Lady Lancaster dimly felt something in the suave, silver-sweet tonesthat vaguely angered her.
"You are very excusable, Miss West," she said, tartly and insultingly."One has to pardon much to American impudence and ignorance."
Leonora looked at her with the full gaze of her clear orbs.
"I hardly think I understand you, Lady Lancaster," said she, calmly.
"I fail to make my meaning clear, do I?" cried the dowager, furious."Tell me this, then. How dared you come into my drawing-room and playon the piano?"
"Your drawing-room?" the girl lifted her eyes in gentle, courteousinquiry.
"Lord Lancaster's, then; and just as good as mine, since he is too poorto live at home. But that is no concern of yours. I repeat--how daredyou play on the piano?"
Leonora looked very innocent and wondering and candid.
"I assure you I have not injured the piano one bit," she said. "It isa very nice one; but I understand how to use it, and my touch is verysoft."
"Who cares about your touch? I was not talking about that. No one caresfor that," contemptuously. "I referred to your impertinence in comingout of your proper place in the housekeeper's rooms and entering thisdrawing-room."
"Oh!" intelligently.
"Well, what do you mean by 'oh'?" inquired the angry dowager.
"I mean that there was no harm done by my entrance here. I have nothurt anything. I was very curious to know what great people's houseslooked like, so I persuaded my aunt to let me come and see; but Ireally can not understand what terrible offense I have committedagainst your ladyship," said Leonora, with her gentle, candid air.
"You are poor and lowly born, and your place is in the rooms of theservants, and--and--I thought you were a child," sputtered LadyLancaster, unable to fence with the polished tools of her fairopponent, and continuing, incoherently: "What did you mean, anyway,by--by--"
"By being a tall, grown-up girl instead of a child?" interposedLeonora, allowing a soft little smile to flicker over her rosy lips."Oh, Lady Lancaster, pray be reasonable! Could I help it, really? Canone turn back the hands of Time? If that were possible, surely _you_would have availed yourself long ago of that wondrous art;" and witha graceful little bow, Leonora walked deliberately out of the room,having fired this Parthian shot of delicate feminine spite into thecamp of the astounded enemy.
Lady Lancaster was purple with rage and dismay. She had sallied uponthe field ready to drive the intruder from her grounds, and she, LadyLancaster, the great rich lady, had been vanquished by the sharp littletongue of a low-born girl who had so innocent and candid an air thatshe did not at this moment quite realize that the girl herself knew theenormity of the offense she had committed.
Elise, full of silent, demure laughter, waited for her mistress tospeak.
It was several minutes before she rallied from her fit of rage enoughto speak clearly. When she did, she said, sharply:
"Put me into a chair, Elise, and bring Mrs. West to me."
"Hadn't I better take you back to your room first? Perhaps some one maycome in here. And you have pushed your wig awry, and the powder is alloff your face, my lady," said Elise, demurely; and her mistress groaned:
"Take me back to my room, then, and tell West to come at once--at once,do you hear?"
And when she had regained the privacy of her own room she sunk downexhausted upon her bed to await the housekeeper's arrival.
Leonora had already gone to Mrs. West's room and related her adventure.
"And oh! Aunt West, she was so proud and scornful and overbearing thatI was vexed at her; and I'm afraid that I was just a little bit saucyto her. What will she do, do you think? Will she send me away fromLancaster Park?"
"She will have to send me too if she does!" cried Mrs. West.
"Oh, Aunt West, would you really go? Would you give up the home ofsixteen years for my sake?" cried the girl.
"Yes, dear, I would go. You have no one but me, and I mean to do thebest I can for your happiness. If Lady Lancaster is unreasonable aboutthis matter, I shall leave her," said Mrs. West, decidedly.
"But, oh, aunt, you will be sorry that I came to you--sorry that poorpapa left me on your hands," anxiously.
"I shall regret nothing, dear, if I can only do my duty by you," wasthe reassuring reply that brought a look of relief into Leonora'sbeautiful face.
