BLANCHE MERTON'S LITTLE PLOT
At about four o'clock in the afternoon, as Helene was preparing to leave
the Lodge, a telegram was brought in to her from Mr. Sabin.
"I have succeeded and am now _en route_ for London. You had better
follow when convenient, but do not be later than to-morrow."
She tore it into small pieces and hummed a tune.
"It is enough," she murmured. "I am not ambitious any longer. I am going
to London, it is true, my dear uncle, but not to Kensington! You can
play Richelieu to Henri and my cousin, if it pleases you. I wonder----"
Her face grew softer and more thoughtful. Suddenly she laughed outright
to herself. She went and sat down on the couch, where Wolfenden had been
lying.
"It would have been simpler," she said to herself. "How like a man to
think of such a daring thing. I wish--I almost wish--I had consented.
What a delightful sensation it would have made. Cecile will laugh when I
tell her of this. To her I have always seemed ambitious, and ambitious
only ... and now I have found out that I have a heart only to give it
away. _Helas!_"
There was a knock at the door. A servant entered.
"Miss Merton would be glad to know if you could spare her a moment
before you left, Miss," the man announced.
Helene glanced at the clock.
"I am going very shortly," she said; "she had better come in now."
The man withdrew, but returned almost immediately, ushering in Miss
Merton. For the first time Helene noticed how pretty the girl was. Her
trim, dainty little figure was shown off to its utmost advantage by the
neat tailor gown she was wearing, and there was a bright glow of colour
in her cheeks. Helene, who had no liking for her uncle's typewriter, and
who had scarcely yet spoken to her, remained standing, waiting to hear
what she had to say.
"I wanted to see Mr. Sabin," she began. "Can you tell me when he will be
back?"
"He has gone to London," Helene replied. "He will not be returning here
at all."
The girl's surprise was evidently genuine.
"But he said nothing about it a few hours ago," she exclaimed. "You are
in his confidence, I know. This morning he gave me something to do. I
was to get Mr. Blatherwick away from the Hall, and keep him with me as
long as I could. You do not know Mr. Blatherwick? then you cannot
sympathise with me. Since ten o'clock I have been with him. At last I
could keep him no longer. He has gone back to the Hall."
"Mr. Sabin will probably write to you," Helene said. "This house is
taken for another fortnight, and you can of course remain here, if you
choose. You will certainly hear from him within the next day or two."
Miss Merton shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, I shall take a holiday," she declared. "I've finished typing all
the copy I had. Haven't you dropped something there?"
She stooped suddenly forward, and picked up a locket from the floor.
"Is this yours?" she asked. "Why----"
She held the locket tightly in her hand. Her eyes seemed rivetted upon
it. It was very small and fashioned of plain gold, with a coronet and
letter on the face. Miss Merton looked at it in amazement.
"Why, this belongs to Wolf--to Lord Wolfenden," she exclaimed.
Helene looked at her in cold surprise.
"It is very possible," she said. "He was here a short time ago."
Miss Merton clenched the locket in her hand, as though she feared for
its safety.
"Here! In this room?"
"Certainly! He called to see Mr. Sabin and remained for some time."
Miss Merton was a little paler. She did not look quite so pretty now.
"Did you see him?" she asked.
Helene raised her eyebrows.
"I scarcely understand," she said, "what business it is of yours. Since
you ask me, however, I have no objection to telling you that I did see
Lord Wolfenden. He remained some time here with me after Mr. Sabin
left."
"Perhaps," Miss Merton suggested, with acidity, "that was why I was sent
out of the way."
Helene looked at her through half-closed eyes.
"I am afraid," she said, "that you are a very impertinent young woman.
Be so good as to put that locket upon the table and leave the room."
The girl did neither. On the contrary, she slipped the locket into the
bosom of her gown.
"I will take care of this," she remarked.
Helene laid her hand upon the bell.
"I am afraid," she said, "that you must be unwell. I am going to ring
the bell. Perhaps you will be good enough to place the locket on that
table and leave the room."
Miss Merton drew herself up angrily.
"I have a better claim upon the locket than any one," she said. "I am
seeing Lord Wolfenden constantly. I will give it to him."
"Thank you, you need not trouble," Helene answered. "I shall send a
servant with it to Deringham Hall. Will you be good enough to give it to
me?"
Miss Merton drew a step backwards and shook her head.
