A Fair Barbarian

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  "MAY I GO?"

  The very day after this, Octavia opened the fourth trunk. She had had itbrought down from the garret, when there came a summons on the door, andLucia Gaston appeared.

  Lucia was very pale; and her large, soft eyes wore a decidedly frightenedlook. She seemed to have walked fast, and was out of breath. Evidentlysomething had happened.

  "Octavia," she said, "Mr. Dugald Binnie is at Oldclough."

  "Who is he?"

  "He is my grand-uncle," explained Lucia tremulously. "He has a great dealof money. Grandmamma"--She stopped short, and colored, and drew herslight figure up. "I do not quite understand grandmamma, Octavia," shesaid. "Last night she came to my room to talk to me; and this morning shecame again, and--oh!" she broke out indignantly, "how could she speak tome in such a manner!"

  "What did she say?" inquired Octavia.

  "She said a great many things," with great spirit. "It took her a longtime to say them, and I do not wonder at it. It would have taken me ahundred years, if I had been in her place. I--I was wrong to say I didnot understand her: I did--before she had finished."

  "What did you understand?"

  "She was afraid to tell me in plain words.--I never saw her afraidbefore, but she was afraid. She has been arranging my future for me, andit does not occur to her that I dare object. That is because she knows Iam a coward, and despises me for it--and it is what I deserve. If I makethe marriage she chooses, she thinks Mr. Binnie will leave me his money.I am to run after a man who does not care for me, and make myselfattractive, in the hope that he will condescend to marry me because Mr.Binnie may leave me his money. Do you wonder that it took even LadyTheobald a long time to say that?"

  "Well," remarked Octavia, "you won't do it, I suppose. I wouldn't worry.She wants you to marry Mr. Barold, I suppose."

  Lucia started.

  "How did you guess?" she exclaimed.

  "Oh! I always knew it. I didn't guess." And she smiled ever so faintly."That is one of the reasons why she loathes me so," she added.

  Lucia thought deeply for a moment: she recognized, all at once, severalthings she had been mystified by before.

  "Oh, it is! It is!" she said. "And she has thought of it all the time,when I never suspected her."

  Octavia smiled a little again. Lucia sat thinking, her hands claspedtightly.

  "I am glad I came here," she said, at length. "I _am_ angry now, and Isee things more clearly. If she had only thought of it because Mr. Binniecame, I could have forgiven her more easily; but she has been makingcoarse plans all the time, and treating me with contempt. Octavia," sheadded, turning upon her, with flushing cheeks and sparkling eyes, "Ithink that, for the first time in my life, I am in a passion,--a realpassion. I think I shall never be afraid of her any more." Her delicatenostrils were dilated, she held her head up, her breath came fast. Therewas a hint of exultation in her tone. "Yes," she said, "I am in apassion. And I am not afraid of her at all. I will go home and tell herwhat I think."

  And it is quite probable that she would have done so, but for a triflingincident which occurred before she reached her ladyship.

  She walked very fast, after she left the house. She wanted to reachOldclough before one whit of her anger cooled down; though, somehow, shefelt quite sure, that, even when her anger died out, her courage wouldnot take flight with it. Mr. Dugald Binnie had not proved to be a veryfascinating person. He was an acrid, dictatorial old man: he contradictedLady Theobald flatly every five minutes, and bullied his man-servant. Butit was not against him that Lucia's indignation was aroused. She feltthat Lady Theobald was quite capable of suggesting to him that FrancisBarold would be a good match for her; and, if she had done so, it wasscarcely his fault if he had accepted the idea. She understood now whyshe had been allowed to visit Octavia, and why divers other things hadhappened. She had been sent to walk with Francis Barold; he had beenalmost reproached when he had not called; perhaps her ladyship had beengood enough to suggest to him that it was his duty to further her plans.She was as capable of that as of any thing else which would assist her togain her point. The girl's cheeks grew hotter and hotter, her eyesbrighter, at every step, because every step brought some new thought: herhands trembled, and her heart beat.

  "I shall never be afraid of her again," she said, as she turned thecorner into the road. "Never! never!"

  And at that very moment a gentleman stepped out of the wood at her right,and stopped before her.

  She started back, with a cry.

  "Mr. Burmistone!" she said: "Mr. Burmistone!"

  She wondered if he had heard her last words: she fancied he had. He tookhold of her shaking little hand, and looked down at her excited face.

  "I am glad I waited for you," he said, in the quietest possible tone."Something is the matter."

  She knew there would be no use in trying to conceal the truth, and shewas not in the mood to make the effort. She scarcely knew herself.

  She gave quite a fierce little laugh.

  "I am angry!" she said. "You have never seen me angry before. I am on myway to my--to Lady Theobald."

  He held her hand as calmly as before. He understood a great deal morethan she could have imagined.

  "What are you going to say to her?" he asked. She laughed again.

  "I am going to ask her what she means. I am going to tell her she hasmade a mistake. I am going to prove to her that I am not such a coward,after all. I am going to tell her that I dare disobey her,--_that_ iswhat I am going to say to her," she concluded decisively.

  He held her hand rather closer.

  "Let us take a stroll in the copse, and talk it over," he said. "It isdeliciously cool there."

  "I don't want to be cool," she said. But he drew her gently with him; anda few steps took them into the shade of the young oaks and pines, andthere he paused.

  "She has made you very angry?" he said.

  And then, almost before she knew what she was doing, she was pouringforth the whole of her story, even more of it than she had told Octavia.She had not at all intended to do it; but she did it, nevertheless.

  "I am to marry Mr. Francis Barold, if he will take me," she said, with abitter little smile,--"Mr. Francis Barold, who is so much in love withme, as you know. His mother approves of the match, and sent him here tomake love to me, which he has done, as you have seen. I have no money ofmy own; but, if I make a marriage which pleases him, Dugald Binnie willprobably leave me his--which it is thought will be an inducement to mycousin, who needs one. If I marry him, or rather he marries me, LadyTheobald thinks Mr. Binnie will be pleased. It does not even matterwhether Francis is pleased or not, and of course I am out of thequestion; but it is hoped that it will please Mr. Binnie. The two ladieshave talked it over, and decided the matter. I dare say they have offeredme to Francis, who has very likely refused me, though perhaps he may bepersuaded to relent in time,--if I am very humble, and he is shown theadvantage of having Mr. Binnie's money added to his own,--but I have nodoubt I shall have to be very humble indeed. That is what I learned fromLady Theobald last night, and it is what I am going to talk to her about.Is it enough to make one angry, do you think? Is it enough?"

  He did not tell her whether he thought it enough, or not. He looked ather with steady eyes.

  "Lucia," he said, "I wish you would let me go and talk with LadyTheobald."

  "You?" she said with a little start.

  "Yes," he answered. "Let me go to her. Let me tell her, that, instead ofmarrying Francis Barold, you will marry _me_. If you will say yes tothat, I think I can promise that you need never be afraid of her anymore." The fierce color died out of her cheeks, and the tears rushed toher eyes. She raised her face with a pathetic look.

  "Oh!" she whispered, "you must be very sorry for me. I think you havebeen sorry for me from the first."

  "I am desperately in love with you," he answered, in his quietest way. "Ihave been desperately in love with you from the first. May I go?"

  She loo
ked at him for a moment, incredulously. Then she faltered,--

  "Yes."

  She still looked up at him; and then, in spite of her happiness, orperhaps because of it, she suddenly began to cry softly, and forgot shehad been angry at all, as he took her into his strong, kind arms.