Then Elise came with Lady Lancaster's message. She looked curiously atthe calm, unruffled face of Leonora.
"Oh, Miss West, you have seriously offended my mistress!" she exclaimed.
"Have I?" Leonora answered, demurely; and Elise knew by the gleam underthe girl's long lashes that she did not care. She delivered her messageand departed.
"I do not know what to make of that Miss West; but she is decidedly tooproud and too pretty for her position," Elise said to herself, when shewas going slowly back upstairs to her mistress. "I'm afraid she willcause Mrs. West to lose her place."
Mrs. West went upstairs to the great lady, and Leonora waited in thelittle sitting-room for her return, which occurred in about fifteenminutes. The housekeeper was somewhat red in the face, and her lipswere curved rather sternly.
"Well, aunt, have you promised to send me away?" the young girl asked,demurely.
"She would have liked to have me do so," said Mrs. West, indignantly."She was very arrogant and presuming. She seems to be quite angrybecause poor Dick's daughter is as pretty and accomplished as the youngladies in a higher rank of life."
Leonora smiled, and her aunt continued:
"I gave warning that I would leave her in a month. If it were not forLord Lancaster, I would go to-day; but he has always been so kind thatI shall stay a few weeks longer for his sake. Can you endure it thatmuch longer, my child?"
"Oh, yes," said Leonora, "I will try to be very good that long. And,Aunt West, when we leave here we are going back to New York. You neednot shake your head so solemnly. I am a willful child, and I mean tohave my own way."
CHAPTER XXXI.
Lord Lancaster received a message from his aunt that evening. Shewished to see him privately for ten minutes.
"I hope she isn't going to tease me about Lady Adela again," he saidto himself, and he looked rather sullen when he went to her. He wasexceedingly impatient of the rule she tried to exercise over him.
"Clive, why didn't you tell me about that girl?" she began, dashinginto the subject without preamble.
He was honestly bewildered by the suddenness of the inquiry. He did notthink of connecting Leonora West with it.
"I do not know what you are talking about, Aunt Lydia," he answered.
She gave him a keen glance to see if he was trying to deceive her; buthis fair, handsome face expressed only the most honest surprise. "Imean that West girl--the housekeeper's niece," she said. "Why didn'tyou tell me about her when you came home?"
He reflected a moment, and then answered:
"I did, Aunt Lydia. You asked me if I had brought Leonora West to thehousekeeper, and I told you that I had done so. Then you asked me ifshe were troublesome, and I told you that she was. Do you not remember?"
"Yes; but you should have told me more about her. It is verystrange that you kept it all to yourself," she said, regarding himsuspiciously, and nowise pleased when she saw the deep flush thatreddened his face.
"What was it you wished me to tell you?" he inquired, coldly.
"Why, that she was grown up instead of a child, as I thought,and--and--that she was pretty--rather--and accomplished beyond herstation," wrathfully said Lady Lancaster.
"I supposed you would find that out for yourself in due time," hereplied with a half smile that nettled her, for she was decidedlyuneasy over the discovery she had made. She was by no means blindto the distracting beauty of Leonora, and it had not taken her fiveminutes to find out that her mind was cultured and her accomplishmentsof a high order. When she reflected that her nephew had crossed theocean in this dangerous society, she was frightened for her plansconcerning him. What if they shoul
d "gang aglee?"
"Did you have any selfish motives in keeping the fact to yourself solong?" she inquired, sneeringly.
"I do not understand you," he replied, coldly.
"You do not? Yet you must have known that I would be surprised. Youknew I expected a child. You must have supposed that I would not careto have such a girl--an adventuress, perhaps--or, may be, a low concertor saloon singer--who can tell?--here at Lancaster Park."
The angry flash of his eyes did not escape her keen gaze. She hadspoken with a deliberate purpose.
"Lady Lancaster, I do not think any one but yourself would dare saysuch things of Miss West," he said, hotly.
"Dare? Why not? What do you know to the contrary?" sneered the evil oldwoman.
