Marion Arleigh's Penance by Charlotte Mary Brame (freenovel24 .TXT) 📖

must have her home at once."

Lady Ridsdale was a woman of the world; she knew exactly how much eclat and importance would accrue to her from the fact of being chaperone to a wealthy heiress like Miss Arleigh.

"Is the girl pretty?" she asked her husband; and to do him justice, he looked much confused.

"I hardly know what to answer you, Laura. I must confess the truth; I have not seen her for two years and more. When my wife died I was quite at a loss what to do with her, so I sent her to school. Miss Carleton promised to take complete charge of her, and I have not seen her, as I say, for more than two years."

"Was she a pretty girl then?" persisted Lady Ridsdale.

"I think so. Miss Carleton said she was beautiful. She had been crying when I saw her, so that I could hardly judge."

"A beauty, and a wealthy heiress! We must have her at home at once, William. We will fetch her without any delay."

Lord Ridsdale thought some of the servants might go, that it was hardly necessary for him to make the journey. His wife laughed at him.

"You do not know the social importance of your ward," she said. "Before long Miss Arleigh will be one of the queens of society, heiress of Hanton, and of the large fortune left by her father; we shall have some of the first men in England wooing her. She may be a duchess if she likes." At which intelligence Lord Ridsdale opened his eyes.

He had thought of his ward as of a tiresome responsibility, a child of whom the charge would be very troublesome. He had taken good care of her money, because he was an honorable man, but he had not thought much of what his wife called her social position. As a probable duchess he felt a great amount of respect for her.

So Lord and Lady Ridsdale went together to bring their beautiful young ward home. Miss Carleton was grieved to lose her.

"She has been a docile pupil, and she is a beautiful, lovable girl. Though I am sorry indeed to part with her, for her own sake I am glad she is going; it is high time she saw something of the world."

"You have had no trouble with her, I hope?" said Lord Ridsdale. "At seventeen most young girls have begun to think of love and lovers."

Miss Carleton prided herself on the fact that in her establishment such matters were entirely avoided.

"There is nothing of the kind," she replied, earnestly. "I do not believe that Miss Arleigh has even begun to think of such things."

"So much the worse when she does begin," thought Lady Ridsdale.

When the preliminaries had all been discussed, and Miss Arleigh was requested to meet her guardian, Lady Ridsdale could not control her surprise at the sight of the girl's beauty.

"You could not tell whether she was pretty or not?" she said afterwards to her husband. "William you must be blind."

She welcomed the young girl warmly. She kissed the fresh blooming face that had all a woman's beauty with the innocence of a child. She clasped her arms round the slender, girlish figure.

"You must learn to love me," she said, "to look on me in the place of the mother you have lost."

And Marion Arleigh for the first time in her life imagined to herself what a mother's love would be like.

"What a strange idea to keep you so long at school!" said Lady Ridsdale. "We must do our best to atone for it."

"I should imagine that my guardian did not know what to do with me," she replied, with a smile so bright and sweet that Lord Ridsdale at once fell in love with her, as his wife had done before him.

"Where am I going to live?" asked Marion, after they had been talking for some time.

"We are going to Thorpe Castle," replied Lady Ridsdale, "and I thought you would enjoy being there with us."

"I shall enjoy anything and everything" said Marion. "I have all my life before me, and it will be full of glorious possibilities."

Suddenly she paused, remembering that her life was settled and arranged; it held no more possibilities; they were all at an end. For the first time she felt the weight of the chain that bound her. Lady Ridsdale wondered why the beautiful face suddenly grew pale and grave.

Half an hour afterwards Marion came timidly to her side.

"Lady Ridsdale," she began, in a half-hesitating manner, "of course I never thought such happiness as the marriage of my guardian was in store for me."

"I suppose not," was the smiling reply.

"I used to think that I should go away from here and be so lonely, so sad. I have made a promise and I do not see how I can keep it."

Lady Ridsdale was touched and flattered by the girl's confidence.

"Tell me all about it, Marion; you shall keep the promise, if it be possible."

"There is a governess here, one of the assistants; her name is Lyster--Adelaide Lyster. She has always been very kind to me; indeed I should have been most lonely but for her, and I--I am very much attached to her."

"Quite natural and quite right," said Lady Ridsdale. "You wish, of course, to make her a very handsome present?"

"No, not quite that," said Marion, looking very uncomfortable; "it is much worse than that. I thought I should be all alone, and I promised that when I left Miss Carleton's she should go with me as my companion, and should live with me."

Lady Ridsdale looked very grave.

