CHAPTER X
Katty Winslow stood by her open gate. She had wandered out there feelingrestless and excited, though she hardly knew why. During the lastfortnight she had spent many lonely hours, more lonely hours than usual,for Godfrey Pavely came much less often to see her than he had done inthe old, easygoing days.
And yet, though restless, Katty was on the whole satisfied. She thoughtthat things were going very much as she wished them to go. It was ofcourse annoying to know so little, but she was able to guess a gooddeal, and she felt quite sure that the leaven was working.
But the suspense and the uncertainty had got on her nerves, and she hadmade up her mind to leave Rosedean perhaps for as long as a fortnight.Two days ago she had written to various friends who were always glad tosee her. That was why, as she stood at the gate, she was able to tellherself that she was waiting for the postman.
She thought it very probable that Godfrey Pavely would be walking pasther house about this time. A couple of days ago he had come in for abouthalf an hour, but he had been dull and ill at ease, his mind evidentlyfull of something he was unwilling or ashamed to tell. And she hadwatched him with an amused, sympathetic curiosity, wondering how longhis cautious reticence would endure. If she had put her mind to it,perhaps Katty could have made him speak of that which filled his soreheart, but she felt that the time was not yet ripe for words betweenherself and Godfrey. She was afraid of jarring him, of making him saysomething to her which both of them afterwards might regret. No, not anywords of love to herself--of that she was not afraid--but some dogmaticpronouncement on divorce, and perchance on re-marriage.
And then, as she stood there, glancing up and down the lonely countryroad, she suddenly saw a man walking quickly towards her--not fromPewsbury, but from the opposite direction, which led only from TheChase.
Katty's bright brown eyes were very good eyes, and long before thestranger could see her she had, as it were, taken stock of him. Somehowhis clothes were not English-looking, and he wore a kind of grey Homburghat.
He was walking at a great pace, and as he came nearer, some vaguefeeling of curiosity made Katty step out of the gate, and look straightup the road towards him. All at once she made up her mind that he wasAmerican--a well-to-do and, according to his lights, a well-dressedAmerican.
Now Katty Winslow looked very charming, as she stood out there, in herheather-mixture tweed skirt, and pale blue flannel blouse--charming, andalso young. And the stranger--to her he seemed entirely a stranger--whenhe was quite close up to her, suddenly took off his hat and exclaimed,"Why, Miss Fenton! It is Miss Fenton, isn't it?"
He was now smiling broadly into her face, his bold, rather challengingeyes--the blue eyes which were the best feature of his face, and theonly feature which recalled his beautiful sister--full of cordialadmiration.
"You don't remember me?" he went on. "Well, that's quite natural, for ofcourse you made a much deeper impression on me than I did on you!"
And then all at once it flashed across Katty who this pleasant,bright-eyed wayfarer must be. It must be, it could only be, GilbertBaynton--the peccant Gillie!
"Mr. Baynton?" she said questioningly, and she also threw a great noteof welcome and cordiality into her voice.
"Yes," he said. "Gilbert Baynton--very much at your service----?"
"--Mrs. Winslow," she said hurriedly. "I'm Mrs. Winslow now." She sawthat the name conveyed nothing to him. "Do come in," she went onpleasantly, "if only for a moment, Mr. Baynton. Though it's early fortea, perhaps you'll stay and have a cup with me? I had no idea you werein England! I suppose you're staying with Laura, at The Chase?"
He shook his head, the smile faded from his face, and Katty, who wasobservant, saw that her question was ill-timed.
"It's delightful--seeing an old friend again, and I was feeling sobored--all by myself!"
As he followed her into the house, Gillie told himself that this wasdistinctly amusing--quite good fun! It would take the horrible taste ofhis interview with that--that _brute_--out of his mouth.
He looked round the little hall with quick interest and curiosity.There was no sign of a man about, only a lady's slender walking-stickand a bright red parasol, in the umbrella-stand. Was pretty little Kattya widow? Somehow she did not look like a widow!
