Free Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer Page A

Sir Geoffrey, bristling with suspicion that his sister had taken it into her wayward head to befriend some Young Person who would prove to be an adventuress. Unfortunately, he arrived in Camden Place to find only Miss Farlow at home, and when he had learnt from her the circumstances under which Annis had made Lucilla's acquaintance he became convinced that his suspicion had been correct.
    "How can you have been so caper-witted?" he demanded of his sister, an hour later. "I had not thought it possible that you could be such a noddy! Pray, what do you know about this young woman? Upon my word, Annis—"
    "Heavens, what a piece of work about nothing!" interrupted Annis. "I collect you've been talking to Maria, who is positively green with jealousy of poor Lucilla! She is a Carleton: an orphan, living, since her mother's death, with one of her aunts; and since this Mrs Amber is in indifferent health Lucilla has come to stay with me for a few weeks, as a sort of prelude to her regular come-out. Ninian Elmore escorted her here, and—"
    "Elmore? Elmore? Never heard of him!" declared Sir Geoffrey.
    "Very likely you might not: he's a mere child, not long down, I fancy, from Oxford. He is the son and heir of Lord Iverley—and I daresay you haven't heard of him either, for I collect that he lives retired, at Chartley Place. A Hampshire family, and, even if you haven't heard of them, perfectly respectable, I promise you!"
    "Oh!" said Sir Geoffrey, slightly daunted. Chewing the cud of this information, he made a recover. "That's all very well!" he said. "But how do you know this girl is a Carleton? Not that I like the connection any the better if she is! The only one of the family I'm acquainted with is Oliver Carleton—"
    "Lucilla's uncle," interpolated Miss Wychwood.
    "Well, I can tell you this!" said Sir Geoffrey. "He's a damned unpleasant fellow! Got no manners, never scruples to give the back to anyone he don't happen to like, thinks his birth and his wealth gives him the right to ride rough-shod over men quite as well born as himself, and—in short, the sort of ugly customer I should never dream of presenting to my sister!"
    "Do you mean that he is a libertine?" asked Miss Wychwood.
    "Annis!" he ejaculated.
    "Oh, for heaven's sake, Geoffrey—!" she said impatiently. "I cut my wisdoms years ago! If you wouldn't dream of presenting him to me, what else can you mean?"
    He glared at her. "You seem to me to have no delicacy of mind!" he said peevishly. "What my poor mother would say, if she could hear you expressing yourself with such unfeminine want of refinement I shudder to think of!"
    "Then don't think of it!" she recommended. "Think instead of what Papa would say! Though I daresay that would make you shudder too! Where did you learn to be so mealy-mouthed, Geoffrey? As for Mr Oliver Carleton, between you, you and Lucilla have inspired me with a strong desire to meet him! She has told me that he has all but one of the faults you've described to me; and you have added the one she, naturally, knows nothing about. He must be a positive monster!"
    "Levity was ever your besetting sin," he said severely. "Let me tell you that it is not at all becoming in a female! It leads you into talking a deal of improper nonsense. A strong desire to meet a monster, indeed!"
    "But I have never seen a monster!" she explained. "Oh, well! I daresay it is nothing but a take-in, and he is much like any other man!"
    "I must decline to discuss him with you. I should suppose it to be extremely unlikely that you ever will meet him, but if some unfortunate chance should bring him in your way I should be doing less than my duty if I did not warn you to have nothing to say to him, my dear sister! His reputation is not that of a well-conducted man. And if we are to talk of take-ins, what reason have you to think you are not the victim of one? I don't attempt to conceal from you that I am far from satisfied that this girl is the innocent you believe her to be. I