"I know Miss West herself; no one who knows her would believe her tobe an adventuress. She is a pure, simple, and true-hearted maiden," heanswered, steadily.
"Ah! so you are interested in her? I thought as much," declared LadyLancaster, violently. "This, then, is the secret of your indifferenceto Lady Adela. You have conceived a preference for this low-born,impertinent girl. But beware, sir, how you trifle with me. Remember myconditions."
Flushing to the roots of his hair, Lancaster neither affirmed nordenied her accusations. He sat gazing at her in proud silence.
"Answer me one thing," she stormed. "Do you intend to marry Lady Adela?"
"I have not made up my mind yet," he answered, coldly.
"Do you ever expect to do so?" she sneered. "You have been acquaintedwith Lady Adela long enough, I think, to tell whether you are pleasedwith her or not."
"It is scarcely a week," he said.
"Do you want more time?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"How much?" she inquired.
"The utmost limit your liberality will allow me."
Lady Lancaster reflected for a moment, with her head on one side, likesome brooding bird of evil omen.
"Very well," she said. "You shall not say I was impatient with you.Lady Adela will stay with us a month yet. You shall have the whole ofthat time to make up your mind, and then you must give me your answer.I can not believe that you are fool enough to let it be an unfavorableone."
"Thank you," he replied, with a bow.
"You need not thank me for nothing," sharply. "Of course I know youwill have more sense than to refuse twenty thousand a year, unless,"sneering, "you mean to become a suitor for the hand of that Westcreature."
Stung to retaliation, he answered:
"Miss West can boast a suitor more eligible than myself in point ofthat 'filthy lucre' you hold so dear."
She started, and gave him a keen glance.
"Whom?"
"Lieutenant De Vere."
"No!" she cried.
"Yes," he answered. "Why should you look so surprised? He was our_compagnon du voyage_. He admired Miss West very much, and he confidedto me his intention of winning her, if possible, for his wife."
"His family will not allow him to throw himself away on that girl," shecried.
"He is quite independent of his family, and he will not be slow toavail himself of the advantage."
"Happy mortal! You would like to exchange places with him, no doubt?"she sneered.
"I could wish, certainly, that I were as fortunate as my friend," hereplied.
She glared at him a moment, and then asked, curiously:
"Is the girl in love with De Vere? Pshaw! what would love have to dowith it? I mean, will she accept her wealthy suitor?"
"She will if she is worldly wise," slowly. "But I can not tell. I donot know Miss West well enough to decide what she would do in a givencase."
"Of course she will accept him. She is sharp enough, and such a girlas she is--poor and lowly born--would not be slow to jump at such achance," said the dowager, coarsely. "If I had known that Lieutenant DeVere was so silly, I should not have invited him here. I would have hadnothing to do with him. But he will be here to-night."
"He is here now. He went to his dressing-room an hour ago," Lancastersaid, coolly. "I think he will express a desire for a private interviewwith you this evening. It is rather embarrassing to him to have to askyour permission to woo his lady-love in the housekeeper's rooms, yetsuch is his avowed intention. If I--" he paused and bit his lip to keepback the impatient avowal.
"If you--what? Go on, my lord--let me hear what wonderful thought wasprefaced by that 'if.'"
"Only this--if I were master in my own house instead of a guest, itshould be otherwise. My friend should not be insulted."
"You would bring that creature into the drawing-room to receive hisaddresses?" she hissed.
"Yes," he replied.
"Then you will not do so while I am the mistress of Lancaster. If hechooses to have such low tastes, it is not for me to indulge him inthem. If he must woo the housekeeper's niece, he may woo her in herproper place," cried Lady Lancaster, indignant at his defense of hisfriend's misplaced admiration, and secretly jealous of the beautifulgirl's influence.
What if Lancaster, too, had been bewitched by that fair, piquant faceand luring smile?
A sudden thought came to her.
After all, perhaps, it were best for her plans that De Vere should havehis way. Who could tell what folly might get into Lancaster's head?
