She gave him a knowing smile. "Who of the Princess Margaret's maids,
think you, it might have been?"
"It might have been any one of three," he said, "but I will guess
Mademoiselle d'Artois."
"At last! At last! . . . How rapidly your mind works under pressure.
I wonder, sir, if you will remember us so promptly a year hence."
"Suppose we wait and see," De Lacy answered, and tried to catch the
Countess' eye, but failed. Indeed, save for a quick smile of greeting
when he joined them, she had given him not a single glance, but had
kept her head bent over her needle.
Lady Mary drew down her pretty mouth. "If you can forget Marie
d'Artois so soon, what chance have we?" she asked.
"But I have not forgotten her; we were quite too good friends for that."
"And she was quite too fascinating," the Lady Mary laughed.
"Aye, and quite too beautiful."
"Goodness, Beatrix, listen to the man," she exclaimed. "He has the bad
taste to praise one woman, to another."
The Countess looked up. "Sir Aymer was lauding Mademoiselle d'Artois
to me, last night," she said.
"Can it be, Lady Mary," De Lacy asked, "you do not know that two months
since, Marie d'Artois was wedded to the Duc de Boiselle?"
For a moment Lady Mary was taken aback; then she laughed gayly and
arose.
"I will leave you to discuss the other two Maries," she said, and moved
away. . . "Perhaps they, too, are married," she added, over her
shoulder.
De Lacy looked after her contemplatively.
"I wonder," said he, "why the Lady Mary Percy resents my preferring you
to her."
"Do you?" the Countess asked--then held up her hand. "Stop, sir, you
may not answer--I did but jest."
"And may I not answer . . . in jest?" leaning toward her.
She shook her head. "No, sir, you may not; and if you attempt it, I
shall leave you instantly."
"Pardieu!" said he; "you are the most alluringly tantalizing woman I
have ever known. The evening of the ride you would scarce look at me,
but talked with Lord Darby all the time."
"He was making his farewells; he left the following morning."
De Lacy laughed. "Two hours of farewells! Doubtless, you were
delegated to receive them for the Household."
The Countess was busy with her needle. "He seemed to wish it so," she
said.
"And the next evening, when I asked you to walk on the wall, you well
nigh froze me with the chill of your refusal."
"And will do so again to--Sir Aymer de Lacy."
"And the following morning, at the first asking, you rode with me for
leagues."