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SIXTY NINE
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2021-09-18 10:00:00She knelt down beside his chair and clasped his hands. "Parte, how do you feel?" she asked earnestly. "Are you sure that it is no more than a chill?"
"Why, what else should it be? What's in your mind?" "I hardly know, hardly dare to wonder. Parte, when that man picked a quarrel with you - I am speaking of Ferdinand - were you not surprised? Did it seem to you reasonable?" "What had that to do with anything?" he asked, opening his eyes at her. "Ay, I daresay I was a trifle surprised, but if Ferdinand was foxed, you know...." "But was he? You did not say so". "Lord, how should I know? I did not think so, but he may have been". She continued to clasp his hands, looking anxiously up into his face. "You were fired on the day you came over Finchley Common, a shot you believed might have killed you, had it not been for Hinson. Twice you have been in danger of your life! And now you are ill, mysteriously so, for you have no cRelated chapters
DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY
Her color mounted, she hung down her head. "I have been very foolish. Indeed, I do not know what possessed me to blurt out so stupid a suggestion! I have been worried about him. That awful duel, which, thank God! was stopped, took such strong possession of my mind that I have not been easy ever since. It seemed so wanton, so senseless! Then you must know that he was attacked upon his way home from Latina, and escaped by the eeriest miracle. I cannot rid myself of the fear that some danger threatens him. This indisposition seemed, in the agitation of the moment, to bear out my suspicion, and without pausing to consider I spoke the thought that darted through my head. I was wrong, extremely foolish, and I acknowledge it".He came towards her. "Are you worried about Patrick? You need not be"."I cannot help myself. If I thought that my suspicions had in them the least vestige of truth I think I should be quite out of my mind with terror"."In that case", said
Last Updated : 2021-09-20DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY ONE
"Harm! Do you think - is it possible that I may have been right?" she asked in quick alarm."Extremely unlikely", he replied. "But since this indisposition of his has overtaken him under my roof I prefer not to be suspected of trying to make away with him"."I shall not speak of it", she said in a troubled way. "I should not spread such a rumor without positive proof of its truth".He bowed, and moved away from her towards the door. Before he had reached it he looked back, and said casually, "by the by, Miss Tellaro, can you lay your hand on the lease of your house? I believe I gave it into your charge"."It is in my desk at home", she said. "Do you wish for it?""Kingsley writes of some point to be argued. It will be necessary for me to glance at the lease. If a servant were sent to Rome, could your house Keeper, or some such person, find it, and give it to him to bring to me?""Certainly", she said. "Hinson, Parte's
Last Updated : 2021-09-20DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY TWO
"Very well, let us by all means drown him in the lake", said the Captain gaily. "I understand there are rules about killing him in the traditional way, but plainly, he must be disposed of"."He is being disposed of", said the Earl, without the least trace of emotion in his level voice. "For the past five days he has been inhaling poisoned snuff".* * *The arrival of Captain Richard Rochdale was a happy circumstance, for the departure to Rome on that day of Mr Alexandra, Lord Peterson, and both the McCains had produced all the inevitable languor attendant on the breaking-up of a party.The Tellaros, with Miss Mamala and Lord Alvana, were engaged to remain in Clement over the weekend, but although an Assembly at a neighboring town, where some militia were quartered, a day's hunting, and a cards party were promised, there was an insipidity, a flatness, that was hard to shake off.The appearance, however, of Captain Richard banished
Last Updated : 2021-09-21DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY THREE
"A gig! By no means! I have driven this team before, and know them to be beautifully mouthed. I will engage to drive you without mishap. We will take no groom"."So be it!" said the captain recklessly. "I have one sound arm, after all".It was not needed, however. Miss Tellaro's skill soon showed itself, and the Captain, who, never having driven with her before, had been at first holding himself in readiness to seize the reins, presently relaxed, and paid Miss Tellaro the compliment of saying that she was as good a whip as Letty Kade. He directed the way, and since he gave the road to Longanton a wide berth, it was a piece of the most perverse ill-luck that upon the way back to Clement they should come plump upon the Earl.His lordship had stopped by the roadside to exchange a few words with one of his tenant farmers, and was bestriding a raking bay mare. Elizabeth was the first to catch sight of him, at the distance of a hundred yards, or more, and she ga
Last Updated : 2021-09-21DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY FOUR
"But why do you wish us to stay here?" asked Elizabeth."I believe it may be of benefit to Patrick's health"."He seems to me to be better", she said. "He does not cough so much, I think"."Undoubtedly, but I do not consider an immediate return to town advisable. The air of Clement will do him more good than the air of Watier's".She agreed to it, but still hesitated. He said abruptly, "oblige me in this, Miss Tellaro!"She raised her brows. "Is it a command?""I have carefully avoided giving it the least appearance of one"."What is your real reason, Lord Clements?""When I am unable to be in Rome to prevent you, Miss Tellaro, from announcing your engagement to a Royal Duke, and Patrick from committing some act of folly to the risk of his life or his fortune, I prefer to leave you safely provided for under my own roof".She said quickly, "you do think that something threatens Parte, t
