The Brussels Post, 1887-7-29, Page 7JULY 20, 1887,
THE BRUSSELS POST
eereellete
NIIIIMININNISSISMIreMUSTSWANSPISSIMORSWOOSORWSZEMSZVOM
PUT ASUNDER;
on,
Lady Castlemainols Divorce 1
By BERTHA.M. CLAY,
seinen or
"A 7tnun,cd Life," '" The Enrl'p Atone*
mem," 0 A FLraggla for a Ring, •
oto., eta., etv,
CHAPTER I.
MARRIAGx VOWS.
"On the twenty-first of May was cele-
brated at St. George's, Hanover Square,
the marriage of the Earl of Castlemaine,
with Gertrude, only daughter and
heiress of the late Sir Chilvers Craven,
of Eastdale Park, Tho six bridemaids
were Miss Mabel and Miss Agues Scour -
ton, Lady Jane Westry, Miss Isabel
Hyde and the Misses Allerton ; they
were dressed in rich white silk, with
tulle veils. Each wore a bracelet of
diamonds and rubies, the gift of the
bridegroom, and each carried a superb
bouquet of white lilacs.
"The wedding -dress was of the richest
white satin, and the long and graceful
train was bordered with rich embroidery
of pearl. The bride wore a wreath of
orange blossoms, and her veil of most
exquisite lace was fastened with a
diamond star.
"The marriage service was performed
by His Lordship the Bishop of Trent,
assisted by the Rev. G. Mursoll and the
Rev. Arthur Hyde. There was a full
choral service. The dejeuner was given
at Lady Craven's beautiful house in
Portman Square.
"The wedding presents were numer-
ous and costly, including a magnificent
pature of diamonds presented by the
bridegroom, an Indian shawl of rare
beauty given by the queen, and a suite
of fine pearls by Lady Craven. After
the dejeuner the happy pair started for
Italy, where they intend to spend the
honeymoon."
So read the article that told of the
marriage in all the fashionable papers.
Every one wbo read it agreed that it
was one of the beat matches of the
season—that it was suitable in every
respect, and promised to be a most
happy one.
Evidently made in heaven," said one
cynical old dowager to another, "as all
good marriages are."
"Lady Craven is a clever woman,"
said another ; "although this is her
daughter's first season, she has carried
off the best match of the day."
So it seemed. Gertrude Craven was
one of the loveliest girls in England, be-
sides which she was heiress to a very
large fortune. She had no great
antiquity of birth, neither was she
descended from any very noble family.
Hee father, Sir Chilvers Craven, was a
city knight, while Lord Castlemaine, the
bridegroom, belonged to one of the
oldest families in the United Kingdom.
Afair exchange, beauty and gold for an
ancient title and a noble name, yet in
this case no exchange, as they had mar-
ried entirely for love.
On the wedding -day the sun shone
lustrous and clear, with a golden warmth
that foretold the coming of June.
"The very day for a wedding," was
the general comment. "Happy the
bride the sun shines on," said one to
another.
From early morning the household in
Portman square was astir—all the pre-
parations culminated in the magnificent
ceremonial which made Gertrude Cra-
ven and Rudolph, Earl of Castlemaine,
one.
Outside the church was the familiar
sight of a long string of carriages—of
horses longing for action—of coachmen
and footmen in costly liveries, each
wearing a wedding favor—of a crowd of
idlers—men, women and ohildren—and
they discussed the wedding, the car.
riages, the costumes ; they enjoyed the
sunlight and the hour's respite from the
burdens of the day. Inside, the scene
was one of great beauty and splendor,
ri t and richness of color, the
theva variety ,
jewels, the beauty of many of the young
faces combining to make a picture never
to be forgotten. The bridal pair are
standing before the altar now. His
lordship, the Bishop of Trent, has ad-
dressed the startling question to them,
"Rudolph Castlemaine, wilt thou take
this woman to be thy lawful wedded
wife ?" and the answer in a clear,
musical low tone Dame "I will."
There could .be no more beautiful or
' solemn spectacle. All eyes were fixed
on the lovely young bride never to be
known as Gertrude Craven again.
