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Lord Beltravers and his sisters were now expected at Old Forest immediately, and Beauclerc went thither early every morning, to press forward the preparations for the arrival of the family, and he seldom returned till dinner-time; and every evening Lady Castlefort contrived to take possession of him.
Disappointed not to see Beauclerc himself, she could only conclude that as he had not his horse with him, he was returning in the boat. The answer to her letter was brought in. At the first glance on the direction, her countenance changed. "Not Granville's hand! what can have happened?" She tore open the note, "He is gone! gone with Lord Beltravers set off! gone to Paris!"
"I do not usually form my judgment," replied the general, "from reports either of friends or enemies; I have not the honour of knowing any of Lord Beltravers' enemies." "Enemies of Lord Beltravers!" exclaimed Lady Davenant. "What right as he to enemies as if he were a great man? a person of whom nobody ever heard, setting up to have enemies!
However, she concluded that he had gone over thus early to Old Forest, to see his friend Lord Beltravers, who was to have arrived the day before, with his sisters. She saw a boat rowing down the river, and she had no doubt he was gone.
Churchill had suggested that if any body knew the bottom of the matter, except that origin of all evil Lady Katrine herself, it must be Lord Beltravers, with whom Lady Castlefort was, it was said, fortement eprise, and as Horace observed, "the secrets of scandal are common property between lovers, much modern love being cemented by hate."
"No, not form an acquaintance I'm quite aware of that," and eagerly she pleaded that she had no intention of doing anything; "but just one morning visit paid and returned, you know, leads to nothing. Probably we shall neither of us be at home, and never meet; and really it would be such a marked thing not to pay this visit to the Beltravers family on their return to the country.
Miss Stanley, so good! Mr. Beauclerc, so happy! the general could not? so sorry!" Then with hand pressed on hers, "Miss Stanley, so kind of you to come. Lady Grace, give me leave Miss Stanley Lady Grace Bland," and in a whisper, "Lord Beltravers' aunt." Lady Grace, with a haughty drawback motion, and a supercilious arching of her brows, was "happy to have the honour."
Besides her sympathy in Helen's happiness, Cecilia was especially rejoiced at this letter, coming, as it did, the very day after her mother's return; for though she had written to Lady Davenant on Beauclerc's departure, and told her that he was gone only on Lord Beltravers' account, yet she dreaded that, when it came to speaking, her mother's penetration would discover that something extraordinary had happened.
"I wish she was gone, I am sure, with all my heart," said Cecilia; "but in the mean time, tell me, my dear Clarendon, do you know whether Lord Beltravers' sisters are at Old Forest?" The general did not think that Lady Blanche had arrived; he was not certain, but he knew that the Comtesse de St. Cymon had arrived yesterday. "Then," said Cecilia, "it would be but civil to go to see the comtesse.
This was just at the time when Lord Beltravers returned from abroad after his sister's divorce. He by some accident found out who Carlos was, and whence he came, and full of his own views for his sister, he cross-examined him as to every thing he knew about Miss Stanley; and partly by bribes, partly by threats of betraying him to Lady Davenant, he contrived to get from him the copied letters.
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