The Five-Minute Marriage (35 page)

He burst out laughing.

“
Begotten in his fifties—not if I know my uncle Mark! Besides, who could the mother have been?
”

“
Oh—well—how should I know?
”

“
A most improper suggestion, Lady Bollington!
”

“
Good gracious,
”
she said, blushing.
“
How strange it sounds. I had forgotten.
”

“
That we are married? I had not, however; in spite of your tearing up your marriage lines—spitfire that you are!
”

Rather shyly avoiding his glance, Delphie moved away around a gable, and made her way to a parapet, which, being three feet high, offered reasonable security.

“
Oh!
”
she cried, looking down.
“
I can see into the main courtyard. And—good gracious—there is my mother walking across the grass! With Mr. Browty! And Lady Bablock-Hythe. How very singular.
“
Mammal
”
she shouted down.
“
Mamma! I am here on the roof with Cousin Gareth, and we are locked out. Can you send somebody to release us?
”

Whether Mrs. Carteret, so far below, fully understood the purport of her daughter
’
s request seemed doubtful, but at least the people in the yard were now aware of the fact that the roof was inhabited, and presently they heard the rattle of bolts inside the door, and it was opened by one of the footmen, panting and apologetic.

“
Lor bless me, sir—my lord—can
’
t think how it came about
—
very sorry indeed, I
’
m sure—if we
’
d a had any idea—we
’
ve been hunting high and low for you, sir—my lord, and Miss, too—Mr. Fidd was
that
put about, wondering what had become of you, and Mr. Mordred too—
”

“
Never mind that now, Cowley,
”
said Gareth.
“
We were shut out by accident. All we need now is dry clothes and some breakfast.
”

“
Yes, sir—right away, my lord! The young lady
’
s valise has been taken to the Blue Chamber and—and there
’
s company below, sir, arrived unexpected.
”

“
So I apprehend. But we are in no condition to receive them immediately. Let them be taken to the dining room—or wherever is convenient—and served with some refreshment.
”

They descended the narrow stairs. At the foot a flustered housemaid—Meg—led Delphie away to a chamber: not the one she had shared with Jenny; this was in better trim. Here, at last, she was able to remove her damp and draggled clothes, wash her face, and brush out her untidy hair. After swallowing a cup of chocolate and a roll (brought by Jill) she put on her sprig-muslin, which was the only other dress she had brought, and, feeling decidedly more the thing, ran down the stairs and into the dining room, from where she heard voices issuing.

What was her astonishment, on entering this room, to find a considerable party assembled: not only her mother, Mr. Browty, and Lady Bablock-Hythe, but also Jenny Baggott, Mr. Swannup, and Una Palgrave with all her children.

Fidd was moving about, serving the adults of the party with glasses of sherry, and the children with lemonade and sweet biscuits.

“
Good heaven!
”
said Delphie, pausing on the threshold in amazement.
“
How can this be?
”

“
Oh, my dearest child!
”
exclaimed Mrs. Carteret, coming swiftly to embrace her.
“
Such
tales
as we have been hearing from Miss Baggott. If I had had the least notion that you were in danger—Miss Baggott told us all about Mr. Fitzjohn and that wicked creature—I declare, it is just like
The Orphan of the Wilderness
!”

“
And it has all ended just as well, Mamma! Gareth and I are alive and hearty. But I am afraid you must have found it a dreadfully tiring journey?
”

“
Oh, dear no! We stayed the night at the Angel, in Maidstone
—
a most comfortable inn. It was Mr. Browty
’
s idea.
”

“
When we got back to Brook Street, you see, and found Miss Baggott and Mr. Swannup there,
”
began Mr. Browty—

“
—So worried and anxious as we was about you, Miss Delphie!
”
cried Jenny.
“
We couldn
’
t abear to think what might be happening with them Hyenas—
”

“
So Mr. Browty kindly said,
‘
Why not let us all go down and see,
’
”
said Lady Bablock-Hythe.

“
And he axed me and Sam to come along in case Sam was needed as a witness—
”

Gareth came into the room, dressed with propriety and elegance. He, too, paused in the doorway, looking rather startled. Delphie hastily made the necessary introductions.

“
But where
is
that nasty Mr. Fitzjohn?
”
cried Jenny, looking around disappointedly.

“
We—er—fear he may have fallen into the moat, Miss—Baggott,
”
said Gareth.

Jenny turned slightly pink.

Meeting Delphie
’
s eye, Gareth added in a murmur,
“
I have given orders to have it dragged. There seems to be no sign of Elaine.
”

“
And her—t
’
other Miss Carteret?
”
said Sam Swannup.

“
Oh dear—we certainly do not want that disagreeable girl,
”
said Mrs. Carteret plaintively.

Una
’
s children had surrounded Delphie and were giving her joyful greetings.