The sunshine falls on a tall, graceful
figure—slender as a young palm tree,
with a certain proud yet graceful bear-
ing, that was most attractive. No girl
ever looks so beautiful as in her wed-
ding -dress. The royal robes of white
satin and priceless lace fell in sweeping
folds to the ground, the wedding -veil
half hid one of the loveliest faces ever
seen—a face that was like a flower in
its dainty, delicate loveliness—oyes that
were of the darkest, deepestblue, with
long fringed lashes, hair of the sunniest
:gold that was like a Drown to ;the
beautiful head—its beauty was in-
creased by the natural ripple that
formed the most exquisite contour
round the white brow—the little shell-
like ears, and the white neck—a face
so fair that it might well haunt one who
gazed upon it—the daintiest and mos+'
delicate of bloom, the inner loaf of a
rose had no fairer hue—but tho beauty
of the whole face rested in the mouth,
the proud,•sweet Bps, so perfectly mold-
ed, that whether they smiled or curved
in semi, they were perfebt.
The chief characteristicof this ex.,
quisite face wag certainly' pride; there
Was a sweetness about it and a grand
serenity, but certainiv nrido was
dominant; the curves end contour of
the lips expressed it, the fine, sensitive
nostrils, the arch of the nook, the ear.
gage of the head; one seeking from her
face to judge of her (Maroc -ter would
have found it difficult to judge in what
that pride consisted, It was not vanity,
it was not because she was fair of face,
or because she was attired with the
magnificence of a royal princess. It
was not pride of wealth—this face was
far boo noble for that. Was it force of
character—great strength of resolution
—was it that the daring, resolute spirit
within her never failed ? No one knew;
but the improssion made Urn ,'v,•;'}
one was the same—after their edm:re.
tion of her beauty came a wonder eves
her pride. Such was the bride, and all
eyes lingered upon her.
The bridegroom—the Earl of Castlo.
mains—was in every respect worthy al
the beautiful bride. A tall, handsome
man, with the figure of a well-trainod
soldier and the facto of a Spanish king
dark, chivalrous, noble, and proud,—
Ile was passionately in love with the
fair young bride at his side.
The sun shone on the group of bride•
maids, all young and fair—one, Isabel
Hyde, pre.eminenbly beautiful. Yes,
the queen of the group was Isabel
Hyde. And Isabel Hydo stood calm
and queenly, listening to the solemn
words uttered, with a smile on her face,
while in her heart raged the fire and
the fury of the everlasting flames.
Her hands clasped a beaubiful bouquet
of white lilacs; every now and then she
buried her beautiful face in them.
When she did so, it would seem to by.
standers as though she were inhaling
the fragrance of the sweet white hies -
BOMB.
Yet the perfume was all lost upon
her; when she covered her face with
the flowers, she whispered to the leaves
and the words she whispered were
those of a solemn vow.
Then she would smile at them and
say Keep my secret, sweet flowers; let
no one guess it."
Then those solemn words came ,
"Those whom God bath joined together
let no ,Rau part asunder." They
sounded clear and vivid. She smiled
again, and again she buried her face in
the white flowers.
"I will part them," she said, softly.
"Listen, white lilacs—listen, green
leaves; I will part them—alone and
unaided. Solemn as is their vow, mine
is more solemn still. Heaven may join
them—I will part them. Listen, white
flowers."
Then she raised her head again. She
was the tallest of that fair group.
The wedding ceremony wile over ;
Gertrude Craven was Countess of Castle.
=mine ; there was a stir in the distant
throng. Bride, bridegroom, and wit.
flosses retired to sign the register.
"Will you come into the vestry ?"
asked one of the bridemaids, and Isabel
Hyde looked up with a smile.
"No," she said; "I do not care for
that part of the ceremony.
Then husband and wife walked down
the aisle of the church together. The
grand organ pealed out the wedding
march. The crowd outside increased;
the carriages drew closer to the church;
the wedding was over. There was no
Gertrude Craven ; Lord and Lady
Castlemaine were one.