She opened a door which gave out of the hall on the left, and calledout, "Harber? I should like tea in about five minutes."
Then she shut the door, and led the way down the little hall, andthrough into her sitting-room.
Gillie again glanced about him with eager appreciation. This was thesort of room he liked--cosy, comfortable, bright and smiling like itsattractive mistress.
"Sit down," she exclaimed, "and tell me everything that's happened toyou since we last met! Why, it must be, let me see, quite twelve yearsago?"
She took up a china box: "Have a cigarette--I'll have one too."
He waved the box aside, took out his own case, and held it out to her."I think you'll like these," he said. Then he struck a match, and astheir fingers touched, the lighting of her cigarette took quite a littlewhile.
"This _is_ jolly!" He sank back into one of Katty's well-cushioned easychairs. "You've the prettiest room I've been in since I came to England,Mrs. Winslow."
"Oh, then you haven't been into Laura's boudoir?"
"Yes, I've just come from there." Again his face altered as he spoke,and this time there came a look of frowning anger over it. Then, almostas if he read the unspoken question in her mind, he said slowly, "Lookhere, Mrs. Winslow, as you seem to know my sister so well, I may as welltell you the truth. I've just been ordered out of her house by mybrother-in-law, Godfrey Pavely. I suppose you know that he and I had arow years ago?" He was looking at her rather hard as he spoke, and shenodded her head.
"Yes," she said frankly, "I do know that, though I don't know what itwas about."
He breathed a little more freely. "It was about money," he saidbitterly. "Just what one would expect it to be with a man like Godfrey.He was furious because I got Laura to lend me some money. It was to paya debt of honour, for I was a gambler in those days. But I'm a good boynow!"
"Yes," she said, and smiled. "I know you are! You're Oliver Tropenell'spartner, aren't you, Mr. Baynton? He talks awfully nicely of you."
Gillie--his face was fair, his skin very clear, almost like agirl's--looked pleased. "Good old Tropenell!" he exclaimed. "Yes, he andI are tremendous pals. He's been the best friend to me man ever had."
"I am _so_ sorry for Laura," said Katty gently.
She was playing with the edge of a piece of Italian embroidery whichcovered a small table close to her elbow, and she was thinking--hard.
At that moment the drawing-room door opened, and the tea appeared. Whilethe table was being drawn up in front of her, the tray placed on to it,and a taper put to the spirit lamp, Katty's mind went on working busily.And by the time the maid was leaving the room, she had come to adecision. Even to her it was a momentous decision--how momentous toothers she was destined never to know.
Again she said slowly, impressively, "Yes, Mr. Baynton, I am sorryindeed for poor Laura."
"I'm sorry too. Not that it much matters! I didn't want to stay at TheChase. I always thought it a gloomy place in the old days, when I was achild--I mean when it still belonged to Mrs. Tropenell's people. Ofcourse I shall see Laura again--Godfrey can't prevent that! In fact headmitted that he couldn't."
There was a little pause. And then Katty, her eyes bent downwards, said,"I didn't quite mean that, Mr. Baynton. Of course I'm very sorry aboutyour new row with Mr. Pavely, for it must be so hateful to Laura to feelshe can't have her own brother in her own house. But--well----" Shethrew her head back, and gazed straight across at him. "Can you keep asecret?" she asked.
"Yes, of course I can!" He looked at her amused.
"I want you to keep what I'm going to say absolutely to yourself. Idon't want you ever to hint a word of it to Laura--still less to OliverTropenell."
"Of course I won'
t!" He looked at her with growing curiosity. What wasit she was going to tell him?
"I wonder if I ought to tell you," she murmured.
He laughed outright. "Well, I can't _make_ you tell me!"
She felt piqued at his indifference. "Yes, I will tell you, though itisn't _my_ secret!" she exclaimed. "But I feel that you ought to knowit--being Laura's brother. Laura," her voice dropped, she spoke in avery low voice, "Laura is in love with Oliver Tropenell, Mr. Baynton.And Oliver is in love with Laura--a thousand times more in love with herthan she is in love with him!"
