CHAPTER XXV
Lady Garribardine was unable to spare her secretary from the Easterparty, so it had been arranged that she was to have a few days holidayfrom the Saturday following the dinner-party, but she must catch thethree o'clock train from Paddington on the Thursday before Easter, andreturn then.
Katherine did not go home to Bindon's Green. She went off alone to alittle place by the sea on the east coast, and there she set herself toreview events, and think out her plans while she lay upon the sandsunheeding the east wind.
Gerard Strobridge had served her loyally--the interest which she hadmeant to kindle was kindled. The Duke now had made a mental picture ofher, unmarred by possible qualifications which, if he had known she washis friend's humble secretary and typist, he would have been bound tohave made. Not that he was in the least a snob, but that he would havenaturally considered it unbefitting his situation to go about lookingfor interesting companions among his friend's dependents. He wouldsimply not have observed her at all when he came to Blissington, anymore than she herself had observed either of the footmen at GerardStrobridge's dinner. Not that she despised footmen as footmen, or theDuke secretaries as secretaries; they were worthy and necessaryservants; but guests did not remark them except in their professionalcapacities, people who were there to serve at table or write lettersand attend to business.
Not the slightest irritation or resentment mingled with thesereflections of Katherine's. She was much too wise and just, and neverunder the influence of hurt vanity or dramatic instinct, so this pointof view, that she knew the Duke would naturally take, seemed to herperfectly right, and instead of resenting it, she had used her brain tonullify it, knowing full well that if she played her part at the dinnereffectually, interest would be aroused which no barrier of differentstatuses could entirely obliterate afterwards. Now on this lastafternoon at Bayview, she must think out what she would do next, for theDuke would be arriving at Blissington by a train from the west which gotin a few minutes after her own from Paddington. She had known before thedinner-party that he was coming for Easter, and that morning hadreceived a command from her mistress that she was to look out for him,and tell him he was to take the small coupe and not get into the othermotor, which would await her and be loaded up with fragile hat-boxeswhich were coming by Katherine's train. There would be the luggage carfor his servant and his trunks as well. All the rest of the guests werearriving by motors or by the express an hour later.
Thus the plunge from equal to humble secretary would have to be made atonce, and she must see to it that it was done with tact and skill, so asnot to mar the effect already produced, but rather enhance it. There wasonly one drop in her cup. She did not feel altogether happy in keepingthis secret from her beloved mistress. A secret, too, which concernedher, perhaps, most valued guest. But it was absolutely impossible thatshe could frankly avow her intentions to Lady Garribardine, as she haddone to Gerard; so much she would keep to herself, but she would speakof her enjoyment at meeting the Duke, if Her Ladyship did not herselfbegin the subject, and she had not reason to believe Mr. Strobridge hadtold his aunt of the encounter. She had not seen Lady Garribardine sincethe dinner, having left for her holiday very early on the Saturdaymorning. All the way down in the train to Blissington she was consciousof suppressed excitement. She had been most careful about herappearance, and looked as charming and yet unobtrusive as it waspossible to look.
She waited, when once arrived, at the entrance where the subway from thedeparture platform emerged--and she felt a quiver when she saw the topof the Duke's hat and then his face.
How attractive he looked! And how unlike other people! Among a crowd hewas a magnificent personality, one to whom porters and officials andstrangers naturally showed deference. Peers could look like very humbleand sometimes even vulgar people, she knew, but no man, woman or childcould mistake His Grace of Mordryn for anything but a great noble.
When he caught sight of Katherine standing just at the inside of thestream of passengers, his whole stern face changed, and an illuminatingsmile came over it, while he stretched out his hand cordially.
"Miss Bush! Are we to be fellow guests? You are coming to Blissington?How delightful!"
Katherine made as though she did not see the hand, and with deferenceand lowered lids, she said:
"Yes, I am going to Blissington, but Your Grace is under amisapprehension which I must correct. I am Her Ladyship's typist andsecretary, and I am here now to give you a message, that you are to takeher Ladyship's own small coupe and not the motor which is waiting forthe bandboxes and me."
