Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (best book club books of all time txt) 📗

Secure Him In The Possession Of Both The Will And Her Silence; But Then

He Hated Her With A Cordial Hate. He Had Been For Years In Her Power.

During Her Residence At Vellenaux She Had Every Want Supplied,  And Was

Safe In Her Position. With The Only Evidence Of The Fraud That Had Been

Practiced In Her Own Keeping; She Had Outwitted Him And Had In Reality

Obtained The Best Of The Bargain. The Knowledge Of This Cut Him To The

Quick And He Detested Her In Consequence.

 

Yet His Only Chance Of Obtaining That Which He So Coveted Was By An

Offer Of Marriage,  Not That He Intended To Fulfil Any Such Promise,

Quite The Reverse,  It Would Be A Lie,  A Villainous Deception,  But Had He

Not Willingly Defrauded Miss Effingham Out Of Her Property? And What Was

One Lie,  More Or Less,  It Would Be But Diamond Cut Diamond,  And Turning

The Tables On Mrs. Fraudhurst. All These Thoughts Flashed Through His

Mind As He Sat Gazing Out Upon The Sunny Landscape Below Him,  If It Must

Be Done,  As Well Now As At Any Other Time,  Perhaps Better. He At Length

Arose,  And After Taking Two Or Three Turns Up And Down The Apartment In

Order To Nerve Himself For Action,  Stopped Beside The Chair Of The Fair

Widow.

 

"Eleanor," Said He,  Laying His Hand On Her Arm. She Looked Up Quickly,

For He Had Never Before So Addressed Her. "Eleanor,  You Are Unjust To Me

And To Yourself,  Ask Yourself Have I Ever Deceived Or Broken Faith With

You Since Our Compact After Sir Jasper's Death,  And The Answer Must Be

In My Favor. You May Say That I Have Acted Coldly And Kept Aloof From

You: This I Grant Is True,  But It Has Been Forced Upon Me; I Felt That

The Eyes Of The World Were Upon Us,  Watching Our Actions. Your Constant

Residence Here Has Been Talked Of And Cavelled At By Some Of The

Neighboring Families,  Who Have Not Recovered From The Surprise They Felt

On Hearing That Sir Jasper Had Died Intestate And Left His Orphan Niece

Unprovided For. It Was To Prevent Exposure That I Have Thus Acted

Towards You,  And I Believe That I Have Effectually Succeeded,  And Now I

Acknowledge That The Charm Of Your Society Has Become Almost

Indispensable To Me,  And I Will No Longer Be Held Back By The World's

Opinion. Listen To My Proposal,  Accept It Or Reject It As You Will,  I

Make It With All Sincerity. Place The Will Of The Late Baronet In My

Hands,  And Before This Day Month You Shall Be My Wife And Mistress Of

The The Manor."

 

"And Should I Survive You," She Said,  "Vellenaux And Its Broad Lands--"

 

"Reverts To Miss Effingham On Condition That She Allows You Five

Thousand Per Annum And A Suite Of Apartments In The West Wing,  During

The Remainder Of Your Life,  Which You Can Have Fitted Up To Suit Your

Taste And Convenience Without Delay,  In Case The Contingency You Mention

Should Arise Sooner Than I Anticipate."

 

"And This You Swear To Fulfil To The Letter," She Replied,  Advancing

Nearer And Fixing Her Eyes Upon Him As If To Read His Inmost Thoughts.

 

"On The Day After Our Marriage I Will Cause A Will To Be Drawn To That

Effect,  This I Swear To Do By The Honor Of Knighthood."

 

Her Countenance Lit Up And There Was A Sparkling Brilliancy In Her Large

Black Eyes As She Said,  "I Believe You--Wait A Few Seconds And I Will

Prove That I Do." She Then Quitted The Room,  But Did Not Keep Him Long

In Suspense; On Re-Entering She Placed The Parchment In His Hands,

Saying As She Did So,  "Remember I Now Trust You,  But Beware How You

Betray That Trust."

 

He Opened The Document And Glanced Over It,  To Satisfy Himself Of Its

Authenticity; His Legal Experience Enabled Him To Decide At Once That It

Was Genuine. "Eleanor." He Then Said,  Taking Her Hand,  "Our Interests

Chapter 14 Pg 89

Are Now Identical,  We Cannot Now But Act In Concert," And Raising Her

Hand To His Lips,  He Bowed Courteously To Her And Left The Room By One

Door,  While She Passed Out At Another.

 

"I Have Carried My Point,  Thought Sir Ralph As He Entered His Study,  And

Before This Day Month I Shall Have Sank Both Name And Title,  And Be An

Alien From My Native Land."

 

"I Have Carried My Point At Last," Exclaimed Mrs. Fraudhurst,  As The

Door Of Her Dressing Room Closed Behind Her; "Before This Day Month I

Shall Be Lady Coleman And Mistress Of Vellenaux."

 

It Was Late That Night Ere Sir Ralph Retired To Rest; Before He Did So

He Had Determined On His Future Career. For Years He Had Striven To

Wrest This Document From The Widow And Now With It In His Possession,  He

Lost No Time In Putting Into Execution The Plans He Had For So Long A

Time Been Maturing. This Was To Proceed Without Delay To London,  Raise

As Large A Sum As Possible By Mortgaging The Vellenaux Property To Its

Fullest Extent,  Then Retire To The Continent And Spend The Remainder Of

His Days In Foreign Travel,  Halting From Time To Time At The Different

Cities He Had Visited During The First Years Of His Married Life. For In

This Mode Of Living He Felt He Would Be More Secure Than He Could Ever

Hope To Be In England During The Life Of Mrs. Fraudhurst. It Is True

That He Could,  By Fulfiling His Promise Of Marrying The Widow,  Have

Sheltered Himself From The Consequences That Might Arise Should His

Share Of The Concealment Of The Will Ever Appear,  But He Could Escape

This Alternative By Pursuing The Course He Had Marked Out For Himself.

