She waited only until the servant had withdrawn before exclaiming: “Oh, Max, have you heard what has happened?”

He had fully expected to be met by an outburst of wrath, and could only suppose that her ladyship’s first rage, like his own, had worn itself out. “Yes,” he replied curtly. “I know. I am sorry, aunt.”

“It is not your fault,” she said. “I was never so taken aback in my life!”

“It was my fault,” Ravenscar said. “I had the means to stop it, and I was fool enough not to use them.”

She stared at him. “Good heavens, Max, you never said a word to me about it! Do you tell me you knew all along what he really meant to do?”

He came to the fire, and stood with his back to it, looking down at her with a puzzled frown. “I don’t understand you, ma’am. Surely we both knew?”

“But I never knew of the girl’s existence until today!” cried Lady Mablethorpe, in the liveliest astonishment.

“Never knew of her existence?” he repeated blankly. “What in God’s name are you talking about, aunt?”

“I am talking about this child whom Adrian says he has married! What are you talking about, pray?”

“Child! Am I mad, or are you?” demanded Ravenscar. “Adrian has married Deborah Grantham!”

“But he has not!” said her ladyship. “He has married one of the Laxton girls!”

“What?” thundered Ravenscar.

His aunt winced. “For heaven’s sake don’t shout at me! I have borne enough this day! So you did not know! He threw as much dust in your eyes as in mine!”

Mr Ravenscar seemed to experience some difficulty in speaking, but after a moment’s stunned silence he managed to say with tolerable composure: “I am utterly at a loss, ma’am, and must beg you to enlighten me! Are you sure that you have understood what Adrian told you?”

“Of course I am sure! Do you think I am in my dotage? He has married Phoebe Laxton—a child three years younger than himself, if you please! And that Grantham woman helped him to do it!” Lady Mablethorpe fanned herself in an agitated way, and added: “It is the most absurd thing ever I heard! A couple of babies to be setting up housekeeping! The girl is as good as portionless, too! Oh, I do not know what to do about it! There is nothing I can do, but to think that I should be obliged to receive Augusta Laxton with an appearance of complaisance when there is no one I dislike more! It does not bear thinking of!”

Mr Ravenscar, who was looking extremely pale, broke in on this to say: “Have the goodness, ma’am, to be a little more intelligible! This sounds to me like a farrago of nonsense! When did Adrian meet Miss Laxton? How is it possible that he can have married her?”

“He met her at Vauxhall, when he was there with that dreadful woman. It seems that she had run away from Sir James Filey, whom the Laxtons were pressing her to marry. Well, I must say I think she did right to run away from such a satyr! A hateful man, and if you had but known his mother! But that’s neither here nor there! What must Adrian do—urged on, of course, by that Grantham woman, though why she should I cannot imagine, for anyone must have guessed what would come of it, with a boy of his romantic notions! Well, what must he do but spirit the girl away to Lady Bellingham’s house, where she was kept hidden until Filey chanced to see her looking out of the window one day, and recognized her!”

“Good God!” exclaimed Ravenscar, paler than ever. “I do recall hearing some talk of the Laxton girl’s being missing! She was in St James’s Square all the time?”

“Yes, falling in love with my son!” said her ladyship, with a good deal of feeling. “Under the Grantham woman’s nose! She must be a fool, one would think! For what could be more natural than for Adrian to tumble head over ears in love with a child who was calling him her saviour, and thinking him a perfect Sir Galahad, or whoever it was who went about rescuing foolish females! Oh, I can see it all! And I must say, Max, dreadful though it all is, his marriage has improved him already! He seems to have grown up in a flash. If I had not been so angry, I could have laughed to have heard him telling me so sternly how he would have me receive his wife, and how he would not permit anyone to do or say anything that might distress her! He has gone off to call upon Lord Laxton, as cool as you please! A boy of his age! Heaven knows what the Laxtons will say, but they may consider themselves lucky to have married their daughter so well, and so I shall tell Augusta, if she dares to—oh, but, Max, he is too young to be married! I cannot bear it!”

Mr Ravenscar paid no attention to this. “But the marriage! Do you tell me Adrian took this girl to Gretna Green?”