Well might the sun shine—well might
the wind carry sweet messages. Never
was there a fairer bride—never one so
sweet or winsome.
As the carriages drove rapidly through
the streets, people longed to stop and
give a hearty cheer for the beautiful
bride. A great crowd had collected
round the house in Portman square, and
the bride seemed to pass like a sheet of
summer lightning from the carriage to
the house.
Husband and wife, although alone,
had said but little during the drive
from church. Once Lord Castlemaine
touched the white -gloved hand which
clasped the orange blossoms.
"Gertrude," he seed, gravely, "it
seems like a dream."
"Yes," she answered; "but there is
our
1f ac adroam
this di ere e— ends, but o
marriage can never end."
In the after years Duey both remem-
bered those words.
CHAPTER IL
THE CHIEF BRIDESMAID.
Never Was there a gayer scene than
the wedding -breakfast, arranged with
such taste and elegance in the large
dining -room of the great house in Porn
man square.
The tables groaned under the weight
of the golden plate, which had been the
pride of the late Sir Chilvers. The
dishes were all of the best—every deli-
cacy both in and out of season was pro-
vided : the wines were of the finest, and
the ripe fruit delightful to see.
Several guests, not invited to the
wedding, were to be at the dejeuner.
Some half-hour elapsed between the
time of the return of the wedding party
and the time appointed for the deieuner;
that time was spout by the bride and
bridesmaids in the drawing.room—a
lofty andsuperb room, decorated with
bridal flowers. They crowded round
her, these girls, who, fair as they were,
had not her loveliness.
"How curious to think that there is
now no Gertrude Craven," said Miss
Allerton.
The look of deep happiness that
came into the bride's face showed that.
she had married fon love, and that sbe
was supremely content.
"It seems strange," • said Lady Jane
Westry, "so completely to change igen.
tity. Marriage aeons to me like dying
and coming back to earth with a new
name."
"I do nob feel much like dying," said
my Lady Castlemaine ; and her brides.
maids laughed in happy chorus.
Lady Jane Westry bent forward aid
kissed the delicate cheek.
one best wish I can give ycu, Lady
Castlemaine," she said, "is then you
may always look es brigbb and happy as
you do to -day;"
The little group was joined by Lord
Castlemaine, wbo could not endure that
his wife's attention should be monopo•
lined even by her bridesmaids, or for
five minutes together.
Are you tired Gertrude 2" o asked
yh;
and one heart present beat with indig.
nant rage at the tenderness of his voice.
"Yes, just a little," she replied; but
Lady Jane Westry interrupted'
"Tired t" she exclaimed, "I should
think floe novelty of the ceremony
would prevent anyone from growing
tired? What do you think, MissHyds2"
The tall, beautiful brunetto bad not
formed one of the group around the
bride; she had been standing listening,
in silence, to the light words of others,
near a tall, slender pillar; now she
turned a bright, flashing face to theirs
...she still held the white lilacs in hex
band.
"I," she replied, "Imre not thongbt
much about it. I should say that as a
rale marriage is an ordeal, Cult in
Lady Castlemaine's case."
What was there in this swept, few
voice that almost startled those that
Letened, as though she were appal/sag
ander the influence of suppressed pain 2
"Why not in my case 2" asked the
beaubiful young bride.
"Because you married for love, and
love absorbs everything unto itself," re-
plied Isabel Hyde.
But as she spoke, it was not Tato the
blue eyes of Lady Castlemaine she
looked, bub into the darker ones of the
young earl.
Something seemed to flash between
them in that glance, but no one could
tell what it was.
Then Isabel Hyde, still clasping the
flowers which had heard the murmured
vow, went up to Lady Castlemaine.
They had been intimate friends, and it
was to be noticed that she addressed
the young wife by her Christian name.
"Gertrude," she said, quietly, "I have
not kissed or congratulated you yet.".
