“Oh no!” said Arabella blithely. “Max is a great dear, and he is never unreasonable! He does not like to be crossed, of course, but we deal delightfully together, I assure you.”
“I fear that he would be very angry if he knew you had come to visit me.”
“Max is never angry with me,” replied Miss Ravenscar confidently. “Besides, why should he care? You are charming!” Miss Grantham blushed. “Thank you! I beg you will not tell him that you have been here, however. You must be aware that he dislikes me very much.”
“Yes, I am, of course, and I cannot conceive why he should! I thought it might be a good thing if I were to tell him that he is quite mistaken in you.”
“No, no!” said Deborah quickly. “I beg you will not do so! It must sound odd to you, I know, but I have a very particular reason for not wishing him to be informed of this visit!”
“Well, I won’t say a word about it, then,” said Arabella obligingly. “I daresay I had better not, indeed, for if he has taken one of his stupid dislikes to you he won’t listen to any thing anyone says. But why did you behave in that shocking way at Vauxhall? Do tell me! You made me want to laugh so!”
Miss Grantham, finding herself quite unable to explain her conduct at Vauxhall, said vaguely that she had had a reason, which she could not well divulge. Arabella looked as though she would have liked to probe farther into the mystery, but was too well-bred to do so. Instead, she remarked that she was acquainted with a Mr Grantham, and wondered if he might be related to Deborah. “I met him at the Assemblies at Tunbridge Wells,” she said. “He is in the 14th Foot.”
“Indeed!” Deborah said. “Then you have met my brother, Miss Ravenscar. Do you know him well?”
“Oh, I have danced with him several times!” responded Arabella carelessly. “Tunbridge Wells was abominably flat, you know, until the 14th were stationed there!”
She was interrupted by the entrance of Lucius Kennet, who had been told by Silas who was abovestairs, and had come up in a spirit of the liveliest curiosity to behold the guest with his own eyes.