“Miss Douglas was,” repeated the cripple, catching his breath, and a look of pain crossing his face.
“Yes, was; for she is no longer Miss Douglas, but Mrs. Dredmond, and this is her husband,” returned Lady Ruxley, introducing Adrian.
The two young men clasped hands, but Herbert Randal searched Adrian’s face wistfully and eagerly.
And now there followed many questions and explanations, and a long conference, which resulted in Lady Ruxley deciding that young Randal should return at once with her to the villa, where he should remain until the return of the family from Paris, “when there will be a serious reckoning,” she concluded, with a stern, bitter look.
Herbert demurred at first, but upon being assured by Adrian that it would be best, he at last consented, upon condition that he could induce his tutor to be party to the plan.
The tutor was summoned, and although very much disturbed at this unexpected state of things, he was really glad at heart that for the future his pupil would know the comforts of life. Lady Ruxley assured him that his salary should be continued to him during his own and his sister’s life, for the sake of the kindness which he had shown his charge during the past.
So, as the matter was to be kept as quiet as possible from the servants, it was decided they should wait until evening before they made the change, when it was accomplished without exciting suspicion.
Adrian remained until the next morning, when, bidding them a kind farewell, and feeling much pleased with the result of his journey, he returned to London, taking with him Brownie’s trunks, a cordial invitation from Lady Ruxley to the bride to come and visit her, and also an elegant piece of Irish point lace, that would have made the eyes of half the London belles water with envy, as a bridal present.
Lady Ruxley seemed to forget her own aches and pains in ministering to the comfort of her unfortunate grand-nephew; and she found him a most entertaining companion, for he had improved his time and was well read upon almost every subject.
She was eager for the return of Lady Randal from Paris, and yet she was somewhat anxious as to what the result of this new development would be; while she could not help feeling a little bit of triumph as she thought how astonished and somewhat chagrined her amiable niece would be when she should discover that Mehetabel Douglas would be the Lady of Dunforth after all.