CHAPTER XXVII
AN UNEXPECTED GUEST
Geoffrey gave one glance at Ralph before he went. The latter noddedslightly and sharply, much as if he saw the look and perfectlycomprehended it. Vera had disappeared at Marion's call. In the diningroom beyond the servants were getting supper. From the distance came thepop of a cork.
Outside it was dark by this time. Geoffrey closed the window. He did notspeak, but waited for Tchigorsky to give the sign. His feet touchedsomething that gave out a faint metallic twang.
Geoffrey wondered. Did this mean burglars! He was certainly near to awire which was stretched across the terrace, close to the ground. It wasprecisely the precaution taken by modern burglars to baffle capture incase of being disturbed during their predatory proceedings.
But burglars would not come to Ravenspur. A minute's reflectionconvinced Geoffrey of that. The name and horror of the house were knownall over England. Everybody knew of the watch and ward kept there, andno burglar in his senses would risk what amounted to almost certaincapture.
No, something far different was going on. And that something had beensprung hastily, for half an hour before these wires had not been there.Geoffrey waited with comfortable assurance that Tchigorsky was not faroff.
A stealthy footstep crept toward him; a shadow crossed the gloom.
"Is that you, Tchigorsky?" Geoffrey whispered.
"Yes," came the reply. "There are hawks about. Listen."
A little way down the terrace something was moving. Geoffrey could hearwhat sounded to him like labored breathing, followed by a stifled cry ofpain.
"The one hawk is wounded and the other has sheered off," saidTchigorsky.
"It sounds like a woman," said Geoffrey.
"It is a woman, my dear boy. And such a woman! Beautiful as the angels,fair as a summer's night. Clever! No words can paint her talents. Andshe is in the toils. She cries, but nobody heeds."
Again came the cry of pain. There was a flash and a spurt of flame asTchigorsky struck a match and proceeded to light a lantern. He pickedhis way over the entanglement of wires; Geoffrey followed him.
"Who laid this labyrinth?" Geoffrey asked.
"Oh, a good and true assistant of ours, an old servant of your uncle's.We have more than one assistant, and Elphick is invaluable. We laid thetrap for the bird, and she has broken her wing in it. Pity she had notbroken her neck."
Geoffrey did not echo the last ferocious sentiment. He was aflame withcuriosity. A little farther off in the dim path shown by the lantern'sflare something dark lay huddled on the ground. There was a flash ofwhite here and there, the shimmer and rustle of silken garments.
It might have been Geoffrey's fancy, but he seemed to hear a hurriedwhisper of voices, and saw something rise from the ground and hurryaway. But the black and white heap remained. Tchigorsky flashed hislantern upon it. Geoffrey could just see that there was a strangemalignant grin upon his face.
"A lady," he cried in affected astonishment. "Ravenspur, here is a lady!Madame permit me to tender you our assistance. You are in pain."
A white, defiant face looked up--a beautiful face disfigured for themoment by evil passions. There was murder in the eyes. The woman seemedto have no consciousness of any one but Tchigorsky.
"It is you," she hissed. "_Toujours_ Tchigorsky."
"Yes, it is I. But I have unfortunately forgotten your name. Strangethat one should do so in the case of one so lovely and distinguished.You are----"
"Mrs. May. Mrs. Mona May."
She had caught sight of Geoffrey now and a smile came, forced to herlips.
"Mrs. Mona May," said Tchigorsky. He spoke in the same slightly mockingstrain. "Mrs. Mona May. How stupid of me to forget. And yet in mymuddled brain the name was so different."
Geoffrey bent over the woman anxiously.
"You are in pain," he said. "May I assist you?"
"Indeed, it is very kind of you, Mr. Ravenspur," Mrs. May replied. "Itripped over something. I have hurt my ankle."
"Barbed wire," said Tchigorsky. "Laid down to trap--er--burglars."
"But on no other occasion----"
Mrs. May paused and bit her lips. Tchigorsky smiled. He understood whatshe was going to say. On no other occasion when she had been here hadshe encountered a similar obstacle.
Geoffrey was frankly puzzled.
