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Updated: May 31, 2025
"But you will understand clearly that to you I told a lie when I said that Madaline's mother was a poor relative of the duke's you know now what relationship there is between them. Even Lady Peters does not know the truth. She fancies that Madaline is the daughter of some friend of mine who, having fallen on evil days, has been glad to send her to me.
If you could make me out innocent, you would marry her; if you cannot what then? Am I right?" All the pride of his nature rose in rebellion against this coarse speech. He, an Arleigh of Beechgrove, to hear this reprobate sneering at his love! His first impulse was an angry one, but he controlled himself. After all, it was Madaline's father for Madaline's sake he would be patient.
She seemed to have every comfort, every luxury; but Margaret noticed also that she never spoke of her circle of society that she never alluded to visitors. "It seems to me, my darling, that you lead a very quiet life," she said, one day; and Madaline's only answer was that such was really the case. Another time Margaret said to her: "You do not write many letters to your husband, Madaline.
Oh, Heaven, could it be that after all these years he was really going to see Madaline's child, his own lost daughter? Very soon he found himself looking on a fair face framed in golden hair, with dark blue eyes, full of passion, poetry, and sorrow, sweet crimson lips, sensitive, and delicate, a face so lovely that its pure, saint-like expression almost frightened him.
It might be a mésalliance, a bad match, but it was decidedly a case of true love, of the truest love she had ever witnessed; so that her dislike to the task before her melted away. After all, Lord Arleigh had a perfect right to please himself to do as he would; if he did not think Madaline's birth placed her greatly beneath him, no one else need suggest such a thing.
It was a grand picture, one that had been bought by the lords of Beechgrove, and the present Lord Arleigh took great delight in it. He watched the long folds of Madaline's white dress, as she passed along the gallery, and then the hangings fell behind her. Once more he held up the packet. "A wedding present from Philippa, Duchess of Hazlewood, to Lord Arleigh."
Never, while he lived, could he make his beautiful wife his own truly they were indeed parted for evermore. There remained to him to write that letter; should he consent to Madaline's mother living with her or should he not? He reflected long and anxiously, and then having well weighed the matter he decided that he would not refuse his wife her request.
Every little grace of manner seemed to come naturally to her; she acquired a tone that twenty years spent in the best of society does not give to some. Then I persuaded Vere, my husband, to take me to Paris for a few days, telling him I wanted to see the daughter of an old friend, who was at school there. In telling him that I did not speak falsely Madaline's mother had been an old friend of mine.
"Oh, but we would be sure to hear of anything big enough to win the Bronze Cross," Grace assisted Madaline's argument. "And the True Treds are all so brave and such a fine set of girls! Land knows, I tried hard enough with tieing my man to the tree!" and she indulged in one of her unpredicted gales, "and now to think even he has deserted us!"
From being a violent opponent of the marriage, Lady Peters became one of its most strenuous supporters. So they went away to St. Mildred's, where the great tragedy of Madaline's life was to begin. On the morning that she went way, the duchess sent for her to her room. She told her all that she intended doing as regarded the elaborate and magnificent trousseau preparing for her.
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