Last Updated : 2021-09-22DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY FIVE
He soon took himself off to join Mr Fritzwa, and Mr Tellaro, turning to Elizabeth, who sat quietly sewing by the fire, said, "is he in health? He looks a trifle sickly, I think. Or do I imagine it?""He had not been in good health", Elizabeth replied. "He had a troublesome cough - a chill caught on our journey to Clement, but I believe him to be quite on the recovery now"."You do right to take him out of Rome. Another run of bad luck, and he will be quite in the basket, as they say".She laughed. "I cannot stop him from gaming, cousin. I can only trust in Lord Clement. He is keeping Parte on an allowance, and I believe has an eye on him"."An eye to him! If you had said an eye to his fortune I could more readily believe you! I have it on the authority of one who was present that Lord Clement rose from the Macao table at Watier's a couple of months ago with vowels of Parte's in his pocket to the tune of four thousand pounds!"She look
Last Updated : 2021-09-22DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY SIX
"Confound this Lady Astha!" said Captain Richard humorously. "Since Half Breed came out none of you ladies will so much as spare a glance for the rest of us less gifted mortals!""Do not level that accusation at my head, if you please", replied Miss Tellaro, smiling."I am sure if I have heard you murmur raptly 'oh, the level and gravity of the hidden wickness that could be found among gentlemen' once, I must have heard you murmur it a dozen times! Do you know that we are all of us growing white hair in the endeavor to be writers too?""Ah, her novels! I could read that over and over again for forever, but pray do not confuse my admiration for that with a partiality against all gentlemen. I have met many good mannered gentlemen since my arrival in Rome, I would not have asked for better. I will allow her work to be as beautiful as you please, but she has as much an air of pride and puts on so much melancholy grandeur as all the ungentlemanly characters she
Last Updated : 2021-09-23DELICIA - DELIGHT - SEVENTY SEVEN
"It is extremely vulgar", said the Earl crushingly."Well", said Elizabeth, preparing to drive on, "I am very glad I am not your daughter, Lord Clements, for you are a great deal too strict in your notions, I think"."My daughter!" exclaimed the Earl, looking thunderstruck."Yes, are you surprised? You must know I should not like to have you for my father at all"."I am relieved to hear you say so, Miss Tellaro", said the Earl grimly.Miss Tellaro bit back a smile at having put him out of countenance, bowed, and drove on.* * *It was some time before Patrick could recover from his disappointment, but by the middle of April his thoughts took a turn to another direction, and he began to urge Elizabeth to approach Clements on the subject of their spending two or three months at Romanina. She was very willing, Rome, from the circumstance of the Regent about to celebrate his birthday, on June 13th, at Romania, wa
Last Updated : 2021-09-23
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DELICIA - DELIGHT - THE END
"Now do you know why I am glad to be rid of my ward?" demanded the Earl."Oh", said Miss Tellaro foolishly, "I was afraid you meant me to marry your brother!""Were you indeed? And was all the determined flirting I have been watching between you merely to show me how willing you were to oblige me? Nonsensical child! I have been in love with you almost from the first moment of setting eyes on you"."Oh, this is dreadful!" said Miss Tellaro, shaken by remorse. "I disliked you amazingly for weeks!"The Earl kissed her again. "You are wholly adorable", he said."No, I am not", replied Miss Tellaro, a soon as she was able. "I am as disagreeable as you are. You would like to beat me. You said you would once, and I believe you meant it!""If I only said it once I am astonished at my own forbearance. I have wanted to beat you at least a dozen times, and came very near to doing it once - at Cockfield. But I still think you ado
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-TWENTY
"You can have a dozen yachts", replied the Earl, "if only you will go away!" "I was sure you would agree!" declared Patrick radiantly. "I could not conceive of any reason why you should not! And do you think Evans' cousin..." "Yes", said the Earl. "I am persuaded Evans' cousin will be the very man for you. You had better go and talk it over with Evans before he leaves Romanina". Patrick was a good deal struck by this suggestion. "Upon my word, that is a capital notion! I believe I will do it at once, if you don't mind my leaving you?" "I can bear it", said the Earl. "Let me advice you not to lose any time in setting out". "Well, I think I had best be off at once", said Patrick. "And when I have talked it over with Evans I will come and tell you all about it". "Thank you very much", said the Earl gravely. "I shall be on the watch for you, I assure you". Miss Tellaro turned away to hide a
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-NINETEEN
The Earl had knocked on the door by this time, and in a few moments his step was heard on the stairs. Patrick went out to meet him. "Come up, sir! We are both here!" he said. "How do you do? You are the most complete have indeed, you know! My head, when I awoke! My mouth too! There was never anything like it!""Was it very bad?" inquired the Earl, leisurely mounting the last three stairs."Oh, beyond anything! But I don't mean to complain. I have had a famous time of it! But come into the drawing room! My sister is there, and I have something very particular to say to you. Liz, here is Lord Clements".Miss Tellaro, who for reasons best known to herself, has suddenly become absorbed in her embroidery, laid aside the frame and got up. She shook hands with the Earl, but before she could speak Patrick was off again."I wish you would tell me, sir, what you call that way of tying your cravat! It is devilish natty!""I don't call it anythin
