LORD OF MANY SECRETS

TWENTY ONE

Miss Tellaro, taken quite by surprise, exchanged a swift glance with her brother, and began to instruct the butler to convey their excuses to his lordship. It was too late, however, the Earl must have followed the servant up the stairs, for he entered the room while the words of denial were on Elizabeth's lips.

He certainly heard them, but he gave no other sign of having done so than a faint curl of his lips. His coldly, appraising gaze took in the company. He bowed slightly, and said in his languid voice that he was fortunate to have found his wards at home.

Elizabeth was obliged to present her uncle and cousin.

The Earl's visit could not have been worse timed. She cared nothing for his opinion, but to introduce the Admiral to him must still be a mortification. She fancied she could perceive a look of disdain in his face, and it was with relief that she brought her cousin to his notice. There at least she had nothing to be ashamed of.

A few civilities were exchanged, the Earl bearing his part in these with a formality that set off Mr Tellaro's easier, more open manners to advantage. A silence, which the Earl made no effort to break, soon fell, and while Elizabeth was trying to think of something to say, and wishing that Mrs Andromeda would come back into the room, her cousin, with what she must feel to be instinctive good taste, reminded the Admiral they they had another engagement in the neighborhood, and should be taking their leave.

The bell was pulled, the footman came up to usher the visitors out, and in a few minutes they were gone.

The Earl, who had been calmly inspecting Elizabeth through his eye glass, let it fall, and said, "I see you have been taking my advice, Miss Tellaro". He glanced round the room. "Is this house to you liking? It seems to be rather above the general run of furnished houses".

"Have you not been inside it before?" she demanded.

"Not to my knowledge", he said, raising his brows. "Why should I?"

"I thought it was you who..." she broke off, cross with herself at having said so much.

"Oh no", he replied. "Kingsley chose it". He turned his head to look at Patrick, and an expression of pain crossed his features. "My good boy, are you emulating the style of Mr Fritzwa and his associates, or is that monstrous erection round your neck due merely to the clumsiness of your valet?"

"I was in a hurry", said Patrick defensively, and reddening in spite of himself.

"Then do not be in a hurry again. Cravats are not to be tied in an instant. I hear you bought Scruton's bay mare at Tentarall's".

"Yes", Patrick said.

"I thought you would", murmured his lordship.

Patrick looked suspicious, but judged it wiser not to ask the meaning of his somewhat cryptic remark.

The Earl's gaze returned to Miss Tellaro. He said softly, "you should ask me to sit down, you know".

Her lips quivered. She could not but appreciate his lordship's methods. "Pray be seated, sir!"

"Thank you, Miss Tellaro, but I do not stay. I came only to discuss your affairs with Patrick", said Clements with marked politeness.

It was too absurd, she had to laugh. "Very well, sir. I understand there is nothing to be done with my father's unfortunate Will".

"Nothing at all", he agreed. "You had better accept me with good grace. You will only be made to appear ridiculous if you don't, you know". Then, as she stiffened, he laughed, and putting out his hand tilted her face up with one careless finger under her chin. "Poor Beauty in distress!" he said. "But the smile was all that I hoped it might be". He turned. "Now, Patrick, if you please".

They went out of the room together, nor did she again set eyes on the Earl that day. Patrick came running up the stairs half an hour later, and finding his sister with Mrs Andromeda, who was deep in the pages of a fashion journal, he announced impetuously that he rather thought they might do very well with Clements for their guardian.

Elizabeth looked warningly toward Mrs Andromeda, but Patrick was not to be checked. He had very early in their acquaintanceship insinuated himself into that lady's good graces, and treated her already with a marked lack of respect, and a good deal of affection. "Oh, cousin Mariana don't give a fig for Clements!" he said airily. "But he has been talking to me, and I can tell you something, Elizabeth, he don't mean to keep too tight a hold on the purse strings. I fancy at shall have no trouble with him at all. Cousin Mariana, do you think Clements will trouble us?"

"No, indeed, why should he? My love, I read here that strawberries crushed on the face and left all night will clear sunburn and give a delicate complexion. I wonder whether we should try it? You know, you have just the suspicion of a freckle, Elizabeth. You will always be going out in the sun and wind, and my dear, nothing is destructive of female charms at contact with fresh air".

"My dear ma'am, where will you find strawberries at this season!" said Miss Tellaro, amused.

"Very true, my love. I was forgetting. Then it must be the Denmark Lotion after all. I wish you will buy some, if you mean to drive with Parte".

Elizabeth promised and went away to put on her hat and her gloves. When she drove out presently alone with her brother, she spoke to him seriously of their guardian. "I cannot like him, Parte. There is something in his eyes, a hardness, a - mocking look - which I don't trust. There is a lack of civility, too - of worse! His whole manner, his being so familiar with me - with us! It is very bad. I don't understand him. He would have think that he wanted to be our guardian as little as we wished to be his wards, and yet is it not odd that he should busy himself so particularly with our affairs? Even Mrs Andromeda thinks it strange he should not be content to let the lawyers settle every thing. She says she has never known him to exert himself so much as he does now".

Thus Miss Tellaro, in a mood of disquiet.