CHAPTER X.
"Now, then, have I not kept faith with you?" said a voice in the chapel.
"Yes, in truth you have," replied a second voice; "but I fear we havebeen too late. The falling of that accursed horse has lost us the fiveminutes--the important five minutes on which all success in life sooften depends."
"You should not bring fine-pampered Barbary steeds into these wildmountains, count," replied the other voice; "but a bold man is never toolate. The lover is safe enough for a long time to come, and you can--"
"Hush! hush!" said the other, as if fearful that their conversation,though the tone in which they spoke was little louder than a whisper,should reach the ears of some one near.
"Oh! she has fainted," said the other. "She sank back upon my arm aminute or two ago. Here! Forli, bring me a lantern!"
A lantern was soon brought, and, one side being opened, the light wassuffered to stream full upon the face of Isabel de Brienne. Thebeautiful eyes were closed; the long, dark lashes rested on the faircheek; the lips themselves were pale; and there was no indication thatthe heavy, senseless sleep in which she lay was not the slumber of deathitself, except a slight movement of the fingers, as if the cord thattied her wrists caused some corporeal pain, which was felt even throughthe swoon in which she lay. It was upon her face and form alone that thefull light shone, but the feeble rays which found their way arounddispelled in some degree, though but slightly, the profound darknessthat before had filled the whole building. No one could be seen so as tobe recognised; but in various parts of the chapel appeared groups ofdark figures, all holding aloof from the spot where the unhappy girllay, with her head resting upon the upper step of the altar, except twotall and powerful men, who stood close to her, and another, who kneltdown, holding the lantern to her face.
"Were it not better to take her away at once?" said one of the voices.
"There is the ring upon her finger!" said the other, without answeringthe question. "Accursed be that brute for thus delaying us! I will shoothim with my own hand when I get back." He paused a moment, and thencontinued: "So, he thinks that there is no charm which can ever get thatring off again. But I will find one; and, if I mistake not, there iseven now a mighty magician in the Louvre preparing the counterspell. No,no, my good lord, we will not change our plan. I must appear as thedeliverer, not as the offender. The time is gone by when ladies fell inlove with their ravishers; but where shall it be? Up towards LaChapelle?"
"No, no!" replied the other, "that will not do. You might say I wasgoing to join the emperor. No, better in the valley just above LesEchelles. There, too, my good friend, we shall be free from those whostopped us in our last attempt. It will take us till daylight to getthere, and that will be just the time."
"Hush! she is waking!" said the other. "Quick, close the lantern!" and,after a few words more, spoken in a still lower tone, there was aconsiderable movement in the chapel. Several persons came and went; andIsabel de Brienne, gradually waking again to a consciousness of herunhappy situation, heard the stern tones of the Marquis of Masseran, nowspeaking in a loud voice, and giving various orders to the people thatsurrounded him.
"Is the litter not come yet?" he said. "Go, some one, and hasten it: Iwill take care that no such plots as these are carried on again. Haveyou got the priest? I trust you have not let him escape."
"He is safe enough," replied one of the others; "he is safe enough, andup at the castle by this time. Here is the litter, my lord."
"Come, fair madam," said the Lord of Masseran, "if you cannot walk, wemust have you borne forth. But surely a lady sufficiently active todeceive her own mother, and to find her way hither on such a night asthis, may very well walk to the chapel door."
"My lord," said Isabel, faintly, "I did not deceive my mother. It wasonly one prisoner who concealed her plan of escape from another,compelled--I trust and believe unwillingly--to act the part of a spy anda jailer. I call every one to witness," she added, speaking as loud asher feeble state would permit, "that I protest against your removing meanywhere but to the court of the King of France, my native sovereign."
"Who said we were going to take you anywhere but to his court?" rejoinedthe Lord of Masseran. "Come, madam, come! Cease arguments and protests;I am your mother's husband, your guardian for the time, and thatguardianship you shall not break through very easily." Thus saying, heraised her rudely by the arm, and, half leading, half dragging her,conveyed her to the door of the chapel, and placed her in a horse-litterwhich stood near. Some farther delay took place while the men aroundwere mounting their horses and arranging the order of their march. Whenthis was completed, however, the Lord of Masseran put himself at thehead of his troop, and proceeded at a slow pace, taking a road that ledaway from the castle.
Isabel, unable to move, lay in the litter and wept; but she remarkedthat, from time to time, single horsemen passed from the rear to thefront, and from the front to the rear, and that manifold were the ordersand directions given to the different persons of whom the party wascomposed. No one, however, spoke a word to her; but it was someconsolation to see, as day began to break upon their weary journeyonward, that there was the form of another woman among the troopers onbefore. Isabel thought, too, that she had once heard, during the night,the voice of her maid speaking in a somewhat complaining tone; and theidea of having her society in the state of captivity she was doomed tosuffer was no slight alleviation.