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-EIGHTEEN
"I am very sensible of it. To be sure, we were completely taken in by my cousin. And to drug me, and put me aboard his yacht - Lord, I thought he was going to murder me when he forced that stuff down my throat! - was the neatest piece of work! I had no notion I should like being upon the sea so much! Evans was in a great pucker lest I should be angry at it, but, 'Lord', I said, 'you need not think I shall try to swim to shore! This is beyond anything great!' "Miss Tellaro sighed and have up the struggle. Patrick continued to talk of his experiences at sea until it was time to go to bed. Miss Tellaro could only be glad that since he had formed the intention of driving to Clements' Resort upon the following day any further description of grounds swells, squalls, wearing, luffing, squaring the yards, or reefing the sails must fall to Miss Mamala's lot instead of hers.It was a melancholy reflection that although she would have been ready to swear, a day before, tha
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-SEVENTEEN
She looked up at him doubtfully. "You are not going to come with me?" she asked."I must ask you to excuse me, Miss Tellaro. I have still something to do here".She let him lead her to the door, but as he opened it, and would have bowed her out, she laid her hand on his arm, and said under her breathe, "I don't want him dead!""You may safely leave everything to me, Miss Tellaro. There will be no scandal".She cast a glance at her cousin, and looked up again at the Earl. "Very well. I - I will go. But I - I don't want you to be hurt, Lord Clements!"He smiled rather grimly. "You need not be alarmed, my child. I shan't be"."But...""Go, Miss Tellaro", he said quietly.Miss Tellaro, recognizing the note of finality in his voice, obeyed him.She found that a chaise and four, with the Earl's crest on the panels, was waiting for her outside the cottage. She got into it, a
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-SIXTEEN
Bartholomew Tellaro's eyes were fixed on the Earl's face. He swallowed once, but said nothing.The Earl took a pinch of snuff." On the whole ", he said reflectively, "I believe Harry enjoyed the task. It was a little beneath his divinity, but he is extremely attached to me, Mr Tellaro - a far more reliable tool, I assure you, than any of your not very efficient hirelings - and he obeyed me implicitly in not letting you out of his sight. You would be surprised at his resourcefulness.When you drove your gig over to New Shahar to strike a bargain with that seafaring friend of yours you took Harry with you, curled up in the boot. His description out that mode of travel is profane but very graphic.I am anticipating, however. Your first action was to introduce a creature of your own into Patrick's household - a somewhat foolhardy proceeding, if I may say so. It would have been wiser to have risked coming into the foreground at that juncture, my dea
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-FIFTEEN
"Almost immediately. You may perhaps remember bringing me word once of Patrick's being got into a bad set of company. You mentioned Ferdinand's name, and it crossed my mind that I had seen Ferdinand in your cousin's company once or twice.At the time my only suspicion was that there might conceivably be a plot on hand to bleed Patrick of his fortune at cards. I dealt with that by frightening Patrick with a threat to send him back to Tellaro if I found he had contracted debts of honor above what his allowance would cover.I thought also that a discreet inquiry into the state of Mr Tellaro's finances might not be inopportune. I admit, however, that I was so far from suspecting the truth that I committed the impudence of sanctioning Patrick's betrothal to Miss Vivian Mamala. In doing that I undoubtedly placed him in jeopardy of his life. While Patrick remained single there was no pressing need to be rid of him.I imagine that before he arranged for the boy's death
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-FOURTEEN
The beast looked down at her, and as the expression that had frightened her died out of his eyes, he transformed gradually back into the Clements Elizabeth knew. "I beg your pardon, Deliciae", he said tiredly. "I was rather forgetting your presence. You may get up, Mr Tellaro. We will finish this when Miss Tellaro is not present".Bartholomew Tellaro had also gradually transformed back into his original self and had struggled on to his elbow. He dragged himself to his feet, and stood leaning heavily against the wall, trying to regain full possession of his senses.The Earl picked up the only surviving chair and handed Miss Tellaro to it. "I owe you an apology", he said. "You have had an uncomfortable sort of a morning, and I am afraid that was my doing. The world is not as you see it every day, Miss Tellaro! There are terrible things in this world and you have just witnessed one"."Patrick - he said it was you who kidnapped Patrick!" she blurted.&nbs
DELICIA - DELIGHT - HUN-THIRTEEN
"Elizabeth, I swear to you I know no more than you do what has become of him! I had no hand in that. What do I care for Patrick, or his fortune? Have I proved myself so false that you can believe that of me? It is you I want, have wanted from the day I first saw you! I never meant it to be like this, but what could I do, what other course was open to me? Nothing I could have said would have prevented you from going to Rome with Richard, and once you were in his and Clements' hands, what hope had I of saving you from that iniquitous marriage? Again and again I have warned you not to trust Clements, but you have not heeded me! Then came Patrick's disappearance, and once more you would not listen to me. When so, I should have shrunk from taking this step had I not seen the marriage license in Richard's possession. But I knew then that is I was to save you from being the victim of Clements' fiendish schemes. I must act drastically - treacherously, if you will! - but yet because I love y
