CHAPTER XXXV
A RACE FOR A THRONE
A silence fell on the little group for a time. All Peretori's gaiety hadvanished. He looked very moody and thoughtful as he sat there turningrecent events over in his mind. With all his faults, and they were many,he was an Asturian at heart. He was prepared to do a deal for the sakeof his country. He had always promised himself that some day he wouldsettle down and be a credit to his nationality. The career of mad jestmust stop some time. It was impossible not to understand the mischiefthat he had just done. But there was a mobile and clever brain behindall this levity, and already Peretori began to see his way to a subtleand suitable revenge.
"Have those stolen papers anything to do with it?" he asked. "ThatForeign Office business, you know?"
"They have everything to do with it," said Lechmere. "As a matter offact, Countess Saens has had those papers stolen from her in turn. Shecannot move very far without them. That she suspects where they havegone is evidenced by the fact that she put your highness up to your lastescapade. The way she was tricked herself inspired her. If you can doanything to even matters up----"
"I will do more than that," Peretori cried. "I have thought ofsomething. It is quite a good thing that the countess regards me as nobetter than a feather-headed fool. She will never guess that I havebeen here, she will never give you people credit for finding out whatyou have done. It was very clever of Mr. Lechmere to do so."
"Not at all," Lechmere muttered. "I have seen your smart impersonationsbefore, and guessed at once who I had to look for. My finding you righthere was a bit of luck. Will you be so good as to tell us what youpropose doing?"
"I think not, if you don't mind," the prince replied. "I might fail, yousee. But, late as it is, I am going to call upon Countess Saens. Myexcuse is that I have won my wager, and that it was a cash transaction.Has the queen a telephone in her private apartments at the hotel?"
The queen explained that the telephone was there as a matter of course.Peretori rose to his feet. "Then we had better adjourn this meeting forthe present," he said. "It will be far more cautious and prudent for thequeen to return to her hotel. You had better all go. Only somebody mustbe imported here to look after General Maxgregor, whose life is sovaluable to Asturia."
Lechmere explained curtly that he would see to Maxgregor's safety, afterwhich he would follow to the queen's hotel. With a nod and a smile,Peretori disappeared, after removing all traces of his make-up.
He was quite confident that he would be able to turn the tables on thosewho had made use of him in so sorry a way. The queen could make up hermind that she should hear from him before the night was over.
* * * * *
In a dazed, heavy way Jessie found herself in a handsome sitting room inthe queen's hotel. She became conscious presently that Lechmere wasback again, and that he was discussing events and recent details withthe queen. Jessie wondered if these people ever knew what it was to betired. Usually she was so utterly tired with her long day's work thatshe was in bed a little after ten o'clock, and it was past two now. Shecould hardly keep her eyes open. She sat up as the queen spoke to her.
"My poor dear child," she said quite tenderly, "you are half dead withfatigue. I must take care of you after all you have done for me. And youare going to bed without delay."
Jessie murmured that she was only too ready to do anything necessary.But the queen would not hear of it. Jessie must go to bed at once. Thegirl was too utterly tired to resist. In a walking dream she was ledaway; a neat handed maid appeared to be undressing her, there was avision of a soft, luxurious bed, and then a dreamy deliciousunconsciousness. The queen bent and kissed the sleeping face before shereturned to the room where Lechmere awaited her.
"It is good to know that I have so many real friends," she said. "Andthey are none the less kind because I have no possible claim on them.You have arranged everything?"
"Thanks to the telephone, madame," Lechmere explained. "The rest I havemanaged by cable. The special train to Dover will be ready in half anhour; the special steamer awaits its arrival. The king will be inAsturia almost before that damning paragraph reaches there. If he goes_soon_."
"He should be back here by this time," the queen said with some anxietyin her voice. "Captain Alexis promised me---- But somebody is coming upthe stairs. Ah, here they are!"
The king came into the room followed by Captain Alexis. He seemed moodyand depressed now. Probably the effects of the drug were passing off. Hesaid sullenly that he was going to bed. The queen's face flushed withanger. She spoke clearly and to the point. She told him precisely whathad happened. The king followed in a dull yet interested way.
"Am I never to have any peace?" he asked brokenly. "What is the use ofbeing a king unless one----"
"Acts like a king," the queen said. "Have you not brought it all onyourself by your criminal folly? Were you not on the point of betrayingus all? Now that is past. You are not going to bed, you are going to beup and doing. It is your part to show Europe that your enemies' plansare futile. You will be on the way to Asturia in half an hour, andCaptain Alexis and this gentleman accompany you."
The king protested feebly; it was utterly impossible that this thingcould be. But all his weak objections were thrust aside by theimportunity of the queen.
"You are going," she said firmly. "All things are ready. It is athousand pities that I cannot accompany you, but my place is in Englandfor the next ten days. All has been done; even now your man is finishingthe packing of your trunks. In half an hour the train starts for Dover.If you are bold and resolute now, the situation can be saved and Asturiawith it."
The king protested no further. He sat with a dark, stubborn expressionon his face. It seemed to him that he was no better than a prisonerbeing removed from one prison to another with two warders for company.Not that he had the slightest intention of going to Asturia, he toldhimself; it would be no fault of his if ever he set foot in his domainsagain. But all this he kept to himself.
The little party set off at length, to the unmistakable relief of thequeen. She felt now that something was being done in the cause of homeand freedom. Russia was not going to be allowed to have everything herown way. She paced up and down the room, a prey to her own painfulthoughts.
"Is there anything more that I can do for you, madame?" Lechmere asked."If there is, I pray that you command my services, which are altogetherat your disposal."
"Perhaps you will wait a little?" the queen said. "I expect we shallhear from Peretori presently. What we have to do now is to recover thosemissing papers. It is maddening to think that they may be lying in thegutter at the present moment. If we dared advertise for them! Can't youthink of some way? You are so quick and clever and full of resource."
Lechmere shook his head. Perhaps he might think of some cunning schemewhen he had the time, but for the present he could not see his way atall. To advertise would be exceeding dangerous. Any move in thatdirection would be pretty sure to attract the attention of the enemy.
"The enemy is sufficiently alert as it is," Lechmere pointed out. "Thereis Countess Saens, for instance, who has a pretty shrewd idea already ofthe trick that has been played upon her. If she had no suspicion, shewould not have gone to Charing Cross Hospital to-night. And yourmajesty must see that, at all hazards, she must be prevented from goingthere in the morning. That scandal must be avoided. It would be athousand pities if Miss Galloway or Miss Harcourt----"
"I see, I see," the queen cried as she paced restlessly up and down theroom. "In this matter cannot you get Prince Peretori to give you a hand?There is a fine fertility of resources in that brilliant brain of his.And I am sure that when he left here to-night he had some scheme----"
The tinkle of the telephone bell cut off further discussion. At a signfrom the queen Lechmere took down the receiver and placed it to his ear.Very gently he asked who was there. The reply was in a whisper that itcould hardly be heard by the listener, but all the same, he did not failto
recognize the voice of Prince Peretori.
"It is I--Lechmere," he said. "You can speak quite freely. Have you doneanything?"
"I have done a great deal," came the response. "Only I want assistance.Come round here and creep into the house and go into the littlesitting-room on the left side of the door. All the servants have gone tobed, so you will be safe. Sit in the dark and wait for the signal. Thefront door is not fastened. Can I count upon you? Right! So."
The voice ceased, there was a click of the telephone, and the connectionwas cut off.