Part 1 (1/2)
My Brave and Gallant Gentleman
by Robert Watson
CHAPTER I
The Second Son
Lady Rosereeable nightmares loom up before the mental vision at the sound of a name!
Lady Rosemary Granton! As far back as I could rerew from babyhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youth, it was drummed into me by my father that Lady Rosemary Granton, some day, would wed the future Earl of Brammerton and Hazelmere This apparently awful calaony or loss of sleep, for the reason that I was e, second son of , as I sat in an easy chair by the library , perusing a work by allop along the hedgerows and across country I was rather happy, I say, as I pondered over the thought that so in the way of a just retribution was at last about to be ant and extremely aristocratic rake of a brother, Harry
My hts Lady Rose hand of her mother in her infancy; to spend her childhood in the luxurious lap of New York's pa the ranchers, the cowboys and, no doubt, the cattle thieves of Wyo, in the care of an old friend of her father, to wit, Colonel Sol Dorry; then to be transferred for refining and general educational purposes for another spell of six years to the strict discipline of a French Convent; to flit from city to city, from country to country, for three years with her father, in the stress of diplo for the future Countess of Brammerton! Finally, by way of culmination, to lose her father and to be introduced into London society, with a fortune that asp and order a coht be, I threw upspeculation
Lady Rosemary Granton! Who had not heard the stories of her conquests and her daring? They were the talk of the clubs and the gossip of the drawing-rooms Masculine London was in ecstasies over them and voted Lady Rosemary a trump The ladies were scandalised, as only jealous minded ladies can be at lavishly endowed and favoured members of their own sex
Personally, I preferred to sit on the fence Being a lover of the open air, of the agile body, the strong arm and the quick eye, I could not but ad lady's exploits But,--the woel, the form of a Venus de Milo; as reported to have dressed as a jockey and ridden a horse to victory in the Grand National Steeplechase; who, for a wager, had flicked a coin froers of a cavalry officer with a revolver at twenty paces; lassooed a cigar froued on the Budget with a Cabinet Minister, all in one week; who could pray with the piety of a fastingin the process; faint to order with the grace, the elegance and all the stage effect of an early Victorian duchess: the woolden-haired Goddess by those on whom she smiled and dubbed a saucy, red-haired lomeration for such a hu fellow as I,--George Bra a process of renovation such as it had not experienced since the occasion of a Royal visit some twenty years before: not a room in the house where one could feel perfectly safe, save the library: washi+ng, scrubbing, polishi+ng and oiling in anticipation of a rousing week-end House Party in honour of this wonderful, chaement with Harry would be formally announced to the inquisitive, fashi+onable world of which she was a spoiled child
Why all this fuss over a matter which concerned only two individuals, I could not understand Had I been going to marry the Lady Rosemary,--which, Heaven forbid,--I should have whipped her quietly away to soistrar of a sot the business over, out of hand But, of course, I had neither the inclination, nor the intention, let alone the opportunity, of putting to the test what I should do in regard toher, nor were ant, elder brother, Viscount Harry, Captain of the Guards,--egad,--for which two blessings I was indeed truly thankful
As I was thus ru, the library door opened and my noble sire ca than usual
”'Morning, George,” he greeted
”Good ether
”Gad, youngster! (I enty-four) everything is going like clockwork The house is all in order; supplies on hand to stock an hotel; all London falling over itself in its eagerness to get here
Harry will arrive this afternoon and Lady Rosemary to-morrow”
I raised ain toFather walked the carpet excitedly, then he stopped and looked down at me
”You don't see ever does interest you but boxing bouts, wrestling et into the swi the young fellows of your own station?”
”God forbid!” I answered fervently
”Not jealous of Harry, are you? Not s bloods, and the old ones, too, in the city?”
”God forbid!” I replied again