“You are too sanguine. We had better turn our heads away and trust to his not recognizing us.”
“A man not recognize his own horses!” said Miss Taverner scornfully. “Oh, you are laughing at me! You are quite abominable!”
At the first sound of the curricle’s approach the Earl had raised his head and glanced casually up the lane. He was in the middle of making a civil inquiry into the health of his tenant’s family, but he broke off abruptly. The farmer followed the direction of his eyes, and said in no little surprise: “Why, here come your lordship’s greys, or I’m much mistaken!”
“You are not mistaken,” said the Earl grimly, and wheeled his mare across the lane.
Miss Taverner, observing this manoeuvre,, said: “There! You see! We shall have to stop.”
“I see no necessity. Drop your hands and drive over him.”
Miss Taverner threw him a look of withering contempt and checked her horses. In another minute the curricle had pulled up alongside the Earl, and Miss Taverner was meeting his gaze with an expression half of defiance, half of apology, in her blue eyes. “I am taking your brother for a drive, Lord Worth,” she said.
“So I see,” replied the Earl. “It was very civil of you to pull up to greet me, but you must not let me be detaining you.”
Miss Taverner eyed him doubtfully. “You must wonder at it, but—”
“Not at all,” said the Earl. “The only thing I wonder at is that you are not driving my chestnuts.”
“I should have liked to,” said Miss Taverner wistfully,
“but Captain Audley said he dared not, and of course I knew I must not without your leave. If you are displeased I beg your pardon. Captain Audley, how odious it is of you to sit laughing, and not to say a word in my defence!”
“My brother would never listen to my excuses with half so much complaisance, I assure you,” said the Captain, with a twinkle.
Miss Taverner turned her attention to the Earl again. “I hope you are not very angry, sir?”
“My dear Miss Taverner, I am not in the least angry, except on one account. My horses are at your service, but what are you about to have no one but that one-armed rattle by your side? If any accident occurred, as it might well, he would be of no assistance to you.”
“Oh, if that is all,” returned Judith, “you must know that I have been used to drive alone. My father saw no objection.”
“Your father,” said the Earl, “never saw you with one of my teams in hand.”
“Very true,” agreed Judith. “But what is to be done? Will you lead the horses, or shall Captain Audley alight and lead yours?”
“Captain Audley begs leave to inform Miss Taverner that he will die rather!”
“Drive on—Clorinda!” said the Earl, a little smile twisting his lips.
She bowed; the team moved forward, and in another minute was trotting away down the lane. The Earl watched it out of sight, and turned back to his tenant. His business did not occupy him long; he rode home presently across country, and arrived at Worth just as Miss Taverner was ascending the stairs to change her habit for a muslin frock. She looked over her shoulder and said archly: “Am I forgiven, Lord Worth? Do I stand in your black books?”
He came up the stairs and began to walk slowly along the gallery by her side. “You would be disappointed if I said you had not succeeded in vexing me, Miss Taverner.”
“No, indeed. You have a very odd notion of me, to be sure! You think me shockingly unamiable.”
“I think you—” He stopped, and after a moment continued with a little constraint: “I think you take a great delight in crossing swords with me.”
“Mine is a sad character, according to you. But I shall protest against this attack. Our quarrels have been all of your making.”
“I cannot admit it to be true; I am not at all quarrelsome.”
She smiled, but allowed it to pass. They walked on until her bedchamber door was reached. Before she could open it the Earl spoke again. “Are you determined, Miss Taverner, to return to Brook Street on Monday?”
She looked at him in surprise. “Determined? I have the intention, certainly. Why do you ask me?”
“I have no knowledge of the engagements you may have made, but if it is not distasteful to you I should like you and Peregrine to extend your visit.” He saw a look of refusal in her face, and added with his sardonic smile: “You need not be afraid: I shall not be here. I have business which will take me into the Midlands for several weeks.”
“But why do you wish us to stay here?” asked Judith.
“I believe it may be of benefit to Peregrine’s health.”
“He seems to me to be better,” she said. “He does not cough so much, I think.”
“Undoubtedly, but I do not consider an immediate return to town advisable. The air of Worth will do him more good than the air of Waller’s.”
She agreed to it, but still hesitated. He said abruptly: “Oblige me in this, Miss Taverner!”
She raised her brows. “Is it a command?”
“I have carefully avoided giving it the least appearance of one.”
“What is your real reason, Lord Worth?”
“When I am unable to be in London to prevent you, Miss Taverner, from announcing your engagement to a Royal Duke, and Peregrine from committing some act of folly to the risk of his life or his fortune, I prefer to leave you safely provided for under my own roof.”
She said quickly: “You do think that something threatens Perry, then!”
He shrugged. “I think he is a rash young man who will get into trouble if he can.”
She was silent for a moment, and then said: “Very well. If you wish it we will remain here a little longer.”
“Thank you; I do wish it. My brother will do what lies in his power to make your stay agreeable, I trust. If you can keep him from overtaxing his strength I shall be your debtor.”
She could not prevent a suspicion from crossing her mind; she said with a certain reserve: “I cannot charge myself with such an office. I have neither interest nor influence with Captain Audley.”
There was a good deal of comprehension in his eyes, which were regarding her with something of the cynical gleam she so much disliked. “You are mistaken, Miss Taverner.”
“I do not understand you.”
“I shall not permit you to marry my brother. You would not suit.”
Miss Taverner whisked herself into her bedroom and shut the door with unnecessary force.
When she met the Earl again at the dinner-table he seemed to be unaware of having said anything to vex her. Her manner was cold; he gave no sign of noticing it; and after a while she came to the conclusion that her most dignified course would be to assume a similar unconcern.
Lady Fairford, applied to in a letter sent express, readily gave her consent to her daughter’s remaining at Worth under Mrs. Scattergood’s chaperonage; Miss Fairford’s presence easily reconciled Peregrine to the change of plan; and the Earl left his house on Monday, confident that his guests would be all very happily engaged with each other until his return.
His confidence was not misplaced. With riding-horses at their disposal. Assemblies at Longhampton, and their own company, the younger people were well satisfied. Captain Audley made a charming host, and it was not long before Peregrine liked him as well as his sister did, and thought him the very model of what he would secretly like to be himself. Three weeks slipped by without anyone’s noticing them, and by the time the party did at last break up every member of it was on excellent terms with the rest. Miss Taverner, while allowing the Captain to come as near to flirting with her as her sense of propriety would sanction, did not fall in love with him; and upon being asked by Peregrine whether she could fancy being married to him returned a decided answer.
“Dear me, no, Perry! What should put such a notion into your head?”
“I thought you seemed to like him very well.”
“Why, so I do! I am sure everyone must.”
“Well, I will tell you what, Ju: I should not mind it if you did marry him. He is a capital fellow.”