pity they might be said to need for themselves. She was, however, fully aware that every day renewed the health and strength of her uncle, whether it would do so by her mamma remained to be seen.
"You have left Georgiana with Mrs. Penrhyn, I apprehend," said the earl, "but it does not much signify where she is, as, of course, your determination has made her happiest of the happy."
"I have not said a syllable to her on the subject, nor to any one of my daughters, and I depend upon your honour to keep silence as well as your prudence. Hope has always been called the nurse of love, and as she appears to have quite sufficient of it at this period to keep her alive and tolerable, I would by no means render it a whit more buoyant. If she was allowed to build upon it and cherish it, she would be in a terrible situation when he is drowned, and, probably, lose both health and beauty for life: remember what an object Mary is become."
"When he is drowned, is a very strong term, sister. We all hope he will not be drowned, but run a happy and glorious career."
"How can he be killed off but by drowning, now we are at peace? and how can she get a pension till he dies? not but he must be promoted considerably to make it good for any thing? I wonder, as you are in the upper house, brother, you don't stir them up to make a war, and give young men of fashion a chance for preferment. Formerly wars were made when they were wanted on any pretext. I have read about one being made with Spain, on no other occasion than their having cut off a man's ears, quite a low man, but the whole nation bawled out for war, high and low. We are, I fear, a degenerate race."
"Fear no such thing; a little island, commanding somewhat round the whole surface of the globe, must have stirring pulses in her frame."
Lady Anne had begun to think for some time of the propriety of Lord Rotheles tendering a consideration for her agreement not to do that she had resolved not to do already.
"Disgrace would be rather a rebounding thing, Lord Rotheles," she said, after having cleverly led him to the subject, "when it was known (as every newspaper in the empire would take care it should be) that the unhappy Lady A—G—, now an inmate in Whitecross Prison, is the only and elder sister of the Earl of R—, of R—Castle, in the county of Worcester, formerly distinguished as the beautiful Lady A—G—, of G—Park, in Yorkshire. Her ladyship was left a widow with five fair daughters, on so scanty a provision, it has been the surprise of many that they could be brought up at all, but that at length poverty should overtake and overwhelm the widow can excite none. We must, nevertheless, express our astonishment that the earl, her brother, a childless man, with a large estate, now redeemed from the mortgages a long course of profligacy had entailed upon it, including heavy damages paid to Viscount L—,
'Can look on sights like this,
And it not pale the ruby on his cheek.'"
"Upon my soul, Anne, you have made up as pretty a paragraph as could be desired for a gouty man's punishment! I do firmly believe it was not concocted on the instant, either, but has formed a trial of your powers in composition; though I must laugh, I assure you I am very angry, and that I would put my design in execution, if you proceeded to do what you threaten.’'
"If I write a book, I shall get a thousand pounds, and laugh at prisons. My work is sure to sell; the very good people you so much admire will read it with just as much avidity as the bad ones you consider my clients. The fact is, that the book will keep me out of prison, my creditors drive me into it. Can you, as a nobleman of high rank, moreover, one anxious to redeem the past, baiting for a reputation, and blest of late years with various successful nibbles, can you, even as an honest man, prevent me from effecting an honest purpose? unless."
"Unless!" muttered Lord Rotheles to himself, "she has not paid that good neighbour poor Georgiana was so anxious about, I see, and what the countess hinted at, as to her dress, is evidently true. But the more she has, precisely the more she will spend; there is no appealing to her integrity or her feelings. I know not what to do, but something I must do. I would not have the Hales family know of her debts for the world, but how can she have any so soon? Charles Penrhyn helped her, and."
"You are contemplative, my lord," said Lady Anne, rising, and slowly crossing the room, which she quitted.
"She is very thin, but very graceful yet, and has the most indomitable spirit in the world. I am in her power, and she knows it. I must talk to my steward, there is nothing else for it; yet it vexes me to rob the dear girls' hoarded dowries for such a purpose as this."
