CHAPTER IV
THE ACCEPTED SUITOR
"Hark to the brute!" said Bunny.
A long, loud peal of laughter was echoing through the house. Maudshuddered at the sound. The noisy wooing of her mother's suitor madeher feel physically sick. But for Bunny, she would have fledincontinently from the man's proximity. Because of Bunny, she sat at arickety writing-table in a corner of the room and penned an urgent,almost a desperate, appeal to the bachelor uncle in the North to deliverthem from the impending horror. No other consideration on earth wouldhave forced such an appeal from her. She felt literally distraught thatnight. She was being dragged, a helpless prisoner, to the house ofbondage.
Again came that loud, coarse laugh, and with it the opening of a door onthe other side of the passage.
"Watch out!" warned Bunny. "They're coming!"
There was a hint of nervousness in his voice also. She heard it, andswiftly rose. When their own door opened, she was standing beside him,very upright, very pale, rigidly composed.
Her mother entered, flushed and smiling. Behind her came her acceptedlover,--a large, florid man, handsome in ascertain coarse style, with adissipated look about the eyes which told its own tale. Maud quiveredin impotent resentment whenever she encountered those eyes. They couldnot look upon a woman with reverence.
He strolled into the room in her mother's wake, fondling a darkmoustache, in evident good humour with himself and all the world.
Lady Brian ran to her daughter with all a girl's impetuosity. "My dear,it's all settled!" she declared. "Giles and I are going to be married,and we're all going to live at "The Anchor" with him. And dear littleBunny is to have the best ground-floor rooms. Now, isn't that kind?"
It was kind. Yet Maud stiffened to an even icier frigidity at the news,and dear little Bunny's nose turned up to an aggressive angle.
After a distinct pause, Maud bent her long neck and coldly kissed hermother's expectant face. "I hope you--and Mr. Sheppard will be veryhappy," she said.
The happy suitor broke into his loud, self-satisfied laugh. "Egad, whatan enthusiastic reception!" he cried. "Have you got a similar chastesalute for me?"
He swaggered towards her, and Maud froze as she stood. Her eyes shot ablue flare of open enmity at him; and--almost in spite of himself--GilesSheppard paused.
"By Jove!" he said. "You've got a she-wolf here, madam."
Lady Brian turned. "Oh, Giles, don't be absurd! Maud is not like me,you know. She was never demonstrative as a child. She was always shyand quiet. They are not quite used to the idea of you yet. You mustgive them time. Bunny darling, won't you give Mother a kiss?"
"What for?" said Bunny.
He was tightly gripping Maud's cold hand with fingers that were liketense wire. His eyes, very wide and bright, defied the whole world onher behalf.
"I'm not going to kiss anyone," he said. "Neither is Maud. I don'tknow what there is to make such a fuss about. You've both been marriedbefore."
The landlord of "The Anchor" gave a great roar of laughter. "Not badfor a bantling, eh, Lucy? Didn't know I was to have a sucking cynic fora step-son. You're quite right, my boy; there is nothing to make a fussabout. And so we shan't ask you to dance at the wedding. Not that youcould if you tried, eh? And my Lady Disdain there won't be invited. Weare going to be married by special licence to-morrow afternoon, and youcan take possession of your new quarters while the knot is being tied.How's that appeal to you?"
Bunny looked at him with a certain grim interest. "It'll suit me allright," he said. "But I'm hanged if I can see where you come in."
Giles Sheppard laughed again with his tongue in his cheek. "Oh, I shallhave my picking at the feast, old son," he declared jovially. "I've hadmy eye on your mother for a long time. Pretty piece of goods she istoo. You're neither of you a patch on her. They don't do you credit,Lucy, my dear. Sure they're your own?"
"The man's drunk!" said Maud suddenly and sharply.
"My dear! My dear!" cried Lady Brian, in dismayed protest.
The girl bit her lip. The words had escaped her, she knew not how.
Giles Sheppard however only laughed again, and seated himself on theedge of the table to contemplate her.
"We shall have to try and find a husband for you, young woman," he said,"a husband who'll know how to bring you to heel. It'll be a tough job.I wonder who'd like to take it on. Jake Bolton might do the trick.We'll have Jake Bolton to dine with us to-morrow. He knows how to tamewild animals, does Jake. It's a damn' pretty sight to see him do ittoo. Gosh, he knows how to lay it on--just where it hurts most."