But with all her demureness, she could not prevent an irresistible andhumorous quiver from dimpling round her lips, and then she raised hersteady eyes and looked at him suddenly as she bowed and moved offquickly, leaving him for the first time in his life completelynonplussed! What was the meaning of this comedy? He felt rather angry.What business had Gerard Strobridge to trick him so? But had he trickedhim? He recollected now that Miss Bush had not been mentioned by Gerardat all one way or another. She was simply treated as any other guest,and had come apparently with Gwendoline d'Estaire. That she was ahigh-bred lady his own senses had told him, whether she were a typist orno!--Highly bred and educated and exceptionally cultivated and refined.She must certainly be the daughter of some friend of Sarah's who had metwith financial misfortune, poor charming girl! And he hurried afterher--but only got outside the station to see her disappear in a motoralready piled up inside with milliner's boxes. So, baffled and stilldeeply interested, he entered the coupe awaiting him and was whirledoff. Seraphim would, of course, tell him all about it, and so hedismissed the matter from his mind; but his first thought when he gotinto the hall was to wonder if Katherine would be at tea. She was not.Tea was a _tete-a-tete_ affair in his old friend's boudoir, where ahundred thousand things of interest had to be discussed between them,and no time or chance was given for reference to obscure secretaries.
After tea on her way down to receive the guests, who would continue toarrive in relays until dressing time, Lady Garribardine went into theschoolroom to see Katherine.
They spoke of business, and Katherine received orders, and took downnotes, and then she said:
"Your Ladyship will be amused to hear that I met the Duke at dinner atMr. Strobridge's. He did not know my position, and I am afraid at thetime I did not undeceive him. It was such a very great pleasure to me tobe taken for a lady and a guest just for once. Of course, I told him atthe station my real position, and he appeared much surprised."
Lady Garribardine walked to the window and pretended to be looking outat something. She wanted to hide all the expression which might comeinto her eyes. The simple words, "It was such a very great pleasure tobe taken for a lady and a guest just for once," had deeply touched her.She seemed to realise what such a spirit as Katherine's must feel,always in a subordinate position of no particular status--And with whatdignity she carried it off!
"Child," she answered, without looking round, "no one who knows youwould ever take you for anything else--the theory of blood beingabsolutely necessary for this, you have proved to be nonsense. The Dukeis one of my oldest friends and a very fine gentleman. I am glad you hada chance of talking freely to him."
After she had left the room, Katherine folded and unfolded a bit ofpaper, a very unusual agitation moving her.
"Oh! I wish I could tell her outright, my dear lady!" she cried toherself. "I almost believe she would sympathise with me, but if I seethat she would not, and that it would hurt and anger her, I will giveup even this, my ambition."
* * * * *
Gerard Strobridge was not of this party; he had been obliged to go tohis brother's, so Katherine would have no collaborator and would beforced to act alone.
She did not dine downstairs, but was required in the drawing-roomafterwards, and until ten o'clock she stayed alone in her sitting-room,wondering what the Duke had thought, and if it would have been wiser tohave stayed for a minute
after firing her bomb.
Had she known it, nothing to chain his interest could have been betterthan her swift disappearance, for he was now thinking of her, and at thefirst opportunity between the soup and fish, he said to his hostess:
"Seraphim, I met your secretary, it seems, the other night atGerard's--a very intelligent girl. I had no idea at the time that shewas in any dependent position--and was greatly surprised when sheaddressed me at the station to-day as 'Your Grace'! She is somemisfortunate friend's daughter, I suppose. Anyone I knew?"
Lady Garribardine's eyes beamed with a momentary twinkle which shesuppressed--She thought of the auctioneer father and the butchergrandfather and then she said casually:
"No--she came from an advertisement, but she is a splendid creature,with more sense in her little finger than most of us have in our entirebodies--What do you think of my grey locks, Mordryn?"
The Duke assured her he found them bewitching; he saw that she did notmean to speak of her secretary.
"They cause you to look ten years younger, dear friend. I could find itin my heart to make love to you once more--and be repulsed with unabatedviolence, I fear!"
"Love was good when we were young, Mordryn; ten or twelve years donot matter when a man is twenty-five and a woman thirty-five tothirty-eight--that is, if they are not married. The discrepancy in ageonly becomes grotesque later. We loved and laughed and lived then, andshould be grateful--I am--As for you, you will love again--fifty-threefor a man is nothing. You are abominably attractive, you know, Mordryn,with your weary, aloof air--and your Dukedom--And now that you arealtogether free from anxieties, you should take the cup of joy in bothhands and quaff it--Look round the table. Have I not provided some sweetcreatures for you?"
"You have indeed--Which one in particular have you destined for thecup-bearer?"
