Sir Maurice and his brother were sitting at breakfast next morning when
Philip burst in on them. Tom jumped up and swore.
"Damn you, Philip! At this hour!"
Philip paid not the slightest heed to him. He grasped his father by the
shoulder.
"Father, you must to Lady Malmerstoke's house at once!"
Sir Maurice ate another mouthful of beef.
"Sit down, my son, and be calm. What's to do?"
"God alone knows!" cried Philip. He sank into a chair and rejected his
uncle's offer of breakfast. "Breakfast? What have I to do with food
when I'm nigh demented?"
"Drink's the thing," agreed Tom placidly. He pushed a tankard of ale
towards his nephew. "What ails you, lad?"
"Cleone's betrothed to Brenderby," announced Philip wretchedly.
"No!" Tom was dumbfounded.
"And to Winton." Philip sought to drown his troubles in the tankard.
"What!" Sir Maurice dropped his knife. "Betrothed to Brenderby _and_
Winton? You're raving!"
"Would to God I were!" Philip emerged from the tankard, and wiped his
lips with his fathers napkin. "I asked her to marry me at the ball
last night. She refused; I won't tell you her exact words. Half an
hour later I found her kissing _ce scélérat_ Brenderby in a secluded
corner!" He laughed savagely.
"You mean that Brenderby kissed her?" suggested Tom.
"No, I do not! _Voyons_, would he be alive now had he dared embrace
Cleone against her will? She submitted--she wished it!"
"I'll not believe that!" exclaimed Sir Maurice.
"You must believe it. She is betrothed to him. She said it herself.
James was with me. He interposed, saying that she was already promised
to him."
Tom gave a chuckle.
"Faith, the child is rich in--" He caught Philips eye and subsided.
"Oh, ay, ay! Go on."
"I know no more. I deemed it time for me to withdraw."
"The proper thing to have done," said Tom solemnly, "was to have struck
an attitude and said, 'Not so! The girl is mine!'"
"What right had I? I was not amongst the favoured ones."
"Don't sneer, Philip," interposed Sir Maurice. "There must be something
behind all this."
Philip turned to him.
"That's what I hope and trust! You must go at once to Lady
Malmerstoke's!" His head sank into his hands and he gave way to a gust
of laughter. "Oh, Gad! neither would give way an inch. Both held Clo to
her promise!"
"Ye seem monstrous light-hearted about it," said his uncle.
Philip sprang up.
"Because I thought that--for one moment--she looked at me for help!"
"Which you declined to give?" asked Sir Maurice dryly.
"_Mon cher père_, I have my own game to play. Now go to Lady
Malmerstoke's, I implore you!"
Sir Maurice rose.
"I'll go at once. What madness can have seized Cleone?"
Philip almost pushed him out of the room.
"That is what I want to know. Quickly, Father!"
The little black page swung open the door of my lady's boudoir.
"Sah Maurice Jettan!"
"The very man I wish to see!" exclaimed Lady Malmerstoke. "Maurry,
never were you more opportune!"
Sir Maurice kissed her hand with punctilious politeness. He then smiled
at Cleone, who stood by the table, pale and wan-looking.
"I hope I see you well, Cleone?"
"Very well, thank you, sir," said Cleone dully.
Lady Malmerstoke sat down.
"Clo has disgraced me," she said comfortably. "Is it not exciting?"
Cleone turned her head away. Sir Maurice saw her lips tremble.
"Please, Aunt--please don't--don't--I shall wed--Sir Deryk."
"And what's to happen to t'other? You can't wed two men, my dear. I'm
not sure that I shall consent to your marrying either."
"Sir Deryk--has my word."
"But so has James."
"What's this?" Sir Maurice spoke with well-feigned astonishment.
"Cleone, you are not betrothed, surely?"
"To two men," nodded her aunt. "I have never been so amused in my life.
I always considered myself to be flighty, but I'll swear I never was
engaged to two men at one and the same time!"
Cleone sat down, staring out of the window and biting her lips.
"What!" cried Sir Maurice in liveliest horror. "Engaged to two men?
Cleone!"
The golden head was bowed. A great sob shook Cleone.
"But--good heavens, my dear! This is dreadful! How could such a thing
have come to pass?"