“No, he was not so lost to all sense of propriety as that, I am thankful to say! When Filey discovered her presence in Lady Bellingham’s house, Phoebe was so terrified that she would be dragged back to her parents’ house, and forced to marry him, that there was nothing for it, Adrian said, but to take her away immediately. Laxton’s sister lives in Wales, and seems to have been a good friend to Phoebe from the outset. Adrian hired a post-chaise, bundled her and the Grantham woman into it, told me he was off to stay with Tom Waring, and set out for Wales! With a special licence in his pocket, Max! Only fancy Adrian’s thinking of everything, just as though he were not a perfect greenhorn! One cannot help feeling proud of him! They were married from this aunt’s house, and now Adrian says he means to insert a notice in the Morning Post!”

“My God, my God, what have I done?” burst from Mr Ravenscar. He sprang to his feet, and began to pace about the room as though he could not be still another instant.

His aunt regarded him with astonishment. “I cannot conceive what you should have done! I do not blame you. I could not have guessed that anything so fantastic would happen.”

“You do not know what I have done!” said Ravenscar over his shoulder. “But never mind that! Where is Adrian’s bride?”

“He has left her in Wales. I declare I could have boxed his ears! He had the effrontery to tell me that he means to bring her to London, but would not do so until he was assured that she would be received with the civility due to his wife!”

Mr Ravenscar smiled for the first time since his meeting with his cousin that afternoon. “Capital! I hope he will come and tell me so too. He told me only that he was married and the happiest man on earth when I met him on his way to break the news to you. I daresay I shall receive a stern warning from him when next I see him.”

“But what is to be done?” demanded Lady Mablethorpe.

“There is nothing to be done, ma’am. It might, after all, have been very much worse.”

“Certainly, if he had married the Grantham creature, but do you tell me I must countenance this match?”

“Unless you wish for a breach with Adrian, undoubtedly,” replied Ravenscar.

“Oh, Max!” said her ladyship, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t feel as though I can bear it!”

“It is certainly a severe shock, ma’am, but however much you may dislike the girl’s parents there is nothing wrong with her breeding. The greatest ill we have to fear is that Laxton will try to extort money from Adrian, and that he cannot do until the boy comes of age, by which time I must hope to have been able to drum a little sense into his head.”

“That is just what I said, but Adrian vows he does not mean to be bled by a man who has behaved as abominably towards his daughter as Laxton has towards Phoebe. He says he may very likely take care of the younger girls, but there it will end.”

The thought of his cousin’s expressing a paternal readiness to take care of the younger girls made Ravenscar burst out laughing. His aunt suddenly perceived the humour of it, and cried and laughed together, and felt very much better for it.

“Send Adrian round to my house in the morning,” Ravenscar said. “I will talk over the question of settlements with him, and see Laxton myself. We shall have to consult Julius, of course, but you had better persuade him to let me handle the business.”

Lady Mablethorpe had no hesitation in approving of this. Julius, she said, was an old fool, who would allow Laxton to talk him into anything.

“Well, Laxton won’t talk me into anything,” promised Ravenscar, and took his leave of her.

When he walked away from the house, it was with the intention of repairing at once to St James’s Square, but before he had reached the end of the street he recalled that Lady Bellingham was holding a card-party that night, and stopped. There could be no opportunity of holding any private conversation with Miss Grantham that night, and what he had to say to her could not be said in public. He was obliged to abandon his plan, and to turn homewards, to possess his soul in what patience he could muster until the following day.

His cousin arrived at the house while he was still at breakfast, and for the next hour he was fully occupied in listening to an account of the runaway marriage, accompanied by a rapturous description of young Lady Mablethorpe’s manifold charms and virtues, the recital of which led him privately to infer that she was a pretty little creature, without much sense, and certainly no strength of character. He thought she would do very well for Adrian. For himself, he preferred women of more spirit.

When Adrian had talked himself out, and all the business of settlements had been discussed, it was nearly noon. Adrian, who seemed to have taken his father and mother-in-law by storm, and to have cowed them into a dazed acceptance of the situation, was very anxious that his cousin should call immediately at the Laxton’s house. Ravenscar fobbed him off, however, by saying that he must first consult his fellow trustee; thrust him upstairs to regale Arabella and Mrs Ravenscar with the story of his marriage; and himself made good his escape from the house, and set off for St James’s Square.