"Any one of the three on that side towards the top. You can't havebrains and beauty. Lily Trevelyan has beauty, and enough tact to hideher absence of brain. Blanche Montague has no beauty but a certainchic--and I am told wonderful variety of talent. She does not satiateher admirers with sameness--While Julia Scarrisbrooke is all passion sowell assumed as to be better than the real article, and always handy.These credentials I have collected from a cohort of past admirers andthey can be vouched for. You have only to choose. Any one of them willbe enchanted. They are only waiting to spring into your arms!"
"I believe that would bore me. I want someone who is notenchanted--someone who leaves the whole initiative to me."
Her Ladyship cast up her eyes. "My dear Mordryn, your unsophisticationpains me! Who ever heard of a Duke of fifty-three, well preserved,good-looking, unmarried and distinguished--known to be generous as alover and full of charm--being allowed to take the initiative withwomen--Fie!"
The Duke laughed, and by some curious turn of fancy he seemed to see thewhite, perfectly composed face of the stately, slender secretary, whohad treated him as naught that night at Gerard's, and then looked almostmockingly respectful when she called him "Your Grace!" in the station.Would she be in the drawing-room after dinner?--Perhaps.
Yes, she was, over by the piano at the far end; but Lily Trevelyan andBlanche Montague and Julia Scarrisbrooke had surrounded him before hecould get half-way down the long room, and escape was out of thequestion. No manoeuvring enabled him to break free of them. So he hadto sit and be purred at, and see with the tail of his eye a gracefulcreature in black talking quietly (and intelligently he felt sure) tosome less important guest--and then playing accompaniments--and thenslipping away through a door at that end, presumably to bed.
He cursed civilisation, he profoundly cursed beautiful ladies, and hebecame sarcastic and caused Julia and Lily who were for the moment bosomfriends to confide to each other, over the latter's bedroom fire, thatMordryn was "too darling for words" but spiteful as Her Ladyship's blackcat.
"I do hate men to be so clever--don't you, Lil? One never knows whereone is, with them."
"Oh! but Ju, dearest, he isn't deformed or deadly dull or diseased, ortipsy, he is awfully good looking and very rich and _a Duke_--Really youcan't have everything. I thought Blanche Montague was shockingly openin her desire to secure him, did not you? I wonder why Sarah asked herhere with us!"
Meanwhile Katherine Bush did not permit herself to wonder at His Grace'spossible feelings or his future actions at all. She had seen the eagerlook in his dark blue eyes once or twice across the room and being awise woman left things to fate.
"I wish G. were here," the hostess said to herself as she, too, stood bya bedroom fire--her own. "I have no one to exchange unspoken confidencewith. He would have understood and appreciated the enchanting comedy offemale purpose, male instinct to flee, and one young woman's supremeintelligence!"
The next day the Duke, who knew the house well, and in what wing MissArnott had worked, took it into his head to walk before breakfast in therose garden. Miss Bush saw him from the window and allowed herself tobow gravely when he deliberately looked up; then she moved away. He felta distinct sensation of tantalization. After breakfast everyone wouldplay tennis. He played an extraordinarily good game himself, and was inflannels ready. Katherine thought he had a very fine figure and lookedmuch younger in those clothes. She wanted to ask him about the emeraldring--she wanted to ask him about a number of things. She had work to doall the morning, but came out to the tennis lawn with a message to hermistress just before luncheon, during an exciting single match betweenthe Duke and an agile young man--the last game was at 30 all--andKatherine paused to watch the strokes--40-30--And then Mordrynwon--amidst shouts of applause.
Katherine had remarked that he ran about very little and won by sheerstyle and skill and hard hitting.
She did not loiter a second when he was free to move, but flitted backto the house before he could get near her.
She lunched alone in her schoolroom.
By the afternoon, when she did appear at tea, the Duke was thoroughlyill-tempered, he knew not why or for what reason, merely that his moodwas so. Katherine, busy with the teapot, only raised her head to give apolite, respectful bow in answer to his greeting. He was infinitely toomuch a man of the world to single out the humble secretary and draw uponher the wrath of these lovely guests. So he contented himself bywatching her, and noting her unconcerned air and easy grace. Some of thepeople seemed to know her well and be very friendly with her.
She showed not the slightest sign of a desire to speak to him--Could itbe possible that this was the girl who only that night week had talkedwith him upon the enthralling subject of love!