Tighter still did she clasp the white
flowers, asshe bent over Lady Castle.
mains, and the two faces, so beautiful, yet
so unlike, touched each other ; and the
innocent blossoms could not cry that it
was a Judas kiss, and that she was
youngbride, receiving
false' that thebr de
se shyly and so seety the congratula
tions of her bridesmaid, had no greater
enemy, no fiercer foe ; that Isabel Hyde
would like to have beat the fair loveli-
ness from her face, would like to have
crushed under her heels the rare pearls,
the bridegroom's gift; that sbe would
gladly have seen the white beauty of
the graceful neck marred by a crimson
wound.
Isabel Hyde kissed the lovely face,
and her lips were like hot flames.
"I wish you, Gertrude," she said,
softly, "all the happiness that you de-
serve."
Lady Castlemaine smiled.
"If I had my desserts, how much would
that be, Isabel?" she asked.
"You know best, dear," was the smil-
ing reply.
The group was certainly a pretty one,
and Lord Castlemaine looked on with
admiration. The fair loveliness of his
wife contrasted with the dark, passion.
ate beauty of the bridesmaid. Each
was perfect iu her own way and fashion,
but Lord Castlemaine had preferred the
fashion of Gertrude Craven.
Just for one moment the fair face,
the dark face, the waves of golden hair
and the dark hair, the lace veil of the
bride and the tulle veil of the brides-
maid, seemed to mingle in one; but as
she raised her head, it was at Lord
Castlemaine that Isabel Hyde looked,
not at his wife.
Some laughing words, uttered by one
of the group, caused Isabel Hyde to
turn round and answer :
"Yes, I am chief bridesmaid, am I
not, Lady Castlemaine."
"Because you are the tallest"' laughed
Lord Castlemaine.
"Or because you have the largest
bouquet," said Lady Jane Westry.
Miss Hyde looked appallingly at the
young countess.
"Lady Castlemaine," she asked, "will
you not always think of me as your
chief bridesmaid 2"
In the after -times they both remem-
bered how smilingly and sweetly she
had uttered the words.
A brilliant banquet succeeded after
the usual routine, and at its close the
guests rose from the tables and wander-
ed through the beautiful rooms.
Lady Castlemaine went to change
her these, and she was followed to her
room by her mother, Lady Craven.
"Gertrude, my darling, I was afraid
should not have one word with you.
Are you quite pleased and satisfied ?
Everything went off well. I was so
anxious and so nervous."
"Everything was porfsctly delightful
and beautiful, mamma; nothing could
'have been better," 'replied the young
countess.
"1 feel happy over you, my darling,"
continued Lady Craven. "You have a
long, bright life before you, and you
have made the best match of the
season.''
The shadow of a frowncame over the
lovely face.
This not that, mamma. I am happy
and glad because I love my husband."
!"To be surd, Gertrude; it is most
creditable. There is your maid; you
must change your dress quickly; there
is no time to lose."
They were folded carefully away, the
wedding.dress with its priceless lace,
the veil that was a fortune in itself, the
wreath of orange blossoms.
A few tests fell from Lady Craven's
eves upon them; then sbe blamed her-
•
self. Wily should she weep over the
daughter wbo bad ;Wade the best match
of the season, even though she was
losing her.
Tho Countess of Castlemaine looked
More beautiful than ever in the superb
travelling costume; the hall and the
staircase of the great mansion wore filled
with au indisorneinate crowd, wedding
guests, servants, and travellers ; the
horses were fretting and champing at
the door.
In her kindly way, Lady Castlemaine
said good-bye to the old servants whom
she had known all bar life—to the
friends and guests who bad been so
deeply interested in her marriage—to
her mother whose highest ambition was
gratified now that her daughter had
made such a good =atoll. Adieu to all,
and she was on the point of reaching
the groat hall -door whore the liveried
footman stood ready to help, when the
chief bridesmaid came forward again.
"Good-bye, Lady Castlemaine," she
said, "a pleasant journey, a happy
honeymoon. I want the last kiss be.
fore youo. I deserve the last, for I
am chief bridesmaid. You will always
remember that."
"Good-bye," answered Lady Castle.
mains, wondering at the great show of
attention and affection.
The chief bridesmaid was the first to
throw a handful of rice and a satin slip-
per after the carriage. She was so
anxious that the rice and the slipper.
should reach the bride, that the others
smiled at her efforts.
