“Belinda,” he said gravely, taking her hands, and holding them, “do you like Lord Gaywood better than Mr. Mudgley?”
“Oh, no/” she cried, the ready tears springing to her eyes. “But you cannot find Mr. Mudgley, and Lady Ampleforth boxed my ears, and I was very unhappy in that house. And Lord Gaywood said he would take care of me, and no one should be angry with me!”
“But I have found Mr. Mudgley” he said gently.
Her tears ceased to flow abruptly; she stared at him with her eyes very wide open.
“I promised that I would bring you to him. He wants you very much, and his mother does too. Which is it to be, Belinda?—a purple gown, or Mr. Mudgley?”
“Will you take me now! ” Belinda asked urgently, her cheeks softly flushed. “Oh, please, will you take me now?”
“Yes, I’ll take you now,” the Duke replied, absurdly relieved at this instant decision. He added, feeling that her sacrifice deserved reward: “In a chaise-and-four!”
She clapped her hands in delight, saying that Mr. Mudgley would not be able to believe his eyes when he saw her drive up in such an equipage. The Duke, trying not to feel disappointed at this naive remark, led her out to the chaise, and handed her up into it. He found a nervous, and considerably bewildered landlady hovering beside him, and turned to her, “If the gentleman who escorted this lady to your house should return presently,” he said, “will you be so good as to give him a message for me?”
“Yes, sir,” she said doubtfully. “That is—”
“Tell him, if you please,” continued the Duke, “that the Duke of Sale thanks him for his letter, but does not need any assistance from him in the management of his affairs!”