HEART TO HEART.
We shall not accompany our friends on their home-bound journey. Time
will fly with greater speed if we relate not the talks and incidents
by the way, but simply meet them at London, whither Lady Esmondet had
telegraphed Trevalyon of their arrival. Accordingly, on their coming
in at the station at 9 p.m., on the evening of the 5th, Lionel, all
eagerness, met them.
"So kind of you to meet us, Sir Lionel," said Lady Esmondet, for
Madame Grandy was about.
"Only a pleasure, dear Lady Esmondet. Someone told me you and Miss
Vernon were due," and turning to his servant, "Here, Sims, are the
checks; get the luggage stowed safely away until to-morrow morning,
and send the maids on to Park Lane."
"Yes, sir; all right, sir."
"You look tired, poor fellow," said Vaura, sympathetically, as they
were driven to Park Lane.
"Tired, yes, waiting for you. God only knows how I have missed you,
darling."
"How about the nun you spoke of in your letter, Lionel?" inquired Lady
Esmondet, "will she aid you? What a long story you have to tell us."
"Yes, and one until lately I had will nigh forgotten, for in spite of
Dame Rumour's falseness I have not been the principal actor in it. For
to-night only does she triumph, ere, to-morrow's sun has set I hope to
be at or very near Haughton Hall with those who will lift the veil
from the past, and put in Dame Rumour's hands another version of the
scandal."
"We shall have a long evening together, Lionel; you can stay with us,
I suppose."
"Only until I see you comfortably settled, dear Lady Esmondet, in
still untangling the web of 'difficulty,'" and Vaura's hand is
pressed. "I have a twelve-mile drive in a suburban train to the
monastery of St. Sebastian."
"Nuns and monks, the _denouement_ will be interesting," said Vaura.
"Will they win, that's the question; the other hand is full of knaves
and tricks," said Lady Esmondet.
"They shall," answered Lionel, earnestly, and holding Vaura's hand, "I
hold a hand that gives me strength to win."
Park Lane is now reached, the servants are in the hall to welcome
their mistress, when the house-keeper says:
"If it will suit your ladyship, dinner will be served in twenty
minutes or half an hour."
"Say half an hour, Grimes."
"Surely you can stay and dine with us, Lionel?" said his friend.
"You know, dear Lady Alice, how much I would wish it, but I must be
off in less than half an hour."
Whereupon remembering the "Golden Rule," saying she would go and talk
with the housekeeper, and so again these two who feel such
completeness in each other, such fulness of satisfaction, such an
ecstasy of love, are alone in the sweetest of solitude, dual solitude,
and in silence, save for the deep full heart-beats.
"Let me take off your jacket, my own darling."
"I can, dear Lionel; you look too tired to do anything but rest."
But he does as he wills, the jacket of seal, and bonnet of velvet are
off, the long tan gloves laid aside, the fluffy hair is caressed, a
strong arm is about her, the perfect shaped head is again on his
chest, and the sweet mouth and warm eyes are kissed rapturously.
"Rest; yes, love, I want rest, and can only rest so, with you in my
arms; away from you I am nervous and agitated, afraid lest some one
take you from me; my life, my love, oh! darling, darling, you don't
know how dependent I am on you; on your love, your sympathy; you have
not told me and I long to hear you say so; tell me if you love me,
darling."
"Love you!" and she started to a sitting posture, "bend your face
towards me, dearest, that you may read the truth in my eyes."
And now with a soft hand on each cheek, she continues.
"Love, you dearest, does the sun-flower love its god? Does the mother
her first born? Then, do I love thee, my heart's dearest, with an
unchanging tender love, and with all the intensity of my woman self."
For answer, she is drawn to a close embrace, and there are ecstatic
moments with only throbbing eyes to the rhythm of heart-beats.
At last Vaura breaks the silence, by saying softly:
"'Tis time for you to leave me, Lionel, and yet I cannot spare you."
"I cannot go, my own, mine, mine; oh! darling, you do not know the
joy, the paradise I feel as I hold you in my arms, and think that you,
my beauty, you, whom men rave of, you actually love me; God be
thanked," and the love-warm kisses come to the sweet flexible lips.
At this moment, Lady Esmondet considerately talking to Mars at the
door, gave the lovers time to get a conventional number of inches
between them, ere she entered.
"I fear it is time you were off, Lionel; it is really too bad you
cannot dine with us."
Lionel standing up, and laying one hand on Vaura's head, as it rested
on the cushioned back of the sofa, said:
"I feel as if I had drank of the elixir of life; you don't know how
courageous I feel, now that I have you both back, when the difficulty
is removed, I shall begin to live!"
"How the women will envy me!" she said, looking up lovingly at the
handsome face full of grave earnestness, the tired look gone from the
mesmeric eyes.
"You will both be wondrously happy, each a gainer in the other," said
their friend earnestly.
"Do you think you will be able to go down with us, Lionel dear?"
"No, darling, I am sure not; I cannot say what train I shall take
until I reach the monastery; there we decide."
"The plot thickens, a monk makes his _entree_," said Vaura gaily.
"Yes, and I shall not tell either of you more of the play, the act
will be more interesting, only this, tell Col. Haughton that after
dinner, on to-morrow evening three unbidden guests will appear with
myself, and that we shall carry a more highly spiced dish than any
they have partaken of; further, that it is my wish that the Hall
guests hear of the ingredients, so that they can tell the recipe
to the London world. Good-bye, till to-morrow night, dear friend;
good-bye, darling."
"Good-night, Lion, we shall be on the look-out for you; so don't tire
our eyes."
"I shall feel your eyes, love, and shall hasten."
"Be sure, Lionel, that you come with winning cards."
"I shall, dear Lady Esmondet; _au revoir_."
"How greedily the gossips will partake of the dish in preparation for
them! What an exciting scene we shall have!" said Vaura, as dinner
over and servants dismissed, the friends chatted over a cup of coffee
before retiring.
"Yes, indeed, dear; oh! if Lionel could only find this Mrs. Clarmont,
with whom they said he eloped, and that she would reveal the facts,
what a triumph!"
"But, if in reality; this Major Delrose was her favoured lover, he may
yet have influence enough over her to stay her tongue," said Vaura,
thoughtfully.
My own fear, dear, especially as I believe there was a child."
"And you say that in the bygone he was an admirer of my uncle's wife?"
"So Dame Rumour hath it."
"So, so, we all aim at something; the Delrose ambition was to pose as
king o' hearts. Strange freak of fortune, that this all comes into the
Haughton life; we must now only hope that the clouds in our sky will
soon disperse. But, god-mother darling, we had best follow the advice
of the liege lord of the wilful Katherine, and 'to bed.'"