Arabella Part II

Mr Beaumaris is becoming attached to Arabella, and while he finds her naive, he is touched by her kindness to the poor and thoes in need. She is worrying that she came to London to have a Season and find a suitable husband who would look after her and give her an establishment. But she knows most of her suitors are not well off and believe that she is the one with the fortune. Then Bertram her brother, turns up in London using a false name. HE is supposed to be going to college, but he really wants to be a soldier. HOwever, his father, who is a scholarly gentle parson, has set his heart on his sons finding suitable genteel careers. Bertram goes into society but mostly hangs out with a few friends who lodge in the poorer areas and treat being in London as an excuse for gaming and drinking. Arabella is shocked that her brother is being so wild, and then she finds that he has contracted gaming debts and is in serious trouble. She does not know how she can help him, but thinks of a way. Mr Beaumaris had asked her to marry him but she had to say no because she could not admit to having no fortune. Now she tells him that she does want to marry him. He has met Bertram a few times and has worked out the problem, so he agrees to the marriage. Arabella tells him she thinks it would be romantic to elope, since she's afraid of delaying the marriage. Mr Beaumaris agrees and carries her off... but takes her to RIchmond and puts in in the care of his elderly grandmother. The Duchess of Wigan is an old lady, but she is fond of her grandson and agrees to look after Arabella. Mr Beaumaris tells her that he has been to Yorkshire and met her parents and that he knows she is not an heiress..that he likes her family and will do his best to help out her younger brothers and sisters in their careers or lives. Arabella is ashamed of how foolishly she has behaved but she has fallen in love with him and is glad to marry him. He tells her that He thinks Bertram should go into the army, and that if he grows a set of whiskers, the Society people he met wont recognise him in a few years, under his rightful name.