you," I said.
"It seems marvellous that you should be utterly in ignorance of whatfollowed," she went on, her sweet eyes still gazing deeply into mine."You told me how you loved me, and I, loving you in return, we enteredupon a clandestine engagement that was to be secret from all. A fewsummer months went by, happy, joyous months, the most blissful in all mylife, and then your love suddenly cooled. You had embarked in financialschemes in the City--you were becoming enriched by some concessions inBulgaria, it was whispered--but your love for me slowly died, and youmarried a woman twice your age. Can you imagine my feelings? I washeart-broken, Wilford--utterly heart-broken."
"But I knew not what I was doing," I hastened to declare. "I loved youalways--always. My brain had been injured by that blow, and all mytastes and feelings thereby became inverted."
"I remained in England a few weeks longer, wandering aimlessly hitherand thither, and then at last returned to Vienna and plunged into thevortex of gaiety at Court, in order to forget my sorrow."
"And that woman Grainger? What of her?"
"She left my service about a month after that night when you met withyour accident at The Boltons. I have not seen her since."
I then related how for the past month I had been closely watching her,and repeated the conversation I had overheard at Hull between her andher visitors on the previous night.
"The woman, after leaving my service, has, it seems, somehow become anagent of the Bulgarian Government. She knows the truth," she saiddecisively. "We must obtain it from her."
"It was a woman who struck the young Prince down!" I exclaimed quickly."Of that I am certain."
My wife reflected for a brief instant.
"Perhaps," she said. "That woman was jealous of the attention he paidme."
CHAPTER THIRTY.
CONCLUSION.
"Mrs Slade is still in her room, sir, but she's not alone; her maidarrived from London last night," answered the chambermaid at the_North-Eastern Hotel_ at Hull, when on the following morning, I madeinquiry.
I had been accompanied from King's Cross by Mabel and the police-agent,Hickman, and we stood together in the hotel corridor prior to enteringthe woman's room. Hickman, whom I had all along believed to be deeplyimplicated in the plot, if not the actual murderer, was, I found, aclever detective of English birth, who had for some years been anofficer of the Prefecture of Police in Vienna, but who had latterly beenattached to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy in Belgrave Square, andentrusted with the personal safety of the Emperor's daughter. Therevelations I had made utterly amazed him. By the last post on theprevious night Mabel had received the letter written from Hull whichmerely asked for an interview, and we had all three set forth,determined to secure the arrest of the writer.
With that object we entered her sitting-room without a word of warning.
She was sitting at the table writing, but in an instant sprang to herfeet, with a cry of profound alarm. When her eyes wandered from Mabelto Hickman and myself, her cheeks blanched. She apparently guessed ourpurpose.
"You have expressed a desire to meet me," Mabel said determinedly. "SoI have come to you."
"And--and these gentlemen?" Edna inquired, glancing at us, puzzled.
"They are present to hear what you have to say to me."
She was taken aback.
"I--I have nothing to say to your Highness," the woman faltered. "Imerely wished to know whether, when in London, I might call."
"Then listen," exclaimed Mabel. "The truth is known, and it is uselessfor you to further conceal it. If you have nothing to say, Mr Hickmanwill at once call in the police, and I shall charge you with the murderof the Prince."
"The murder of the Prince!" she gasped, white to the lips. "I--did notcommit the crime. I can prove that I didn't!"
Her hands were trembling, and she stood beside the table, steadyingherself by it. There was a haunted look in those cold grey eyes. Oursudden descent upon her had taken her utterly by surprise.
"Then let us hear your statement," my love said in a hard voice quiteunusual to her. "Let it be the truth, or I shall charge you now, atonce, with the capital offence. The Prince was murdered in my house,and with your knowledge. Do you deny that?"
"No," she cried hoarsely, "I do not deny it."
A long silence ensued. The woman Grainger--or Slade, as she was knownthere--hung her head.
