Part 30 (2/2)
”May I kiss your hand before I go?”
Brilliana tried to smile.
”A Cavalier would not have asked.”
”I am Puritan, ingrain,” he a.s.serted.
”You are a dear gentleman.”
She sighed and held out her hand. As he stooped to salute it the door was dashed open and a man booted and spurred flung into the room. As he stood for a moment amazed at what he saw, Brilliana, turning, recognized Sir Rufus Quaryll. She disengaged her hand from Evander's and moved a little towards him. Evander instinctively felt for his sword. Sir Rufus's face was a great blaze of red.
”In the devil's name, what does this mean?” he shouted.
Brilliana drew herself up.
”You forget yourself,” she said, haughtily. Rufus barked at her with rage.
”You have forgotten yourself; in the arms of a doomed traitor.”
”Civil words, sir!” Evander cried, moving on him. Brilliana motioned him to hold back.
”This gentleman is no traitor.”
An open letter lay at Rufus's feet. He pounced on it and read. He was pale now, the white heat of anger.
”Gentleman! Oh, I know much, guess all. Randolph is dead there yonder, and this rogue, who should be dead and ditched here, lives.
Faugh! But he dies now.”
On the word he had drawn his sword and advanced upon Evander, whose own sword was no less swiftly out. Brilliana came between the two men.
”If you kill him, you kill me,” she said.
”By G.o.d, you deserve to die!” was Rufus's answer.
In the headiness of their brawl none of the party had noticed how the door had opened again and how a man stood at gaze in the doorway. A slender man of middle height, in travel-stained riding-habit of black; a man with a comely, melancholy face and sad eyes; a man who seemed very weary. He wore a jewelled George. For a moment the new-comer stood unheeded, then he advanced into the room. Sir Rufus heard him, turned, and cried, ”The King!” Evander sent his sword back into its sheath. Brilliana knelt in reverence. This was the hero, almost the divinity, the monarch she wors.h.i.+pped, the sovereign she had never seen.
”Gentlemen, what is this?” the King asked. He turned to Brilliana.
”Lady, why did you not come to greet me?”
Brilliana rose.
”Your Majesty--” she began, but Rufus interrupted her hotly.
”Forgiveness, sire. I dashed ahead to warn her of the great honor you offered, halting here from Banbury, only to find her s...o...b..ring on a Roundhead gallows-bird.”
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