She gave him a swift glance across the tea-table. Yes! Her shot hadtold indeed. He looked extraordinarily moved and excited. So excitedthat he got up from his chair.
"Good God!" he exclaimed incredulously. "Laura?" And then, "Tropenell?Are you sure of this, Mrs. Winslow?"
"Yes," she answered in a quiet, composed voice that carried conviction."I am _quite_ sure. They are both very, very unhappy, for they are good,high-minded people. They wouldn't do anything wrong for the world."
As he looked at her a little oddly, and with a queer little smile allover his face, she exclaimed, "I _know_ Laura wouldn't." And he nodded,a little ashamed of that queer little smile.
Gilbert Baynton's face stiffened into deep gravity. His eyes wereshining, and he was staring down at the little table, his half-finishedcup of tea forgotten.
He sat down again. "Has Laura told you this?" he asked abruptly. "Areyou her confidante?"
Katty hesitated. "No," she said at last. "I don't suppose Laura hasspoken of the matter to any living soul. But if you promise absolutelynot to give me away--I can tell you how you can assure yourself of thetruth. Ask Mrs. Tropenell. _She_ knows. I won't say any more."
"And Pavely?" he asked. "What part does my fine brother-in-law play?Does proper Godfrey know? Is priggish Godfrey jealous?"
She answered slowly: "I think that Mr. Pavely suspects. He and OliverTropenell were great friends till quite lately. But there's a coldnessnow. I don't know what happened. But _something_ happened."
"I see now why Tropenell has stayed here so long. I thought it must be awoman! I thought some prudish, dull, English girl had got hold ofhim----" He waited a moment.
"Well, I'm eternally grateful to you, Mrs. Winslow, for giving me thishint! You see, I'm very fond of Tropenell. It's a peculiar kind offeeling--there's nothing in the world I wouldn't do for him. Good God! Ionly wish that he and Laura----"
He was going to say "would have the pluck to bolt together!" but Kattysupplied a very different ending to his sentence.
"Ah," she exclaimed, "I only wish that Laura and Oliver _could_ marry.They're made for one another. You can't see them together without seeingthat!" She went on feelingly, "Laura was dreadfully unhappy with GodfreyPavely even before Oliver Tropenell came into her life. She and Mr.Pavely are quite unsuited to one another."
There was a queer bitterness in her voice.
And then Gillie Baynton suddenly remembered--remembered the flood ofgossip there had been at one time concerning those two--pretty KattyFenton, as she had been then, and Godfrey Pavely, the man who laterbecame his own brother-in-law.
He gave her a queer, shrewd glance, and Mrs. Winslow went on, ratherquickly and breathlessly,
"You mustn't think that I dislike Godfrey Pavely! He's been very good tome--as good as Laura. I'm what they call an innocent _divorcee_, Mr.Baynton, and they both helped me through the trouble. It was pretty badat the time, I can tell you. But of course I can't help seeing--no onecould help seeing--that Godfrey and Laura aren't suited to one another,and that they would each be much, much happier apart."
At the back of her clever, astute mind was the knowledge that it wasquite on the cards that Oliver, or Oliver's mother, would say somethingto Gilbert Baynton concerning herself and her intimacy with GodfreyPavely. She must guard against that, and guard against it now.
So she went on, pensively, "I don't know, to tell you the truth, forwhich of them I'm the more sorry--Laura, Godfrey, or Oliver! They're allthree awfully to be pitied. Of course, if they lived in America it wouldbe quite simple; Laura and Godfrey would be divorced by mutual consent,and then Laura would be able to be happy with Mr. Tropenell."
"And is nothing of that sort possible here?" asked Gillie Bayntoncuriously. "This old England _has_ stood still!"
Katty shook her head regretfully. "No, there's nothing of the sortpossible here. Of course there are ways and means----"
The other fixed his eyes on her. "Yes?" he said interrogatively.
"I fear that they are not ways and means that Godfrey or Laura wouldever lend themselves to."
