The Quiet Gentleman Read online

  Martin’s right hand came up like a flash, and struck him an openhanded blow across the cheek. ‘Does that make you change your mind, my lord?’

  The Viscount, curbing his instincts, kept his own hands lowered, but he was by this time very angry indeed. He said: ‘Yes, that makes me change my mind! If no one else will teach you a lesson, Martin Frant, I will!’

  Fourteen

  It was fortunate for the cordiality of the relations between Stanyon and Whissenhurst that before she had reached the house Marianne was met by Miss Morville, who had walked out to look for her. It was evident that Marianne was much discomposed, her bosom heaving, her eyes full of tears, and her cheeks whitened. She uttered the one word: ‘Martin!’ in answer to her friend’s solicitous enquiry, and seemed inclined to fall into strong hysterics. Miss Morville needed no more to prompt her to convey Marianne upstairs to her own room, and to beg her to tell her the whole. The story which was poured into her ears was incoherent, and freely interspersed with self-blame. She unravelled it as best she might, and did what lay in her power to soothe Marianne’s fears. When, shuddering, Marianne told her of the brief fight in the shed, she could not help smiling a little, so very much shocked did Marianne seem to be. She apologized for this insensibility by explaining that she had so often seen her brothers at fisticuffs, and had so often applied raw steaks to their blackened eyes, that she no longer felt on this subject as perhaps she ought. She could even hope that the exchange of blows might have gone some way to relieve exacerbated tempers, but Marianne’s description of the scene, and of Martin’s mien when he picked himself up from the floor, soon put such comfortable ideas to flight. She knew his temper; she could imagine what his chagrin must be: her only dependence must be on Ulverston’s good sense.

  ‘If they were to meet – and I the cause – !’ Marianne said, wringing her hands.

  ‘Well, they shan’t meet,’ replied Miss Morville. ‘It would be most improper!’

  ‘Improper! It might be fatal!’

  ‘I cannot suppose that either would be so stupid.’

  ‘Not Ulverston, no! But Martin! In such anger! How can you tell what he might do?’

  ‘You are right: I can’t tell,’ owned Miss Morville, dispassionately considering it. ‘Well, there is nothing for it but to put a stop to a duel – if that is indeed what they intend, and I daresay it may be, for gentlemen have such nonsensical notions that one may believe them to be capable of any folly.’

  ‘Oh, if one could but prevent it! But they will tell us nothing, for females should never know anything about such things! They would dislike it so very much, if one attempted to interfere in a matter of honour!’

  ‘I am not in the least concerned with what they may dislike,’ replied Miss Morville somewhat tartly. ‘What I am thinking of is how excessively disagreeable it would be for you and the Frants to have such a scandal in your midst. Do let me beg of you, my dear Marianne, not to mention what has occurred to another soul! There will be no duel, if I have to lay an information against them both to prevent it.’

  Marianne looked as though she hardly knew whether to be relieved or scandalized. ‘Oh, that would be dreadful!’

  ‘You need not be alarmed: I am persuaded there will be no need to proceed to such an extreme.’

  Her air of assurance had its effect. Marianne dried her tears, and was soothed. By the time she had tidied her ruffled ringlets, and folded up her shawl, she was calm enough to descend the stairs to the saloon, where Ulverston and Theo were chatting to Sir Thomas and his lady.

  There was nothing to be learned from the Viscount’s manner, but Miss Morville thought that Theo was looking grave. Of Martin there was no sign, and since the Bolderwoods did not mention him she supposed that he must have left Whissenhurst without seeing them.

  This was soon found to have been the case. The Stanyon party left the Grange together, and while Ulverston was exchanging a word or two with Sir Thomas on the front steps Theo found the opportunity to draw Miss Morville aside, and to ask her if she knew what was amiss between Martin and the Viscount.

  ‘Yes, and so, I fancy, must everyone! Has Ulverston spoken to you?’

  ‘Not Ulverston, but I ran into Martin, and I never saw the boy look so wild! Some nonsense he blurted out to me, demanding if I would act for Ulverston in an affair of honour! He cannot, surely, have been serious!’

  ‘I fear it. What did you reply?’

  ‘He gave me little chance to do more than to say I should certainly do no such thing. If he had not looked as he did, I should have thought him to have been speaking in jest. But Ulverston – ! Good God, this cannot be permitted! I’ll speak to Martin.’

  There was no opportunity for more. The horses had been led up, and Sir Thomas was waiting to say good-bye. Miss Morville was handed into the saddle, and the party set off, the Viscount enlivening the way with a great deal of droll conversation, in a manner that would not have led anyone to suppose that he had been engaged in a violent quarrel not an hour earlier.

  Upon their arrival at Stanyon, the gentlemen chose to ride on to the stables. Miss Morville dismounted at the foot of the terrace steps, and went quickly up them. She learned from Abney that his lordship was in the library, and went there immediately.

  He was engaged in filling a two-colour gold snuff-box, ornamented with grisaille enamel paintings, with some of his special sort, but when he saw who had entered the room he rose at once, and set the jar aside. One glance at Miss Morville’s face made him say: ‘Is anything amiss, ma’am?’

  She let the long skirt of her riding-dress fall, and began to strip off her gloves, saying with a slight smile: ‘You perceive so much more than one might imagine, my lord, that it is almost disconcerting.’

  ‘Do I? But what has happened to cause you concern? Sit down!’

  She obeyed, but said: ‘Well, I don’t know that I am greatly concerned, but there is something amiss, and I believe you are the proper person to be told of it.’ She then, in the baldest of terms, recounted to him the story Marianne had poured out to her. ‘I should perhaps not have set much store by it had it not been for what Theo told me later. Marianne was greatly agitated, but that, I think, was largely because she has no brothers, and is consequently unaccustomed to scenes of violence.’

  ‘Unlike Miss Morville?’

  ‘Dear me, yes! In fact, I think it a pity that Marianne did not run away at once, for then, you know, they might have had what Jack calls a regular set-to, and I have little doubt they would have enjoyed it excessively, and parted the better friends. At least,’ she added thoughtfully, ‘it is what I should expect of most men, but I own Martin is a little different.’

  ‘That he tried to force a quarrel on to Lucy I can believe, but that Lucy should let him do it certainly surprises me.’

  ‘I do not know, of course, what gentlemen consider to be insupportable provocation, but I imagine Martin might offer such provocation?’

  ‘With enthusiasm,’ he agreed. ‘The devil fly away with that boy!’

  ‘He is very troublesome. But, although you may not like me to say this, I feel that he has not been quite properly treated. He did receive – and Marianne is fully conscious of it – a degree of encouragement which makes him not altogether to be blamed for his intemperate behaviour.’

  ‘Oh, I know it! If she were not so innocent, one might call her an arrant flirt.’

  ‘I am sure she had never the least intention of causing unhappiness.’

  ‘No, the mischief lay in his being too young to rate her pretty smiles at their true worth, and in her being too young to recognize that Martin was no man for her playful arts. What a stupid business it is! Are you expecting me to settle it?’

  ‘Certainly I am. If you do not, I shall be obliged to lay an information. Should it be to a magistrate?’

  He laughed. ‘I hope we may not have to go to quite such a length