A Wandering Bride

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3491, 3 April 1912, Page 3

A Wandering Bride

BY MARION WARD.

Author of “Love’s Thorny Path,” “His Fair Lady,” etc. (Published by Special Arrangement All Rights Reserved.) CHAPTER XIV.

It was a delightful little dinner, for Mrs Vernon was a perfect hostess, and Ronald was already quite at home with her ; if Lucy contributed very little to the conversation, the others put her silence down to her recent illness, but in the drawing-room later, when Lucy was resting on the sofa, Ronald and liis aunt touched oil a topic which interested the gill .so intensely that it was all she could do to prevent herself from chiming in with half-a-dozen questions. Again and again she had to remember that the real Lucy Marsh would never have heard of Northcliff and his hehess, and so she must betray no acquaintance with either, for the news Ronald had to import to his aunt concerned Horn a Daventry.

“I had a most unexpected visitor this morning,” .Ronald began, when Mi r, V-ernon had poured out the coffee and he had carried a cup to Lucy’s sofa. “I will give you three guesses, but I am sure you will never guess who it was.”

“Gerald,” said -Afro Vernon, quickly. “He is just the age to get into scrapes, and he would bo sure to think a. lawyer cousin the best person to help him out of them.” “You are a wonderful woman, Aunt Lucy. I should never have thought of that. But poor 1 Gerald is too ill, I should say, for scrapes, and you arc wrong, for my visitor was his father.” “Sir Lionel ! I thought he had dropped you?”

“So lip did, tacitly, when I became a lawyer. It seems to have occurred to him, however, that- my belonging to a profession lie detests might be turned to account, for lie has various doubts and misgivings about his relations. and yet objects to discuss family- matters with a stranger, so he came to ask my legal opinion.” “Gratis?” asked Mrs Vernon, with a shrewd smile.

“Certainly. ' Sir Lionel docs not believe'in wasting money..' Besides, since I am not in practice for myself. I could hardly charge him a fee. Don't look at me as though I were betraying a professional confidence, Aunt Lucy. Sir Lionel told me nothing he would not have-told you if you had happened to be on visiting terms with him. His trouble is about Colonel Daventry.”

“Colonel Daventry?” repeated Mrs Vernon. “I am not sure I know whom yog mean. Is not his daughter the heiress of Northcliff ?” “The owner, not the heiress,” answered Ronald. “I’ll put it in a nutshell, Aunt Lucy. and then you’ll understand. Sir Lionel inherited the title from his uncle, Sir Geoffrey \ ernon„ but the latter left his private fortune, besides Northcliff and its revenues, to hits only child, Mrs Daventry. It was only natural that lie should prefer Iris daughter to inherit them rather than a mere nephew, hut lie settled tlie property on her in a way which lias caused Sir Lionel to lie at-loggerheads with her husband ever since her death.” “I can’t see how that could he,” objected Mrs Vernon. “"Well, listen. Mrs Daventry died soon after her father, and then the peculiar conditions of his will began to take effect. .He settled Northcliff to go at her death to her only child, Lorna, and if Lorna lives to be twen-ty-one .she can leave the property to whom she pleases and alienate it for ever from tjio Vernons.” "“I must sav that sounds unjust,” said Mrs Vernon. “I remember how, when the news of Sir Geoffrey’s death reached us in India, my husband said he had left,a legacy of -discord.”

“So he did. You see the estate is a fine oiie, and dear to the; Vernon family from long association, and then there is a sum of fifty thousand pounds in the funds, besides the revenues of Northcliff.

“Uncle Lionel so thoroughly distrusts Colonel .Daventry that he believes him capable of substituting a false heiress fox- Lorna if she dies before she is twenty-one, or, in other words, before she can make a will in her father’s favor-

“Ever since our cousin, the first Mrs Daventry, died, Sir Lionel has been expecting Lorna to follow her, t -)i* fhe poor girl is known to be consumptive. Indeed, two years ago, the Northcliff doctor met Uncle Lionel in London and tolcl him then' that practically no earthly power could prolong Lorna’s life beyond a Lew months.

“Strangely enough' .the Daventry family spent a month lately .at Ooihbniofitli, close to Easteliff, and though Sir Lionel eras never fortunate enough to meet Lorna herself, lie knows several people of undoubted honor who saw ’ her, they all told him thatthough delicate she was by no means moribund, and that they saw no reason to doubt -her reaching womanhood.

“Air. Airlie is dead, and a new doctor lias bought his,, practice at Northcliff, but he has never been called in to attend Aliss Daventry; her health

is watched over by a friend of her father’s, a Scotchman, who devotes himself more to scientific pursuits than general practice.

