Father did not come to see me on Saturday night, although I hoped
against hope that he would do so, but, to my great surprise, on Sunday
evening he walked in, just as Lady Carrington was preparing to go out to
evening service. I had refused to accompany her--I am afraid I made
myself unpleasant to my kind friend on that occasion. I was overcome by
the shock I had received, and this fresh and most unexpected parting
from father, so that I could only centre my thoughts on myself.
Father bustled into the house, and I heard his cheerful voice in the
hall.
"Hallo!" he said. "And how is the little woman?"
Lady Carrington dropped her voice to a whisper, and father began to talk
in low tones. Then they both approached the room where I was lying on a
sofa by the fire. I was feeling cold and chilled, and the little colour
I had ever boasted of in my face had completely left me. Now, as I heard
steps coming nearer and nearer, my heart beat in a most tumultuous
fashion. Then father and Lady Carrington entered the room.
"Heather, here's your father," said my kindest friend. "Sir John and I
are going to church, so you will have him quite to yourself. Now, cheer
up, dear. By the way, Major Grayson, won't you stay and have supper with
us afterwards?"
"Will Carbury be here?" asked my father suddenly.
"Yes, I think so. We asked him to come."
"Then I'd better not--better not, you know." He exchanged glances with
Lady Carrington, and I noticed a delicate wave of colour filling her
smooth and still girlish cheeks. She went away the next moment, and left
father and me alone.
"Well, pussy cat," he said, looking down at me, "what is the meaning of
all this rebellion? I didn't know you were such a queer little girl."
"Oh, father!" I said.
"Well, here is father. What does the little one want him to do?"
"Pet me, pet me, pet me," I said, and I gave a great sob between each
word.
"Why, Heather, you are as great a baby as ever! Lady Helen says you are
the most babyish creature she has ever come across in her life. My word,
Heather, if you but knew it, you are in luck to have such a stepmother.
I tell you, my child, you are in wonderful luck, for she is downright
splendid!"
"Please--please--may I say something?" My voice shook violently.
"Of course you may, little mite."
"Don't let us talk of her to-night. I'll try very hard to be good
to-morrow, if you will promise not to speak of her once to-night."
"It's hard on me, for my thoughts are full of her, but I'll endeavour to
obey your small Majesty."
Then I sprang into his arms, and cuddled him round the neck, and kissed
his cheek over and over again.
"Oh, I am so hungry for your love!" I said.
"Poor mite! You will have two people to love instead--oh! I
forgot--'mum's' the word. Now then, Heather, let's look at you. Why,
you're a washed-out little ghost of a girl! Even Aunt Penelope would be
shocked if she saw you now."
"Never mind Aunt Penelope just for the present," I said. "I have so
much to say to you, and this is the very last evening."
"Not a bit of it; there are hundreds of other evenings to follow."
"Oh, no," I said; "this is the very last between you and me, quite to
ourselves, Daddy."
"I like to hear you say 'Daddy'--you have such a quaint little voice. Do
you know, Heather, that when I was--when I was--"
"When you were what, Daddy?"
"Never mind; I was forgetting myself. I have lived through a great deal
since you last saw me, child, since that time when you were so ill at
Penelope Despard's."
"Weren't you enjoying yourself during those long years in India, Daddy?"
"Enjoying myself? Bless you, the discipline was too severe." Here my
father burst out laughing, and then he unfastened my arms from his neck
and put me gently down on the sofa and began to pace the room.
"As a wild beast enjoys himself in a cage, so did I, little Heather; but
it's over, thank Heaven, it's over; and--oh, dash it!--I can't speak of
it! Heather, how do you like your new clothes?"
"I haven't any new clothes," I answered demurely, "except the little
black frock you gave me the night I came to you at the Westminster
hotel. I put that on every evening because Lady Carrington wears
something pretty at dinner-time."
"But what have you done with all your other clothes?"
"I told you, Daddy, I wouldn't wear them. _She_ gave them to me."
"Now, look here, Heather, once and for all you must stop this folly. I
presume you don't want me to cease to love you. Well, you've got to be
good to your stepmother, and you have got to accept the clothes she
gives you. She and I are taking a beautiful house in a fashionable part
of London and you are to live with us, and she will be nice to you if
you will be nice to her--not otherwise, you understand--by no means
otherwise. And if I see you nasty to her, or putting on airs, why, I'll
give you up. You'll have to take her if you want to keep me, and that's
the long and short of it."
I trembled all over; my hero of heroes--was he tumbling from his place
in my gallery?
"Promise, child, promise," said my father, brusquely.
"Will it make you happy if I do?" I said.
