“Then of course you know. Oh, Monseigneur, he says he will marry that girl, and I have a great fear she is like the sister whom I found detestable!”
The Duke took her hand and led her to Miss Challoner. “You shall judge for yourself,” he said. “This is Miss Challoner.”
The Duchess looked sharply up at him, and then at Mary, who stood still and looked gravely back at her. Léonie drew a long breath. “ Voyons, are you the sister of that other one?” she demanded, not very lucidly.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Mary.
“ Vraiment? But it is not at all credible, I find. I do not want to be rude, but — ”
“In that case, my love, you had better refrain from making the comparisons that are on the lips of your very unguarded tongue,” interposed his grace.
“I was not going to say anything indiscreet,” the Duchess assured him. “But I say one thing. If you do not like it, Monseigneur, I am sorry, but I am not going to permit that my son abducts this Mary Challoner and then does not marry her. I say he shall marry her at once, and Rupert shall fetch that Hammond person, who has the manners of a pig.”
“These continued references to Mr. Hammond — a gentleman quite unknown to me — I find most tedious,” complained his grace. “If his manners are those of a pig, I beg that Rupert will refrain from fetching him.”
“But you do not understand, Justin. He is a priest.”
“So I have been led to infer. I believe it will not be necessary for us to disturb him.”