The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (famous ebook reader .TXT) 📖

luckily for him the lady failed to notice it, and continued with airy cheerfulness:

“For my husband has often told me what an excellent swordsman Mr. Carstares is, and—”

“Your ladyship forgets his wound.”

What she might have been constrained to reply to this is not known, for at that moment came the sound of coach-wheels on the gravel. With one accord she and Salter flew to the door, and between them, wrenched it open, just as a gentleman’s travelling coach, postillioned by men in gold and black, and emblazoned with the Wyncham arms, drew up at the door.

My lady was down the steps in the twinkling of an eye, almost before one of the grooms had opened the door to offer an arm to my lord. Carstares sprang lightly out, followed by O’Hara, seemingly none the worse for wear.

Molly ran straight into her husband’s arms, regardless of the servants, hugging him.

Jim Salter hurried up to my lord.

“Ye are not hurt, sir?” he cried.

Carstares handed him his hat and cloak.

“Nought to speak of, Jim. But ‘Everard’ well-nigh finished me for all that!” He laughed at Jim’s face of horror, and turned to Molly, who, having satisfied herself that her husband was quite uninjured and had never once been in danger of his life, had come towards him, full of solicitude for his shoulder

“Oh, my dear Jack! Miles tells me you have hurt your poor shoulder again! And pray what has been done for it? I dare swear not one of you great men had the wit to summon a doctor, as indeed you should have, for—”

“Whist now, asthore!” adjured her husband. “‘Tis but a clean scratch after all. Take him into the house and give him something to drink! I’ll swear ‘tis what he needs most!”

Molly pouted, laughed and complied.

Over the ale Jack related the whole escapade up to the moment when he had parted from Diana at Littledean. Then O’Hara took up the tale with a delightful chuckle.

“Sure, Molly, ye never saw anything to equal poor old Beauleigh when his daughter had told him Jack’s name! Faith, he didn’t know what to do at all, he was so excited! And Miss Betty I thought would have the vapours from the way she flew from Di to Jack and back again, in such a state of mind as ye can’t imagine!”

Molly, who had listened with round eyes, drew a deep ecstatic breath. Then she bounced up, clapping her hands, and proclaimed that she was right after all!

“What will ye be meaning, alanna?” inquired O’Hara.

“Pray, sir, did I not say over and over again that if I could only induce Jack to stay with us everything would come right? Now, Miles, you know I did!”

“I remember ye said something like it once,” admitted her spouse.

“Once, indeed! I was always sure of it. And I did coax you to stay, did I not, Jack?” she appealed.

“You did,” he agreed. “You assured me that if I was churlish enough to leave, Miles would slowly sicken and pine away!”

She ignored her husband’s ribald appreciation of this.

“Then you see that ‘tis all owing to me that—” She broke off to shake O’Hara, and the meeting ended in riotous hilarity.

When he went to change his clothes, Carstares found Jim already in his room awaiting him. He hailed him gaily, and sat down before his dressing-table.

“I require a very festive costume to-night, Jim. Rose velvet and cream brocade, I think.”

“Very good, your lordship,” was the prim reply.

Jack slewed round.

“What’s that?”

“I understand your lordship is an Earl,” said poor Jim.

“Now who was the tactless idiot who told you that? I had intended to break the news myself. I suppose now, you know my—story?”

“Yes, si—my lord. I—I suppose ye won’t be requiring my services any longer?”

“In heaven’s name, why not? Do you wish to leave me?”

“Wish to—! No, sir—my lord— I—I thought ye’d maybe want a smarter valet—and—not me.”

My lord turned back to the mirror and withdrew the pin from his cravat.

“Don’t be a fool.”

This cryptic remark seemed greatly to reassure Jim.

“Ye mean it, sir?”

“Of course I do. I should be lost without you after all this time. Marry that nice girl at Fittering, and she shall maid my lady. For I’m to be married as soon as may be!”

“Ay, s—my lord! I’m sure I’m very glad, s—your lordship. Rose, sir? With the silver lacing?”

“I think so, Jim. And a cream—very pale cream waistcoat, broidered in with rose. There is one, I know.”

“Yes, sir—your lordship.”

My lord eyed him despondently.

“Er—Jim!”

“Yes—your lordship?”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot endure it.”

“I beg pardon, my lord?”

“I can’t have you call me ‘your lordship,’ after every second word—I really cannot.”

“Why, sir—may I still call you ‘sir’?”

“I would much rather you did.”

“Ay, sir—thank you.” …

In the middle of tying the bow to his master’s wig Jim paused, and in the mirror Jack saw his face fall.

“What’s amiss now? And what have you done with my patches?”

“In that little box, sir—yes—that one. I was just thinking—here’s the haresfoot, sir—that I shall never be able to see ye hold up a coach now!”

My lord, striving to affix the patch in just the right spot at the corner of his mouth, tried to control his features, failed, and went off into a peal of laughter that reached O’Hara in the room across the landing, and caused him to grin delightedly. He had not heard that laugh for many a long day.