Bluestocking Bride (4 page)

"Oh,
that don't
signify! Country manners are not
so
formal as town manners. I don't see why you're in such a taking. You've never been
overfond
of chaperones, as I remember. No, you'll have to do better than that. I can see that you've taken Miss Harland in dislike—no, don't hoax me. It's all the same to me. You've made up your mind that she's not in your style."

Mr. Norton, who had heard his cousin's views on women on numerous occasions, now warmed to his sport. "She's intelligent, beautiful, and has a certain wit
. '
Course, we can't tell if she's as cold as a fish." On seeing
Rutherston's
color mount, he raised a speculative brow, but held his tongue in check.

"If Miss Harland is such a paragon, Charles, I'm surprised you haven't tried to fix your interest with her."

"Oh no, cousin!"
Norton laughed, shaking his head in derision. "I may be a
nudgeon
, but I'm not as witless as all that. You have the freedom to marry where you will, but as you well know, my case is entirely different. Miss Harland's family and connections may be unexceptionable, but I'll wager her portion is negligible. I own that she's a taking little thing, but I hope I have some sense. Besides, neither her relations nor mine would countenance such a match."

He turned to look at
Rutherston
and saw that his cousin was eyeing him with a good deal of amusement.

"What's this, Charles?" he said. "I do believe you have given the matter some thought. Sits the wind in that quarter?"

"No, no, cos. It never entered my head." When he observed
Rutherston's
disbelieving look, he went on, "Well, not for more than a
se'ennight
at any rate, when her brother Tom introduced us at Oxford. But believe
me,
I soon put that thought behind me!"

"Yes," said
Rutherston
, clapping his cousin affectionately on the shoulder. "I see that you must. Younger sons, so it seems to me, invariably fix their interest where fortune outweighs favor."

"Well, it
ain't
as bad as all that. At least our fond mamas are not always badgering us to get leg-shackled just
so's
the succession will be secured!
Now that I wouldn't like above half."

A thought suddenly occurred to Mr. Norton. "I say, Richard, did you know that Miss Harland was coming into your uncle's library?"

Rutherston
looked thoughtful. "I knew that a lady was to receive Uncle Bernard's books, her name had slipped my mind, but I had expected that lady to be . . . something different."

A picture of that Miss Harland, whom his uncle's lawyer had described as "a dear friend of Mr.
Fortescue
," flashed into his mind. He had imagined her as an elderly spinster with white hair braided high on her head.

What
a
fool he had made of himself! No! By God, what a fool she had made of him! She had deliberately provoked him into forgetting who he was. To kiss what he supposed was an upstairs maid was not to be thought of. Such conduct in one of his rank was reprehensible. He groaned inwardly at his folly, but his chagrin soon turned to fury when he thought of the cause of his embarrassment. She had done this to him—teasing him into forgetting himself. Well, two could play at that game. Miss Catherine Harland had proved, by her warm
kisses, that
she was no lady, and he was not going to let her forget it.
The arrogance of the chit—to invite him to browse in his own library.

 
She had found him an object of sport, and his wounded
pride
would not tolerate it. Miss Catherine Hartland would be taught a lesson she would not forget.

True to his word, Mr. Norton arrived the next morning to call on Catherine's family. He was received in Mr. Harland's downstairs study, the ladies of the house being engaged in the ladylike occupation of sewing and mending in Mrs. Harland's upstairs private back sitting room. They could hear the delighted shouts of the young gentlemen as they greeted each other jovially and clapped each other on the back, and the sounds of their warm reunion brought smiles of appreciation to the ladies' lips.

"This is a signal honor that Tom's friend is paying us," said Mrs. Harland, looking up from her needlework and surveying her two daughters, "for I am persuaded that he is here only by Lord
Rutherston's
consent, and if he has consented, you may be sure that he approves of the relationship."

"Why shouldn't he approve, Mama?" The question came from the younger Miss Harland, a girl of about eighteen years whose resemblance to her elder sister was quite marked.

"Well, of course, there's no reason why he shouldn't approve, Lucy, but one never knows with the nobility. Some are so full of their own conse
quence that
they are a law unto themselves."

"But Mama,"
interrupted Catherine who had been listening in some impatience, "Mr. Norton said yes
terday
that he would be calling on Tom. As a gentle
man
,
he could not go back on his word, whatever his!
proud
cousin might say." Catherine laid aside her embroidery, thankful for any excuse not to have to continue with so dreary a task.

"That may be, my dear," said her mother with infuriating complacency, "but you will allow that I have more experience in such matters than you. You may be sure of it, if Lord
Rutherston
had not wished the young man to renew Tom's acquaintance, he would not."

Catherine bent to her work again to conceal her irritation, and was consumed with an unreasonable resentment against the Marquis of
Rutherston
, who had it in his power to influence so malleable a young gentleman as Mr. Norton. She felt herself in some agitation, wondering if
Rutherston
had accompanied Norton on his call, since the ladies had no way of knowing, but when her brother opened the door to admit Norton, she could see that
Rutherston
had not graced them with his presence. Catherine could not make up her mind whether she was relieved or disappointed.

When the introductions were made and a few pleasantries exchanged, Mrs. Harland asked the young man if he would be staying in the district for long.

"That depends on my cousin, ma'am. I am quite at his disposal. You know, of course, that Lord
Rutherston
is here to oversee Mr.
Fortescue's
estate. We could be here for a fortnight or a month. My cousin is quite a capricious fellow, and I have no way of knowing what he will take into his head to do next."

