The following morning, as Miss Merriville wrote a letter to Mrs. Dauntry imploring the assistance of her eldest daughter, Jessamy and Felix went out to explore Alver. Frederica had been thoroughly satisfied as to Felix's not being knocked up by the journey, and she permitted this expedition, only begging Jessamy to make sure that he would bring Felix home as soon as he should look the least bit fatigued. As soon as they were well on their way Felix told his elder brother that he didn't like being mollycoddled.
"You shouldn't tease Frederica so," said Jessamy severely. "You know she has so many things to worry about and she shouldn't have to bother about you having a relapse on top of it all."
"Pooh," said Felix. "I should like to know what she has to worry about now. Cousin Alverstoke will take care of anything that needs taking care of. I wish he would let me have my laboratory now. I promised him I'd take care not to blow anything up."
"I think you should count yourself fortunate that he said you could have a laboratory at all."
"Jessamy, what do you suppose that is?" said Felix, diverted by the sight of a large ramshackle building on the other side of a small brook that they were bound to approach.
"It looks like an abandoned barn. Here, be careful!" said Jessamy, as Felix scrambled across the brook by way of a series of slippery rocks. Jessamy followed quickly after, and they soon confirmed that it was indeed an abandoned barn, of immense size and rather decrepit appearance.
"There's something written here," said Jessamy, moving closer to a flat board that had been nailed to one of the doorposts.
"'Beware,'" read Felix. "What do you suppose that means?"
"It's haunted," said an unknown voice. Both boys started and turned to see Miss Leighton standing a few yards away, clearly observing them with amusement.
"At least, that's what my cousin Tom says," continued Miss Leighton. "But I daresay it's all a fudge. Tom thinks that just because he's the oldest cousin and up at school that he knows everything."
"Miss Cassandra," said Jessamy, recovering his calm. "May I present my brother, Felix? Felix, this is Miss Cassandra Leighton, a niece of Mr. Trevor."
"How do you do?" said Felix perfunctorily before pressing on to the main point. "Why does your cousin think it's haunted?"
"Oh, there's some old story about Farmer Gray and his wife and a cow," said Cassandra vaguely. "I don't know all the particulars, just that nobody's used the barn in years and it really doesn't belong to anybody now, except I suppose that Lord Alverstoke legally owns it, for it is on his land."
"If it belongs to Cousin Alverstoke, then it, in a way, belongs to us too," said Felix in a thoughtful voice.
"No, it does not," said Jessamy firmly.
"It's all in the family," argued Felix, "And besides, it's not as if he wants it, for if he did, he wouldn't have left it in this state. I don't think he'll mind if I use it."
"Whatever do you want to use it for?" inquired Cassandra.
"A laboratory," said Felix, cringing at the thought of having to explain his interests to an ignorant girl.
"How exciting!" she exclaimed. "So you can experiment and invent things, like your brother was telling me. Do you know, I think this barn would be an excellent place, for nobody would mind you there, even if something did explode!"
As Felix and Cassandra became involved in an animated discussion over how best to refurbish the haunted barn as a birthplace of scientific discovery, Jessamy wondered if he would live to regret the introduction of the lively Miss Leighton to his incorrigible younger brother.
Unaware of the dangers that awaited her, Miss Dauntry embarked upon her journey to Alver Park five days later, accompanied in the carriage by her competent and rather colorless maid. Chloe had received the invitation to Alver with joy, but not without misgiving. It did not seem to her that her mother, who had spent the last few weeks in a fever of nerves over the near-elopement of her beloved son and the mixed feelings brought to bear upon her by the unexpected engagement of Lord Alverstoke to a mere Miss Merriville, was not likely to be willing to part from her eldest daughter at this time. But Chloe underestimated her mother. Mrs. Dauntry would not run the risk of offending Lord Alverstoke by refusing to grant a request of Miss Merriville. Although she could like neither his own engagement nor her son's betrothal to Charis, she was not one to kick against the inevitable. She still had two daughters to establish creditably and she still depended on the marquis for financial assistance. Chloe would go, and Mrs. Dauntry would begin to contemplate how to persuade Alverstoke to throw a coming-out ball for Diana in two years' time. Chloe's presentation had been creditable, but she had not the beauty or the fortune to be a grand success, and she had as yet attracted no very eligible suitors. Mrs. Dauntry did not at all despair of settling her well, but that would be nothing in comparison to what the lovely Diana might achieve.
Chloe knew none of these schemes, only that she would be very glad to visit Alver. She found town life very agreeable, but she was also very fond of the country, and she would of course be glad to see dear Cousin Charis and all the rest. She would be happy to be useful to Cousin Frederica, too; she was a girl who liked to be busy, and she had begun to find the pleasures of balls and walks in the park and lighthearted conversation a trifle wearisome. Truth be told, in the absence of the Alverstoke party, there was little left to give her enjoyment in London.
