Page:Herbert Jenkins - The Rain Girl.djvu/100

 "Beg pardon, sir; but 'er Ladyship would like to speak to you."

The voice seemed to come suddenly from nowhere. Beresford turned to find Rogers, Lady Drewitt's first footman, at his elbow. He looked beyond Rogers and saw Lady Drewitt herself seated in her carriage, examining him attentively through her lorgnettes. With her was Mrs. Edward Seymour.

Beresford walked slowly and reluctantly towards the carriage. What cursed luck, he told himself, to run up against Aunt Caroline so early in his adventure.

Caroline, Lady Drewitt, was the widow of the second Baron Drewitt of Tonscombe, who had died at the age of fifty, leaving to his lady an enormous fortune and to his nephew, Philip, the title with two thousand a year. The first Baron had gone "up-stairs" by virtue of the famous Drewitt Ales, and a profound belief in the soundness of Tory principles and legislative inspiration.

Lady Drewitt took it as her mission in life to see that "the family" behaved itself. Whenever a Drewitt or a Challice—Lady Drewitt was a Challice before her marriage—got into difficulties the first thought was, what would Lady Drewitt think? but this was as nothing to the morbid speculation as to what she would probably say. She had a worldly brain and a biting tongue. She never strove to smooth troubled waters; but by making them intolerably rough frequently achieved the same end.