The Five-Minute Marriage (10 page)

“
Axing your pardon, Mr. Gareth, but Mr. Fidd
’
s upstairs with his lordship.
”

“
That
’
s all right, Cowley—bring us a couple of bottles of champagne, will you?
”

Evidently trying for a lighter note, Penistone said, as Cowley left the room,

“
The servants know a marriage has been performed, and they will be expecting some health-drinking!
”

“
But I do not quite understand,
”
Delphie said, wrinkling her forehead,
“
how it is to be accounted for in the household that you have apparently been married to the wrong lady.
”

“
Oh, there is no trouble about that. Elaine has never been here; nobody but my cousin and myself can be aware of the substitution. When I have seen her, it has always been in Bath. I was about, Miss Carteret, to express my gratitude to you for what must—what must without doubt have been a bizarre, if not a most distressing, most repugnant affair. I beg that you will now do your best to put it completely out of your mind and memory.
”

“
I am quite sure you do!
”
she answered rather tartly.
“
Has it occurred to you, Mr. Penistone, that in your anxiety to pull the wool over your uncle
’
s eyes, you have now placed yourself in a somewhat perilous position in regard to
me
?”

“
How do you mean, ma
’
am?
”
he said stiffly.

“
Why, suppose I were of extortionate turn of mind? Suppose I were not to be content with a mere pittance of an annuity to my mother, but were to demand, on her behalf, a fairer share of the family fortune? Suppose I threatened to make this business public? Or even to inform your uncle—should he not immediately die?
”

His face, which had begun to appear more relaxed, and even show some traces of friendliness, now stiffened into its former mask of cold dislike.

“
I might have known it!
”
he muttered to himself, and to her.
“
How can I tell
what
you will be at, madam? When one is in straits, one employs such tools as come to hand. But may I point out that the story will hardly redound to your own credit, if you choose to let it out. Do your worst, however; we shall fight you with what weapons we may.
”

“
Oh, do not put yourself about, sir,
”
she replied lightly and coldly.
“
I was only funning, I assure you! Like you, being in straits, I did what I could to secure my poor parent a small competence. I shall be entirely satisfied and shall not, I daresay, ever have the least wish to recollect the disagreeable means that we were forced to adopt in order to achieve the desired end. I only wondered at the risks you were prepared to run without, apparently, considering them. Set your mind at rest, however, Mr. Penistone! You are by far more likely to do
me
harm. Suppose it should get about to the parents of my pupils that I had compromised myself by suffering myself to be employed in such a masquerade—how many people do you imagine would then continue to employ me as a music teacher?
”

“
A music teacher?
”
he said.
“
Is that what you are?
”

He sounded so astonished that she raised her brows.

“
Why, what had you taken me to be, Mr. Penistone?
”

“
I?—I do not know; I had not given the matter much thought,
”
he was beginning rather confusedly, when Cowley came back into the room with champagne, glasses, and an ice bucket. At the same moment Jenny came running in, followed more slowly by Mr. Fitzjohn. Jenny bounded up to Philadelphia and gave her another warm embrace.

“
Mrs. Penistone!
”
she said, laughing,
“
Well, did you ever? Isn
’
t this famous! I was never so ready to burst in all my life as when Mr. Fitz here asked if
I’
d be so good as to step upstairs to witness a wedding! Lord, Lord, if
I’
d ever a guessed that was how the day would end! You could have knocked me down with a feather! A wedding? says I. Pray
whose
wedding did you have in mind? Little thinking—
”

As Cowley handed her a glass, Philadelphia gave her an anxious glance, and murmured in her ear,
“
Hush, now, Jenny! I will explain all to you later!
”

“
Well, no matter!
”
said Jenny, raising her glass.
“
A long life to you both, and a gallon of happiness to every dram of trouble!
”

“
I second that wish,
”
said Mr. Fitzjohn quietly, raising his glass.
“
My felicitations, Gareth! Madam, your health!
”

“
Thank you!
”
said Philadelphia coolly.
“
Sir!
”
She raised her glass to Mr. Penistone, who met her look with one so impassive that she could only infer that it concealed a very great many inner preoccupations. Fleetingly, she wondered what occupied his thoughts.

“
Supper is ready whenever you want it,
”
announced Fitzjohn, who had been conferring with Cowley.
“
I am sure, ladies, that you must be both hungry and tired and will doubtless wish to retire fairly soon. Miss—er, Miss—?
”

“
Baggott,
”
supplied
Jenny obligingly.

“
Miss Baggott has had a wetting—you have both had a journey
—
suppose we adjourn to the dining room?
”

He gave his arm to Jenny. She threw a mischievous, triumphant glance at Delphie, who, taking the arm of Mr. Penistone, allowed herself to be led across the entrance hall to a large and lofty room, rather chill, despite a handsome fire which had evidently not long been lit. Here Delphie was interested to observe a number of family portraits hanging on the walls. She would have liked to inspect them at close quarters; unfortunately in this room, as elsewhere in Chase Place, the lighting left very much to be desired, and most of the pictures were veiled in obscurity.

