The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 234: what you’re looking at

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220 — — —————— THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. whole proceeding was over. I can assure you Luke Parkins was quite indignant about it: he told me that never in all his life had he beheld such a disgraceful scene.” _ ‘“‘ And did none of Sir Abel’s relations or friends come forward on the occasion ?” asked Lavinia. . ‘‘Not a soul. But didn’t you read in the newspaper that he had no near relations, and that the Baronetcy is therefore extinct!” “To be sure! I remember !” said Lavinia. “Ah, the unhappy man! to have died in such a manner and in such a place, without a relative or friend in the world to mourn for him! I suppose he had a pauper’s funeral ?” ““No, no—not so bad as that,” responded Vaughan. “ With all his faults he had been a pretty good master to his valet Luke; and you must know that Luke is a generous-hearted fellow. So he begged that he might be permitted to ac- complish the last mournful duty “ “T understand,” said Lavinia: “he begged that his master’s corpse might be given up to him to be decently interred. Was that it ?” “Exactly,” rejoined Vaughan ; ‘‘and the funeral —which as a matter of course, is to be quite simple and private—takes place this afternoon.” “* Well,” said Lavinia, “it is most generous on the part of your friend Luke. But this portion of the narrative was not in the newspapers ?” “No,” said Vaughan. ‘“Luke’s application was a private one, and there was no ceremony about the business.” After a little more conversation the valet ‘and the lady’s-maid rose from their seat under the branches of the huge oak, and began to retrace their way towards the mansion. "When a path was reached which led to the adjacent village, Edmund bade Lavinia farewell, inasmuch as the requirements of his situation in Count Mande- ville’s service rendered it necessary that he should get back by the earliest means of conveyance to the metropolis. Lavinia pursued her way to the mansion, which she reached in time to join the upper servants at the dinner-table in the housekeeper’s room; and then, having made some change in her toilet, she proceeded to the boudoir of her mistress. Not for the world would she make the slightest allusion to Edmund Vaughan, nor suffer her mistress to entertain a suspicion that she had any acquaint- ance with the valet of Count Mandeville. She had asked permission to go out for a walk with a female friend for an hour or two ; and the Duchess entertained not the remotest conception that she was being betrayed in any of her proceedings by the maid in whom she placed such confidence. “Dear me!” cried the Duchess, raising her eyes towards the time-piece which stood upon the mantel, as Lavinia entered the boudoir, “ half- past two o'clock! I had not an idea that it was so late!” “Luncheon has just been served up, may it please your Grace,” said Lavinia. ““T do not care for it,” said the Duchess. ‘Go and fetch me a biscuit, or some slight refreshment, which I may partake of here. You know the carriage is ordered for three o'clock ?” “Ah, true!” said Lavinia: “your Grace re- turns to town presently.” ‘‘ Have you forgotten,” cried the Duchess, “ that Lady Todmotden’s grand fancy-dress ball takes place this evening ?—and—and I faithfully pro mised—I mean to say””—and it was with a blush she corrected herself—“ that as all the fashionable world is to be there, it would not do for me te be absent.” “Oh, certainly not, my lady,” rejoined Lavinia: and she then quitted the boudoir to procure some refreshment for her ducal mistress. The Duchess had promised to be at the mas- querade ; and that promise was given to Count Mandeville, when he called upon her at Ardleigh House on the morning after their first introduc- tion at Lady Todmorden’s ball. Was it will- ingly that the Duchess now prepared to redeem that promise ? was she anxious to meet Mande- ville again? We cannot say that she had either a strong inclination or repugnance on the point ; she herself had scarcely analysed her own feel- ings. There was something irresistibly attrac- tive in the man on the one hand: but on the other, she experienced a mysterious dread of him. She could not possibly conceive how he had be- come acquainted with certain secrets that so inti-~ mately regarded her. But as for any indignation which she might have at first experienced to- wards him for his coercive use of the power which he had so unaccountably acquired over her, to compel her to dance with him at the ball,—it had given way to the spell-like fascination which the Count exercised over all, or at least nearly all, who came within the sphere of his influence. It was in an uncertain, and therefore in more or less an agitated state of mind in reference to what she really felt towards the Count, that the young Duchess took her seat in the travelling- carriage and returned to London. The Duke, who was at Ardleigh House, received her with a proper display of affection in the presence of the domestics ; and this was succeeded by the most perfect friendliness when they were alone toge- ther. We should observe that the Duchess had quitted town on the same morning on which she had penned the letter which she had given to her husband for Imogen Hartland; and she was yet: ignorant of the result of the business for which that letter was intended as a suitable introduction. ‘‘ What news have you for me, Mary?” in- quired the Duke. ‘Nothing particular, Herbert. Your poor mother is well, as usual: no change either for the better or the worse takes place in her.” ‘‘Ah, my poor mother! I cannot bear to see the wreck which she has become! But you, Mary,” added the young Duke fervently, “ are very, very kind towards her !” ‘“T am not altogether unmindful of my duties,” replied the Duchess hastily. ‘“ Your young brothers and sisters are quite well. Ihave passed three happy days with them; and—and—I almost regret having left Thornbury to come up to London merely for this ball.” “ Oh, I am sure you will not regret it,” ex- claimed the Duke; “for everybody says it is to be a splendid affair. Lady Todmorden is launch- - ing out, I suppose. The truth is, she is making desperate efforts to get off one of those three daughters of her's.” ‘‘ Are you going to-night, Herbert ?” “T? Oh, no! I have no taste for such scenes :”—-and he averted his countenance for a moment. ° COMO YN Wn) Colin