CHAPTER XXXII
THE ONLY SOLUTION
"Oh, Lord Saltash! So you're home at last! What a pity you didn't comeback a little sooner!"
"Am I late for anything, Lady Brian?" smiled Lord Saltash, holding herhand in his.
She shook her head at him. "You are hopelessly late. And you mustn'tcall me that. I have renounced my title."
"Really? How generous of you!" Saltash began to laugh in his easy,mocking way. "Lady Brian has left town for the South Coast, and Mrs.Sheppard is now in residence at Fairharbour. I am sorry that I was notat hand to escort her ladyship; but I am none the less pleased to bereceived by Mrs. Sheppard. Have I missed anything besides thefirst-mentioned privilege?"
Mrs. Sheppard threw out her hands with a dainty gesture of despair. "Mydear Charlie, you've missed--everything! Have you seen my poor Maud?"
He nodded. "More than once. I make a point of seeing her whenever Ifeel so disposed. Now that she is in such safe hands, there is nolonger any necessity to hold me at arms' length, I assure you we are onthe best of terms."
Mrs. Sheppard groaned. "Why, oh, why didn't you come back sooner? Itwould have altered--everything."
He looked at her, the teasing smile still hovering about his swarthyface. "It would have been too obvious a solution," he said lightly."Don't you know that the unattainable is always the dearest?"
Mrs. Sheppard clasped her hands with a tragic gesture. "You don'trealize--or perhaps you don't care--that she has sold herself to a manfor whom she has not the smallest shadow of affection."
"In pursuit of her illustrious mother's example?" suggested Saltash,with careless effrontery. "But why did you allow it? Wasn't it up toyou to forbid the banns?"
"I?" Mrs. Sheppard cast up her eyes. "Do you suppose I have ever hadany control over her?"
"I presume you had the slapping of her in her babyhood," he observed.
She laughed almost hysterically. "As if I ever did or could! She wasalways so serious and quiet and determined. No one she didn't lovecould ever move her an inch. And the dear child never loved me, youknow. Somehow we didn't touch. No, I couldn't prevent the marriage.Only one person in the world could have done that. Oh, Charlie, what apity! What a pity!"
The easy tears had risen to her eyes. She was very appealing in woe.
But Saltash was apparently unmoved. He sat facing her with his odd eyesglancing hither and thither, the brows above them jerking continually."She certainly married in the deuce of a hurry," he remarked, after amoment. "What made her do it, eh? I presume it was the old man? Did heturn amorous, or what?"
Mrs. Sheppard laughed rather pathetically and dried her eyes. "Oh,dear, no! Giles was rather too severe. He was always willing to befriendly, but Maud's attitude was so hostile that at last--it was hardlyto be wondered at--he turned against her. I was very sorry, but, youknow, Maud always takes things so seriously, poor child, and shewouldn't hear of making friends when it was over, but must needs gostraight away to Jake Bolton and offer to marry him. He was ready totake her at any price of course. So they settled it all between themwith never a word to me."
"But you haven't altogether enlightened me even now," said Saltash,recalling her with his semi-ironical courtesy. "What was this direoffence that Maud couldn't bring herself to forgive? I should like toknow for my own future guidance."
Mrs. Sheppard's laugh had a deprecating note. "Oh, it was only a littlething, quite a little thing. If she hadn't been really spoilt all herlife, I don't think she would have thought so much of it. I blamemyself of course. But there, what is the use? Giles is a plain man,and he believes in a little wholesome chastisement now and then. It doesa woman good, he says. And I daresay he is not altogether wrong. Butin this case----"
"Oh, forgive me for interrupting you!" Rather lazily he cut her short."That term 'a little wholesome chastisement'--does it mean a beating orwhat?"
Mrs. Sheppard nodded with some agitation. "Yes, he gave her a whippingone night. It was very unfortunate, but I must say, not whollyundeserved. And I am afraid he had rather a heavy hand. Poor Maud wasvery much upset."
"Really!" said Saltash.
"Yes. He shouldn't have done it of course, but----"
"He probably was not in a state to know what he was doing," suggestedSaltash.
There was a slight frown between his mobile brows, but his voice wassuave.
Mrs. Sheppard eyed him wistfully. "Poor Giles!" she murmured.
Saltash uttered a sudden sharp laugh and rose. "Well, I mustn't take upany more of your valuable time. No doubt you are busy. You have heardabout Bunny's prospects, I presume?"
"Oh yes, they have told me about Bunny. I am sure I hope it will be asuccess, but of course I have had no say in the matter," said Mrs.Sheppard plaintively. "I don't so much as know when the operation is tobe performed."
"That isn't finally settled," said Saltash. "It's to be according tothe American doctor man's convenience. I suggested that they might liketo make use of Burchester for the occasion, and Bolton has caught on tothe idea. Very sensible of him!" Saltash's mouth twisted into a faintsmile. "How do you get on with your son-in-law?" he enquiredpleasantly.