Those utterances of hers which had sounded so cryptic at the time wereintelligible now. How subtle had been her comprehension of thesituation. He remembered her face when he had asked her if she knewBlissington! And again when she had told him that that night week hewould know how altogether unprofitable any investigations regarding herwould be! And now in the character of humble secretary she was just ascomplete as she had been when apparently a fellow guest and socialequal. It was all annoyingly disturbing. It placed him in a falseposition and her in one in which she held all the advantages! And thereshe sat serene and dignified, hedged round with that barrier of ice ofwhich she had spoken. He had not experienced such perplexing emotionsfor many years.
He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to ask her what it all meant--Hewould like to know her history, and whence she had come. Gwendolined'Estaire had treated her, he had noticed, not as a dependent, but as afriend. He felt himself rather awkward--he, a man of the worldaccustomed to homage from women!
He did manage to say that it was a bore that the rain had come on, andit looked as though to-morrow would be wet. And he felt humiliated atthe fine, instantly suppressed smile which flickered round her mouth atthis brilliant remark from an acknowledged wit!
Then he became angry with himself--what matter to him whether she smiledor did not smile? It was obvious that he could not be on terms offamiliar friendship with Seraphim's secretary, at his age and with hisposition. So he
had strength of mind to move away from the table, and toallow himself to be purred over by one of the trio of charmers who hadbeen asked for his benefit--but rage mounted in his breast. He was notenjoying himself at all, and if he did not see more of his old friendherself, he really would not stay over Monday as he had intended, butwould go back to town on Sunday night!
Lady Garribardine knew the signs of the times and took him off to hersitting-room after tea when most of the others began to play bridge.
"I think modern women have less charm than they had, Seraphim," the Dukesaid from the depths of an armchair, rather acidly. "They are almost asilliterate as ladies of the ballet used to be when I was young; they arequite as slangy and noisy, and they are full of affectations. If onedoes not know the last word of their fashionable jargon and cannot keepup a constant flow of 'back talk'--which, incidentally, it would requirethe wit of the St. James Street cabmen of twenty years ago to be able todo--one is asphyxiated by them. I shall have to become acclimated, Ifeel. I have been too long away and have lost touch with the movement--Isigh for repose and peace."
"Nonsense, Mordryn--it will do you a great deal of good to be shaken up,you must move with the times."
"But I entirely decline to do so. To what end?"
"You must certainly marry again now that you are at last free."
"Undoubtedly it is my obvious duty, as otherwise the title will dieout--but surely you do not suggest that I should convert any of thesecharming creatures who were good enough to try to lighten my mood lastnight and to-day, into my wife! I had hoped they were at least safelymarried, and now you make me tremble in case you are going to announceto me that some are widows!"
"Blanche Montague is; I merely asked the others to accustom you to themodern type. They are to break in your sensibilities, so to speak, andnext time you come, if you don't fancy Blanche I will have a selectionof suitable prospective Duchesses."
"Will they make as much noise as these '_ballons d'essai_'?"
"More--nothing modern can be dignified or quiet, so get the idea out ofyour head. They are all so out of door and so hearty, such delightful,fresh, knowing, supremely uninnocent, jolly good fellows, they can't besilent or keep still. There are too many new _revues_ to be talkedabout, and too much golf to be played, and new American nigger dancesto be learned.--Come, come, Mordryn! You do not want to be ridiculouslyold-fashioned--and really Blanche Montague is most suitable. Montagueleft her well provided for--and she was only thirty-two last birthday."
"But I don't like her voice, and what should we converse about in the_entr'actes_?"
"Blanche is famous for her small talk, she will start upon any subjectunder the sun you please--and change it before you can answer the firstquestion. No fear of stagnation there!"
"Even the description tires me. I prefer the lady who you assured me wasall simulated passion. I adore passion, though I confess I prefer it tobe real."
"How captious of you! The thing is unknown in these days, it has to bereconstructed, like the modern rubies--lots of little ground-upfragments pressed into a whole by scientific chemistry.--A goodimitation is all you will get, Mordryn."
"I loathe imitations," and His Grace shuddered.
"I think you had better give me an exact description of what youdo want, for, my poor old friend, you seem to be out to courtdisappointment. I earnestly desire to help you into a second noose moresatisfactory than the one I originally placed around your neck--so outwith it! A full description!"
The Duke deliberately lit a cigarette, and a gleam of firelight caughthis emerald ring.
