The Black Moth Read online

  ‘That is very kind of you, my lady. I regret the necessity myself.’

  ‘Are you sure it is necessary? You might just as well live in a nice place near here, with a dear old woman to keep house for you – and – and Jim – and lots of pleasant things.’

  My lord shook his head.

  ‘No, thank you!’

  ‘Yes, yes! And later on you could choose a wife!’ she continued audaciously.

  ‘Not at all. There would be no choice; I should be made to marry the dear old woman. You would bully me into it.’

  She laughed.

  ‘Seriously, Jack, could you not settle down near here?’

  ‘Not with that old woman, Molly.’

  ‘Never mind her; won’t you consider it? No one need know you – in fact, you need see no one – and – oh, Jack! don’t look like that. Miles, is he not ridiculous?’

  ‘Sure, alanna, ’tis a dreary life he’d be leading,’ chuckled O’Hara.

  ‘I see what it is, Molly. You have planned to make me a recluse, and to marry me to my housekeeper. I protest, ’tis great ill-usage!’

  Molly eyed him doubtfully.

  ‘Would you much object to the life, John?’

  ‘Madam,’ he replied solemnly, ‘you would find my corpse in the garden at the end of the first week.’

  ‘Of course I should not like that,’ she pondered. ‘But I do not see what else we can do for you. Oh, and that reminds me! I drove over to Littledean yesterday – Miles, my love, will you be so kind as to fetch my hat? I protest, the sun –’

  ‘We will move more into the shade,’ said her disobliging husband.

  ‘Oh, well! ’tis of no account, though I did hear that Brown was wanting to speak to you about the new cob –’

  ‘’Tis prodigious thoughtful of you, Molly, but I met Brown some time ago.’

  Lady O’Hara gave it up.

  ‘Well, as I was saying, Jack, I went to call at Horton House. Dear me, what a beautiful girl Diana is, to be sure!’

  Carstares tried to think of something to say, and failing, made a non-committal sound.

  ‘Yes. They both sent their kind wishes, and hoped you were better. Goodness! ’tis very close here. I wonder if you would give me your arm round the garden? And would you fetch me my hat? I left it in the hall, I think. Thank you, very much!’

  She waited until he was out of earshot before she turned to her husband.

  ‘Now, Miles, you must please to stay where you are. I am not going to do anything indiscreet.’

  ‘Molly, I can’t have ye worry him –’

  ‘No such thing! I am going to coax him to stay here instead of going abroad. I feel sure that if we can but persuade him to stay, something will happen.’

  ‘What will happen?’

  ‘Something!’

  ‘How do ye know?”

  ‘I don’t know; I only feel it.’

  ‘Very well, asthore. If you can tease Jack into staying, I’ll bless ye.’

  ‘That will be most enjoyable, I make no doubt!’ she answered, and stepped back out of reach.

  ‘Oh, thank you, John!’ She tied the hat over her curls, and placed her hand on my lord’s arm. ‘Lazy Miles is going to sleep again!’ she said. ‘And I so dislike to hear him snore, so let’s go a long way away – into the rose garden!’

  ‘Don’t go so far as all that!’ drawled Miles, closing his eyes. ‘You will tire yourselves.’

  ‘Do you allow him to make these ribald remarks?’ inquired Jack, waiting for her to extricate a stone from her shoe.

  ‘Not usually,’ she answered. ‘He takes advantage when you are here.’ She dropped the pebble on top of O’Hara and strolled away with my lord.

  As soon as they had rounded a corner in the shrubbery she commenced the attack.

  ‘I want to speak to you of Miles,’ she confided. ‘He is so worried.’

  ‘Is he, Molly? Faith, I hadn’t noticed it!’

  She reflected that neither had she, but continued, nothing daunted:

  ‘Ah, but he is!’

  ‘What worries him?’

  ‘You,’ sighed the lady mournfully. ‘’Tis the thought of your leaving us. I feel it myself.’

  ‘Why –’

  ‘He had hoped you would be with us for a long time – as I had.’

  ‘’Tis monstrous good of you both, but –’

  ‘I am sure I do not know what I shall do with Miles when you are gone. He was so looking forward to having you with him.’

  ‘Molly –’

  ‘And, indeed, it has come as a great disappointment to both of us to hear you talk of leaving. Won’t you think better of it?’

  ‘Molly, you overwhelm me… How can I remain here indefinitely?’

  ‘If only you would! You don’t know how happy it would make us. I declare Miles will worry himself quite ill if you persist in being so unkind.’

  ‘Oh, Molly, you rogue!’

  She could not repress a smile, but checked it almost at once.

  ‘I mean it, Jack.’

  ‘What! That Miles is worrying himself ill over me? Fie!’

  ‘Perhaps not as bad as that,’ she admitted. ‘But, indeed, he is much perturbed… and, oh! I wish that you would not make us so unhappy.’ She dabbed at her eyes with a wispy handkerchief, but managed to watch his face all the same. ‘David loves you so, the pet! And Miles is so delighted to have found you again – and I like you – and – and – and I think ’twill be indeed rude and horrid if you do go – besides being so silly!’

  ‘Do you, Molly? You make me feel I should be an ungrateful boor to refuse –’

  The handkerchief was whisked away.

  ‘Then, of course you won’t try to refuse! You’ll stay? Promise!’

  ‘I cannot thank you enough –’

  ‘Oh, you nice Jack. Till the autumn? Promise!’

  ‘Molly, I really –’

  ‘Promise! I shall cry if you do not!’

  ‘I cannot! How could I prey upon your hospitality for so –’

  ‘What rubbish, Jack! As if Miles had not spent months and months at Wyncham when you were boys –’

  ‘That was different –’

  ‘– when you were boys, and now you are so proud that you refuse to stay three miserable little months with us –’

  ‘No, no, Molly; indeed, ’tis not that!’

  ‘Confess, if Miles were a bachelor, you would not hesitate?’

  He was silent, nonplussed.

  ‘You see! And just because he has a wife you are disagreeable and proud. You feel you cannot bear to stay with me –’

  ‘I swear I do not!’

  ‘Then why do you refuse?’ she triumphed.

  ‘Molly – really, I –’ He broke off, laughing. ‘You little wretch, you leave me nothing to say!’

  ‘Then you will stay, as I ask?’

  ‘You are quite sure –’

  ‘Quite.’

  ‘Thank you very much, I will stay. ’Tis monstrous good of you, I vow. When you are tired of me, say so.’

  ‘I will,’ she promised. ‘Oh, but we shall do famously! How pleased Miles will be! By the way,’ she continued, airily, ‘I asked the Miss Beauleighs to honour us on Wednesday, but, unfortunately, they could not. Still, perhaps some other d –’

  She stopped, a little frightened, for he was standing before her, gripping her shoulders in a very elder-brotherly fashion.

  ‘Listen to me, Molly. I know that you have discovered that I love Diana, and I know that you think to be very kind and to bring us together. But I tell you that ’twill not be kind at all, only very cruel to us both. If you worry her to come here, I must go. Do you see?’

  Molly looked into the stern eyes, and her lip trembled.

  ‘I