“But, my child, you forget your position,” said her mother. “Our anxiety to see you well—I mean happily and safely—married, arises greatly from the fact of your being your father’s heiress. I did not feel half as anxious about Amiel’s future—long ago when you were both children and I used to look forward, as all mothers do, I suppose—as about yours. The position of a girl who is known to be an heiress is a very dangerous one.”
“But I have you and papa to take care of me and advise me,” persisted Cicely.
“Yes, but for how long? There is no good trying to deceive ourselves, my darling. Your father’s life is a very uncertain one, and—I can scarcely bear to say it to you, dear—but there are times when I can hardly picture myself as living without him. My whole life has been so given to him, and you know how he has deserved all the devotion I can give him. And it would be terrible to us to leave you alone, Cicely.”
“I see, yes I see how you feel,” answered the girl after a moment’s silence. “I dare say I should feel the same in your place. But, mamma, I wish I had had a brother—then I should have been able to choose my own life; not to marry at all, very likely.”
“Cicely, you make me unhappy when you speak so,” said her mother gravely. “You have been left free to choose. Your father and I approve of your marriage to Trevor, but it was not forced upon you. You do not wish to draw back from it, surely? If you do, however it may disappoint us, it will be far better for you to say so. Cicely, my dear child, you frighten me.”
“But you are not to be frightened, you are not to be unhappy about me, mother,” exclaimed Cicely, smiling up reassuringly in Mrs. Methvyn’s face. “I don’t want to break off my engagement to Trevor. I am quite happy to be going to marry him some time only—only—I don’t want it to be just yet. I want to stay at home with you and papa.”.
“But it cannot always be only going to be,” said Mrs. Methvyn, smiling too, not withstanding her anxiety. “It is not using Trevor or his parents well to keep putting it off. And it disappoints your father.”
“If it disappoints and worries papa, that is a different matter,” replied Cicely. “I would marry Trevor to-morrow morning if it would do papa any good. As for the Fawcetts, I don’t see that it is using them ill, mother. When we were first engaged, it was understood we were not to be married for a long time, and I don’t believe that Sir Thomas and Lady Frederica are in such a desperate hurry to have me for their daughter. They like me very well, but they would have liked lots of other girls just as well. Geneviève, for instance, they were both perfectly captivated by her, and no wonder. She is a hundred times prettier than I, and she kisses Lady Frederica on both cheeks! And as for Trevor, mother, I am sure he is very contented to go on being comfortably engaged without any fuss. He dislikes fuss exceedingly.”
“You are talking nonsense, Cicely, to make me forget the serious part of it,” said Mrs. Methvyn. “But you must not. It is perfectly true that both your father and Trevor wish something to be decided. Trevor has begun to think of it very seriously of late I can see.”
“What is it that papa does want? Tell me plainly, mother. I will not joke any more,” said Cicely growing suddenly quiet.