"Then there's no cutting the Gordian knot?"
But that wasn't quite what Katty meant to imply. "I don't know," shesaid hesitatingly. "Godfrey would do almost anything to avoid any kindof scandal. But then you see one comes up against Laura----"
He nodded quickly. "Yes, I quite understand that Laura would never doanything she thought wrong--queer, isn't it?"
Gilbert Baynton stayed on at Rosedean for quite another half-hour, butnothing more was said on the subject which was filling his mind and thatof his hostess. They walked about the pretty, miniature garden, talkingin a desultory way over old times, and about some of the people they hadboth known years ago.
And then, at last, she took him to the gate. They looked at one anotherlike two augurs, and he said under his breath, "Well, it's a prettykettle of fish I've come home to, eh? I thought there was some sort ofmystery. I'm very much obliged to you for having put me on the track tosolve the riddle."
"Ah," she said, "but the riddle isn't solved yet, Mr. Baynton, is it?"
He answered, gravely for him, "No, those sorts of riddles are very hardto solve." He hesitated, then exclaimed in a meaning tone, "Still, they_are_ solved sometimes, Mrs. Winslow."
* * * * *
It was late the same night, a warm, St. Martin's summer night, and Mrs.Tropenell, sitting alone after dinner, made an excuse of a telephonemessage to join her son and Gillie Baynton out of doors.
After Baynton's return from The Chase the two men had gone off for along walk together over the downs, and they had come home so late thatdinner had had to be put off for half an hour. Instead of joining herlater, they had gone out again, but this time only into the garden.
Noiselessly she moved across the grass, and then, just as she was goingto step under the still leaf-draped pergola, she heard her son'svoice--a voice so charged with emotion and pain that, mastered by heranxiety, she stopped just behind one of the brick arches, and listened.
"You'll oblige me, Baynton, by keeping your sister's name out of this."
"Oh, very well! I thought you'd be glad to know what that woman said tome--I mean Mrs. Winslow."
"I'm not glad. I'm sorry. Mrs. Winslow is mistaken."
The short sentence came out with laboured breath as if with difficulty,and the one who overheard them, the anguished eavesdropper, felt herheart stirred with bitter impotence.
How Oliver cared--how much Oliver cared!
"Why are you so sure of that?" Again she heard Baynton's full, caressingvoice. "Laura's a very reserved woman! I'd rather believe her bestfriend--apparently Katty _is_ her best friend--about such a thing asthis. You've admitted that _you_ love her."
And as the other made no answer, Gillie went on, speaking in a very lowvoice, but with every word clearly audible from the place where Mrs.Tropenell stood listening: "Of course I won't mention Laura--as itupsets you so much! But after all, my hatred for Pavely and my love formy sister are the two strongest things in my life. Surely you know thatwell enough, Tropenell? I can't bar Laura out!"
And then came the answer, muttered between the speaker's teeth: "Iunderstand that, Baynton."
"I'm sorry I repeated Mrs. Winslow's tale. But of course it did impressme--it did influence me. I'd _like_ to believe it, Tropenell."
The secret listener was surprised at the feeling which Gillie's vibrantvoice be
trayed.
Oliver muttered something--was it, "I'd give my soul to know it true"?
Then, in a lighter tone, Gillie exclaimed, "As to that other matter, I'drather keep you out of the business altogether if I could! But Ican't--quite."
What was it that Oliver answered then? The two men were now walkingslowly away towards the further end of the pergola. Mrs. Tropenellstrained her ears to hear her son's answer:
"I don't want to keep out of it." Was that what he said, in a very low,tense voice?
Gilbert Baynton was speaking again: "It is _my_ idea, _my_ scheme, and Imean to carry it through! I shan't want much help--only quite a littlehelp from you."
And then she heard her son's voice again, and he was speaking morenaturally this time. "Of course we'll go shares, Gillie! What d'you takeme for? Am I to have all the profit, and you all the risk?"