"How did you get here?" he asked. "When the gates are closed----"
"But they were not closed an hour ago when I slipped into the yard," wasthe reply. "I am ashamed to say that I allowed sheer vulgar curiosity toget the better of me, and now I am properly punished for my error oftaste."
"Nothing but curiosity," Tchigorsky murmured. "My dear Ravenspur, youmay dismiss any unworthy suspicions from your mind. The glamor of yourname and the fatal romance that clings to your race have proved toomuch for the most charming and most tender-hearted of her sex."
"I have no suspicions at all," said Geoffrey.
"Of course not," Tchigorsky spoke in the same mocking way. The light yetkeen sarcasm was lost on Geoffrey, but the other listener understood."Mrs. May would not injure a living creature--not a fly or a bee."
The white face flashed again. By this time the woman was on her feet.One foot she found it almost impossible to put to the ground.
"Get a conveyance and take me home," she moaned.
"Perish the thought," Tchigorsky cried. "Would the Ravenspurs outragethe sacred name of hospitality like that? Circumstances compel the lifeof the cloister and the recluse, but there are limits. Suspicious as thefamily must be, I am sure they would not fear an unfortunate lady with asprained ankle."
"Of course not," Geoffrey observed. "I will go and prepare them."
He had read that suggestion in Tchigorsky's eyes. Heedless of Mrs. May'sprotests, he had vanished toward the house. Tchigorsky had stooped andtaken the woman in his arms as if she had been a child.
"What a precious burden!" he said. "Scarred and battered, old Tchigorskyis a fortunate man, madam. There, you need not struggle; your littlefluttering heart has no occasion to beat like that. I am not going tothrow you over the cliffs."
The last few words were uttered in tones of smothered ferocity.
"You are a devil," the woman muttered.
"Ay, you are right there. Never was the devil stronger in my heart thanhe is at this moment. Never was I more tempted to pitch you over theterrace into the sea. But there is worse than that waiting for you."
"What are you going to do with me?"
"I am going to carry you into the house; I am going to introduce youformally to the family of Ravenspur. I am doing you a kindness. Thinkhow useful the information afforded you will be later!"
"You are certainly the boldest man in England."
"As you are the most utterly abandoned and unscrupulous woman. I canonly die once. But I am not going to die before I see you and yourhellspawn all hanged."
"Why don't you denounce me now?"
"Madam, I never did care for unripe fruit. The pear is ripening on thetree, and I will pluck it when the time comes."
Tchigorsky pushed the window of the morning room open and laid hisburden down on a couch.
Almost immediately Rupert Ravenspur, followed by Mrs. Gordon andGeoffrey, came into the room. Ralph was already there. Geoffreyproceeded to explain and make the necessary introduction.
"And who is this gentleman?" Rupert Ravenspur demanded, his eye onTchigorsky.
"A friend of mine," Ralph put in, "Dr. Tchigorsky."
Ravenspur bowed, not that he looked overpleased.
"Permit me to place my hospitality at your disposal," he said. "It ismany years since we entertained at Ravenspur, nor do we, in ordinarycircumstances, desire them. At present I cannot do less than make youwelcome. Madame, I regret that your curiosity should have ended sodisastrously."
"I am properly punished," Mrs. May groaned. "My poor foot!"
In the presence of pain and suffering even Ravenspur's displeasuredisappeared. Mrs. Gordon procee
ded to cut away the high French boot andbathe the small foot in warm water. Almost immediately Mrs. May declaredthe pain to have passed away. There were tears in her eyes--tears thatmoved some of the onlookers.
"I am sure I don't deserve this," she said. "I have behaved soabominably that I really don't know what to say."
"Say nothing," Mrs. Gordon replied simply and gently, "but come in tosupper. I understand that you are staying at Jessop's farm. A messageshall be sent them that you will not return till morning. Meanwhile, ifyou will lean on me we will manage to reach the dining room."
The procession started. In the doorway stood Vera. She came forward witha speech of condolence. Tchigorsky was watching the pair. There was ahard gleam in his eyes; the clenching of his hand as over the hilt of adagger. Beyond, with a face white as her dress, stood Marion.
She staggered against the table as she saw Mrs. May. Her face was fullof terror. Geoffrey wondered what it all meant. And was this the wildestcomedy or the direst tragedy that was working out before his eyes?