She stared at him for a moment in the blankest astonishment, but instead of showing any sign of contrition, when the full import of this disclosure had dawned upon her, she burst into a gurgle of laughter. “Oh no! Oh, Kit, I am very sorry, but you had never the least hope of marrying her! Ravenscar would see her dead at his feet rather!”
“Thanks to your crazy conduct!” he said furiously. “Upon my soul, I believe you are mad! Where is the key to the cellar?”
“In my pocket, where it will stay!” she replied.
“Give it to me this instant! God knows what I can find to say to him! I shall tell him that you are not yourself. Oh, there was never anything so damnably unlucky!”
She was no longer laughing. She laid her hand on his arm, saying seriously: “You cannot mean to be so disloyal to me!”
“Disloyal! Do you expect me to help you to gaol? That is where you will end, I can tell you, unless I can smooth Ravenscar down! If you wish to talk of disloyalty, pray consider your own conduct in alienating the one man in the world I would give a fortune to be on terms with! Give me the key!”
“I’ll do no such thing!” Deborah said, backing away from him. “How can you be so poor-spirited, Kit? Does Arabella Ravenscar mean more to you than Aunt Lizzie, and me? I am very sure she does not intend to marry you!”
“You know nothing of the matter! Are you going to give me that key?”
“No, I am not!”
“Then I’ll take it!” said Kit, closing with her.