Mrs. Tropenell breathed more freely. They were off from Laura now, andon some business affair. She heard Gillie Baynton laugh aloud. "I'mquite looking forward to it--but it will be a longish job!"
Oliver answered, "_I'm_ not looking forward to it. You feel quite sureabout this thing, Baynton? There's time to draw back--now."
"Sure? Of course I'm sure!" There was triumph, a challenge to fate, inthe other's tone. "I've always liked playing for high stakes--you knowthat, eh?"
"Ay, I know that----"
"And I've never looked back. I've never regretted anything I've done inmy life----" there was a ring of boastful assurance in Gilbert Baynton'stone.
"I can't say that of myself--I wish I could."
"You? Why, you've a milk-white record, compared to mine!"
Mrs. Tropenell moved away swiftly over the grass, till she stood at theend of the dark, arched walk. Then, "Oliver!" she called out, "there's amessage from Lord St. Amant. He wants to know if you can go over to theAbbey next week, from Saturday till Tuesday. He says there'll be someshooting. I told him you'd ring up before going to bed--I hope that wasright."
"Yes, mother. Of course I'll ring up. I'll go in and do it now, if youlike. Gillie and I have been having a long business talk."
And then she heard Gilbert Baynton: "I'll stay out here a bit longer,Mrs. Tropenell. I'm getting quite used to the cold and damp of the oldcountry. I don't mind it as much as I did a week ago."
Mother and son walked across the lawn to the house.
When they were indoors, he broke silence first: "Gillie had a bad rowwith Pavely this afternoon. I don't think it's any use his staying onhere. Pavely won't allow Laura to see him again at The Chase."
Mrs. Tropenell uttered an exclamation of dismay.
"Yes, it's unfortunate, I admit. And I don't think it was Gillie'sfault! He's described the scene to me in great detail. He was quitewilling to go as far as I think he could be expected to go in the way ofapology and contrition. But Pavely simply didn't give him a chance.Pavely's a narrow-minded brute, mother."
"Is Gillie very upset? Is he much disappointed?" she asked in a lowvoice.
"Yes, I think Gillie is upset--more upset than I should have expectedhim to be! He's disappointed, too, at not having seen little Alice. He'sreally fond of children, and, as he truly says, Alice is bound to be hisheiress--unless of course he should marry, which is very unlikely."
Oliver was speaking in a preoccupied, absent voice, as if he was hardlythinking of what he was saying. "We're thinking, he and I, of going tothe Continent next week. We've got business to do in Paris--ratherimportant business, too. Of course I'll try and come back here beforeleaving for Mexico."
Mrs. Tropenell felt as if the walls of the room were falling about her.Oliver had always spoken of late as if he meant to stay on in Englandtill after Christmas.
"How long d'you expect to be in France?"
"I can't tell yet, mother. I might be there a fortnight, or I might bethere six weeks--it all depends on the business we're going to do. Nodates are settled yet."
He waited a few moments, then said slowly, "I've been wondering whetheryou would mind going up with Laura to London for a few days? Somehow Ithink Pavely is more likely to let her go if you offer to go too."
There swept over her a feeling of recoil, but she let her son seenothing of that. "Very well," she said quietly. "I quiteunderstand--I'll do my best. I agree that Laura ought to see herbrother again. And what are _you_ thinking of doing, my dear?"
"Oh, I thought of going up to town, too." He spoke with a detached air."You and I could stay in that nice little hotel where we stayed yearsago, mother. Of course I'm only thinking of a few days in town, beforeGillie and I go off to Paris."
As they came through into the house, she was startled by the expressionon her son's face. He looked as if he had had a shock; he was very pale,it was as if all the healthy colour had been drained out of his tancheeks.
"Oliver?" she exclaimed. "Do you feel ill, my darling? When you came inbefore dinner you looked as if you had caught a chill."
"It was rather cold on the downs, but I feel very much as usual, thankyou, mother. A talk with Gillie always tires me. I think he's got arather----" he hesitated for a word, then found it--"obstreperousvitality."