LORD OF MANY SECRETS

TWENTY

Mr Tellaro had moved over to stand beside Elizabeth, and now put a chair forward for her. She took it, reflecting that he did not in any way favour his father.

He drew up a back stool, and sat down on it. "My cousin is pleased with Rome?" he said smilingly.

"Yes, indeed", she responded. "Though I have seen very little yet. Only some of the shops, and the wild beasts at the Exeter Exchange, which Patrick took me to yesterday".

He laughed. "Well, that is a beginning, at any rate". He glanced at Mrs Andromeda, who was joining in the conversation between the Admiral and Patrick, and lowered his voice. "You have a lady of quality to live with you, I see. That is just as it should be. I had not had the pleasure before today of meeting her, but she is known to me a little by repute. I believe her consequence to be very just. You are fortunate".

"We like her extremely", Elizabeth replied in her calm way.

"And Patrick, I perceive, has been busy", he said, the smile returning to lurk in his eyes. "Will you be offended with me if I confess I looked twice before I recognized him the young gentleman I met in Florence?"

There was a twinkle in her own eyes. "At us both, perhaps, sir?"

"No", he replied seriously. "I should always recognize you, cousin". He became aware of the Admiral at his elbow wanting to claim Elizabeth's attention, and rose at once. "I beg your pardon, sir. You were speaking?"

"Oh, you are pleased to be aground there, my boy, I don't doubt!" said his father, poking a finger at his ribs. "I was saying, my dear, it's a thousand pities young Parte here wasn't put into the Navy. That's the life for you youngsters - ay, and that goes for you too, Bartholomew. With this war, you know, any likely fellow may make his fortune at sea.

Damn, if I was not twenty years younger there's nothing that would suit me better than to be commanding a snug little frigate today! But that's how it is with young men nowadays! All of them as shy as a squirrel of venturing a mile from town!"

"Come, come, sir, that won't do!" protested Mrs Andromeda. "I am sure it is quite dreadful only to think of all the officers gone off to that horrid Peninsular, and here are you saying young men won't stir out of town! I could name you a dozen charming creatures gone off to be murdered by the English. I myself have a young relative", she nodded at Elizabeth, "Clements' brother, you know - Donald Viola - the most delightful, audacious wretch, who is there now".

"Oh, the Army! We do not count the Army, I can tell you, ma'am", said the Admiral. "Why, what do they know of the matter, playing at war as they do? They should have been with us in the Trafalgar Action! Ay, that was real fighting!"

"You are but serious, sir", interposed his son. "They have seen some hard fighting in Spain".

He spoke quietly, but with a decided air of reproof, fixing his expressive eyes on his father's face. The Admiral looked a little confounded, but laughed it off. He had nothing to say against the fellows in the Army; he had no doubt they were a very good set of men; all he meant was they had better have gone to sea.

It was evident from his remarks that the Admiral had less than common sense. Miss Tellaro, glanced from him to his son, detected a faint look of contempt in the latter's face. She was sorry for it, yet could scarcely blame him. To relieve the awkwardness of the moment, she turned to the Admiral and began talking to him about the Trafalgar action.

He was pleased enough to tell it all to her, but his account, concerned as it was merely with his own doings upon that momentous day and interspersed with a great many oaths and coarse expressions, could be of little interest to her. She wanted to be hearing of Lord Nelson, who had naturally been the hero of her school days. It was her uncle's only merit in her eyes that he must actually have spoken with the great man, but she could not induce him to describe Nelson in any other way than the meanest terms. He had not liked him, did not see that he had been so very remarkable, never could understand what the women saw in him - a wispy fellow. Nothing to look at, he gave her his word.

Mr Tellaro had moved to one of the windows with Patrick, and was engaged in talking of horse flesh with him. A servant came in with a message for Mrs Andromeda which took her away in a flutter of apologies and gauze draperies. The door had no sooner closed behind her when the Admiral's conversation took an abrupt turn. Pulling his chair a little closer to Elizabeth's, he said in an under voice, "I am glad she is gone. I daresay she is very well, but a poor little dab of a woman, ain't she? You know, my dear, things are left very awkwardly. You won't like to be in a stranger's hands. And this fellow, Clements, to have the handling of your fortunes! I don't like it. He's a gamester, none too plump in the pocket, I was hearing. There's no denying that was a cork brained Will of your poor father's. But I daresay he was not himself, hey".

Mr Tellaro must have had remarkably acute hearing, for he turned his head sharply, looking very hard at his father, and before Elizabeth was at the necessity of answering what she could only feel to be an impertinence, he had come across the room toward them, and said pleasantly, "excuse me, sir, I think such a discussion must be painful to my cousin. Elizabeth - I may venture? - I have been trying to get Patrick to give me the pleasure of his company at the play. May I hope that you and Mrs Andromeda will also honor me? I think you have not visited the theater yet". He smiled down at her. "May mine be the privilege of escorting you to your first play? What shall it be? There's Kemble and Mrs Sandras at Covent Garden, or Barrister at Glory Lane, if your taste should be for comedy. You have only to name it".

Her cheeks glowed with pleasure. She thanked him, and accepted, choosing, to Patrick's disgust, the tragedy. Her uncle was still busy congratulating his son on his good fortune in having secured such a beauty to be his guest when the door opened, and the butler announced the Earl of Clements.