She looked at him thoughtfully.
"Perhaps I was hasty," she said. "But I had a shock to-day when Ifirst saw the girl, and--she was very impertinent to me. Is it yourwish, Clive, that I should put no obstacle in the way of Lieutenant DeVere's designs?"
He bowed silently. A swift, sharp, cruel pang of jealousy tore throughhis heart as he did so. "To see her another's--Oh, God! it would beharder than death!" he said to himself, and yet there was no hope forhim. Why should he stand in another's light?
Her keen eyes detected the shadow on his face, and she interpreted itaright. She was frightened at the danger that had been so near her,unknown and unsuspected all this while.
"I must remove the temptation from him as soon as I can," she thought,anxiously.
CHAPTER XXXII.
"Lord Lancaster, I want to ask you something," said Lady Adela Eastwood.
It was in the evening after the gentlemen had come in from theirwalnuts and wine. Lord Lancaster had retired rather sulkily to acorner, and the earl's daughter had followed him and sat down near him.
She looked very handsome in her dinner-dress of rose-pink satin drapedwith creamy lace. Her brilliant black eyes searched his face eagerly,as she said:
"Lady Lancaster has been telling us the strangest story before thegentlemen came in. I am going to ask you if it is true."
He tried to rouse himself to interest in her theme.
"Yes," he said, "I know that Lady Lancaster can be very interesting,"sarcastically. "What is it all about, Lady Adela?"
She lowered her voice, and glanced across the room where LieutenantDe Vere sat with rather a bored look on his face, trying to becomeinterested in the lively chatter of the pretty Miss Dean.
"It is about that handsome Lieutenant De Vere," she said; "LadyLancaster has been telling us that he is infatuated with a ridiculouscreature--a servant, I think she said, or something like that. And heis going to propose to her, and it will most likely be a match. Now,you are his friend, Lord Lancaster. Please tell me if it is really so?"
"No, it is not," he replied, pulling savagely at the innocent ends ofhis long mustache.
"Then it is not true? Lady Lancaster was only telling it to tease EmmaDean, I fancy. Emma has been setting her cap at the lieutenant, youknow. She will be very glad to hear it was all a joke."
"But it was not a joke, really," he said, embarrassed. "You know whatTennyson says about a 'lie that is half a truth,' Lady Adela. Well,that is how the case stands. Lady Lancaster has simply misrepresentedthe facts. There was a grain of truth in her bushel of falsehood."
"Oh, dear!" cried Lady Adela, in dismay. She nestled a little nearerhim on the fauteuil where they were sitting. "Do tell me
the right ofit, Lord Lancaster; I am all curiosity."
"Then I will tell you the right of it, if you care to hear," hereplied; and there was so stern a look on his face that the earl'sdaughter was frightened. She wondered if he was angry with her.
"I hope you are not offended with me for repeating what Lady Lancastersaid," she observed sweetly, giving him a demure look out of her largeblack eyes.
He looked at her gravely a minute without replying. She was veryhandsome, certainly--a brilliant brunette, very vivacious when itpleased her to be so, and again with a languor and indolence amountingto laziness. She had been in society several seasons, and owned totwenty-three years old. She was beautiful, graceful, and dignified, andLancaster felt that she would make a fitting mistress for LancasterPark; but his pulse did not beat any faster at her bright glance, norat her sweet, half-confidential tones.
But he looked back at her reassuringly as he replied:
"I am sorry I looked so black as to inspire you with such an idea, LadyAdela. Of course I am not offended with you. You are not answerable forLady Lancaster's peccadilloes. I think, however, that she might haveshown more respect to Lieutenant De Vere than to indulge herself insuch gossip, more than half of it being false."
"Oh, then he isn't going to commit such a folly after all?" sheexclaimed, relieved that it was not so, for her patrician pride hadbeen somewhat hurt at the idea of one of her own order descending to aplebeian.
"You jump so quickly from one conclusion to another, Lady Adela, thatyou will not give me time to explain," he said, smiling.