“She has him locked up in the cellar, and she means to keep him there,” replied her ladyship.
“What?”
“Oh dear, I ought not to have told you, for Deb said you were to know nothing about the mortgage, but I declare I am so distracted I do not know what I am doing! She has locked him in the cellar to make him surrender some odious bills of mine, and there is his race to be run tomorrow, and I know he will hound us to our graves for this night’s work! But there she stands, laughing away as though she had not a care in the world, and for all she knows he will catch his death in the cellar! But she has the key in her pocket, and she says that she doesn’t mean to give it up!”
“Does she, by God!” muttered Mr Grantham, and strode away to where his sister was standing. “Deb! I want a word with you!” he said in her ear. “Come outside on to the landing for a moment.”
She looked surprised, but called to Kennet to take her place at the E.O. board, and followed Kit out of the room. “What is it, my dear? You look quite upset! Have you been plunging at hazard, or have you discovered that the wine is corked?”
“Upset! I have reason to be! What is this my aunt tells me about Mr Ravenscar?”
“The devil fly away with Aunt Lizzie!” said Miss Grantham undutifully. “What has she told you?”
“That you have him locked in the cellar I cannot credit it!”
“Well, I did not mean you to know of it,” replied Deborah, “but there is not much harm done, after all. It is just such a joke as you will appreciate, Kit! You must know that Ravenscar is Lord Mablethorpe’s cousin, and has been set against my marriage to him. I cannot tell you the insults I have suffered at his hands! But that is nothing, and I don’t mean to complain now that I have such a neat revenge on him. He has got into his possession some bills of my aunt’s, and tried to threaten me with them. So I had him kidnapped, and brought to this house, and there he is, neatly tied up in the cellar until he chooses to give up the bills! There is nothing for you to worry your head over!”
“Nothing for me to worry my head over!” he repeated, in a stupefied tone. “Do you know what you have done? It is Arabella Ravenscar whom I hope to marry!”