Mrs. Harland caught Catherine's eye with a speaking look, and the conversation turned to general topics, Norton regaling Tom with stories of mutual acquaintances from Oxford days. The conversation moved from Oxford to London, and he learned that Catherine and Lucy were to be in town for the start of the Season to make their come out under the auspices of their father's sister-in-law, Lady Margaret
Henderly
.

"And do you look forward to your first Season, Miss Harland?" he asked the younger girl, who colored prettily at this signal attention from a young gentleman. She managed to reply in the affirmative with some composure, and when it looked to Tom that his young sister and friend were about to embark on a conversation that held nothing of interest for him, he impatiently recalled his friend's attention, reminding him that his father would be waiting with horses saddled and bridled for an exploratory ride round the neighborhood.

Norton rose and took his leave of the ladies, bowing over their hands. "Lord
Rutherston
sends his regrets, ma'am," he said, addressing Mrs. Harland. "He would have accompanied me here this morning, but there was much to attend to. He begs your indulgence and hopes to make your family's acquaintance once we are more settled in
Branley
Park."

The door had hardly closed upon the two gentlemen when Mrs. Harland exclaimed, "Such civility is most unexpected! Why his lordship should favor us in this way is beyond understanding! I had not expected it!" She looked at her daughter questioningly, but when she saw that Catherine was thoroughly absorbed in her needlework, an object that was more prone to evoke feelings of disgust than enthusiasm in that young lady's breast, she thought it
the better part
of discretion to say nothing more on
the
subject of Lord
Rutherston
. A marquis would be
such
a catch, Mrs. Harland thought inwardly, and gentlemen were known to be capricious when choosing a mate. For a few moments she allowed her fancy to take flight,
then
brought herself back to reality. No, it was highly improbable, and she would not allow herself to become one of those vulgar mamas who outraged every feeling of delicacy by encouraging their daughters to set their caps at every eligible male.

Mr. Norton was agreed to be a very personable gentleman, with easy manners, and Tom a most fortunate young man in engaging such a charming companion for his friend. It was at the dinner table that evening that Catherine was surprised to hear Lord
Rutherston
described in much the same terms by her father, for Mr. Norton had insisted, as they returned to
Ardo
House, that they break their ride at
Branley
Park in order for them to meet
Rutherston
in person.

The two gentlemen from
Ardo
House had been very gratified by their reception, finding
Rutherston
not at all stiff or lacking in attention.

"I took it upon myself to engage the young gentlemen for dinner next Thursday evening." Mr. Harland smiled at his wife, sure of the warm reception of his words. He was to be disappointed.

"Mr. Harland, surely you did not! You cannot have invited his lordship when I have nothing to put before him! I do not know how you could be so unfeeling. Cook will never manage, on two days' notice, to prepare as many courses as Lord
Rutherston
is accustomed to." Her voice rose in agitation, and Mr. Harland's face grew stern.

"Mama," Catherine hastily interjected, trying to relieve the situation, "it is quite nonsensical of you to think that Lord
Rutherston
would expect such attention. He must know that we keep a much simpler table than
townfolk
do."

"Catherine's right, Mother," said the younger Mr. Harland, helping himself to another portion of sirloin of beef. "He
don't
expect it, and he don't want it. Said he was looking forward to some good country fare, since his French chef covers everything in hideous sauces. I told him nobody hereabouts keeps a better table than you."

These words, spoken with all the confidence of the country gentleman in the superiority of country ways and manners, somewhat mollified Mrs. Harland, but on one thing she insisted—that there be other company to help entertain their guests, for she knew that however much the London gentlemen might protest that they merely wanted to take pot luck, they would expect more in the way of conversation and entertainments than could be reasonably provided by her own small family. Thus it was that on the very next morning, Master Tom was dispatched to invite their very good friends and neighbors, Sir James and Lady Kelvin and the elder members of their offspring, to a quiet evening of dining, conversation and cards at
Ardo
House for the following evening.

Mrs. Harland rose, intimating that the ladies would leave the gentlemen to their port, and followed by the other ladies, withdrew to the large drawing room upstairs which was reserved for company occasions. Dinner had been a most decided success, Cook having excelled herself on the number and variety of her dishes, and the London gentlemen having highly gratified their hostess by partaking of a hearty repast.

 
Catherine settled herself into a chair as her friend
,
 
Mary
Kelvin, sat down at the piano with Lucy to while away the next half hour until the gentlemen should join them. There was no need for these ladies to make the least effort to entertain each other. They had so
much occasion
to be in each other's company that their manners with each other were very free and easy. Lady Margaret and Mrs. Harland were engaged in a quiet tête-à-tête on the sofa, and Catherine could well imagine the subject of their conversation.

Meeting Lord
Rutherston
had been much less of an ordeal than Catherine had imagined it would be. He had scarcely said two words to her, but everything in his manner had conveyed that the circumstances of their first encounter were to be forgotten.

She had been greatly relieved at dinner to find herself seated between Mr. Norton and Master James Kelvin, and had exerted herself to pay attention to their conversation. On more than one occasion, she had caught herself glancing in
Rutherston's
direction. That gentleman, however, seemed to be unaware of her presence, and Catherine felt herself regaining something of her confidence. He was a true gentleman, after all, and she need fear no embarrassment from that quarter.