She spoke with an almost passionate feeling in her voice and then added rapidly,
“But this is of no interest to your Lordship. The physician has assured me that my uncle cannot linger more than a day or two. Allow him to die happy, then you can return to London and to your own amusements.”
“I am grateful for your permission,” Lord Melburne said with a touch of sarcasm.
“That is what you want, surely,” Clarinda asked. “Your Lordship has little interest in the country, I understand, for you are seldom at Melburne, which is a far larger and finer estate than this.”
“I see you know a great deal about my movements,” Lord Melburne said suavely. “And now, which of my misdeeds, and I can assure you there are many of them, has thrown you into such a frenzy?”
She heard the sneer in his voice an
