Part 5 (1/2)
”I can't,” was my brief reply. ”I only ask you to refute the untruth.”
”I will--at once. Poor Geoffrey.”
”Have you heard from him lately?” I asked.
”You're very inquisitive. I have not.”
”I'm very glad of that,” I answered her. ”You know how greatly the affair annoyed the Emperor. You were awfully injudicious. It's a good job that I chanced to meet you both at the station in Moscow.”
”Well,” she laughed, ”I was going to England with him, and we had arranged to be married at a registrar's office in London. Only you stopped us--you nasty old thing!”
”And you ought to be very glad that I recognised you just in the nick of time. Ten minutes later and you would have left Moscow. Think of the scandal--the elopement of a young Imperial Grand d.u.c.h.ess of Russia with an English commoner.”
”Well, and isn't an English commoner as good, and perhaps better, than one of these uniformed and decorated Russian aristocrats? I am Russian,” she added frankly, ”but I have no love for the Muscovite man.”
”It was a foolish escapade,” I declared; ”but it's all over now. The one consolation is that n.o.body knows the actual truth.”
”Except His Majesty. I told him everything; how I had met Geoffrey in Hamps.h.i.+re when I went to stay with Lady Hexworthy; how we used to meet in secret, and all that,” she said.
”Well now,” I exclaimed, looking straight into her face, ”I want to ask you a plain open question. I have a motive in doing so--one which I will explain to you after you have answered me honestly and truthfully.
I--”
”At it again!” cried the pretty madcap. ”You're really not yourself to-night, Uncle Colin. What is the matter with you?”
”Simply I want to know the truth--whether there is still any love between Geoffrey and yourself?”
”Ah! no,” she sighed, pulling a grimace. ”It's all over between us. It broke his heart, poor fellow, but some kind friend, at your Emba.s.sy, I think, wrote and told him about Paul Urusoff and--well, he wrote me a hasty letter. Then I replied, a couple of telegrams, and we agreed to be strangers for ever. And so ends the story. Like a novel, isn't it?”
she laughed merrily.
My eyes were fixed upon her. I was wondering if she were really telling me the truth. As the Emperor had most justly said, she was an artful little minx where her love-affairs were concerned.
Colonel Polivanoff, the Grand Chamberlain of the Court, crossed the great palm-garden at that moment, and bowed to my pretty companion.
”But,” she added, turning back to me, ”people ought not to say that he's been foolish enough to do away with himself on my account. It only shows that I must have made some enemies of whom I'm quite unaware.”
”Everyone has enemies,” I answered her. ”You are no exception. But, is it really true that Geoffrey is no longer in your thoughts?” I asked her very seriously.
”Truth and honour,” she declared, with equal gravity.
”Then who is the fortunate young man at present--eh?”
”That's my own secret. Uncle Colin,” she declared, drawing herself up.
”I'll ask you the same question. Who is the lady you are in love with at the present moment?”
”Shall I tell you?”
”Yes. It would be interesting.”
”I'm in love with you.”