"Of course it's dreadful," said her ladyship. "Think of the scandal
when it is known. And that'll be soon, I'll wager. Brenderby will
never keep such a piece of spice to himself." As she spoke, one of her
eyelids flickered. Sir Maurice smiled, unseen by Cleone.
"You--forget, Aunt. I am going to--wed--Sir Deryk." A shudder ran
through her at the thought.
"But I don't understand! Tell me how it happened, Cleone!"
"Yes, tell him, Clo. Mayhap he can help you."
"No one can help me," said Cleone miserably. "I must bear the pain of
my own folly. I--oh, I have been so wicked!"
"Now, Cleone? Why? What happened?"
"I may as well tell you. It will be all over town by to-night--everyone
will know me for a flirtatious, flighty woman. I--"
"You won't have a shred of reputation left," said her aunt maliciously.
Cleone started.
"Rep--Oh, and I said--!"
"Said what, my love?"
"Naught. I--I--oh, Sir Maurice, Sir Maurice, I am so unhappy!" Cleone
burst into tears.
Sir Maurice patted one heaving shoulder.
"There, there, Cleone! Tell me all about it!"
"It--it was at the ball last n-night. I--I--no, first James
proposed--to me, and I said yes, but I didn't mean it!"
"You said yes, but you didn't mean it?"
"I didn't hear what he said--I--I said yes because he worried so!
And--and he knew I didn't mean it, for he walked away. Then I--I--went
with Sir Deryk to a room apart--"
"Cle-one!"
"Oh, I know, I know! It was terrible of me, but I was so upset--I
hardly cared what I did!"
"But why were you upset? Because James had proposed?"
"No--I--I--something--else--I can't tell you! Anyway--Sir Deryk took
me to this room, and--and taught me to--to dice--yes, I know it was
horrid! And--and I lost my rose to him, and when he--was taking it, he
broke the string of my locket, and he wouldn't give it me, but said he
must see what was inside, and I _couldn't_ let him! I _couldn't_!"
"What was inside?" asked Sir Maurice.
"For heaven's sake, don't ask her that!" begged Lady Malmerstoke. "It
sets her off into floods of tears!"
"Aunt, _please_! And--and so I played him--for it--and I lost and had
to--to kiss him--for it. Don't, don't look at me! And then--and then
_he_ came--with James--and saw! What he must _think_ of me! And I said
that he--Oh, he must--"
"Who is 'he'?" asked Sir Maurice innocently. He watched a tell-tale
blush steal up under Cleone's fingers.
"Mr.--Mr. Jettan--I--he--saw me kiss--Sir Deryk! Then--then--I think,
to spare me--Sir Deryk said I was his betrothed wife. I could not
say I was not, could I? It was too dreadful! And Phil--Mr. Jettan
congratulated us! But James suddenly said he was going to marry me
because I had said yes to him--by mistake! Of course I said I was not,
but he wouldn't release me from my word, and nor would Sir Deryk!
Then--then he--Ph--I mean Mr. Jettan--just bowed and went away, but I
could see what he--thought of--of me. Oh, what shall I do? Neither will
let me go! I am betrothed to two gentlemen, and--oh, _what_ shall I do?"
Sir Maurice took a pinch of snuff. A smile hovered about his mouth. He
shut the box with a snap.
"It seems, my dear, that the situation calls for a third gentleman," he
said, and picked up his hat.
Cleone sprang to her feet.
"Oh--oh, what are you going to do?" she cried.
Sir Maurice walked to the door.
"It needs a masterful hand to extricate you from your delicate
position," he said. "I go in search of such a hand."
Cleone ran to him, clasping his arm.
"No, no, no! Oh, for heaven's sake, Sir Maurice, stop!"
He laid a hand over her clutching fingers.
"My dear, do you want a scandal?"
"No, oh no! But I must persuade James!"
"And do you want to marry this Brenderby?"
"I--am going to marry him."
"Cleone, answer me! Do you want to marry him?"
"I don't want to marry anyone! I wish I were dead!"
"Well, child, you are not dead. I refuse to see you fall into
Brenderby's clutches, and I refuse to countenance the scandal that
would arise if you rejected him. I am too old to serve you, but I know
of one who is not."
"Sir Maurice, I implore you, do not speak to him! You don't understand!
You--Oh, stop, stop!"
Sir Maurice had disengaged himself. He opened the door.