"I did not know," said the younger
Miss Allerton, "that Gertrude and Isa-
bel were such dear friends,"
"Lid you not ?" said Lady Jane.
"It is quite an open question, my dear,
what constitutes a dear friend."
And Lady Castlemaine's youngest
haidesmaid remembered those words 85
long as sbe remembered the wedding
CHAPTER III.
"web rune WERE."
The world was not surprised et
astounded, neither did it make any corn.
mens when the wealthy stockbroker,
Chilvers Craven was knighted. He had
made so much money, he had spentitso
wisely, he had given so generously to
London charities, and when he was
Lord Mayor of London he bad given
such grand entertainments that he de.
served to be knighted, and knighted he
was. On that occasion he purchased
the beautiful old estate of Eastdale,
and nettled it on his wife.
Sir Chilvers had not married young.
He had been too engrossed in his stock-
broking to have any time in which to
think of women, or love, or marriage. He
wanted to make money, he wanted to
feel himself on a par with the city
knights who could count their hnndreds
of thousands, and whose one ambition
it was to own a million. He added to
his shares, he bought scrip and share,
he made excellent speculations, every-
thing he did was done with prudence
and discretion ; he was never rash—
never led away by the spirit of gambling.
He worked on steadily from day to day,
spending little and saving much.
Then the day came on which he
began to think of marriage. He met a
beautiful widow—Mrs. Hunstauton.
She was beautiful, fashionable, childless
and poor. He wooed and married her.
They had ono daughter, Gertrude, who
afterward became Lady Castlemaine.
Ho furnished the old hall in most lux-
urious fashion, ho spent a small fortune
on the grounds and the woods, and
finally after spending many happy years
in the old house in Portman square, he
diedthere, leavingthe grand old mansion
to his wife, though she had no power to
let ib or to sell it, but was to be its
steward during her life.
All his vast fortune was to descend to
his daughter Gertrude, at her mother's
death.
A new life began for Lady Craven.
Sir Chilvers had been somewhat old-
fashioned. Now she could spread her
wings, and take her flight into the world
of fashion which she loved. She made
for herself a certain position, and there
she brought up her daughter to take
one even higher.
Of the world worldly, she gave her
daughter the only training of which she
knew. Religion, charity, love of neigh-
bor, forgiveness of injuries, were left
out of it.
To marry well—to make the best
match possible, to secure a place in the
very best and most exclusive society, to
secure as many as possible of this.
world's gifts—this was the teaching
Lady Craven gave her daughter.
Etiquette, the laws and ceremonies of
good society, the keeping up of, appear -
antes, the charm of polished and refined
manners, the urgent need of taking care
and making the most of her beauty—all
these were made the chief end and aim
of her life.
Lady Craven never bought her a
prayer -book or read any of the grand
old Bible stories to leer; that part of
her eduoabion was left entirely to the
French governess, and as much of that
lady's time was taken up with French
novels, sheleft that duty to the nurse.
The nurse,handsome girl of twenty,
had a lover, and when she did not meet
him at night she wrote to him, se that
the time for prayers was remarkably
short, and, as a rule, they were forgotten
altogether.
The natural ripples of her hair, the
length and colorof the eyelashes, the
pearly white of her ,teeth, the delicate
Vide of her nails, the formation of what
promised to, be a magnificent figure, the
most geode! way of using the 'flue
white hands—these were the lessons
that Lady Craven gave her daughter,I
and no other.
The delight of the mother when she
found drab her daughter gave promise of
being exceedingly boautifuicould never
be Gold. No precious gift of heart,
genius, or soul would have made her one.
half so glad.
"Gertrude will bo a beauty," was the
phrase always cin her lips, and the
thought always in her heart.
To have her /daughter a fashionable
beauty was thea one vesico of her life,
and it was gratified, Everything that
could add to the beauty of her person,
the charm of her manner, the grace of
her deportment, was carefully studied.
Higher and nobler things were left in
oblivion. That she grew up as well as
she did was the most wonderful thing
of all.