"Your famous talisman is flashing, Mordryn, the lyre shows that itapproves of your thoughts!"
"The woman I should like to marry must be, and look--supremelywell-bred--but healthy and normal, not overbred like poor Laura, andGerard's wife, Beatrice.--She must be able to talk upon the subjectswhich interest one--a person of cultivation in short. She must have asense of humour and fine ideals and a strong feeling about theresponsibilities of the position, and be above all things dignified andquiet and composed.--And I should like--" and here a faint deprecatorysmile flickered about his mouth for a moment, "I should like her to loveme, and take a little interest in the human, tangible side of theaffair--if you do not think I am asking too much of fate at my age?"
"It is a large order--I only know of one woman who answers to yourrequirements and she of course is entirely out of the question."
"Who is she--and why is she out of the question?"
"Useless to answer either query, since, as I say, she is altogether outof the running. It was only an idea of mine, but I will diligently seekfor your paragon--for, Mordryn, I shall never feel my conscience clearuntil I see you happily told off--and the father of at least six sturdyboys."
The Duke raised his hands in deprecation.
"Heavens, Seraphim! You would overwhelm me with a litter, then! My wantsin that direction are modest. The 'quiver full' has never appealed tome. I want my wife to be my loved companion--my darling if you will--butnot, not a rabbit."
When he was dressing for dinner he thought over his friend's words--Hehad not insisted upon knowing who the "one woman" could be--He himselfhad lately seen a creature who seemingly, as far as he could judge fromone evening's acquaintance, possessed quite a number of the necessaryqualifications--but as in the case of Seraphim's specimen, his was alsocompletely out of the running, and not to be thought of in anycapacity--Alas!
It was strange, with this resolution so firmly fixed in his mind, thatafter dinner he should have broken loose from the bevy of ladies waitingto entrap him, and have deliberately gone to the piano to talk to thatdull little Lady Flamborough who was leaning upon the lid, chatting withMiss Bush!
Katherine kept her eyes fixed upon the keyboard with that meek,deferential demureness suitable to her station when amidst such exaltedcompany; but her red mouth had an indefinable expression about it whichwas exasperating.
Mordryn seized the first second in which Lady Flamborough's attentionwas diverted by a remark from someone else, to bend down a little andsay softly,
"Are you not even going to say good evening to me, Miss Bush?--It is'this night week.'"
She looked up with perfect composure.
"Good evening, Your Grace."
He frowned. "Is that all?"
"As Your Grace very truly remarked, it is 'this night week.'"
"And you think that has answered all the riddles?"
"Of course."
He frowned again, he knew Julia Scarrisbrooke was swooping down uponhim, there was not a moment's time to be lost.
"I do not--to-morrow I will make an opportunity in which you will haveto answer them all categorically--do you hear?"
Katherine thrilled. She liked his haughty bearing, the tone of commandin his perfect voice.
She remembered once when she and Matilda had been eating lunch at aLyons popular cafe, Matilda had said:
"My! Kitten, there's such a strange-looking young man sitting behindyou--Whatever makes him look quite different to everyone else?"
And she had turned and perceived that a pure Greek Hermes in rathershabby modern American clothes was manipulating a toothpick within a fewfeet of her--and her eye, trained from museum study, had instantly seenthat it was the balance of proportion, the set and size of the head, andthe angle of placing of eyes which differentiated him so startlinglyfrom the mass of humanity surrounding them. She had said to Matilda:
"You had better look at him well, Tild--You will never see such anotherin the whole of your life. He is a freak, a perfect survival of theancient Greek type. He is exactly right and not strange-looking really.It is all the other people who are wrong and clumsy or grotesque."
She thought of this now. The Duke stood out from everyone else in thesame way, although he was not of pure Greek type, but much more Roman,but there was that astonishing proportion of bone and length of limbabout him, the acknowledged yet indescribable shape of a thoroughbred,which middle age had not dimi
nished, but rather accentuated.
She again noticed his hands, and his great emerald ring--but she did notreply at all to his announcement of his intentions for the morrow. Shebent down and picked up a piece of music which had fallen to the floor,and Julia Scarrisbrooke swooped and caught her prey and carried it offinto safety on a big sofa.
But as Katherine gazed from her window on that Good Friday night up intothe deep blue star-studded sky, a feeling of awe came over her--at themagnitude of the vista fate was opening in front of her eyes.