"Yes. I'll call you my little duck of all girls--I'll love you like
anything, but we three must be harmonious. You will stay here until we
come back, and on the day we come back you are to be in the new house to
meet us, and you are to wear one of your pretty frocks, and you are to
do just what _she_ says. It's your own fault, Heather, that I have to
bring in her name so often. Bless her, though, the jewel she is! My
little love, we'll be as happy as the day is long. It's terribly
old-fashioned, it's low down, to abuse stepmothers now--don't you
understand that, Heather?"
"I don't," I answered. "I suppose I must do what you wish, for I cannot
live without you, but if--if--I find it _quite_ past bearing--may I go
back to Aunt Penelope?"
"Bless me, you won't find it past bearing! We need not contemplate such
an emergency."
"But, promise me, Daddy darling--if I do find it past bearing, may I go
back to Aunt Penelope?"
"Oh, yes, yes, yes--anything to quiet you, child. You are just the most
fractious and selfish creature I ever came across. You don't seem to
realise for a single minute what anybody else is feeling."
"It's settled, and I will try to be happy," I said.
"That's right. Now, let's talk of all sorts of funny things. I haven't
half heard about your different Jonases, nor about the parrot, who would
only say, 'Stop knocking at the door!'"
"Daddy," I said, with great earnestness, "may I have Anastasia back? It
would give me great, great help if she came back."
"Bless me!" said my father, rubbing his red face, "I must ask her
ladyship. I'll see about it; I'll see about it, little woman. Now, then,
stand up and let me look at you."
I stood up. I was wearing my snuff-coloured dress, and the electric
light and the firelight mingled, fell over a desolate, forlorn, little
figure.
"Run upstairs this minute, Heather, and put on one of your pretty
frocks. I know for a certainty they haven't gone back, because I told
Lady Carrington she was to keep them. Find a servant who can tell you
where they are, and put one on, and come down and let me see you in it."
He smiled at me. Surely there never was anyone with such a bewitching
smile. You felt that you would cut your heart out to help him when he
gave you that smile, that you would lie down at his feet to be trampled
on when he looked at you with that expression in his bright blue eyes.
I went upstairs very slowly. Lady Carrington's maid happened to be in,
and I said to her, in a forlorn voice:
"I want one of my pretty new frocks. May I have it?"
The woman gave me a lightning glance of approval, and presently I was
dressed in softest, palest, shimmering grey, which fell in long folds
around my young person. I held it up daintily, and ran downstairs.
"There's my rose in June!" said father, and he came and took me in his
arms. He chatted in his old fashion after that, but he went away before
Lady Carrington returned from church. She came back, accompanied by
Captain Carbury. I was in the drawing-room then, and there was plenty of
colour in my cheeks, for father's visit had excited me a great deal.
Captain Carbury gave me a wistful glance and drew a chair near mine.
"Do you know what I was thinking of?" he said, suddenly.
"What?" I asked.
"That it would be very nice after the wedding to-morrow----"
I shivered, and clutched my chair to keep myself from falling. I felt
his dark eyes fixed on my face.
"After the ceremony to-morrow," he continued, "if you and Lady
Carrington and I went to Hampton Court to spend the day. We will go down
in my motor-car, come back afterwards and dine in town, and then go to
the theatre. What do you think? I know Lady Carrington is quite
agreeable."
"Do you want me to go, Captain Carbury?"
"Yes, I want you very much."
"Well, I will do it, if it pleases you," I said.
He looked steadily at me, then he bent forward--he dropped his voice.
"I, too, have a gallery," he said, "in which I place, not my famous
heroes, but my famous heroines, and just at this moment, when you gave
up your real will to mine and--forgot yourself--I put you in."
"Oh, thank you," I said, and my eyes brimmed with tears.
Captain Carbury went away early, and after he had gone Lady Carrington
sat down by my side and began to talk to me.
"You and he are famous friends," she said, "and I am so glad. Perhaps I
ought to tell you, however, that Vernon is engaged to a most charming
girl. I know he will want you to meet her--they are to be married next
summer."
"Oh, I hope she is good enough for him."
"I hope so also. Her name is Lady Dorothy Vinguard. She is beautiful
and--and rich--and her people live in a lovely place in Surrey."
Suddenly a memory flashed through my mind.
I asked a question:
"Why did father say he would not meet Captain Carbury to-night at
supper?" I said.
Lady Carrington coloured. She got up and poked the fire quite
vigorously.
"Why are you getting so red?" I said. "Why would not father meet him?"
"You see, he is an army man," answered Lady Carrington.
"But that has nothing to do with it," I replied. "Father's in the army,
too."
"Don't ask so many questions, Heather."
"Has father a reason for not wanting to see him?"
"He may have, dear, but if he has I cannot tell you."
"That means you won't," I replied.
"Very well--I won't."