"I think," she said, "that I am more concerned in it than you are, for I
gave it to him."
"You gave it to him?"
Miss Merton nodded.
"Yes! If you don't believe me, look here."
She drew the locket from her bosom and, holding it out, touched a
spring. There was a small miniature inside; Helene, leaning over,
recognised it at once. It was a likeness of the girl herself. She felt
the colour leave her cheeks, but she did not flinch.
"I was not aware," she said, "that you were on such friendly terms with
Lord Wolfenden."
The girl smiled oddly.
"Lord Wolfenden," she said, "has been very kind to me."
"Perhaps," Helene continued, "I ought not to ask, but I must confess
that you have surprised me. Is Lord Wolfenden--your lover?"
Miss Merton shut up the locket with a click and returned it to her
bosom. There was no longer any question as to her retaining it. She
looked at Helene thoughtfully.
"Has he been making love to you?" she asked abruptly.
Helene raised her eyes and looked at her. The other girl felt suddenly
very insignificant.
"You must not ask me impertinent questions," she said calmly. "Of
course you need not tell me anything unless you choose. It is for you to
please yourself."
The girl was white with anger. She had not a tithe of Helene's
self-control, and she felt that she was not making the best of her
opportunities.
"Lord Wolfenden," she said slowly, "did promise to marry me once. I was
his father's secretary, and I was turned away on his account."
"Indeed!"
There was a silence between the two women. Miss Merton was watching
Helene closely, but she was disappointed. Her face was set in cold,
proud lines, but she showed no signs of trouble.
"Under these circumstances," Helene said, "the locket certainly belongs
to you. If you will allow me, I will ring now for my maid. I am leaving
here this evening."
"I should like," Miss Merton said, "to tell you about Lord Wolfenden and
myself."
Helene smiled languidly.
"You will excuse me, I am sure," she said. "It is scarcely a matter
which interests me."
Miss Merton flushed angrily. She was at a disadvantage and she knew it.
"I thought that you were very much interested in Lord Wolfenden," she
said spitefully.
"I have found him much pleasanter than the majority of Englishmen."
"But you don't care to hear about him--from me!" Miss Merton exclaimed.
Helene smiled.
"I have no desire to be rude," she said, "but since you put it in that
way I will admit that you are right."
The girl bit her lip. She felt that she had only partially succeeded.
This girl was more than her match. She suddenly changed her tactics.
"Oh! you are cruel," she exclaimed. "You want to take him from me; I
know you do! He promised--to marry me--before you came. He must marry
me! I dare not go home!"
"I can assure you," Helene said quietly, "that I have not the faintest
desire to take Lord Wolfenden from you--or from any one else! I do not
like this conversation at all, and I do not intend to continue it.
Perhaps if you have nothing more to say you will go to your room, or if
you wish to go away I will order a carriage for you. Please make up your
mind quickly."
Miss Merton sprang up and walked towards the door. Her pretty face was
distorted with anger.
"I do not want your carriage," she said. "I am leaving the house, but I
will walk."
"Just as you choose, if you only go," Helene murmured.
She was already at the door, but she turned back.
"I can't help it!" she exclaimed. "I've got to ask you a question. Has
Lord Wolfenden asked you to marry him?"
Helene was disgusted, but she was not hard-hearted. The girl was
evidently distressed--it never occurred to her that she might not be in
earnest. She herself could not understand such a lack of self-respect.
A single gleam of pity mingled with her contempt.
"I am not at liberty to answer your question," she said coldly, "as
it concerns Lord Wolfenden as well as myself. But I have no objection
to telling you this. I am the Princess Helene of Bourbon, and I am
betrothed to my cousin, Prince Henri of Ortrens! So you see that I am
not likely to marry Lord Wolfenden! Now, please, go away at once!"
Miss Merton obeyed. She left the room literally speechless. Helene rang
the bell.
"If that young person--Miss Merton I think her name is--attempts to see
me again before I leave, be sure that she is not admitted," she told the
servant.
The man bowed and left the room. Helene was left alone. She sank into
an easy chair by the fire and leaned her head upon her hand. Her
self-control was easy and magnificent, but now that she was alone her
face had softened. The proud, little mouth was quivering. A feeling of
uneasiness, of utter depression stole over her. Tears stood for a moment
in her eyes but she brushed them fiercely away.
"How could he have dared?" she murmured. "I wish that I were a man!
After all, then, it must be--ambition!"