A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 16 THE VISCOUNT’S SCHEME He tore the leaf containing the message out of his notebook, and handed it to Lady Gaynor to read, remarking: “This merely foreshadows my plan of campaign. In any event, I am determined to make Lady Elaine the future Duchess of Rothwell, and the sooner the ceremony takes place the
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 15 LADY GAYNOR SHOWS HER HAND A week passed, and Lady Elaine had been permitted to indulge in almost perfect seclusion, but at length a message was sent to her announcing that Lady Gaynor wished to see her in her boudoir. The servant who delivered it glanced pityingly at the black-robed figure, and told the shabbily-dressed
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 14 AN EVIL GENIUS It was not until the funeral was over and my lord’s last will and testament had been read that Lady Elaine Seabright was brought to a knowledge of her true position. She had many sympathizing friends, and the new earl and lord of the domain kindly offered to leave
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 13 A STRANGE WILL Miss Nugent was bitterly mortified by the action of Colonel Greyson. He had promised to call upon her mother, and instead had taken himself off, no one knew whither, and with him the secret of Sir Harold’s movements. He had not even troubled himself to write one word of
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 12 COLONEL GREYSON’S VISIT That very day Mr. Hamilton had an unexpected visitor, and he knew at once that the friends of Sir Harold had discovered his retreat. He met the intruder at the garden gate, and Colonel Greyson (for it was he) regarded him suspiciously. “Good-morning, sir,” Hamilton said. “Good-morning,” was the gruff
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 11 MY PLACE IS HERE TO PROTECT THERESA. John Hamilton’s cottage was one of the prettiest of its kind. It was built of brown stone, and seemed to be a combination of nooks and gables. To the doors, both at the back and the front, there was a trellised porch, wreathed with trailing vines, roses and sweet-smelling
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 10 AT LADY GAYNOR’S BALL. A month had passed, and the world was beginning to forget that such a person as Sir Harold Annesley had ever existed. His man of business had closed the park, and dismissed half the servants, and it was the general belief that the eccentric young baronet was masquerading abroad. His
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 9 “I SHALL WAIT, IF NEED BE, FOREVER.” The mysterious, unaccountable disappearance of Sir Harold Annesley was the talk of all England. In some way, the quarrel between himself and Lady Elaine Seabright had got into the papers. First, it was published in a society journal; then it went the whole round of the press. This is the
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 8 “THE PAST IS ALL A BLANK.” It was four weeks before Sir Harold opened his eyes to the beauty of the summer world. There was not much wrong with him bodily, but mentally he was a wreck. His memory had been completely destroyed. He gazed wonderingly at his surroundings, and inhaled the odor of a hundred
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 7 SIR HAROLD’S DEPARTURE “Here is a letter for you to post, Stimson,” Sir Harold said, two hours later. “Put it into the box with your own hands. To-night I am going to London, and you must join me at the Southwestern Hotel to-morrow afternoon. I have placed my affairs in the hands of
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 6 THE LETTERS TIED WITH BLUE RIBBON Sir Harold Annesley had been in England so short a time that he had made few friends, and not even these had any particular claim upon him. He had no reason to consider them; he had no explanations to make. Was he of any importance, after all? There would be
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 5 “IF HE HAD ONLY COME HIMSELF.” “Show me into a room where I am not likely to be interrupted,” the old soldier said to the footman who stepped forward. “And tell Lady Elaine that I am here upon a matter of great urgency.” The footman grasped the situation with alacrity. The colonel was a favorite with
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 4 COLONEL GREYSON’S MISSION “She is heartless, soulless!” groaned Sir Harold. “Oh, Elaine, why should you be so fair and fickle?” He paced the floor like a man distraught. His eyes were bloodshot, his face ashy pale. This misery was more bitter than death. He had given the one great love of his life;
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 3 “MY GOD! ALL IS AT AN END.” Sir Harold Annesley was the most envied of men among his kind. He was young, wealthy and famous; possessed of a splendid physique, and the representative of an old and honorable line. There was no blot on the escutcheon of the Annesleys; the men had ever been noble and brave,
A Woman's Trust CHAPTER 2 A RIFT IN THE LUTE “She is the loveliest girl in all England,” the papers said, when the engagement of Sir Harold Annesley and Lady Elaine Seabright was announced. “And Sir Harold is the lion of the season. Both are extremely wealthy, and it is in every way a most suitable match.” The wooing and
A Woman's Trust Featured CHAPTER 1 “AT LAST I HAVE MET MY FATE.” Heading 1 “How ridiculously provoking you can be, Harold!”d “I do not think my remarks are ridiculous, Elaine.” “Your society is decidedly unpleasant when your conversation takes this morbid strain,” replied Lady Elaine Seabright. “I only asked you a natural question, darling,” said Sir Harold Annesley, an anxious light
Little sweetheart Chapter 3 A Full October Moon Twenty-four hours later it was night in Jacksonville—night, all lovely with countless stars and a full October moon. “The light of many starsQuivered in tremulous softness on the air,And the night breeze was singing here and there.” Before the gates of a palatial home, whose white walls glimmered
Little sweetheart Chapter 2 Sweet’art tired Sweetheart herself remained quite silent and pensive for a moment after her little song, as if it had touched some chord of sadness in her heart. Then she nestled her curly head softly against Norman de Vere’s broad breast. “Sweet’art tired, Sweet’art s’eepy,” she lisped in
Little sweetheart Chapter 1 The baby The smoking-car was draughty and ill-smelling; the three commercial travelers, with their cards and whisky, noisy to the point of rudeness, and the view from the windows of the slowly moving train was not interesting to one who had gone over the route to Jacksonville a dozen times before. The
In Love’s Hands Alone In The World A few days found Florence settled in her new home, and recognized as the instructress of Mrs. Railton’s daughters. It was fortunate for her that Susan Denham had warned her to expect many anxieties and unpleasantries in the duties she had undertaken, otherwise her inexperience and natural sensitiveness to
In Love’s Hands A New Home It was a bright morning in the early spring when Florence Heriton, accompanied by her father, left the dull, dirty street in Brompton to pay her first visit to the busy and pleasantly situated market town of Kirton-on-the-Thames. Mr. Heriton, clinging to his daughter’s arm for support and guidance,
In Love’s Hands Deserted With a silent grasp of the hand, Susan and Florence parted, for the latter did not feel that her intimacy warranted any inquiries into Julia’s affairs, and she was conscious that she had stayed from her father’s side too long already. He had been sleeping for some time,
In Love’s Hands Shattered Hopes It would be as useless as unpleasant to dilate on Mr. Heriton’s disappointment and anger when Florence related the issue of her visit to Lieutenant Mason. He had anticipated so much from the interview that his vexation was excessive. Perhaps he scarcely acknowledged to himself the whole of the
In Love’s Hands An Unpleasant Errand Two or three weeks passed away, during which Florence studied assiduously. She had an incentive to exertion in her father’s haggard looks and increasing uneasiness. Although he tried to hide it from her, he was evidently dissatisfied with the progress of affairs. “Mason assured me that I should receive
In Love’s Hands The Governesses For some time after Mrs. Blunden’s carriage rolled away from the door, Florence remained like one stupefied. As her aunt’s words resounded in her ears, a terrible suspicion grew upon her that there was truth in the tale, and that the money was actually withdrawn. She had a
