Lord of the Far Island, Victoria Holt [world of reading TXT] 📗

have had a bowl of poison in one hand, a dagger in the other, and asked me to choose. It was her eyes which were daggers; her voice from which the poison dripped.

"Well," she said, "you have made a fine fool of us all."

I was in my petticoats, my hair about my shoulders.

"I?" I cried. I could not resist adding a little maliciously: "Why, I thought you would be pleased. It gets me off your hands!"

"You have suddenly grown innocent. I will admit you have done very well for yourself. You must have known all this time, and poor Esmeralda has been thinking that it would be her wedding which would be announced."

"I don't think she is disappointed."

"Ingratitude! Not that you have ever shown anything else. From the moment you entered this house you caused trouble. You are wicked and I am sorry for the Carringtons."

Why did I always want to incense her even further than I already had? But I did, and now I felt secure. I thought, I'll tell Philip about this. And then I was exultant because in the future I would have him to share things with. And I knew for the first time how very alone I had felt before.

"You have always led me to believe that the Carringtons are the most important family in London," I said. "I scarcely think they will want your pity."

"They do not seem to realize the . . . the . . ."

"Viper you have been nursing in your bosom?" I suggested, rather insolently I'm afraid, but I was intoxicated with my success.

"Pray do not try me too far. You have betrayed our trust in you."

"I know such a marriage was not what you intended for me," I said. "And to be governess for the Oman Lemming children was not what I wanted for myself. Fate has intervened, and has raised me from the status of Poor Relation, which I can assure you, Cousin Agatha, has sometimes been hard to bear."

"When I think of all I did for you ... I took you into my home. . . ."

"Because you made a solemn promise to my grandmother."

"Because you were of the family."

"Though the connection was not strong," I added.

She clenched her fists. She knew she was beaten. I was too flushed with victory that night.

She turned and said: "You are a schemer. I might have known it with such a mother!"

And with that she went out, which was just as well, for if she had remained, heaven knew what I would have said to her.

How life had changed for me! I had laughed in the past about the importance of the Carringtons and had imagined that Cousin Agatha had admired them so because they were more wealthy than she was and the leaders of a social set into which she wished to climb. It was more than that. Josiah Carrington was not only a banker and financier of great standing in the City, he was also adviser to the government and a power in diplomatic circles. His eldest son Rollo was following in his footsteps close behind and Philip was limping along in the right direction. Lady Emily, the daughter of an earl, was most highly connected and had before her marriage had a place at Court. Cousin William Loring, although comfortably off, was small fry in comparison; it was for this reason that marriage into the family had been considered such an advantage and even the younger son Philip a very ripe and desirable plum.

That I, the outcast, the Poor Relation, should have won the prize was almost comical. Rose told me that belowstairs the staff were "laughing their heads off." They were glad because they had never thought much of Cousin Agatha and they relished this "smack in the eye," as they called it, which Master Philip had administered.

I marveled at the knowledge of those belowstairs; there was little of what went on above that they missed, as I had reason to know. It was amusing to me to have Rose as a go-between.

Philip was a great favorite, Rose told me. He'd always been full of fun and mischief. Mr. Rollo was different. Very cold and aloof he was; and since that mysterious marriage of his had been very touchy, Rose reckoned. Mr. Carrington was a good master. He was always off here and there, always pulling off this and that big deal. And Lady Emily, she was well liked but seemed to be always in a dream. Never knew the housemaid from the parlormaid and the cook swore she didn't know the difference between her and the butler. Nevertheless, she was one of those mistresses who are not ill liked. You'd never find her poring over the household accounts or querying the price of this and that. Carringtons' was a good place to be in.

Philip and I would not be going into it, but we were going to have a house nearby and we would of course use the country mansion when we wanted it as all the family did.

There would be the fun of choosing the house and Philip said we would set about it right away. I had to keep assuring myself I hadn't imagined the whole thing. There was I, who had never been sure of my room, with a house all my own! The news had quickly come out and because Philip was a Carrington we were photographed for the society papers.

I felt as if I were indeed dreaming. There was a big picture of me in the Tatler. "Miss Ellen Kellaway, who is to marry Mr. Philip Carrington. Miss Kellaway lives with her guardians, Mr. and Mrs. Loring of Knightsbridge, and Mr. Carrington is, of course, the second son of Mr. Josiah Carrington."

I had taken on new status. Esmeralda was delighted. She embraced me and said how happy she was, for she could see I was in my element.

"Of course," she said, "it was obvious all the time. He always liked