Mrs. Sheppard shook her head dubiously. "I never liked him. There issomething of the wild about him. Maud doesn't like him either. I amsure of that. They are complete strangers, and always will be. Infact, if it weren't for Bunny--" she lowered her voice--"I believe shewould very soon desert him."
"What? Really?" said Saltash, in a peculiar tone.
She met his interrogation with a swift upward glance. "She would neverstand life alone with him. It would drive her desperate. I amsure--quite sure--if it comes to that, she will somehow break free."
"Really!" he said again, subtle encouragement in his voice.
Mrs. Sheppard suddenly clasped her hands against her bosom and wentclose to him. "Oh, Charlie, I do think--sometimes--divorce is the onlyway. You know she has always loved you. And it isn't your fault youcame too late. Charlie, if the chance were to come to you again--thechance to make her your wife--you wouldn't--surely you couldn't--let itslip again?"
"Again!" said Saltash. His lip lifted a little. He was looking at herfixedly.
She made a small nervous gesture of pleading. "You would marry her,Charlie, if you could. She loves you. You would never--never----"
"Let her down?" suggested Saltash.
His expression was utterly cynical, yet something in those queer eyes ofhis emboldened her. She placed her two hands against his shoulders, andsuffered the tears to run down her face.
"Charlie, I am wretched about her--quite wretched. Save her from thatrough cow-herd, Charlie! Make her your own--in spite of all!"
She broke down into muffled sobbing, and would have leaned upon him forsupport had he permitted it. But with gentle decision he eluded her,taking her hands and leading her to a chair.
"Now, Lady Brian, there is no need for this agitation, believe me. Forthe present there is nothing to be done. Bunny occupies the centre ofthe stage. He won't, of course, remain there for ever, but he has gotto have his turn. Till that is over, we can only possess our souls inpatience."
"But afterwards!" wailed Mrs. Sheppard. "It is the afterwards thattroubles me."
"Afterwards," he said lightly, "I presume it will be someone else'sturn."
"And Maud will be miserable," she protested.
Saltash was silent. Only after a moment he strolled to the window andstood looking at the grey, tumbling waves that dashed against thesea-wall.
Mrs. Sheppard dabbed her eyes and began to recover herself; it wasplainly the only course. She remembered regretfully that sympathy hadnever been dear Charlie's strong point.
When he glanced over his shoulder a few seconds later she mustered asomewhat piteous smile. "Life is very difficult sometimes," she saidapologetically.
"Oh, quite damnable," he answered, in
his careless, mocking way. "Butwe've got to get through with it somehow, and with as few tumbles aspossible. I really think I must be going now. We shall let you knowwhen anything definite is settled about Bunny. Don't fret, you know!Take it easy!"
He came back to her with the words and took her hand with a certainarrogant kindness characteristic of him.
She looked up at him with quivering lips. "It is so good of you to letthem have Burchester," she said.
He made her a brief bow. "I serve my own ends," he said.
Mrs. Sheppard rose. "And I don't know what will happen when Bunny iscured," she said pathetically. "He will have to go to school. And whois going to pay for it, I wonder?"
Saltash shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps he'll train for a jockey. Whoknows?"
Mrs. Sheppard sighed. "I can't think how you can treat everything as ajoke. I can't myself."
He laughed. "I don't chance to be gifted with a serious mind, you see.Besides, _cui bono_? Does worrying help?"
"I'm sure it ought to," sighed Mrs. Sheppard.
He laughed again derisively. "Sheer waste of time, believe me. Eitherfight or submit to the inevitable! Personally, I prefer to fight." Heshut his teeth with a sudden click, and for a single instant his facewas grim. But the next he was laughing again. "Good-bye, Lady Brian!In the name of beauty, don't fret! It can't be done with impunity,remember!" He pressed her hand and released it. "You've given me quitea lot to think about. It's been an interesting conversation. I havequite enjoyed it. Good-bye!"
He was gone. She heard him departing, light-footed as a happy boy,whistling under his breath an old, old waltz refrain.
Gradually a smile came into her own face as she turned to the glass torepair the ravages of her recent emotion.
"I wonder whether he will do anything," she murmured to her reflection."He isn't a man to sit still. And really, the circumstances are soexceptional. It is the only solution--literally the only one." Shepaused a moment, drew out a hairpin, twisted back a curl and very nicelyreadjusted it. "And when Giles is bankrupt," she added, with a littlenod to the thoughtful gaze that met hers, "there will be a home for meto go to." She heaved a pensive sigh. "I am glad he knows everything,"she said. "There is nothing like telling the whole truth."
She smiled again with more assurance, and went her way.