Emily burst into tears. “Lady Serena, it is useless to seek to interfere!” said Gerard. “This step has not been lightly taken! And as for being dishonourable, it’s no such thing! If you think I acted behind Rotherham’s back, you are much mistaken! Before ever I came to Bath I went to Claycross, and told my cousin what I should do!”

Lady Serena lowered her cup. “You told Rotherham you were going to elope with Emily?” she repeated.

He reddened. “No, not that! Well, I didn’t mean then to elope! I told him I should go to Bath, whatever he said, and if he didn’t choose to believe me, I’m sure it was not my fault!”

“Are we to understand that Rotherham, in fact, forbade you to approach Emily?” asked Serena. “My poor Gerard! What a fortunate thing it is that I was able to catch you! We must hope that this escapade doesn’t reach his ears, but there’s no saying that it won’t, and I am strongly of the opinion that you should book yourself a seat on the next London-bound coach.”

“I’m not afraid of Rotherham!” stated Gerard.

“Then I know just what you should do!” said Serena cordially. “Take the bull by the horns, my dear Gerard! You know what Rotherham is! Seek him out, and make a clean breast of it, and he won’t be nearly as angry!”

He cast her a look of intense dislike. “I’ve no desire to see him at all, ma’am!”

Serena spread mustard on a mouthful of ham, and said thoughtfully: “Well, I can’t but feel that if I stood in your shoes I had rather seek him than have him seek me. However, that is quite your own affair! But put this absurd Gretna Green idea out of your head, I do beg of you! If I fail to persuade you to abandon your project, I shall have no choice but to inform Rotherham immediately, and then you will see him somewhere on the road to Scotland. I shan’t envy you that meeting.”

Emily shrieked: “You would not! Oh, you would not do so cruel a thing!”

“Of course I should! It would be far more cruel to let you ruin yourself in Gerard’s company. And talking of ruin, pray how did you come by the money to pay for this trip, Gerard?”

“I suppose you think I stole it!” he said furiously. “If you must know, I borrowed it!”

“Who in the world was fool enough to lend you enough money to get to Gretna Green and back?” she demanded, quite astonished.

“I shall pay it back on the day I come of age! In fact, he holds my note-of-hand!”

“Who does? You know, this becomes more and more serious!” Serena said. “I fear Rotherham will be quite out of patience with you.”

“Well, he will not, because it was he who lent me the money!” retorted Gerard.

Mr Goring choked over a mouthful of bread and butter; Serena, after gazing in an awed way at Gerard for a few moments, said unsteadily: “You borrowed money from Rotherham to enable you to dope with the girl to whom he is betrothed? No doubt he gave you his blessing as well!”

“No, he did not! Of course I didn’t tell him I wanted it for—Well, I didn’t want it for that! I mean, I hadn’t thought of eloping then, or I shouldn’t have—though it isn’t as if I asked him to give me the money, after all!” he added defensively.

Mr Goring, listening to him in grim amusement, remarked dispassionately: “You’re certainly an original, Monksleigh!”

“Oh, Gerard, how could you?” said Emily. “Oh, dear, how dreadful everything is! I’m sure it would be very wrong of us to let Lord Rotherham pay for my marriage to you! Now I shall have to go back to Bath, and I wish I were dead!”

Gerard, who, to do him justice, had not until now considered this particular aspect of his exploit, flushed scarlet, and said in a deeply mortified voice: “Well, if it was wrong, at least I did it for your sake!”

Serena refilled her cup. “I daresay it may prove to be a blessing,” she observed. “His worst enemy never said of Rotherham that he had no sense of humour, and the chances are he would laugh so much that he would forget to be angry with you, Gerard.”

He did not appear to derive much comfort from this, but before he could speak, Emily said, tightly clasping her hands: “Lady Serena, I don’t want to marry Lord Rotherham! Oh, pray do not try to persuade me! I cannot love him!”

“Then I suggest that you tell him so,” replied Serena calmly.

“T-tell him so—?” repeated Emily, her eyes widening in horror.

“Yes, tell him so,” said Serena. “When a gentleman, my dear Emily, does you the honour to offer for your hand, and you accept his offer, the barest civility demands that if you should afterwards wish to cry off you must at least inform him of the alteration in your sentiments.”