It was just at that moment, while the sky was still gray with night, butthe rocks, and trees, and mountains round about growing every instantmore clear and defined, that a good deal of bustle and agitation becameevident in the party of the Marquis of Masseran. A minute or twoafterward he halted on the edge of the hill, and was seen speakingeagerly with some of his followers. At the same time the sound of atrumpet was heard, and Isabel thought she could distinguish thegalloping of horse. She then saw a number of the Lord of Masseran'sfollowers, who were on before her, dismount, and, unslinging theirfirearms, fire a shot or two into the valley. A loud volley of musketryfrom some distant spot was heard immediately afterward, and the marquis,apparently in great haste and agitation, ordered the litter to bebrought on with all speed, and driven forward in advance of the party.The discharges of musketry, however, both from his own attendants andfrom those who seemed to be pursuing him, grew more and more frequentevery moment; the smoke drifted down the valley in long white wreaths,enveloping the litter, and making all the objects more indistinct thanbefore; while the galloping of horse was now clearly heard, togetherwith loud voices giving orders. Then came the clashing of swords, andtwo or three men on horseback were driven fiercely past the litter,contending with others hand to hand. After a short scene of tumult andconfusion, the sound of the firing appeared to come from a greaterdistance. The two men on horseback who were guarding the litter suddenlystopped, gazed around them, and galloped away at full speed. The actualdriver slipped down the rocks into the valley below, and seemed to hidehimself among the bushes; while Isabel remained alone, with her handstied, and unable to quit the vehicle in which she had been placed.
A number of voices talking aloud, however, soon met her ear, and a gayand gallant party, somewhat soiled with dust and smoke, rode up to thespot were she lay. The leader of the victorious body sprang from hishorse at once; and, while one of his followers caught the reins of thehorses in the litter, the Count de Meyrand approached Isabel's side,exclaiming, in a tone of much pity and commiseration, "I fear, indeed,Mademoiselle de Brienne, that you must have suffered terribly. GoodGod!" he continued, "the villain has actually tied her hands;" and onthe spot, with his own dagger, he cut the cords, which had left a deepprint on the small, delicate wrists that they had bound. At the sametime, he added many a soothing word, but still with a tone of deferenceand respect, which made Isabel feel that deliverance by his hand wasnot, as she had at first been inclined to think, more painful than herformer captivity. She spoke a few words of thanks for his assistance andattention; and, with an eagerness that waited not t
o be questioned,Adrian of Meyrand went on to tell her "that he had heard, late on thepreceding night, that some violence had been shown to her, inconsequence of an attempt she had made to escape from the castle ofMasseran, and that her mother's husband was carrying her away far intoSavoy.
"I have good reason to know," continued the count, "that this man hassecret communications with the enemies of France, and I doubt not thathis purpose was to remove you for ever from the neighbourhood of yourfriends and connexions, from your native country, and from theprotection of the king. Although," he added, with a sigh, "I was notsure that my assistance would be acceptable, yet I could not resist myinclination to follow and offer you deliverance. I was afraid ofoffending you; but these bonds upon your hands, sweet lady, evidentlyshow that you were carried away against your will, and, therefore, whatI have done has not been in vain."
His words agreed so well with the suspicions which Isabel de Brienne hadbefore entertained regarding the views and purposes of the Lord ofMasseran, that they taught her to put more faith in the count than shemight otherwise have been inclined to do. The respectful tone which heassumed, too, removed, as we have said, many anxieties from her mind,and she again expressed her thanks for the service he had rendered her,but still looked bewildered in his face, as if inquiring what was to bedone next.
The Count de Meyrand skilfully read that look, and, knowing that hersituation placed her entirely in his power for the time, he determinedto leave her the utmost appearance of unrestrained liberty so long asshe could use it to no effect. He said not a word then in regard towhere her steps should be turned, but stood beside the litter with hiscap in his hand, and the feather trailing on the ground, as if waitingfor her commands.
Isabel was embarrassed: she could have wished to tell him all that hadoccurred; she could have wished to say, "I am Bernard de Rohan's wife.Protect me for the sake of your friend and companion." But there was ahesitation, a doubt, an apprehension: she had known and she had seen,with a woman's clear insight into all those things that appertain tolove, how strong and dangerous was the passion which the Count deMeyrand had conceived for her; and, though timidity had certainly someshare in making her hesitate to acknowledge at once her union withBernard de Rohan, yet an apprehension of endangering him, of making hisimprisonment more severe, of putting his very life in peril if sheacknowledged her union with him to his rival, confirmed her resolutionof taking time to think ere she so acted. What she was next to do,however, was the immediate question; and, after a long and embarrassingpause, she said, half as a question to herself and half to the count,"Where can I go to, and what can I do?"
