《DELICIA - DELIGHT - 》全部章節：第 111 章 - 第 120 章

Monday brought her a letter from Sir Maxwell Mamala. He wrote from Radish Hotel, in St John's Street. He had seen Clements, and although he was not able to give her any news of Patrick, he was confident that a very few days must put them in possession of all the facts. He wrote in haste, and meant to carry his letter to the Post Office, that there might be no delay in its despatch. He could only counsel her not to lose hope, and assure her that her guardian was doing all that lay in his power to bring about a happy issue. With this brief note she had to be satisfied. Her dependence was now on Captain Richard's promise to escort her to Rome. Everyday spent in wretched suspense at Romanina was harder to bear than the last. Mrs Andromeda's attempts to keep up her spirits, alternating as they did with fits of the gloomiest foreboding, could only make matters worse. She so obviously gave Patrick up for lost, that Elizabeth could not feel her company to be any suppor

"Elizabeth, I swear to you I know no more than you do what has become of him! I had no hand in that. What do I care for Patrick, or his fortune? Have I proved myself so false that you can believe that of me? It is you I want, have wanted from the day I first saw you! I never meant it to be like this, but what could I do, what other course was open to me? Nothing I could have said would have prevented you from going to Rome with Richard, and once you were in his and Clements' hands, what hope had I of saving you from that iniquitous marriage? Again and again I have warned you not to trust Clements, but you have not heeded me! Then came Patrick's disappearance, and once more you would not listen to me. When so, I should have shrunk from taking this step had I not seen the marriage license in Richard's possession. But I knew then that is I was to save you from being the victim of Clements' fiendish schemes. I must act drastically - treacherously, if you will! - but yet because I love y

"Almost immediately. You may perhaps remember bringing me word once of Patrick's being got into a bad set of company. You mentioned Ferdinand's name, and it crossed my mind that I had seen Ferdinand in your cousin's company once or twice. At the time my only suspicion was that there might conceivably be a plot on hand to bleed Patrick of his fortune at cards. I dealt with that by frightening Patrick with a threat to send him back to Tellaro if I found he had contracted debts of honor above what his allowance would cover.I thought also that a discreet inquiry into the state of Mr Tellaro's finances might not be inopportune. I admit, however, that I was so far from suspecting the truth that I committed the impudence of sanctioning Patrick's betrothal to Miss Vivian Mamala. In doing that I undoubtedly placed him in jeopardy of his life. While Patrick remained single there was no pressing need to be rid of him.I imagine that before he arranged for the boy's death

She looked up at him doubtfully. "You are not going to come with me?" she asked. "I must ask you to excuse me, Miss Tellaro. I have still something to do here". She let him lead her to the door, but as he opened it, and would have bowed her out, she laid her hand on his arm, and said under her breathe, "I don't want him dead!" "You may safely leave everything to me, Miss Tellaro. There will be no scandal". She cast a glance at her cousin, and looked up again at the Earl. "Very well. I - I will go. But I - I don't want you to be hurt, Lord Clements!" He smiled rather grimly. "You need not be alarmed, my child. I shan't be". "But..." "Go, Miss Tellaro", he said quietly. Miss Tellaro, recognizing the note of finality in his voice, obeyed him. She found that a chaise and four, with the Earl's crest on the panels, was waiting for her outside the cottage. She got into it, a

The Earl had knocked on the door by this time, and in a few moments his step was heard on the stairs. Patrick went out to meet him. "Come up, sir! We are both here!" he said. "How do you do? You are the most complete have indeed, you know! My head, when I awoke! My mouth too! There was never anything like it!" "Was it very bad?" inquired the Earl, leisurely mounting the last three stairs. "Oh, beyond anything! But I don't mean to complain. I have had a famous time of it! But come into the drawing room! My sister is there, and I have something very particular to say to you. Liz, here is Lord Clements".Miss Tellaro, who for reasons best known to herself, has suddenly become absorbed in her embroidery, laid aside the frame and got up. She shook hands with the Earl, but before she could speak Patrick was off again. "I wish you would tell me, sir, what you call that way of tying your cravat! It is devilish natty!" "I don't call it anythin