"You need not fear that the third gentleman will cause you any
annoyance, my dear. I can vouch for his discretion."
Cleone tried to hold him back.
"Sir Maurice, you don't understand! You must not ask Ph--your son
to--to--help me! I--I didn't tell you all! I--Oh, come back!"
The door closed behind Sir Maurice.
"A very prompt, wise man," commented Lady Malmerstoke. "Now I am to be
baulked of the scandal. Hey-dey!"
Cleone paced to and fro.
"I can't face him! I can't, I can't! What must he _think_ of me? What
must he think? Aunt, you don't know all!"
"Oh, yes, I do," retorted her ladyship.
"No, no, you do not! Philip asked me to marry him--and--I refused!
I--I--told him--I would not marry a man with a tarnished reputation!
I--I said that--and worse! I accused him of trifling and--and--oh, it's
too awful! That he should have been the one to see! How he must scorn
me. Oh, Aunt, Aunt, can't you say something?"
"Ay, one thing. That you will have to be very humble to Master Philip.
At least, he was never betrothed twice in one night."
Cleone collapsed on to the couch.
"I'll not see him! I--oh, I must go home at once! I must, I must!
Everything is all my fault! I ought never to have--sent him away! And
now--and now he despises me!"
"Who says so?"
"I--how could he do else? Don't--don't you realise how dreadful I have
been? And--and his face--when--when he--heard everything! He'll never
never believe--the truth!"
"What matters it?" asked my lady carelessly. "Since you do not love
him--"
"Oh, I do, I do, I do!" wept Cleone.
* * * * *
François admitted Sir Maurice. His round face was perturbed. It cleared
somewhat at the sight of Sir Maurice.
"_Ah, m'sieur, entrez donc!_ M'sieur Philippe he is like one mad!--He
rage, he go up and down the room like a caged beast! It is a woman,
without doubt it is a woman! I have known it _depuis longtemps_!
Something terrible has happened! M'sieur is _hors de lui-même_!"
Sir Maurice laughed.
"Poor François! I go to reassure m'sieur."
"Ah, if m'sieur can do that!"
"I can--most effectively. Where is he?"
François pointed to the library door.
* * * * *
Philip literally pounced on his father.
"Well? You have seen her? Is she in love with Brenderby? Is she to wed
him? What did she tell you?"
Sir Maurice pushed him away.
"You are the second distracted lover who has clutched me to-day. Have
done."
Philip danced with impatience.
"But speak, Father! Speak!"
Sir Maurice sat down leisurely and crossed his legs.
"At the present moment Cleone is betrothed. Very much so," he added,
chuckling. "I am about to put the whole matter into your hands."
"My hands? She wants my help?"
"Not at all. She is insistent that you shall not be appealed to. In
fact, she was almost frantic when I suggested it."
"Then does she not want to marry Brenderby?"
"Certainly not. But she will do if you fail to intervene."
Philip flung out his hands.
"But tell me, sir! What happened last night?"
"Sit down and be quiet," said Sir Maurice severely. "I am on the point
of telling you."
Philip obeyed meekly.
"And don't interrupt." Sir Maurice proceeded to relate all that he
had heard from Cleone.... "And she was so upset that she went with
Brenderby, not caring what happened. That is the whole story," he ended.
"Upset? But--was she upset--because I had offered and been rejected?"
"Presumably. Now she is so hopelessly compromised that she daren't face
you."
Philip sank his head into his hands and gave way to a long peal of
laughter.
"_Sacré nom de Dieu_, the tables are turned, indeed. Oh, Clo, Clo, you
wicked little hussy! And what was in that locket?"
"That you will have to ask her yourself," answered Sir Maurice.
Philip jumped up.
"And I shall. _Mordieu_, never did I dream of such a solution to my
difficulties!"
"Perhaps she still will not have you, Philip," warned Sir Maurice.
Philip flung back his head.
"Thunder of God, she will have me now if I have to force her to the
altar! _Ciel_, you have taken a load off my mind, sir! I thought she
cared for Brenderby! She smiled on him so consistently. And now for _ce
cher_ Brenderby! I am going to enjoy myself."
"Remember, Philip! No breath of scandal!"
"Am I so clumsy? Not a whisper shall there be! François, François! My
hat, my cloak, my boots, and my SWORD!"