Frederica and Charis were both there to greet her upon her arrival. She was embraced tearfully by Charis, who seemed in low spirits, but upon Chloe's presentation of a letter from Endymion, the lovely face broke into a radiant smile.
"Oh, my dear Chloe, how glad I am that you have come to Alver!" Charis exclaimed in her soft, pretty voice. "Do come in, and your maid can see to your trunks."
They drew her in and led her to the drawing-room where tea was being served. Lord Alverstoke greeted his young cousin without raptures, Mrs. Buford gave her a kiss, and Charles Trevor took her hand for only a moment. It occurred to Chloe, during that moment, that in all her pleasure at seeing Mr. Trevor again, she had not reflected on how difficult it might be to be so often in his society. It had been well over a month since she had confessed to herself that she had a decided partiality for his company, but she had spoken of it no nobody, and she knew that she must attempt to conceal such feelings. It was how a lady ought to behave, but concealment must be a greater challenge if she was to be living under the same roof with him for several weeks. She hoped indeed that Cousin Frederica would keep her very busy.
"How do you do, Miss Dauntry?" he was saying to her. "I hope your family is in good health." She sat down near to him as Frederica poured out her tea.
"They do very well, I thank you," she replied, clasping her hands in her lap. "It was fortunate that my mother is so well she could have no objection to my coming."
"Fortunate indeed," he smiled, handing her a steaming teacup. "I hope you will enjoy your stay at Alver. You have not been often here, I think."
"Not since I was a little girl, when old Lady Alverstoke was still alive," she said. "She liked to have all the family about her at Christmas, I think so that she could inspect all of us."
"Terrifying old woman," Mr. Trevor agreed, recollecting with a grimace the present Marquis' hawkeyed grandmother, whom he had once seen driving past the rectory. "I hope your stay will be more pleasant this time. I know you will be much occupied with Miss Merriville's business, but should you wish to walk about the grounds –"
At that moment he was interrupted by the entrance of Felix, Jessamy, and Lufra. The boys were arguing loudly, and Lufra instantly spotted the newcomer and bounded over to greet her. Chloe would have ended with a large dog in her lap had not Mr. Trevor brought Lufra to heel. As it was, Lufra was content to have his ears rubbed by a pretty young woman as he sat obediently at her feet.
"Cousin Alverstoke, Jessamy says that old barn doesn't belong to us, but it does, doesn't it? Cassandra agreed with me," Felix was saying in his most persuasive tone of voice.
"Felix, I told you not to be a bother, and it isn't our barn!" Jessamy countered.
"Of what old barn are we speaking, and who on earth is Cassandra?" inquired the Marquis, unshaken by the commotion in his drawing room.
"Oh she's Mr. Trevor's relative or something, but that's not important! The thing is she says since it is an abandoned barn, and on your land, there should be nothing the matter with our using it!"
"My dear Charles, I knew that one of your brothers was in the law, but I did not know you had a sister so well-versed in property management!" said Alverstoke. "What an accomplished family you are."
"Cassandra Leighton is my niece, my lord, and were she given the choice of a career I think she would lean more towards an artillery regiment than property management," said Charles with a slight flush.
"She's a great gun," confessed Felix, "and I told her I'd let her help me in my laboratory as long as she doesn't chatter when I'm trying to concentrate. So can we have the old barn, if you please, Cousin Alverstoke?"
"Why, Felix, Alverstoke already told you that you should have a laboratory after the wedding," exclaimed Frederica. "Can you not wait several weeks?"
"I am always so afraid he will hurt himself when he does his experiments," Charis confessed to Chloe with a shudder.
Chloe's eyes widened. "What is it that he does, exactly?" she asked.
"Once he singed his eyebrows off," said Charis solemnly. "Ever since, I have begged Frederica not to let him have a laboratory again, but she says at least that way his mischief can be contained to one area."
"If I let you use this barn," Alverstoke was saying, "do I have your word that you will restrain yourself from wreaking havoc on the neighborhood? If I hear any complaints from the local farmers, or find that Miss Leighton has vaporized in a cloud of steam, your claims to this barn shall be immediately revoked."
"Thank you, Cousin Alverstoke! Of course, I shall be most careful, if you will only let me use the barn," promised Felix, beaming. His eye alighted on the platter of cake set on a nearby table, and he moved towards it.
"And as soon as you've taken your tea, you will go and rest for half an hour, Felix," added Frederica. Jessamy sighed, having clearly failed to make his point, and took a piece of cake himself before remembering his manners and greeting Miss Dauntry politely. He came and sat near her and said he hoped she wasn't frightened by loud noises.
"For you can be sure he will manage to blow something up," he said resignedly. "I do hope your niece won't be first to go, Mr. Trevor."
"Oh, Cassie once set her hair on fire to see how long it would burn," said Charles. "She seems fairly resistant to the elements. My concern is that between the two of them they might manage to accidently burn down the entire village."