That Mainwaring Affair

by A. Maynard Barbour

  CHAPTER II

  FAIR OAKS

  The home of Hugh Mainwaring was one of many palatial suburbanresidences situated on a beautiful avenue running in a northerlydirection from the city, but it had not been for so many years inhis possession without acquiring some of the characteristics of itsowner, which gave it an individuality quite distinct from its elegantneighbors. It had originally belonged to one of the oldest andwealthiest families in the county, for a strictly modern house,without a vestige of antiqueness lingering in its halls and with nofaint aroma of bygone days pervading its atmosphere, would have beenentirely too plebeian to suit the tastes of Hugh Mainwaring.

  From the street to the main entrance a broad driveway wound beneaththe interlacing boughs of a double line of giant oaks, from whichthe place had derived its name. Beautiful grounds extended in everydirection, and in the rear of the mansion sloped gently to the edgeof a small lake. Facing the west was the main entrance to the house,which was nearly surrounded by a broad veranda, commanding a fineview, not only of the grounds and immediately surrounding country,but also of the Hudson River, not far distant.

  The southwestern portion of the building contained the private roomsof Hugh Mainwaring, including what was known as the "tower," and hadbeen added by him soon after he had taken possession of the place.This part of the house was as far removed as possible from the largereception-rooms, and the apartments on the second floor comprisedthe suite occupied by Mr. Mainwaring. The first of these rooms,semi-octagonal in form, constituted his private library, and itselegant furnishings and costly volumes, lining the walls from floorto ceiling, bespoke the wealth and taste of the owner. Across thesouthwestern side of this room heavy portieres partially concealedthe entrance to what Mr. Mainwaring denominated his "sanctumsanctorum," the room in the tower. This was small, of circular form,and contained an immense desk, one or two revolving bookcases, anda large safe, which held his private papers and, it was rumored, theold Mainwaring jewels. Back of the library was a smoking-room, andin the rear of that Mr. Mainwaring's dressing-rooms and sleepingapartments.

  This suite of rooms was connected with the remainder of the buildingby a long corridor extending from the main hall, but there was onthe south side of the house an entrance and stairway leading directlyto these rooms, the upper hall opening into the library andsmoking-room. From this southern entrance a gravelled walk ledbetween lines of shrubbery to a fine grove, which extended backand downward to the western shore of the small lake already mentioned.

  But the especially distinguishing characteristic of Fair Oaks sincecoming into the possession of Hugh Mainwaring was the general air ofexclusion pervading the entire place. The servants, with theexception of "Uncle Mose," the colored man having charge of thegrounds, were imported,--the head cook being a Frenchman, theothers either English or Irish, and, from butler to chambermaid, oneand all seemed to have acquired the reserve which characterizedtheir employer.

  Comparatively few servants were employed and few were needed, fornever, until the present occasion, had Fair Oaks been thrown opento guests. Occasionally Mr. Mainwaring brought out from the citytwo or three gentleman friends, whom he entertained in royalfashion. Sometimes these guests were accompanied by their wives,but such instances were extremely rare, as ladies were seldom seenat Fair Oaks.

  In the entertainment of these occasional guests Mr. Mainwaring wasfrequently assisted by Mrs. LaGrange, known as his housekeeper, butin reality holding a position much more advanced than is usuallyimplied by that term. Among those who had been personallyentertained by Mrs. LaGrange, this fact, of itself, excited littlecomment; it being evident that she was as familiar with thefashionable world as was their host himself, but surrounding her wasthe same dim haze of mystery that seemed to envelop the entire place,impalpable, but thus far impenetrable.

  She had come to Fair Oaks some fifteen years previous to this time,dressed in deep mourning, accompanied by her infant son, about threeyears of age, and it was generally understood that she was distantlyrelated to Mr. Mainwaring. She was a strikingly handsome woman,with that type of physical beauty which commands admiration, ratherthan winning it; tall, with superb form and carriage, rich oliveskin, large dark eyes, brilliant as diamonds and as cold, but whichcould become luminous with tenderness or fiery with passion, asoccasion required. To those whom she sought to entertain she couldbe extremely charming, but to a few even of these, gifted with deeperinsight than the others, it seemed that beneath that fascinatingmanner was a dangerous nature, a will that would brook no restraint,that never would be thwarted; and that this was, in reality, thepower which dominated Fair Oaks.

  After years of mysterious seclusion, however, the beautiful home ofHugh Mainwaring, while maintaining its usual reserve towards itsneighbors, had thrown open its doors to guests from across the water;and on the particular afternoon of the conference in the privateoffices of Mainwaring & Co., there might have been seen on one ofthe upper balconies of the mansion at Fair Oaks a group of fiveEnglish ladies, engaged in a discussion of their first impressionsregarding their host and his American home. The group consisted ofMrs. Ralph Mainwaring and her daughter Isabel; Miss Edith Thornton,the daughter of William Mainwaring Thornton and the fiancee of HughMainwaring, Jr.; Miss Winifred Carleton, a cousin of Miss Thornton;and Mrs. Hogarth, the chaperone of the last named young ladies.