Hickman spoke authoritatively, demanding full explanation, but shemaintained a dogged silence. A sudden fire flashed in her eyes--thefire of defiance and hatred.
"Then, as you refuse to speak," said Mabel at length, "you will have nofurther opportunity until you stand in the criminal dock."
"No, no!" cried the wretched woman quickly. "Hear me! I will tell youall--everything. Listen," she implored. "Do not call the police ere Ihave explained my exact position, and how the tragedy occurred."
"Proceed," Mabel said harshly. "We are all attention."
"You will remember that three days before the tragedy your Highness leftLondon suddenly because of the illness of the Emperor, and I remained incharge of the household. It was on a Sunday you left, and you hadinvited the young Prince to dine on the following Wednesday evening. Onthe afternoon following your departure a visitor was announced. Hisname was Petrovitch Gechkuloff, a Bulgarian gentleman whom I knewslightly, he having been a visitor at the house in Vienna where I hadpreviously been in service as English governess. He asked me whether Iwished to earn a thousand pounds, and then, under promise of strictestsecrecy, unfolded to me an ingenious and extraordinary scheme. He wasacting, he said, together with Danilo Roesch, the Bulgarian Minister ofFinance, whom he would later introduce to me, in the interests of thePeople's Party in the Sobranje, and they desired the young PrinceAlexander to sign a certain deed. He told me nothing of the contents ofthe document, but asked me to assist them. I was to send no notice ofyour Highness's departure to the Prince, but, on the contrary, when hearrived on the Wednesday evening I was to entertain him, make someexcuse for your Highness's absence, and afterwards introduce theMinister Roesch and his friend. There was nothing risky about theproceedings, he declared most emphatically. The pair merely wished toobtain the young Prince's signature."
"But did not this request strike you as extraordinary?" asked Mabel."You knew the Prince quite well."
"It was the money which tempted me," the wretched woman cried. "Ihesitated for some time, and at last yielded. The Prince arrived, andalthough greatly surprised and disappointed to find your Highnessabsent, remained and dined with myself and the man Gechkuloff, of whomhe, of course, knew nothing save that he was one of his father'ssubjects. Near the conclusion of dinner we witnessed a cab accidentopposite the window, a blind gentleman--Mr Heaton--being run over, andI ordered the people to carry him into the drawing-room. Dr Slater wasfetched, and having bandaged his head, told us to let him remain quietfor an hour or so, then left. In the meantime the Bulgarian Minister,Roesch, arrived, apparently in a great hurry, was introduced, and had along interview with the Prince in private. Afterwards we adjourned intothe library. Some champagne was drunk, and the three men smoked,speaking often in their own language, so that I might not understand allthat was said. Subsequently the deed was produced, and after aconsiderable amount of hesitation and many promises on the part of theMinister of Finance, his Highness signed it. Then a witness wasrequired. Gechkuloff whispered to me the suggestion that the signatureof Mr Heaton, who was lying in the adjoining room half conscious,should be obtained, and having made him believe that he was signing abirthday book I got from him the desired signature. Shortly afterwards,while sitting at the piano playing I felt a heavy blow, which for a fewmoments stunned me. Then gazing through into the adjoining room I sawtwo figures struggling--the Prince and a woman. For a few seconds heheld her tightly, but with a furious twist she freed herself and struckhim full in the chest with the small dagger in her hand. He staggeredand fell backward upon the couch dying. The scene struck terror intothe heart
s of all of us, the two men standing near me rigid inamazement. The woman closed and locked the door communicating betweenthe two rooms, and left the house, while a few minutes later we alsofollowed."
"You saw the woman's face?" inquired Hickman.
"Most certainly," she answered. Then, continuing, said, "The tragic_denouement_ was so unexpected and startling that at first neither manappeared to know how to act. Quickly, however, they saw that suspicionof the murder must fall upon them, owing, I suppose, to the part theyhad played in Bulgarian politics, and they at once made it imperativethat I should join in and carry out their scheme. As together wehurried along Gilston Road, they