The hoard to which Lord Rotheles alluded, and which it was greatly to his credit to have of late years contributed all that was in his power, was, as he believed, known only to himself and his man of business; but as the countess had discovered such an accumulation existed, she had of late been not a little curious on the subject, more especially since the alarming attack to which the earl had been nearly a victim suggested the idea that such another might be fatal, though for the present there appeared one of those positive renovations of life, usually denominated "a new lease." Lady Rotheles was really glad of this, for she well knew the fate of dowagers, and was by no means sorry to continue mistress of Rotheles castle. "But still," she argued, "there is no harm in a snug little legacy being added to one's income, and I do not see who he can with any propriety hoard for, save his wife. As to helping his sister, it would be childish, and her daughters will never need it, they will all marry well. Who can he, or ought he, to save for, save me?" Still, it was matter of doubt; therefore any thing in conversation which tended towards what is called "a miff" between the noble relatives, was, to a certain point, satisfactory to the lady; and having lately heard what might be truly called "high words," she had carefully abstained from interrupting them, or allowing Helen to do so, by engaging her assistance in some of the many nothings by which time is run over, or otherwise killed, in great houses. Helen was, as we have seen, very ingenious and industrious, and her noble aunt thought it wrong to suffer her talents to rust, and she had found out a most excellent method of oiling the hinges—to talk about that dear old gentleman, Sir Edward Hales, and his charming grandson, Lord Meersbrook; all they said and did, their love for Georgiana, and her respect for them, &c, was a sure method for getting torn point most admirably darned, new reticules beautifully embroidered, and wax flowers made to rival nature. It could not, however, be said of Helen, "the diligent hand maketh rich," for not even a pair of gloves from the countess's stock ever strayed from her repository to grace poor Helen's hands, though she was perpetually praising their operations, and diligently removing all those pleasant books which might have retarded them.
Lady Anne appeared in a week or two to have greatly recovered her appetite, and she talked much of the benefit derived from her native air, in order to gain which, she constantly drove out in Lord Rotheles's carriages, and appeared to derive comfort from her admiration of his beautiful bays; beyond this Helen could not perceive that her airings were useful, as her cough increased exceedingly, and all the visitants at the castle expressed surprise "that she did not place herself under the surveillance of one or other of the great physicians of the metropolis."
As she constantly insisted that she grew better, and that she must know her own state better than any one else, and the earl was quite sensible that he was become much better, he concluded she was right, and that the circumstance of being thin was of no moment; and the countess resigned herself to the fate she could not fly from, of "having her dear sister's society some time longer;" but whilst thus situated, news arrived (both publicly and privately) of a nature to dispel the last remains of indisposition, and make her perfectly well again. It was first seen in Galignani's Messenger, by the earl, who lost not a moment in reading aloud:—
"'Married, at Marseilles, on the 3rd instant, the Right Hon. Lord Allerton to Mary Jane, daughter of the late E. Granard, Esq., of Granard Park, and Lady Anne, late Rotheles, at the house of the British resident, and in presence of Francis Glentworth, Esq., and other friends.'"
"Mary married!—married to Lord Allerton at last! Read it again; be certain it is true," screamed Lady Anne.
"There cannot be the slightest doubt of its truth, sister; and I most heartily wish you joy of it," was the brother's reply, as, throwing down the paper, he kissed both her and Helen. Lady Rotheles had silently withdrawn, at which no one could wonder.
"But how could they marry without my consent? I cannot fail to be glad that Mary, a poor, sickly creature, and completely on the old maids' list, should be taken off my hands; but still I think they ought not to have married till their arrival in England, that I might have seen things were done properly."
"It is much better as it is, for the expence would have been overwhelming," said the earl, laughing, "seeing that you have not written your book; if you had, by the way, you would never have had a lord for a son-in-law, and now you have got one, and a very worthy one, too. I shall be delighted to have dear Mary for a neighbour. I always loved her, and pitied her, too; but that's all over now. She has married a worthy man, and will be a happy woman. Courage, sister; now you have got one lord, who knows but you may get another?"
Helen became crimson, but it quickly receded, and left her pale as snow, but her expression was that of happiness in Mary's altered situation.
"I was just thinking it possible I might, as you say, get another nobleman for another daughter. I wish I could get that letter I wrote about the sailor out of the old man's hands, indeed I do. Rotheles, I fear I have been hasty?"
"Never mind, sister, cheer up; write your book, and depend upon it, not one of the Haleses, to the tenth generation, will look on the side you are on. You have the infidels on the hip there, depend upon it."
"I wish you would be serious, Rotheles; I call this an important affair."
"So important, I must have half a bottle of claret upon it, and much shall I wish for a whole one. Poor Mary! her innocent, sorrowing, but always kind, good heart, is indeed a thing to dwell on and exult in."
"But when shall we have letters from Lady Allerton?" said her mother.
"To-morrow, I apprehend, since they are not come with the newspapers; most likely the parties are on their way homewards now. You know the letters would be delivered in Welbeck Street; that accounts for the paper coming first."
"They will stop some time in Paris, and send for us to join them; it will be the best possible thing for mamma's cough," said Helen.
"By the same rule, they must send your mamma her travelling expences, miss; she can't have the clog of a couple of grown daughters at her heels without money in her pocket. I have still two left, remember."
"Only one to provide for, Lady Anne, beyond a very short period."
"Two, Lord Rotheles, positively two. I have two unengaged, unprovided daughters."
"Well, well, as you please. I am two hundred pounds the richer than I intended to be to-morrow morning, in consequence of your ladyship's decision."