“According to report, Ldrna’s health began to improve as soon as this man took her case in hand, but Sit Lionel believes that the real Lorna died very soon after his own meeting with Mr. Airlie; and that tin’s Scotchman—Brent his name is—conspired with Colonel Daventry to put another girl in her place, thus introducing a spurious'heiress to stand between the Vernons and Northcliff.’’

Lovcclay lay with closed eyes, hardly, daring to move, for fear she should betray the intense interest that she felt. 4

“She is asleep,” said Mrs Vernon, looking tenderly at the girl. “I am glad, because I should not like her to hear such a painful subject discussed. Ronald, do you share Sir Lionel’s suspicions?”

“I don’t know what to think,’’ was the grave reply. “I am afraid there is no -doubt that Colonel Daventry is an unscrupulous man; he has no money of his own whatever, and liis wife and her family are kept in luxury out of Lorna’s income. It would, of course, be a terrible thing for him if his daughter died -before she could make a will providing for them, but, on the other hand, an officer and a gentleman ought to he above such a vile conspiracy as Uncle Lionel hints at.” ‘ ’

“What-does Sir Lionel want you to do?”

“To go down to Northcliff and make careful inquiries. Air. Airlie has been dead little more than eighteen months, and if the real Lorna died and a false heiress was substituted for her, it must have happened immediately after hie decease.”

“Why does not Sir Lionel go him-

self ?” “Because he is known by sight both to Colonel Daventry and his second wife. I refused the mission, for I hate the whole business; it is bad enough, Aunt Lucy, to wait for a dead* man’s shoes, hut to count on the death of a girl, a mere child, seems to he more revolting still. I don’t deny that as one of the Vernons of North-cl-iff, I’d rather the old place passed to my Uncle Lionel and Gerald after him than to a spurious Aliss Daventry but I. cant’ move in the matter myself.” Mrs Vernon left the room to feten some Indian photographs she wanted to show Ronald, and when she had gone the young lawyer was surprised to see Lucy Alarsh open her eyes. “Have you had a nice nap?” “I have not been to sleep. I have heard all that you and your aunt were saying.” ■ “It is a strange story,” said Ronald, “but I suppose there are many secret anxieties in old families. AuntLucy did not want to discuss it- before you. I fancy she thinks you have had troubles enough of your own already.” “I have had a great deal of trouble. Air Vernon, I have never been so happy as I have been here. No one lias over been so kind to me as your aunt, so you will think me ungrateful and disobedient, too, but I want to- say something to you about the story you were discussing, and I want you to promise not to tell her.” Ronald felt utterly bewildered, blithe star-like blue eyes were fixed on him in such piteous entreaty that against his judgment he answered gently : “Tell me what von like, and I promise it shall he a secret between us two.” “It is just this: the girl at Nortucliff is really and truly Lorna Daventry. lam so sure of it that I would swear to it.” Ronald looked at Lucy Alai-sli in the utmost bewilderment. There was truth in every accent of her voice, and she spoke as one stating a fact, not merely giving an opinion. “How in the world can you know?” lie asked. “Surely you have not seen the family a‘t Northcliff?” “Please don’t ask me any-questions ; I dare not answer them truly, and I will not tell you a falsehood . AH I can sav is this. I was pt Coirobmouth last August while Colonel Daventry and his family were there, and I know the girl there called Lorna was bis own child.” Lucy Marsh met Ronald’s strange, troubled gaze, and the tears started to her eyes. “Indeed, I am not wicked,” she said piteously, “and I never told vour aunt an untruth; I only kept silent, for I couldn’t, 'bear to say anything that would make her angry.with me. Air. Vernon, I ,am the loneliest and most friendless girl in all the world; don’t let your aunt know that I have kept back the truth- —that 1 have deceived her.” And then some strange r ,jte\v feeling rushed through Ronald Vernon’s veins which lie could neither understand nor describe-; he only knew that though the girl on the sofa- might be weak and erring, lie could never be the one to betray her; that though it might bo that Airs Vernon’s niece was deceiving her cruelly, yet he could never be the one to open liis aunt’s eyes, and an almost uncontrollable longing seized him to take the fragile, beautiful girl in his arms and hold her pressed to his heart, while lie told her that lie would protect and-defend her from all the world. But it never crossed Ronald’s mind that- this now feeling so strange and indescribable, was love; that he who had reached the age of twenty-six, heart-whole and fancyfree, had fallen captive to a pair of blue oyesl i (To he Continued.)