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All Chapters of DELICIA - DELIGHT - : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

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THIRTY ONE

"I shall be honored sir", she said formally, and signaled to the groom to get down. The Duke climbed up beside her, saying, "oh, that's nonsense - never stand in ceremony. Look, there goes my cousin Tufello. I daresay he envies me perched up here beside you. What do you say?" Miss Tellaro laughed. "Nothing, sir, how can I? If I agree, I must be odious conceited, which I hope I am not; and if I demure you will think me to be asking for reassurance". He seemed to be much struck by the frankness of this lady, laughed very heartily, and declared they should get along famously together. He was not all difficult to talk to, and they had not driven more than halfway round the Park before Miss Tellaro discovered him to have been a firm friend of Lord and Admiral Nelson. She was in a glow at once, he was very ready to talk to her of the admiral, and in this way they drove twice around the Park, extremely well pleased with each other. When Miss Tell
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THIRTY TWO

Mrs Andromeda turned a surprised, inquiring look upon Elizabeth. "You never told me you had invited Clements, my dear?" "I did request Lord Clements to call here", said Miss Tellaro, carefully choosing another length of embroidery silk. "I did not, however, mention any particular day or hour". "True", said the Earl. "I had had the intention of calling on you this morning, Miss Tellaro, but - er - circumstances intervened". "It was fortunate, sir. I was not at home this morning". She raised her eyes momentarily from her work to find that he was regarding her with a look of so much sarcastic amusement that the unwelcome suspicion crossed her mind that he must have seen her drive out, and changed his own plans immediate. "This morning!" ejaculated Mrs Andromeda, with a strong shudder. "Pray do not be talking of it! Three hours - I am persuaded it was no less - at the Botanic Gardens, and I not having the least notion that you cared a rap for
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THIRTY THREE

"Ah!" said Elizabeth, "I beg to understand". "I should be happy if I thought you did", he replied, "but I feel it to be extremely doubtful. You have a considerable fortune in your own right. More important than this is the fact that under your father's Will you are heiress to as much of your brother's property as is unentailed". "Well?" said Elizabeth. "That being so", said Clements, shutting his snuff box with a snap and restoring it to his pocket, "there is little likelihood of gaining my consent to your marriage with anyone whom I can at the moment call to mind". "Except", said Miss Tellaro through her teeth, "yourself!" "Except, of course, myself", he agreed suavely. "And do you suppose, Lord Clements, that there is any great likelihood of my marrying you?" inquired Elizabeth in a sleek, deceptive voice. He raised his brows. "Until I ask you to marry me, Miss Tellaro, not the least likelihood", he repli
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THIRTY FOUR

"In a word, cousin, he is a dandy", Elizabeth said. "More than that. He is of the Bow window set, I grant, but not of the Unique Four. That is composed, as you know, of only your complete Dandies - Alexandra, Alvana, Michale, and Pietropot. Clements has other interests, even more expensive". "So has Lord Alvana", she interposed. "Very true. Lord Alvana hunts, for instance, but he does not, I believe, aspire to be first in so many fields as Clements. You may hardly go to a race meeting but you are sure to find Clements has a horse running, while his curricle races, the teams he drives, are notorious". "It is the only thing I know of that is to his advantage", Elizabeth said. "I will admit him to be an excellent whip. But for the rest I find him a mere fop, a creature of affections, tricked out in modish clothes, thinking snuff to be of more moment than events of real importance. He is proud, he can be insolent. There is a reserve, a lack of
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THIRTY FIVE

"Oh, my dear, when a female is as wealthy as you are, she can look as high as she chooses! I did think of Venice, but there's that horrid Marriage Act to be got over, and I daresay the Regent would never give his consent". "There is Mrs Smith to be got over too", said Elizabeth dryly. "Nonsense, my love, I have it for a fact he has quite broken with her. I daresay she will keep all the children of the connection - I believe there are ten, but I might be mistaken". "You informed me by yourself, ma'am, that the Duke was a devoted father", said Elizabeth. Mrs Andromeda sighed. "Well, and have I not said that I believe he won't do? Though I must say, my dear, if you had the chance of becoming his wife it would be a very odd thing in you to be objecting to it merely because of a few bags of bad characters. But I have been thinking of it, and I am persuaded it won't answer. Wet must look elsewhere". "Where shall we look this time, ma'
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THIRTY SIX