That question was what Meyrand expected and what he desired. "If I mightadvise," he said, in an humble tone, "Mademoiselle de Brienne would atonce proceed to the court of the King of France, and put herself underthe protection of her own sovereign, who is the person best qualified toguide and guard her. She will there also have the counsel and assistanceof her brother, and will consequently be restored to that situation offreedom, comfort, and, I trust, peace, of which I must think she wasdeprived by her mother's marriage with this unprincipled Savoyard."
"But there are many things," said Isabel, in a low tone, "but there aremany things, Monsieur de Meyrand--" and, as she spoke, the thought cameacross her of leaving the man to whom she had so lately given her handin danger, in grief, perhaps in misery, and of putting many hundreds ofmiles between them within a few hours after they had pledged themselvesto each other to remain together for life.
The Count de Meyrand, however, cut her short. "At all events, dearlady," he said, "it is necessary, very necessary, for us to pass theFrench frontier immediately. It is at no great distance; and a few hourswill place us in our native land. Depend upon it, this good Lord ofMasseran will not lose his prize so easily. Every man I have in Savoy iswith me here. He can call hundreds to his aid, and, I fear, mightoverwhelm me in spite of all resistance. If, indeed, you wish to remainin Savoy, I will do my best to protect you; but I fear much theconsequences, and I would advise, nay, persuade you, to take the road toFrance at once. You can determine upon your future conduct afterward,when we are once across the frontier; for, though France holds thiscountry by armed force, still it is not our own; and, while we keep thefortresses, we are obliged to leave the open country to its fate. Ha!"he continued, gazing along the road, down which a party of hisattendants were now leading a horse, bearing the poor, quiet_soubrette_, who had followed her mistress through that eventful night."Ha! here come some of my people, seemingly with a woman servant. If shebe any one you can depend upon, it may be a great comfort for you tohave her with you."
"She is my own maid," replied the lady, "and I think, my lord, as youdo, that we had better, in the first instance, make our way into Francedirect, if the distance be not great to the frontier."
"It is but a few hours' ride," replied the count. "But we must lose notime lest the enemy be upon us."
Though Isabel was fatigued and exhausted with sorrow, agitation, andwant of rest, she signified her readiness to proceed at once, and thehorses in her litter were turned in the direction of the frontier. Hermaid, too, weary with the long journey on horseback, took her placebeside her mistress in the more easy conveyance; and the Count deMeyrand, riding close to the vehicle, continued to offer to Isabel deBrienne every kindly and soothing attention. Nor was his manner markedby any such signs of admiration or affection as could give her pain;but, at the same time, it must be confessed, she would have been muchbetter satisfied to have been left to a communion with her own thoughts.The mere necessity of travelling any distance under the guidance andprotection of a man whose love she had been forced to reject, and whohad pressed it upon her in a way that she had felt to be insulting, waspainful in the highest degree; and the prospect of having to proceed farin such circumstances was so grievous, that she resolved at all risks toavoid it. What plan she was to form for this purpose was a questionwhich required much thought to answer; but the count took care that sheshould have no time either for calm consideration or for discussing herfuture prospects with the woman who accompanied her, and who was, infact, the only one now with her whom she had known long and well.
Ere three hours were over, they passed the frontier into France; andIsabel could not help thinking it strange that, if the Lord ofMasseran's purpose had been to throw himself into the hands either ofthe emperor or of Philip of Spain, he should thus have approached withina few leagues of the French territory. There were other circumstancesalso, in all that had passed, which puzzled her; but she had no means ofaccounting for any of these matters, and could not lull to sleep thesuspicions which they occasioned.
At the first village which they came to, it was found necessary to pausefor the purpose of refreshing the horses of the litter; and everythingthat could be procured for her comfort and convenience was ordered withprompt and careful attention by the Count of Meyrand. When he had seenthat a chamber had been prepared for her in the little inn, where shecould repose for an hour or two, and that refreshments of various kindswere in active preparation, he ordered his horse to be brought roundagain, much to her surprise, saying, "It will be better for me now toleave you, Mademoiselle de Brienne. You will be in security here till myreturn; but I must go and scour the country towards Chambery, to makesure that none of this man's parties have crossed the frontier, and arewatching for you on your onward way."
Isabel was anxious to put the best interpretation on her companion'sconduct, and it seemed to her that this might merely be a delicateexcuse to leave her for the time. She was willing to imagine that suchan explanation had taken place between the count and Bernard de Rohan asto deprive the former of all hope of obtaining her hand, and she fanciedthat Adrian de Meyrand's conduct in the present instance might be guidedby a wish to show that his purposes were only those of friendship andhonourable courtesy. She would not, however, banish the suspicions towhich woman's instinctive insight into the passion of which she is theobject gave rise, and, for fear of being mista
ken, she would not say oneword to prevent his going, although she felt that it was scarcelycourteous of her not to do so, and though she thought that there was anexpression of disappointment on his face at the cold indifference withwhich she heard the announcement.