The Bird has got wings
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Soon, full of happiness, Vivian was sitting in the Wingtons' handsome closed carriage, beside her cousin, who was taking her outside Wington Hall for the first time in three months. She wore a sumptuous muslin dress, long-sleeved but rather low-cut, but the blue stains on her neck were safely hidden by a green scarf, and the half-covered sleeves concealed the bruises on her wrists. A long warm cloak was worn over the dress, and the girl's head was adorned with a pretty hat.
"And why didn't I realise to dress like this earlier? Fool! I could have visited poor Charlotte at least twice… At least once a week! Even bloody Jeremy wouldn't have found anything to object to that!" – Vivian thought, grudgingly to herself.
– I think my husband doesn't like Charlotte," she said, wrinkling her nose to break the silence in the carriage.
– What makes you think so? – Anthony raised his eyebrows.
– I think so," Vivian shrugged her shoulders. – And he told me once that Charlotte was a bad influence on my behaviour. He said she was too free-spirited and frivolous.
– Jeremy said that about Charlotte? – Young Cranford squinted his eyes: this was not pleasant news for him.
– Well, who else would? Who am I married to? – Vivian replied sarcastically. – But I don't care what he thinks. I won't betray my friendship with Charlotte. Jeremy will have to accept the fact that from now on I'll be coming to her and she to me," she added in a firm tone.
– Charlotte? Flippant? – Anthony grinned derisively. – She may be a little naive, but she is not frivolous.
– Tell him that! – Vivian threw her face towards the window. – And please, dear cousin, don't mention Richard in your letters to me. Don't even hint at him: Jeremy once said he wanted to read my correspondence, and I'm afraid that if he found out about Richard he would make an unimaginable scandal, and it would cause me a great deal of inconvenience or even a divorce. And another thing: don't tell him that you saw my bruises, because it will embarrass him.
– Sometimes I feel like we're talking about two different gentlemen. Because the Jeremy Wington I know would never read another man's letters," said Cranford coolly. – But how did you manage to make him fall so in love with you that he married you against all common sense?
– It's simple: when your mother threw me out on the street, it was he who picked me up and fell in love. And when Jeremy's father found out that his son wanted to marry a penniless girl, he sent him away," Vivian said, staring out of the window in an indifferent tone. – But when his father died, Jeremy came to me, confessed his undying love for me, and made me an offer I could not refuse.
– Of course you couldn't, because the marriage had made you so rich," Anthony said ironically. – But do you have any warm feelings for him, or does your heart remain loyal to Richard?
– Do I love Jeremy? – she asked quietly. – Not a bit. But I am grateful to him.
– Grateful? Is that all?
– That's all. Do you think I'm insensitive? – Vivian shrugged her shoulders. – 'This is marriage, my dear cousin. Marriage needs anything but love. And you yourself wish to marry my good Charlotte only for her dowry.
– I was going to," Anthony corrected her gently. – It was at Devry, my brother's estate, that I realised my affection for Miss Salton.
Vivian looked at her cousin's face with interest, trying to determine whether he was lying about his love for her friend, but Anthony had such a calm and happy smile on his lips that she believed his words and sincerely congratulated him on his truly honourable choice. They were unable to discuss this savoury subject, however, for in a few minutes the carriage stopped and the coachman shouted loudly, "Here we are, ma'am!"
It is unnecessary to describe in detail how delighted Charlotte was when the butler brought her Mr. Cranford's card, and reported that Mrs. Wington had arrived with him. Leaping up from the table and dropping a letter to write to her parents in Denmark, Miss Salton sprang from her chambers and hastened to receive her guests.
– Vivian! – exclaimed the girl loudly, coming down the hall and enclosing her friend in a tight embrace. – You're here! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me!
– Silly girl! How could I? – Vivian smiled broadly, hugging her back just as tightly. – Now get those thoughts out of your head!
As they hugged each other, they suddenly remembered Anthony, who was also in the hall, and must have been bored, watching their friends' joy and listening to their happy exclamations.
– Mr. Cranford! You have come back from the north to London! – Charlotte said in a friendly manner to her guest, not forgetting to give him a polite curtsy.
– Yes, Miss Salton, and I must say, "How wonderful it is to be home again!" – the latter replied with a smile.
"He really is in love with her! I've never seen his eyes shine like that!" – thought Vivian contentedly, watching her friend and her cousin with a happy smile.
Mrs. Wington was not mistaken: the young man's blue eyes suddenly turned into two shining lights, and in his gaze could be read an undisguised admiration. Anthony was desperate to touch his beloved, so he immediately suggested that they stroll through the dead Salton garden to feel Charlotte's warm hand on his elbow. In spite of the cold wind, both Charlotte and Vivian were glad of the walk, but first Miss Salton wished to go into her chambers to match her blue dress with a hat and gloves.
– Vivian, you must help me to choose! – said Charlotte, and seizing her friend by the palm of her hand, led her away. Then, still on the move, she turned to Anthony: "I beg your pardon, Mr. Cranford! We'll try to manage at least a quarter of an hour!
– As you say, Miss Salton! – He grinned good-naturedly, watching her with a tenderness that spilled into his breast and a heart full of love. He had already seen this girl as his wife, had seen her in his arms. But while his former feelings for Vivian had made him imagine passionate pictures, his love for Miss Salton painted in his mind homely scenes full of warmth and comfort. Anthony also noted the great change in Charlotte's appearance, and thought that this blue silk dress was very much to her advantage.