When Aveline Gatliffe arrived at the earl’s residence she found its owner by no means so poorly as she had anticipated.
Her grandfather had a slight cold, which for obvious reasons had been magnified into an attack of a much more serious nature.
His cold soon disappeared after Aveline had taken up her abode once more at Broxbridge. It was a ruse on the part of the attorney to excite sympathy—a ruse which answered his purpose very well.
Now that Earl Ethalwood had his darling Aveline once more with him he was determined not to part with her, not if he could help it, and seeing that he had wealth, station, and power, the chances were that he would be able to hold his own against any odds.
Her stay at Broxbridge was much more protracted than it had been on the occasion of her first visit, and gradually the truth began to dawn upon the engineer. Mrs. Maitland had pointed out to him the desirability of not offering any opposition to the expressed wishes of so great and influential a personage as Lord Ethalwood.
She told him that if he had proper consideration for his wife, and care for her future prospects, he would let her remain as mistress of the earl’s establishment.
At this Tom Gatliffe burst into a fit of passion, and vehemently anathmetised, not only the earl, but the aristocracy generally. He was so violent that the good lady had considerable difficulty in pacifying him.
“If she chooses to stay away of her own free will, so be it. She’ll be no wife of mine if she does—that’s all I have to say.”
“Don’t be unreasonable, Tom,” cried Mrs. Maitland. “The earl is now stricken in years, and in the common course of nature he cannot be long here. If only for your boy’s sake, you ought to give way. A grand future is before him, if the earl chooses to make him his heir, which he has promised to do.”
“What have I done that I should be cast adrift? Why am I not permitted to enter the house of which my wife is supposed to be mistress? Tell me that.”