He Was Aware That A Desperate And Revengeful Woman Like Mrs. Fraudhurst

Would Leave No Stone Unturned To Bring About The Ruin Of The Man Who Had

Thus Deceived And Tricked Her; But The Old Lawyer Knew That She Was

Almost Powerless To Act Against Him With Any Chance Of Success,  As The

Only Two Persons Interested In The Matter Were,  To The Best Of His

Belief,  In India,  And Likely To Remain There For Some Years At Least,

And The Only Real Proof That A Will Had Been Made By The Late Sir Jasper

Coleman,  Was Now In His Possession,  Viz: The Will Itself,  And Her

Unsupported Testimony Would Not Be Taken As Evidence In Any Court Of

Law; Besides,  In The Transaction She Was In The Eyes Of The Law The More

Culpable Of The Two,  Being The Chief Instigator Of The Plot,  Therefore

It Was In A More Complacent Frame Of Mind That Sir Ralph,  Early The

Following Morning,  Ere The Self-Satisfied Widow Had Awakened From Those

Slumbers That Had Been During The Night Partially And Pleasantly

Disturbed By Means Of Her Coming Greatness As The Wife Of A Baronet And

The Lady Of Vellenaux,  Had Driven Over To Switchem And Taken His Seat In

The Up Train For Southampton,  In Order To Consult With The Lawyer Who

Had The Management Of His Estate. After Effecting This He Started For

London.

 

He Was Not Naturally A Bad Man At Heart,  And Had He Not Been Legal Heir

To The Baronetcy He Would Never Have Entered Into The Conspiracy To

Deprive The Rightful Owner Of The Property. He Had Always Been Of The

Opinion That The Late Baronet Would Make A Will Leaving The Principal

Portion Of His Property To His Niece,  But Fancied That He Would Come In

For A Couple Of Thousand A Year,  To Enable Him To Support The Title; But

Finding That His Name Did Not Appear In The Will,  He Felt Both

Disappointed And Annoyed Beyond Measure,  And Quite Ready To Acquiesce In

The Proposal Made Him By The Intriguing Ex-Governess.

 

It Was Not His Wish Or Intention From The First That The Will Should Be

Destroyed,  And He Had Certain Scruples Of Conscience Which Now

Prevented His So Doing. During His Journey By Train He Argued The

Subject Mentally. "They Are Both Young," He Thought,  His Mind Reverting

To Miss Effingham And Arthur Carlton,  "And Will,  In All Probability,

Survive Me Many Years; Let Them Buffet The Waves Of Fortune In Their

Chapter 14 Pg 90

Youth,  As I Have Done,  They Will Then Better Appreciate Their Accession

To Fortune Than They Probably Would Have Done,  Had They Come Into It At

An Earlier Stage Of Their Life; Besides,  Who Has A Better Right,  During

His Lifetime,  To Enjoy The Estate,  Than The Heir To The Title. The Will

Must,  Of Necessity,  Be Found Among My Papers After My Decease,  So All

Will Come Right In The End," And With This Consoling Plea He Settled

Himself Snugly Among The Cushions Of The First-Class Carriage Of The

Train That Was Now Leaving Southampton Far Behind,  On Its Upward Course

To London,  And Soon Fell Into A Doze.

 

In Another Carriage Were Seated Two Gentlemen Conversing In A Very

Lively And Animated Strain,  And Were Apparently Much Interested With

Scenery,  Farm Houses,  And Well Trimmed Hedges,  As The Train Whirled

Past. They Were Not Foreigners By Any Means,  Decidedly English In Every

Look And Action; About Eight And Twenty And Thirty,  Respectively,  And

Very Good Looking; The Tallest Was Decidedly Handsome; He Was Dressed In

Grey Tweed Of Fine Texture. They Had Entered The Carriage At

Southampton. A Man Of The World Would Have Pat Them Down,  From Their

General Appearance And The Well-Bronzed Hue Of Their Features,  As Either

Belonging To,  Or Having Served In,  The Military Or Naval Service Of

Their Country; And He Would Not Have Been Wrong,  For They Were None

Other Than Captain Carlton And Assistant-Surgeon Draycott,  Of H.M. Light

Dragoons,  Just Arrived From India On Furlough.

 

"We Are Going Along At Racing Speed," Said Draycott To His Companion,

"But It Will Hardly Keep Pace With Your Impatience To Reach London. Gad,

I Envy You The Possession Of So Fair A Bride. I Remember The First Time

I Met Her At Calcutta. I Thought Her The Most Loveable Girl I Had Ever

Seen; But What Chance Had A Poor Devil Of An Assistant-Surgeon,  Only

Just Arrived In The Country,  Surrounded,  As She Was,  By A Set Of Fellows

Old Enough To Be Her Father,  It Is True,  But With Rupees Enough To

Freight A Pattima? I Suppose That Ride Through The Goozeratte Did The

Business For You? She Is Just The Girl To Admire That Sort Of Thing."

 

A Suitable Reply Rose To Arthur's Lips,  But Very Different Words Escaped

Him.

 

"What The Devil Is That? A Collision,  By Thunder!" Exclaimed He,  As He

Picked Himself Up From The Opposite Seat On Which He Had Been Thrown By

The Violence Of The Shock. The Door,  Fortunately,  Had Been Forced Open

By The Concussion. Our Two Travellers Jumped Out On To The Track. Here A

Scene Of Confusion Met Their View. They Had Run Into A Freight Train

Which Was Coming From An Opposite Direction. Women And Children Were

Shrieking For Help,  Mingled With The Cries Of Those Injured,  With The

Loud Shouts