Jenny was obviously somewhat disappointed by the repast, which was by no means elaborate: a capon, a pigeon pie, various dishes of fish, a ragout of mutton, a blackberry syllabub, and some jellied quinces.

“
We pride ourselves on our salt-marsh mutton hereabouts,
”
remarked Mr. Fitzjohn, helping Delphie to the ragout.
“
But I was forgetting—your mother was
born
here, was she not? Doubtless you have heard all about it?
”

His glance at Delphie was full of irony, but she merely replied,
“
Yes, sir.
”

She was beginning to feel inexpressibly weary, and longed for solitude and privacy. Helpful though Jenny had been, the thought of sharing a chamber with her was not a welcome one. Vaguely she was aware of a stilted conversation conducted between Jenny and Mr. Penistone about London entertainments. Mr. Penistone, it seemed, spent a considerable proportion of his time in London, despite the manor at Horsmonden. No wonder he has need of money, Philadelphia thought. Perhaps he is a gambler—like Mamma.

She and Mr. Fitzjohn had little to say to one another.

“
What became of the bishop?
”
she bethought herself to ask him at one point when the servants were out of the room.

“
His Grace had been on the point of setting out for Canterbury, and has now done so; he wished to leave as soon as might be,
”
Fitzjohn replied with a wary glance at his cousin.

“
Oh? Despite his cold? Was that not rather rash?
”
Delphie said, raising her brows.

“
What a piece of luck that he was at hand!
”
broke in Jenny.
“
I call being wed by a bishop really bang-up stylish! It was the most romantical wedding I ever did see, and I was ready to cry my eyes out, I can tell you. You looked a picture, Miss Delphie, with your veil and all. What a lucky thing you brought your white!
”

Mr. Penistone
’
s somber countenance was lightened by a faint smile.

“
Are you finished, Jenny?
”
Philadelphia inquired rather hastily.
“
Then I think we should leave the gentlemen to their wine.
”

“
Oh—very well!
”
said Jenny with evident reluctance.

The two men rose and bowed.

“
Cowley will bring a tea tray into the parlor, unless you wish to return to the library?
”
said Fitzjohn.

“
Oh, the library, by all means,
”
said Philadelphia, who had noticed an ancient pianoforte in one corner of that room.
“
Let nobody be at the trouble of warming another chamber for us. We shall retire very soon, in any case.
”

“
Lor
’
, Miss Delphie!
”
exclaimed Jenny when they were alone in the library and Cowley had brought the tray of tea.
“
You won
’
t want to be sharing
my
chamber now! I had but just thought of it! I should hope as how they
’
ve got a room more fit for a bride and groom than one where half the bed-curtains has been et by moths!
”

Philadelphia had given no thought to this aspect of her situation.

“
Oh—well—as to that
,”
she said hastily.
“
There are considerations why—circumstanced as we are at present—I will explain all later, Jenny, when we leave here—but in the meantime Mr. Penistone and I do not intend—
”

“
What
?
”
cried Jenny in amazement when she understood what Philadelphia meant.
“
Good Lord! No wedding night? Is that acos o
’
the old lord lying a-dying? Well I never heard of such delicate scruples! Sure I honor you for them—for I know you
’
re all that
’
s ladylike, Miss Delphie—but I must say I don
’
t think
nothing
of a fellow as will allow his new bride to lie chill and lonesome on her bridal night! Sulky and black-browed though he be, I
’
d ha thought better of your gentleman than
that
!
Why, there
’
s been chaps as come a-courting
me
—
When I think me of my poor dear Sam
—
”

Made voluble by the champagne and the wine she had drunk during supper, Jenny would have proceeded to expatiate on this theme, but Delphie, to discourage her, for she did not wish to embark on tricky explanations while the gentlemen might at any moment be expected to walk in, went over to the pianoforte. In a tattered pile of music she found a sonata by Mozart, and began to play it, very softly, out of respect for her uncle
’
s condition.

She was soon lost in the music, which both soothed and cheered her, and she forgot her surroundings entirely until, halfway through the adagio movement, she was aware of a presence at her elbow, and turned her head to see Mr. Penistone standing beside her, wearing a many-caped greatcoat.

“
I am come to say good-by, ma
’
am,
”
he said as Delphie, surprised, lifted her hands from the keys.
“
Ah—urgent private affairs render it essential for me to leave for London immediately.
“
I—
”
He hesitated.
“
I would like once more to express the sense of obligation toward you under which I stand—
”

“
Think nothing of it,
”
Delphie said calmly.
“
We have each gained a little, and lost a little. I daresay we shall not be meeting again, so I will take this opportunity of wishing you well. I hope
—
I hope that matters transpire favorably for you. Good-by!
”