Emily began to cry again. Mr Goring said: “Miss Laleham, pray don’t distress yourself! What Lady Serena says is true, but she should have told you also that you have nothing to fear in returning to Mrs Floore’s house! I can assure you that you will find in her a stout supporter! Had you informed her of your dislike of Rotherham, this unfortunate affair need never have been!”

She raised her wet eyes to his face in an incredulous look. “Oh, but Mama—!”

“Believe me,” he said earnestly, “Mrs Floore is more than a match for your mama! Indeed, my poor child, you must return with us! You have allowed the irritation of your nerves to overset your judgement: I have never met Lord Rotherham, but it is inconceivable to me that he, or any other man, could wish to marry a lady who held him in such aversion!”

“Mr Goring,” said Serena, “it is a happiness to have become acquainted with you! Your common sense is admirable! I can think of no one more unlikely than Rotherham to hold a reluctant female to her engagement to him, and you will own that I have reason to know what I am talking about!” A murmur from Emily caused her to whip round, saying, sharply: “If you bleat “Mama” just once more, Emily, you will find that I have a temper quite as much to be dreaded as Rotherham’s! Why, you little ninnyhammer, if it is Mama you fear, marry Rotherham tomorrow! You could not have found any man more capable of protecting you from her! Or, I dare swear, more willing to do so! Yes, you may stare! That had not occurred to you, had it? There is another thing that has not occurred to you! We have heard a great deal from you about the terror with which he has inspired you, but I have yet to hear you acknowledge that he has treated you during these weeks you have skulked in Bath with a forbearance of which I did not believe a man of his temper to have been capable! Why he should love such a sapskull as you, I know not, but it is clearly seen that he does! His reward is that when he at last tells you that it is time you came to a point, rather than summon up the courage to face him, and to tell him the truth, you elope with a silly schoolboy for whom you do not care the snap of your fingers! His own ward, too! Did you plan it, between the pair of you, to make him appear ridiculous? Of you, Gerard, I can believe it! After this day’s disclosures, it is not in your power to surprise me! You are an ill-conditioned puppy, without gratitude, without propriety, without a thought in your head for anything but what may happen to suit your pleasure!” Her scorching gaze swept to Emily’s horrified countenance. “You I acquit of all but childish folly, but I tell youthis, my girl: but for that saving grace—if grace you call it!—I should think you the most contemptible and vulgar of jilts!”

These flaming words not unnaturally left both the persons to whom they were addressed speechless and shaken. Gerard was red to the roots of his hair, Emily paper-white, and almost cowering in her chair. Mr Goring rose, and went to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Over her head he spoke to Serena. “No more, ma’am, I beg of you! You have said enough! She has indeed behaved ill, but you forget what you yourself have said!—She is the merest child: one, moreover, who is timid, and has felt herself to be alone, and has never known the sympathy and support which girls more fortunately circumstanced than herself enjoy!”

“Yes!” burst in Gerard. “But when I rescue her, and try to protect her—”

“If you have the slightest regard for your skin, be silent!” interrupted Mr Goring, his voice losing some of its deliberate calm. “No man who wishes to protect an ignorant girl persuades her into taking a step that must expose her to the censure and the contempt of the world!”

The storm vanished from Serena’s face, and she gave an involuntary laugh. “You set us all to rights, Mr Goring! There is really no more to be said, and if we are to be in Bath again by dinner-time we should set forward immediately. You need not look so scared, Emily! I shan’t scold you any more—and I hope you will not, because I once lost my temper with you, imagine me to be an ogress!”

“Oh, no, no!” Emily stammered. “How could I? I never meant—I didn’t think—”

“But you have turned Rotherham into an ogre, have you not?” Serena said, arching her brows. “Come! I think you would do well to wait until you have seen him again before you decide to jilt him, my dear. It may be, you know, that you will find that the picture you have painted is a false one. If he still seems terrible to you, why, then, tell him you wish to cry off!” She held out her hand, but spoke to Mr Goring. “Do you come with us, sir?”

“I shall ride behind the chaise, ma’am.”

“Emily!” exclaimed Gerard. “Will you permit yourself to be dragged from my side?”

“I am so very sorry!” she said, trembling. “Pray forgive me! I didn’t mean to behave so wickedly!”

“My dear Gerard, if you wish to remain at Emily’s side, you have only to hire a horse!” said Serena. “Then, when Rotherham comes to Bath, you may confront him together.”