Part 41 (1/2)
”I wish to meet the Duke--not as Lady Garribardine's secretary; that would prejudice him too much, naturally! I want to meet him in the evening at dinner as a guest. I want to talk to him and see for myself what he is like, and if he is as wonderful as he looks. Only you could arrange this. If you asked him to dinner and asked me and Miss Arabella or Miss Gwendoline d'Estaire it would be possible, would it not?”
He was staring at her now, overcome by her masterly frankness. No--she would never deceive him, he realised that and also that nothing of his will could ever impose upon hers. He knew he was impotent as a factor in the determining of her plans; all he could do to keep her favour was to fall in with them.
Her face, white as a lily in the growing dusk, was calm and cold and beautiful. He had never desired her more--but that fastidiousness in him, that power of detachment which could appreciate skill even when exercised against his own interests, a.s.serted itself, and helped him.
She was so wonderful a character, he must a.s.sist her even to his own pain.
”I suppose it would be possible--Beatrice goes down to Allerton to-morrow until after Easter. I expect I could arrange it for Friday night if I can only get the Duke--he will be awfully busy these days--but perhaps if I ask him at once I might catch him--” Then he thought a moment--”Yes--I've got a new case of miniatures I bought last week at an odd sale. I could beguile him on the pretext of giving me his opinion as to whether or no two of them are really Cosways. You see to what a state of abject slavery you have reduced me.”
”No, I have not--you are being merely a loyal friend.”
”To-night at dinner I will ask my aunt if you may dine--I have some boring country friends coming in any case that night and she will let me have you to help to entertain them, I expect. You are supposed to be extraordinarily talented as an entertainer of bores!”
He could not keep some of the bitterness he was feeling out of his voice. Katherine looked at him reproachfully.
”I thought you would perhaps have understood--and been kind.”
He responded at once to her tone.
”Darling--I will--you know it. I will show you that I am indeed your devoted friend; will that please you?”
She inwardly appreciated his sacrifice and her eyes shone softly upon him.
His face was haggard and looked hungry--its expression would have surprised the many women who had loved him, and on whom he had turned a transient smile.
”Yes, that will please me,” and her voice was sweet. ”Now tell me about him. I remember to have read in the papers some time ago that the d.u.c.h.ess had died.”
”He has had an awful life--the d.u.c.h.ess was mad. She was a Thorval, a cousin of my wife's, and went more or less off her head soon after they were married about twenty-eight years ago. Then for more than fifteen years she was extremely peculiar, but not quite bad enough to be entirely shut up. Only of course it made it impossible for him to have friends or to entertain and enjoy his great position. Then she became quite mad and had to be isolated and by this time Adeliza, the only child, began to show signs of derangement, too, and so he had the horror of seeing the same thing occurring over again. About two years ago the d.u.c.h.ess died and fortunately soon after Adeliza caught scarlet fever and died also, just before you came to my aunt's--and then Mordryn started on a long voyage round the world to try and make a break and forget--and he has been abroad ever since, and only returned last night.”
”Poor man, then he did not obtain much pleasure from his great position?”
”Not in England--but one must suppose that he has had some kind of consolations in all these years. He was often in Paris and has always been extremely attractive, but he is a great gentleman, and there have never been any scandals about him.”
”And now all those ugly shadows have been removed from his life and he is free--” Katherine drew in her breath a little.
”Yes, he is free,” Gerard concurred gloomily. ”He is a most intimate friend of my aunt's; you will see him constantly at Blissington.”
”Where I am the secretary--yes. Ah! if you knew how I long sometimes to be--myself--and not to have to act meekness--Ah! you would know then how grateful I shall be if you can give me this one evening of happiness.”
He was touched, she so seldom showed any emotion. He felt rewarded for some of his sufferings.
”You shall have as perfect a time as I can secure for you, Katherine, dear girl--” and he bent forward and took her hand. ”You would adorn any position in the world--but if Mordryn were not a most splendid character I would not help you to meet him--He is--One of the finest in the world--and I will try--I promise you I will try not to let any jealous envy stand in your way.”
”You are a dear after all,” and she returned the pressure of his fingers before she drew hers away.
There was a strange light in her eyes as she walked up the stairs to her room in Berkeley Square. A wonderful vista had suddenly opened itself before her, with a mountain in the distance all of s.h.i.+ning gold. It seemed that it must always have been there but that some mist had hidden it which was now rolled away.
What if she should be able to reach this splendid gilded mountain top--some day?----
A glorious end to aim at in any case, and she shut her white teeth firmly--and sitting down by her open window began steadily to think.