"Is she dark or fair?" inquired his sister. But to this question he could not give any very certain answer. He rather thought Miss Mamala's eyes were blue, but they might be grey, he could not be sure. She was not tall, quite the reverse, yet Elizabeth must not be imagining a dab of a girl. It was no such thing, but she would see for herself. After a good deal in this strain he took himself off to bed, leaving his sister to her reflection. She had not been used to seeing him in the toils of a young woman, and could hardly be blamed for feeling a certain jealousy. She did her best to banish it, and succeeded very fairly. When Lady Mamala, who turned out to be a very kindly sensible woman in the early forties, came to pay her promised call, she did bring her eldest daughter with her, and Elizabeth had leisure to observe Patrick's charmer. Miss Mamala was not long out of the school room, and had all the natural shyness of her Seventeen years.
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THIRTY SEVEN

"Well, now that you have found me, do you think you could sit down - Keeping me under observation, if you like - until after the game?" he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you!" said Patrick. "Only they told me at White's that you are out of town, and when I called at the Alfred they said you had not been there for months". "Come and take a hand", said Lord Alvana kindly. "You should not have wasted your time at the Half-Read, my boy. They have Seventeen bishops there, so I hear. Clements and I gave it up after the eighth. As for White's, it is my belief Clements taught them always to say he was out of town. Do you care to join us?"Patrick, much flattered, thanked him, and took a place between Sir Herbert Mush and a gentleman with very red hair and very blue eyes, whom he discovered later to be Lord Marino. The stakes at the table were extremely high, and he soon found that his luck was quite out. This did not trouble him much, for he did not
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THIRTY EIGHT

The shout of laughter that greeted this climax brought several other people over to the group, Patrick amongst them, who arrived in time to hear his guardian say, "had your bloodthirsty opponent met with the accident that did not befall you, Bryant, or was his second less determined than yours?" "I am inclined to believe", replied the Beau gravely, "that he realized in time the social solecism he had committed in calling me out at all". Patrick worked his way through the knot of persons to Clements' side, and touched his sleeve. The Earl turned his head, frowning a little. "Well, Patrick, what is it?" "I thought you had left", said Patrick in a low voice. "I must have a word with you, you know that is what I came here for". "My good boy, you cannot be private with me at Watier's, if that is what you want. You may come and see me at my house tomorrow morning". "Yes, but will you be there?" objected Patrick. "I have been to your house three
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THIRTY NINE

Patrick stiffened. "What do you mean?" he asked. The Earl raised his eyes for a moment, and coldly looked his ward over. "Between you, you and your sister credit me with an obscurity of meaning which I am unaware of having done anything to deserve. It really doesn't amuse me. I mean precisely what I say"."But you can't refuse to let me have money to pay my debts of honor!" said Patrick indignantly. "Can't I?" said the Earl. "I was under the impression that I could"."Damn, I never heard of such a thing! I must pay my debts!" "Naturally", agreed the Earl. "Well, how the devil can I if you won't loosen the purse strings?" demanded Patrick. "You must know my pockets are pretty well empty till the next quarter!" "I didn't know it, but I don't find it very hard to believe. You have all my sympathy". "Sympathy! What's the use of that to me?" cried Patrick, a good deal injured. "I'm afraid it isn't of a
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FORTY

"Yes, when we get downstairs", said the Earl, opening the door. Patrick made a stiff little bow, and stood back for him to go first. The Earl went in his leisurely fashion down the stairs, and led the way into a pleasant library behind the saloon. The butler was just setting a tray bearing glasses and a decanter on the table. He arranged these to his satisfaction, and withdrew, closing the door behind him. The Earl picked up the decanter, and poured out two glasses of wine. One of them he held out to Patrick. "Madeira, but if you prefer it I can offer you sherry", he said. "Thank you, nothing for me", said Patrick, with what he hoped was a fair imitation of his lordship's own cold dignity. Apparently it was not. "Don't be stupid, Patrick", said Clements. Patrick looked at him for a moment, and then, lowering his gaze, took the glass with a murmured word of thanks, and sat down. The Earl moved toward a deep
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