Cousin Prudence Read Online Free

to marry me and it was my duty !”
    “The devil take it!” said Alverston.  “Well then, I shall see you to Aunt Mouser myself…. Two bandboxes?  Is that all the luggage you have?  Well Aunt Mouser will sort something out….. and then I’m off to have a word with your father.  He might have been my sire’s closest friend and your mother might be my cousin but honestly!  Well Kitty, dry those foolish tears and put on a smiling face in contemplation that you and I have found out that it is merely the manipulation of your foolish parent that has wrought your current misery and that we are not condemned to face each other across the breakfast table for the rest of our lives.”
    “Sir, are you very angry with me?” asked Mr Alver.
    “Yes Arthur I am ,” said Alverston, “you ought to know that I would not marry an unwilling girl!   You are heedless, have no sense and you can’t drive.  I will have your phaeton collected and repaired and it is not to go off my lands until you have worked on your driving skills well enough to satisfy me; I should never have given in to your entreaties to buy it in the first place.  And we shall work first on the ability to recognise your limitations.”
    Mr Alver brightened.
    “You’ll give me lessons sir?” he asked.
    “Yes cub I shall; so you don’t disgrace me again!” said Alverston.  Reproachful green eyes in a pale face surrounded by chestnut hair still haunted him.  “I should have taken more notice of your skills at speed as well as at a moderate pace.  Not that I could have expected you to behave like a bedlamite and with Miss Fairlees beside you too.  Up you get Kitty; Arthur shall hand up your band boxes.”
    “I say, sir, what about me?” asked Arthur.
    “You may walk cross country to Aunt Mouser’s and it will do you the world of good,” said Alveston, “a new experience for you, walking; new experiences are good for one,” he added maliciously, borrowing the phrase from Miss Blenkinsop.
    The Honourable Arthur sighed.   It could have been a lot worse; his uncle in a temper was a frightening sort of person.  Especially when he was in the right.
    And he was in the right; charging off with Kitty at breakneck speed was rather unkind to her, but she had been so frightened!  And they had grown up together like brother and sister, the estates of his uncle marching with those of Kitty’s father.
    Well Uncle Gervase was at least being reasonable about not marrying Kitty; so that at least was one less thing to have to worry about.
    And it was worth breaking his phaeton, by George it was, even if he had to pay for its repair out of his own allowance, just to get lessons from Uncle Gervase!
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    “She’s here!” cried Emma, who had been looking out for her cousin for the last two days.  She leaped to her feet ignoring her father’s call,
    “My dear!  You should change into goloshes and put on a cloak!”
    Emma ran heedlessly out to the drive, noticing the cold of the wet ground striking up through her thin kid slippers but deciding to ignore it.  She was so glad that she never took colds like poor papa! It had rained distressingly hard the previous day and the skies were still a sullen grey, though the day was fine enough for March, and the wind only moderate; but there was enough chill that Mr Woodhouse did not dare to venture out.
    The door of the chaise opened and a middle aged woman dressed as an abigail descended holding out her hand to the figure behind her.
    Emma came forward, also extending a helping hand.
    “How nice to finally meet my little cousin….”she trailed off as Prudence emerged and stood up.
    Prudence towered over Emma, being almost as tall as George Knightley; and Emma looked up into merry green eyes.  Cousin Prudence was no beauty; her hair was neither angelically fair nor exotically dark, being brown with a hint