He chuckled grimly with his eyes on Maud's now crimson face.
"Now, Giles," protested Lady Brian, "you've promised to be good to mytwo children. I'm sure we shall all shake down comfortably presently.Dear Maud has a good deal to learn yet, so you must be patient with her.We were foolish ourselves at her age, I have no doubt."
"Oh, no doubt," said her fiance, with his thick-lidded eyes stillmocking the girl's face of outraged pride. "We've all been foolish inour time. But there's only one treatment for that complaint in thefemale species, my lady; and that is a sound good spanking. It does aworld of good, takes the stiffening out of a woman in no time. I've hada daughter of my own--a decent little filly she was too. Married now andgone to Canada. But I had to keep her in order, I can tell you, beforeshe went. I gave her many a slippering, and she thought the better ofme for it too. She knew I wouldn't stand any of her nonsense."
"Oh, well," smiled Lady Brian, "we are not all alike, you know; and thatsort of treatment doesn't suit everybody. Now I think we all know eachother, and my little Bunny is looking rather tired. I think we won'tstay any longer. It means a bad night if he gets excited."
"Wait a minute!" interposed Bunny. "That man you were talking aboutjust now--Jake Bolton. Who is he? Where does he live?"
"Who is he?" Giles Sheppard slapped his thigh and rose. "He's one ofthe best-known fellows about here--a bit of a card, but none the worsefor that. He's the trainer up at the stables--Lord Saltash's place.Never heard of him? He's known as 'The Lynx' on the turf, because he'sso devilish shrewd. Oh yes, he's quite a card. And to see him breakone of them youngsters--well, it's a fair treat."
Mr. Sheppard's grammar was apt to lapse somewhat when his enthusiasm waskindled. Maud shivered a little. Lady Brian smiled indulgently. PoorGiles! He was a rough diamond. She would have to do a littlepolishing; but she was sure he would become quite a valuable gem whenpolished.
"Oh, he's Lord Saltash's trainer is he?" she said. "Lord Saltash is avery old friend of ours. Is he--does he ever come down here?"
"Who? Lord Saltash? He has a place here. You couldn't have been veryintimate with him if you didn't know that. Just as well p'raps with aman of his tendencies." Sheppard laughed in a fashion that sent the hotblood back to Maud's face. "A bit too fond of his neighbour'swife--that young man. Lucky thing for him that he didn't have to payheavy damages. More luck than judgment, to my thinking."
"Oh, Giles!" protested Lady Brian. "How you do run on! I did know thathe had an estate here. That was why I asked if he still came down. Youreally mustn't blacken the young man's character in that way. We areall very fond of him."
"Are you though!" Sheppard's laugh died; he looked at Maud with a hintof venom. "Like the rest of your charming sex, eh? Well, we don't seemuch of the gay Lothario in these parts. If that was your little game,you'd better have stopped in town."
Maud's lips said, "Cad!", but her voice made no sound.
He bowed in ironical acknowledgment and turned to her mother. "Now, mylady, having received these cordial congratulations, I move anadjournment. As you have foretold, we shall doubtless all shake downtogether very comfortably in the course of a few weeks. But in themeantime I should like to inform all whom it may concern that I ammaster in my own house, and I expect to be treated as such."
Again his insolent eyes rested upon Maud's proud face, and her slightform quivered in response though she kept her own rigidly downcast.
"Of course that is understood," said Lady Brian, with a pacific hand onhis arm. "There! Let us go now! I am sure we are all going to be ashappy as the day is long."
She looked up at him with persuasive coquetry, and he at once succumbed.He pulled her to him roughly and bestowed several resounding kisses uponher delicate face, not desisting until with laughing remonstrance sheput up a protesting hand.
"Giles, really--really--you mustn't be greedy!" she said, and drew himto the door with some urgency.
He went, his malignancy for the moment swamped by a stronger emotion;and brother and sister were left alone.
"What a disgusting beast!" said Bunny, as the door closed.
Maud said nothing. She only went to the window, and flung it wide.
The Hundredth Chance Page 5