"I do not think it possible, my dear," she replied. "Lord Ridsdale has the greatest objection to that kind of thing. Will you not try if you shall like me as a companion?"

"I am quite sure to do that," she said; "but I made the promise. What shall I do?"

"You made it under a certain set of circumstances," said Lady Ridsdale "and they no longer exist. You may, I think, in all honor, defer the keeping of it, until you have a house of your own."

But Marion still looked as she felt--uncomfortable. Lord Ridsdale had gone to superintend some arrangements for their departure, leaving the two ladies alone.

"You think the young person will be disappointed?" said Lady Ridsdale, kindly.

"I am sure she will," replied Marion wincing at the words "young person."

"Let me see her; ask her to come here, and I will speak to her. After all, my dear, you are not in the least to blame if you cannot keep your promise--you must remember that."

A few more minutes and Miss Lyster, dressed in her most becoming costume, stood before Lady Ridsdale.

A few words passed, and then Lady Ridsdale began;

"My ward is in some distress, Miss Lyster. I find that she has promised you that you shall live with her as companion."

"She certainly did so, and I have made all arrangements for that purpose."

"We will hope you have not made many arrangements," said Lady Ridsdale, suavely, "as Miss Arleigh's movements have been so very uncertain. Of course, when Miss Arleigh is of age, and makes her own arrangements--forms her own household--she will do as she likes. It will be utterly impossible for her to carry out her promise in Lord Ridsdale's house, as I am sure you will have the good sense to perceive."

Now, Miss Lyster was not wanting in good sense. She was taken by surprise, as was every one else, by this sudden movement. She had had no time to think what was best under the circumstances; the only idea that occurred to her was how more than useless it would be to offend Lady Ridsdale. Unless she managed to secure her good opinions there would be no invitations to Ridsdale house. These ideas flashed through her mind with the rapidity of lightning; then Miss Lyster, with an expression on her face that was a most perfect mixture of reverence and humility, said:

"I hope Miss Arleigh will study herself and your ladyship, not me."

"You must not look at it in that light. Miss Arleigh studies every one most kindly, I am sure. It is simply this: that there would never be the least objection to Miss Arleigh following out any wish or any idea that should occur to her, but that in this case it would be impossible to carry out her wish. Miss Arleigh will soon be surrounded by friends and companions of her own age, and then she will not feel lonely."

Miss Lyster's reply was a deep, silent bow. To herself she said:

"If she thinks to take Marion from me, she is mistaken. I will never lose my hold on her."

Lady Ridsdale was touched by the companion's resignation to circumstances.

"We shall be very pleased to see you at Thorpe Castle during the vacation, Miss Lyster," said Lady Ridsdale, "and we owe you a deep debt of gratitude for your unfailing kindness to Miss Arleigh."

Then the interview ended.

Miss Lyster, after a few more words, quitted the room.

"My dear Marion," said Lady Ridsdale, "I am almost glad that circumstances do prevent you from carrying out this arrangement."

"Why?" she asked simply.

"Because I have lived in the world long enough to be a judge of character, and your friend's face does not please me. Do not trust her too far."


CHAPTER IX.


Life at Miss Carleton's and life at Thorpe Castle were very different. Marion had not been there very long before she began to feel most perfectly happy, and to wonder how she endured the monotonous routine of school.

The parting from Allan had really been terrible to her, his love had for so long been her chief comfort and her only pleasure. She said to herself that she should miss him most terribly; yet, if she had looked into her own heart, she would have seen it was not so much him she should miss as it was the novelty of his letters, his plotting, his poetry, the stolen interviews, the hidden romance that she thought so beautiful.

"You will not forget me, darling?" he said, pleadingly. "You will write to me, and you will let me sometimes see you?" She promised faithfully. She wept over leaving him, yet in some unaccountable way her spirits rose when she came away; she felt more free, more at ease than she had done for a long time.

"You must make the best use of the sunny days," said Lady Ridsdale. "There is one advantage in having been so long at school--you will be perfectly fresh to the world, and that is always a charm in itself. You must give yourself up entirely to my guidance for a time."

Marion did so most willingly. Lady Ridsdale engaged a pretty, quick Parisian as lady's maid; she invited young ladies of her own rank and position to stay at the castle; she obtained every possible enjoyment and pleasure for the girl.

This was something like. The hours seemed to fly like golden moments, the very atmosphere was different. Here all was refinement, grace, courtesy and kindness. Lady Ridsdale knew some delightful people, and nothing pleased her so much as filling Thorpe Castle with visitors.

One and all were delighted with the