  Understanding, as they did, the occasion of this their first visitto the western world, and being personally interested in the happyevent so soon to be celebrated, they naturally felt great interestin their new surroundings. The young ladies were especiallyenthusiastic in their expressions of admiration of the house andgrounds, while Mrs. Mainwaring, of even more phlegmatic temperamentthan her husband, remarked that it was a fine old place, really muchfiner than she expected to see, which was quite an admission on herpart.

  "It is just as lovely as it can be!" said Winifred Carleton, comingfrom the railing, where she had been watching the broad expanse ofocean visible in the distance, and seating herself on a divan besideher cousin. "I do think, Edith, you are the most fortunate girl inthe world, and I congratulate you with all my heart."

  "Thank you, Winnie," replied Miss Thornton, a pronounced blondelike her father, with large, childlike blue eyes; "but it will beyours to enjoy as much as mine, for you will always be with me; atleast, till you are married, you know."

  "That is a very reckless declaration on your part, for I am likelynever to marry," responded Miss Carleton, lightly. She was anorphan and an heiress, but had a home in the family of WilliamMainwaring Thornton, who was her uncle and guardian.

  Isabel Mainwaring, reclining in a hammock near Miss Thornton, smiledlanguidly. She was tall, with dark hair and the Mainwaring cold,gray eyes. "You seem to ignore the fact," she said, "that our cousinis likely to live in the exclusive enjoyment of his home for manyyears to come."

  "You mercenary wretch!" retorted Miss Carleton; "are you alreadycounting the years before Mr. Mainwaring's death?"

  "Isabel, I am shocked!" exclaimed Mrs. Mainwaring.

  "I don't know why," replied that young lady, coolly. "I was onlythinking, mamma; and one is not always accountable for one'sthoughts, you know."

  "But," said Miss Thornton, wonderingly, raising her large eyes, fullof inquiry, to Mrs. Mainwaring, "after our cousin has announced hisintention of making Hugh his heir, don't you think he will be likelyto extend other invitations to visit Fair Oaks?"

  "Undoubtedly, my dear," replied Mrs. Mainwaring, "there will probablybe an exchange of courtesies between the two branches of the familyfrom this time. Though I must say," she added, in a lower tone, andturning to Mrs. Hogarth, "I do not know that I, for one, will beparticularly anxious to repeat my visit when this celebration is onceover. So far as I can judge, there seems to be no society here.Wilson has learned from the servants that Mr. Mainwaring lives veryquietly, in fact, receives no company whatever; and, I may bemistaken, but it certainly seems to me that this Mrs. LaGrangeoccupies rather an
anomalous position. She is here as his housekeeper,a servant, yet she entertains his guests, and her manners are anythingbut those of a servant."

  "Why shouldn't she, mamma?" inquired Isabel, rather abruptly. "CousinHugh has never married,--which is a very good thing for us, by theway,--and who would help him entertain if his housekeeper did not?"

  "It is not her position to which I object so much," remarked Mrs.Hogarth, quietly, "though I admit it seems rather peculiar, but thereis something about her own personality that impresses me veryunfavorably."

  "In your opinion, then, she is not a proper person," said Mrs.Mainwaring, who was fond of jumping at conclusions; "well, I quiteagree with you."

  "No," said Mrs. Hogarth, with a smile, "I have not yet formed sodecided an opinion as that. I am not prepared to say that she isa bad woman, but I believe she is a very dangerous woman."

  "Dear Mrs. Hogarth, how mercilessly you always scatter my fanciesto the winds!" exclaimed Miss Thornton; "until this moment I admiredMrs. LaGrange very much."

  "I did not," said Miss Carleton, quickly; "from my first glimpse ofher she has seemed to me like a malign presence about the place, averitable serpent in this beautiful Eden!"

  "Well," said Isabel Mainwaring, with a slight shrug, "I see noreason for any concern regarding Mrs. LaGrange, whatever she may be.I don't suppose she will be entailed upon Hugh with the property;and I only hope that before long we can buy back the old Mainwaringestate into our own branch of the family."

  "That is just what your father intends to have done whenever theproperty comes into Hugh's possession," replied Mrs. Mainwaring,and was about to say something further, when a musical whistleattracted the attention of the ladies, and, looking over thebalcony railing, they saw Hugh Mainwaring, Jr., approaching thehouse, on his return from a day's fishing, accompanied by WalterLaGrange, a young sophomore, home on his vacation.

  The former was a typical young Englishman, with a frank, pleasantcountenance. The latter, while inheriting his mother's beauty andresembling her in a marked degree, yet betrayed in his face aweakness which indicated that, lacking ability to plan and executefor himself, he would become a ready tool to aid in carrying out thedesigns of others.

  The ladies, having discovered the hour to be much later than theysupposed, and knowing that the gentlemen would soon return from thecity, speedily adjourned to their dressing-rooms to prepare fordinner.