A Mad Love. Charlotte M. Brame
words were useless. My lady's mind was made up, and they might as well fight the winds and the waves. Lord Lanswell was more inclined to pity and to temporize. He was sorry for his son, and the beautiful face had made some impression on him; but my lady was inflexible.
"The marriage must be set aside," she repeated.
The earl looked at her gravely.
"Who can set aside a thoroughly legal marriage?" he asked.
"You will find out the way," said my lady, turning to Mr. Sewell.
"I can easily do that, Lady Lanswell; of course it is for you to decide; but there is no doubt but that the marriage can easily be disputed – you must decide. If you think the girl could be trained and taught to behave herself – perhaps the most simple and honorable plan would be to let the matter stand as it is, and do your best for her."
"Never!" cried my lady, proudly. "I would rather that Cawdor were burned to the ground than to have such a person rule over it. It is useless to waste time and words, the marriage must be set aside."
The lawyer looked from one to the other.
"There can be no difficulty whatever in setting the marriage aside," said Mr. Sewell. "In point of fact, I must tell you what I imagined you would have known perfectly well."
My lady looked at him with redoubled interest.
"What is that?" she asked, quickly.
The earl listened with the greatest attention.
"It is simply this, Lady Lanswell, that the marriage is no marriage; Lord Chandos is under age – he cannot marry without your consent; any marriage that he contracts without your consent is illegal and invalid – no marriage at all – the law does not recognize it."
"Is that the English law?" asked Lady Lanswell.
"Yes, the marriage of a minor, like your son, without the consent of his parents, is no marriage; the law utterly ignores it. The remedy lies, therefore, in your own hands."
Husband and wife looked at each other; it was a desperate chance, a desperate remedy. For one moment each thought of the sanctity of the marriage tie, and all that was involved in the breaking of it. Each thought how terribly their only son must suffer if this law was enforced.
Then my lady's face hardened and the earl knew what was to follow.
"It remains for us, then, Mr. Sewell," she said, "to take the needful steps."
"Yes, you must make an appeal to the High Court, and the marriage will be at once set aside," said Mr. Sewell. "It is a terrible thing for the young wife, though."
"She should have had more sense than to have married my son," cried my lady. "I have pity for my son – none for her."
"I think it would be more fair to tell Lord Chandos what you intend doing," said Mr. Sewell. "Not that he could make either resistance or defense – the law is absolute."
"What will the end be?" asked my lady.
"The marriage will be declared null and void; they will be compelled to separate now; but again he has the remedy in his own hand. If he chooses to remain true and constant to her, the very next day after he becomes of age he can remarry her, and then she becomes his lawful wife; if he forgets her the only remedy for her would be money compensation."
"It shall be the business of my life to see that he does forget her," said my lady.
"You can commence proceedings at once," said Mr. Sewell. "You can file your petition to-morrow."
"It will make the whole matter public," hesitated my lady.
"Yes, that is the one drawback. After all it does not matter," said Mr. Sewell, "many young men make simpletons of themselves in the same way. People do not pay much attention."
Lord Lanswell looked at his wife's handsome, inflexible face.
"It is a desperate thing to do, Lucia," he said, "for Lance loves her very dearly."
"It was a desperate action on his part to marry without consulting us," said my lady.
"He will be of age next June," said the earl, "do you think that he will be true to her?"
"No," said the countess, proudly. "I can safely pledge you my word that he will not."
CHAPTER XII.
"THEY WILL NOT FORGIVE ME."
"Thank Heaven," said the countess, "that the matter can be set straight. If there had been no remedy I should have lost my reason over it. The boy must have been mad or blinded, or very probably drawn into it in some disgraceful fashion or other."
My lady was triumphant, her handsome face lighted with satisfaction, but the earl looked grave. The lawyer had taken his leave, and they still remained to discuss matters. Lord Lanswell did not seem so well pleased; he went up to my lady where she was standing.
"Lucia," he began, "do you think that if we succeed in parting these two we shall do quite right?"
"Right," cried my lady. "I shall think it one of the most virtuous actions of my life."
"Well," said the earl, "I am sorry that I cannot quite agree with you. No doubt this marriage is vexatious enough, but whether it is well to obliterate all traces of it, or rather to do away with it altogether, is quite another thing."
"I am the best judge of what is right in this case," said my lady, haughtily; "I will have no interference. The business part of it must be attended to at once."
"At least you will write to Lance and tell him what you intend doing?"
"Yes, I have no objection to that," she replied; "it can make no possible difference to him."
"He may try to make some compromise," said Lord Lanswell, whose heart smote him as he thought of the passionate, beautiful face.
"There can be no compromise; he must give her up at once, and marry some one in his own rank," said the countess. "I will write the letter at once, and I must ask you, Ross, not to be weak. A weak man is the most contemptible object in creation."
"I will try not to be weak, my dear," said the earl, submissively; "but I am concerned for Lance."
"Lance must take his chance," said my lady, too angry to be conscious of the rhyme; "he has done wrong, and he must suffer for it. He will thank Heaven in a year's time from now that I have saved him."
Still Lord Lanswell looked at his wife with a grave expression of doubt.
"You think, then, Lucia, that in a year's time he will have forgotten that poor young wife?"
"I am quite sure of it. Long before I had heard of this foolish affair I had decided in my own mind whom he should marry, and I see no reason for changing my plans."
Lord Lanswell thought with regret and sympathy of the young wife. Could it be possible, he thought, that his son would be so disloyal, so unfaithful as to forget in twelve short months the wife he had risked so much to win? He looked at the countess.
"The matter then lies in a nutshell and depends entirely upon whether Lance continues true to his love or not. If he remains true, your scheme for parting them will have but little effect; if he prove false, why then all will be well, according to your way of thinking."
"We will finish with the subject," she said. "You may make your mind quite easy about it. I guarantee all my knowledge of the world that he will not only have forgotten her in twelve months' time, but that he will be ashamed of having ever fancied himself in love with her."
Lord Lanswell went, in obedience to his wife's command, to assist in the commencement of the proceedings, and as soon as my lady was left alone, she sat down to write to her son. She told him, in the plainest possible words, that his marriage was not only unlawful, but invalid, as he, being minor, could not contract a legal marriage without the consent of his parents. My lady had faith enough in herself to add openly:
"You can, of course, please yourself, as soon as you are of age; you can then remarry the young person without our consent if you will; but my opinion is you will not."
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