“
Hallo, Cousin Delphie! Isn
’
t this famous! Mamma said we might as well all come down for the funeral—Papa is coming later, in a separate carriage—do you think Uncle Gareth will allow us to row on the moat? May we explore the house?
”

“
I am sure you may!
”
said Delphie warmly.
“
Go wherever you please! Only—excuse me a moment—I wish to hear what Fidd is saying!
”

Fidd, coughing politely, had remarked in an apologetic manner,

“
Er—ahem—I can perhaps provide the answer as to the whereabouts of the young lady as called herself Miss Elaine Carteret. Chancing to encounter the young lady and her Ma in the upper floors of this house, I very soon sent them to the right-about. Of course if I had known that they had incarcerated you, miss, and Mr. Gareth, upon the roof all night long, I should not have been so lenient; as it was, since they were anxious to depart, I paid off the driver of the hired carriage and allowed them to make use of it and him; I believe they set out in the direction of Dover, Mr. Gareth.
”

“
And a good riddance,
”
said Gareth briefly.
“
If they have the ring, they may keep it!
”

A chorus of questions and exclamations broke out from other quarters of the room.

“
You
sent them away, Fidd? But why? Who
were
they? You said the young lady and her
Mamma
?
Pray explain yourself!
”

Fidd coughed again, deprecatingly.

“
W
h
y—as to that, Mrs. Carteret, ma
’
am—the young lady was certainly Mr. Mordred
’
s cousin, that was true enough. Perhaps, ma
’
am, you remember a wet nurse you had, at the time Miss Delphie was born, named Lucy?
”

“
Good heavens—yes, I do,
”
said Mrs. Carteret faintly.

“
That Lucy, ma
’
am, was the younger child of Prissy Privett—er
—
by an unknown father. Mr. Mordred
’
s father
’
s half sister, that is. She was brought up at Chase but—er—at a youthful age she contracted an unfortunate alliance with a sergeant of fusiliers called Durnett, and run off to London after him. On his abandoning her, which happened almost at once, I understand, being left unprovided for, she applied for the position of wet nurse in your establishment, ma
’
am, and then, I apprehend, rewarded you for taking her in by pinching Miss Delphie
’
s birth certificate. She then wrote a lying tale to Mr. Mark, saying as how
her
child was Miss Delphie & as how you had died in childbed. She knew she was safe enough to do that, acos she
’
d often enough heard you say, ma
’
am, that you
’
d never have anything further to do with your family!
”

“
Oh, what a tale of wickedness and depravity! But how do you come to know so much about all this, Fidd?
”

“
Well, ma
’
am,
”
he replied,
“
I take an interest in Lucy—I
’
ve a reason to—so I got the story out of her. You
’
ll have no more trouble from
them
, ma
’
am—Miss Philadelphia—my lady—I reckon they were glad enough to get away without being taken up for fraud.
”

“
I should just about say so!
”
struck in Mr. Browty.
“
The designing harpies! It puts me in such a passion—to think of all the years they have been drawing off the funds that should have been at
your
disposal, ma
’
am
”
—addressing Mrs. Carteret.

Then, clasping the hand of Mrs. Carteret in his, he said to Delphie,

“
I must now tell you something, Miss Delphie, that—ahem!
—
may surprise you a little, but, knowing me as I hope you do
—
knowing that I
’
m a plain man but an honest one, whose word is as good as his bond, who likes things straightforward—and likes all about him to be happy and comfortable—er—where was I?
”

“
You were going to tell me something, Mr. Browty!
”
said Delphie, smiling at him with considerable affection. She had already guessed what it was.

“
Ah, that
’
s right, Miss Delphie! What a head on your shoulders you always have! I was about to tell you that I have asked your dear Mamma to marry me, and she has said yes! And that has made me a very happy man,
”
said Mr. Browty simply,
“
for I know she
’
ll love my gals, and I shall do my possible to make
her
happy for the rest of her life. Won
’
t I, my dear?
”

It was plain from Mrs. Carteret
’
s smile that this programme was already under way.

Delphie ran forward and embraced them both.

“
You could not have done anything which would make
me
happier, sir!
”
she said.
“
I know you will get on together famously! Mamma will be forever making plans for parties, and
you
will be giving them!
”

“
Just so!
”
he said, delighted.
“
And I hope you
’
ll be coming to every one of
‘
em, Miss Delphie! But there
’
s one thing
I
should like to be clear about—relative to what you and I was saying the other day, Miss Delphie—
”

“
Yes, Mr. Browty?
”
said Delphie, casting an anxious glance at two gardeners, who had come in through a back door and were conferring with Gareth in low voices. She caught the words
“
Moat—body—Mr. Fitzjohn—
”
Then Gareth gave them some directions, they saluted, and went out again.

“
Well,
”
said Mr. Browty,
“
we just heard that the young lady as was pretending to be
you
, Miss Delphie, has been sent packing
—
and a hem good thing too!—but what about that Mr. Fitzjohn? And the suit that he had a mind to bring, proving that he was the rightful lord?
”