Gertrude Craven made her debut and
became at once a success. Great
beauty and wonderful grace contributed
no little to this, but there was a charm
about her that at first people hardly
understood, and this charm was her
perfectly natural manner. In spite of
her artificial training, she bad retained
a love of truth and a straightforward
way of speaking that was charming.
She was perfectly natural ; her virtues
were natural virtues, her faults natural
faults.
Had she been well trained and disci-
plined, had religion been brought to bear
upon her nature, she would have been a
grand and noble character.. Then this
story Would not have been written, for
he storyof the faults and i
fust a sus of a
naturally noble woman, who had never
been taught to do right because it was
right, but to do always what was expo.
diens, and what had the best appear..
antes; whose only way of looking on
everything was in what light the world
beheld it; whose only idea of law was
the world's law and the world's judg-
ment.
There was something noble in her
faults—she had many noble qualities.
She was really generous ; to give, and
lgive freely, was the one necessity of her
ife. She was charitable and liberal to
the poor; she never heard of distress
without the desire to relieve it. She
was straightforward, and loved truth.
She hal] a certain contempt for all that
her mother valued most—appearance,
etiquette, useless ceremonials, shows of
all kinds ; she had a complete hatred for
all meanness and. shonesty. One ex-
cellent point in
b' character was, she
never spoke evil of the absent. She
had great faults ; she was defiant, proud,
wilful, and could be obstinate. She
was wedded to her own will. If she
ante took an idea into her mind she
seldom relinquished it. A difficult char.
atter, but one that, rightly guided, would
have been noble enough.
Her success pleased, but did not be-
wilder her. All the admiration and
flattery lavished upon her did not cause
her to lose for one moment the perfectly
even balance of her mind. But she lost
it when she fell in love with Rudolph,
Earl of Castlemaine.
The drawing -rooms were held early
that year, and the first was in the be-
ginning of March. It was on the even-
ing of that day that they met for the
first time. It was love at first sight—
the most passionate love of Romeo and
Juliet, the love that never counted its
cost, that would have everything con-
centrated on itself; a love that could
not be measured or weighed, that would
have its own way in spite of everything,
love born of the senses, without rhyme
or reason, owning no controlling power ;
love that would have made a martyr or
a hero.
Gertrude Craven was the beauty of
the season. It was well known that she
was a wealthy heiress, and it was ex-
pected that she would marry well.
She married even better than had
been expected, yet she had married
entirely for love. If Rudolph Castle -
mains had been a penniless captain in a
marching regiment, instead of a wealthy
peer, she would have married biro just
the same. As we have already stated,
it was a case of love at first sight; and
so brisk was the wooing that before
April had fully set in all arrangements
for the marriage had been made. The
marriage settlement was drawn up;
the vast fortune, Eastdale Park, and the
mansion in Portman square were all to
be Lady Castlemaine's at her mother's
death. Lord Castlemaine had settled a
large income on his wife. They had
been very happy on the evening that
witnessed the signature of the mar-
riage settlements. Gertrude had looked
at her lover with a smile on her lips.
"Rudolph," she said, "I shall like
spending your money better than my
own."
"Shall you, my dear, and why 2" be
asked.
"Because it is yours," she replied,
"and I love everything that belongs to
you. I hope," she continued, dreamily,
that mamma will live as long as I do.
I should not know what to do with so
much money. Oh, Rudolph," she added,
"how fortunate we are that in spite of
having more money than we know what
to do with, we shall marry for love.
Would you marry me if I were—"
He interrupted her, kissing the lips
that were like crimsonflowers.
"I would marry yon, my darling;" he
Dried, "if I were Icing Cophetua, and
you were, the beggar•maid,thrice beg-
gare"
"Ad.nd I would Marry you if'I were
queen of the itairesttTTand ander the sun,
:and you my lowliest glove."
So that the world was nob far wrong
in calling it a love -match.
CHAPTER Iv.
AUNT AND NMEOE.
The Oasblemaines were one of the
oldest families in England. Rudolph,
bbe Thirteenth Earl, had succeeded to,
the family honors and estates, and gave'
promise of being one of the noblest and
bravest of his race.
How bo loved that race, who can tell?
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