The Light Heart Read Online Free

Bracken, and where her brother still lived with his wife and baby heir to the earldom. But it was not true that Phoebe had been included in his mother’s plans.
    They would be very glad to have her, naturally, and they might have thought of it themselves before now. Phoebe was a very presentable young woman, and had hardly been out of Williamsburg in her life. Undoubtedly it would do her good. And he saw what was in Sue’s mind. She thought that by sending Phoebe abroad with a lot of pretty clothes and paying her expenses out of the legacy, she would have disposed of the embarrassing problem of Sir Gratian’s Will. It was evident that Sue had no faintest idea of what Bracken had paid for that house called Farthingale down in Gloucestershire.
    Phoebe was shaking her head, and looking bewildered and a little frightened.
    “But, Cousin Sue, I’m not—not ready, I’m not equipped for a trip like that, I’d have to have new things to wear, and I—”
    “Eden means to outfit you in New York before you go. I’ll come along as far as that with you, I think, and help choose your clothes,” said Sue recklessly. “If I can get away for a few days, I will.”
    “B-but it will cost so much money, Father couldn’t—we can’t just let Aunt Eden—”
    “Nonsense, it’s for your birthday present—your twenty-first birthday. The boys always have something special when they turn twenty-one! Eden wants to provide everything you need—entirely at her own expense, of course.”
    Phoebe looked at Bracken.
    “It’s awfully nice of Aunt Eden but I’m afraid—”
    “So was I afraid once,” Sue interrupted briskly. “And it didn’t hurt me. In fact, it gave me a great many new things to write about, and increased my income.” Suddenly, to Bracken’s agonized inner amusement Sue flushed and stammered. “From my books, I mean, of course—they’ve sold much better ever since. It broadens your viewpoint, and—you’ll be much morelikely to turn out something worth publishing if you take this chance now, while you’re young.”
    Bracken pricked up his ears at this.
    “Is Phoebe writing?” he broke in.
    “Yes, she is,” Sue told him. “It’s a secret so far, but it needn’t be much longer. She’s doing very well. All she needs is a little experience—a little life.”
    “Good,” said Bracken, who had printer’s ink in his veins. “Let me see something sometime.”
    “Not yet,” said Sue. “After she’s been to England, maybe.”
    “Well, I—I’ll ask Miles what he thinks about it when he comes next week,” said Phoebe, still dazed and sparring for time.
    There was a silence. Bracken felt that Sue wished he wasn’t there, and sat as still as possible, effacing himself. They all knew that Phoebe was in love with Miles, and that Miles wasn’t doing anything about it, and it must be pretty embarrassing, but Phoebe herself had brought it up. He saw Susannah make up her mind to deal with it.
    “I’m afraid it doesn’t matter what Miles thinks in this case,” she said gently. “Though of course he will want you to go when you have the chance. Let’s see, the party is on Thursday, isn’t it—I shall write Eden today that we will be ready to go with her when she returns to New York. That will give us plenty of time to get your clothes before sailing.”
    “B-but I never do anything without asking Miles—” Phoebe objected unhappily.
    “I think it’s time you did,” said Sue, and they both stared at her, Bracken in delight, Phoebe in amazement. “Besides, I’m sure Miles would be the last person to stand in your way. Now, Bracken is going to have lunch here with me, and then we’ll come over and talk to your father about it.” Sue seemed to get her breath and relax a little, now that the first round, as it were, was over. She went to where Phoebe stood, still too transfixed to find a chair, and put her arms around the girl’s waist and kissed her. “Well, we did sort of spring it on you, I