LORD OF MANY SECRETS

THIRTY TWO

Mrs Andromeda turned a surprised, inquiring look upon Elizabeth. "You never told me you had invited Clements, my dear?"

"I did request Lord Clements to call here", said Miss Tellaro, carefully choosing another length of embroidery silk. "I did not, however, mention any particular day or hour".

"True", said the Earl. "I had had the intention of calling on you this morning, Miss Tellaro, but - er - circumstances intervened".

"It was fortunate, sir. I was not at home this morning". She raised her eyes momentarily from her work to find that he was regarding her with a look of so much sarcastic amusement that the unwelcome suspicion crossed her mind that he must have seen her drive out, and changed his own plans immediate.

"This morning!" ejaculated Mrs Andromeda, with a strong shudder. "Pray do not be talking of it! Three hours - I am persuaded it was no less - at the Botanic Gardens, and I not having the least notion that you cared a rap for all those odiously rare plants!"

"The Botanic Gardens", murmured the Earl. "Poor Miss Tellaro!"

She was now sure that he must have seen her from somewhere. She got up. "If you have finished your tea, sir, perhaps you will do me the kindness of coming into the other drawing room. You will excuse us, ma'am, I know. I have something of a private nature to say to you Lord Clements".

"By all means, my love, though I can't conceive what it should be", said Mrs Andromeda.

Miss Tellaro did not enlighten her. She went out through the door his lordship was holding open for her into the back drawing room, and took up a stand by the table in the middle of the room. The Earl shut the door, and surveyed her with his air of rather bored amusement. "Well, Miss Tellaro?" he said.

"I desired you to visit me, sir, to explain, if you please, this letter which you wrote me", said Elizabeth, pulling the offending document out of her reticule.

He took it from her. "Do you know, I never thought that you would cherish my poor notes so carefully?" he said.

Miss Tellaro ground her teeth, but made no reply. The Earl, having looked her over with what she could not but feel to be a challenge in his mocking eyes, picked up his eyeglass, and through it perused his own letter. When he had done this he lowered his glass and looked inquiringly at Miss Tellaro. "What puzzles you, Deliciae? It seems to me quite lucid".

"My name is not Deliciae!" snapped Miss Tellaro. "I wonder that you should care to call up the recollections it must evoke! If they are not odious to you..."

"How could they be?" said Clements. "You must have forgotten one at least of them if you think that".

She was obliged to turn away to hide her confusion. "How can you?" she demanded, in a suffocating voice.

"Don't be alarmed", said Clements. "I am not going to do it again yet, Deliciae. I told you, you remember, that you were not the only sufferer under your father's Will".

Her cousin's warning flashed into Miss Tellaro's mind. She said coldly, "this way of talking no doubt amuses you, sir, but to me it is excessively repugnant. I did not wish to see you in order to discuss the past. That can only be forgotten. In that letter which you are holding you write that there is no possibility of your consenting to my marriage within the year of your guardianship".

"Well, what could be plainer than that?" inquired the Earl.

"I am at a loss to understand you, sir. Certain applications have been made up you for - for permission to address me".

"Three", nodded his lordship. "The first was Williamson Palin, but him I expected. The second was Darlington Brown, who I also expected. The third - now who was the third? Ah yes, it was young Martins, was it not?"

"It does not signify, sir. What I wish you to explain is, how you came to refuse these gentlemen without even the formality of consulting my wishes".

"Do you want to marry one of them?" inquired the Earl solicitously. "I hope it is not Brown. I understand that his affairs are too pressing to allow him to wait until you are come of age".

Miss Tellaro controlled her tongue with a visible effort. "As it happens, sir, I do not contemplate marriage with any of these gentlemen", she said. "But you had no means of knowing that when you refused them".

"To tell you the truth, Miss Tellaro, your wishes in the matter do not appear to me to be of much importance. I am glad, of course, that your heart is not broken", he added kindly.

"My heart would scarcely be broken by your refusal to consent to my marriage, sir. When I wish to be married I shall marry, with or without your consent".

"And who", asked the Earl, "is the fortunate man?"

"There is no one", said Miss Tellaro curly. "But..."

The Earl took out his snuff box, and opened it. "But my dear Miss Tellaro, are you not being a trifle indelicate? You are not proposing, I trust, to command some gentleman to marry you? The impropriety of such an action must strike even so masterful a mind as yours".

Miss Tellaro's eyes were smoldering dangerously. "What I wish to make plain to you, Lord Clements, is that if any gentleman whom I - if someone should ask me to marry him whom I - you know very well what I mean!"

He smiled. "Yes, Miss Tellaro, I know exactly what you mean. But keep my letter by your side, for it tells you just as plainly what I mean".

"Why?" she shot at him. "What objective can you have?"

He took a pinch of snuff, and lightly dusted his fingers before he answered her. Then he said in his cool way, "you are a very wealthy young woman, Miss Tellaro".