Hargrave came to her as she sat in her own parlour, saying, "Madam,
you will be amazed, but under the circumstances, the parson and myself
being both here, Mr. Belamour trusts you will not object to the
immediate performance of the ceremony."
Aurelia took some moments to realise what the ceremony was; and then
she cried, "Oh! but my father meant to have been here."
"Mr. Belamour thinks it better not to trouble Major Delavie to come
up," said Mr. Hargrave; and as Aurelia stood in great distress and
disappointment at this disregard of her wishes, he added, "I think
Miss Delavie cannot fail to understand Mr. Belamour's wishes to
anticipate my Lady's arrival, so that he may be as little harassed
as possible with display and publicity. You may rely both on his
honour and my vigilance that all is done securely and legally."
"Oh! I know that," said Aurelia, blushing; "but it is so sudden!
And I was thinking of my father---"
"Your honoured father has given full consent in writing," said the
steward. "Your doubts and scruples are most natural, my dear madam,
but under the circumstances they must give way, for it would be
impossible to Mr. Belamour to go through a public wedding."
That Aurelia well knew, though she had expected nothing so sudden or
so private; but she began to feel that she must allow all to be as
he chose; and she remembered that she had never pressed on him her
longing for her father's presence, having taken it as a matter of
course, and besides, having been far too shy to enter on the subject
of her wedding.
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