The Love Child

The gondola stopped.

My captor had leaped out and was waiting to receive me. I refused to get out. Just then a gondola shot past us. I did not see it stop because I was by then struggling in the arms of the gondolier who was trying to hand me up to my captor who was prepared to drag me up to him. I was very frightened, for I knew that I could not hold out indefinitely.

Suddenly I saw a dark figure spring upon the man. He spun round and I heard him give a cry of pain and anger. I could see the two figures struggling and then there was a cry as one of them fell into the canal.

The gondolier had released me. He was attempting to move away when a voice cried: “Wait.” I felt joy sweep over me, for it was Leigh’s voice.

The gondolier seemed to be struck with terror. The man who had tried to abduct me was clawing at the gondola; but Leigh was reaching for me and I sprang up into his arms.

He did not say anything. In a few seconds we were getting into the gondola in which Leigh had followed me, and were swiftly moving away down the canal.

I looked back fearfully and saw that my would-be abductor was being pulled into the gondola by his accomplice.

“Oh, Leigh!” I cried.

He put his arm about me and directed the gondolier to take us to the Palazzo Carpori.

We did not speak until we were in the palazzo.

Then he said: “Thank God I saw you.”

“You saw me dragged away?”

“Yes. I came to look for you. Thank God I was in time.”

“I was so frightened, Leigh.”

“I’m not surprised. I told Harriet that you should not have gone to the ball. You’re too young for affairs like that. These people … well, you don’t understand. They are capable of all kinds of villainy.”

“Who was that man?”

“I know his reputation. I regret to tell you he is one of our own countrymen. He has been involved in scandals at home. He’s a friend of the Earl of Rochester-and you know what that means. Abductions of young ladies is one of their favourite games.

I’d like to break his neck. I would have given him something to remember tonight but I was thinking of getting you back.”

“Oh, Leigh, you are a comfort to me.” I put my arms about his neck. “If you hadn’t been there…”

“But I was there. You’ve nothing to fear while I’m around. How did you come to miss me?”

“It was my fault.”

“Idiot!” He spoke tenderly. “I’m going to talk to Harriet. There are to be no more masked balls for you. I don’t want you attending such dens of iniquity when I am not there to protect you.”

He kissed me tenderly and I longed to tell him of my love for Jocelyn and why I was here, but it was not only my secret now. It was Harriet’s as well and she had distinctly said that Leigh was not to be told.

I was upset and nervous. I must be very careful.

Leigh told me that the man’s name was Beaumont Granville and that he was a gambler, a profligate and rake. “He has gone through a fortune and is now on the Continent in disgrace. He abducted an heiress … only fourteen years old. He hoped to marry her. He needed her fortune. By good luck, her father caught him in time. He had to get out of the country quickly.”

“Oh, Leigh, how lucky I’ve been that you were there.”

“It makes me mad with fury to contemplate the plans he had for you.”

“I’m no heiress.”

“He likes to amuse himself with young girls. It’s only the heiresses he wants for marriage. You have no idea what wicked people there are in the world, Priscilla.

You have learned a lesson tonight. Where was Christabel? Surely she was supposed to be looking after you?”

“You were doing that. She must have discreetly vanished when you took over. They will miss us at the unmasking.”

“Not they! There is too much of a crush.”

“Harriet …”

“She’ll presume I brought you here. I told her I would if it became too rowdy.”

I smiled gratefully. This was one of the occasions when I enjoyed being looked after.

“You’re very shaken,” he said. “That was more of an ordeal than you realize.”

I flushed slightly. If he knew of my condition would he be so concerned with my innocence?

But that sweet and tender love with Jocelyn had been so different from what might have happened tonight.

I said: “You yourself couldn’t have emerged without a scratch.”

“That’s just about all I did get. I had him from behind and he was in the water almost immediately. That’ll cool him down a little I imagine. I’m sorry he got off so lightly.”

“We shouldn’t want trouble. He was all right. I saw him getting back into the boat.”

“Now listen to me, Priscilla. You must be very careful in this place. It’s not Eversleigh, you know. I shall speak to Harriet and Christabel. I don’t want you ever to go out without one of them.”

“I don’t.”

“You have seen tonight that it is necessary to take especial care. It’s unfortunate that I have to leave the day after tomorrow.”

“I shall remember, Leigh.”

“You must look on this as a lesson,” he went on. “If it helps you to be more careful it will have been worthwhile.”

“I was careful. From the moment I saw him I tried to escape. He frightened me so much.”