Sophie opened the door in answer to her father's murmured "entrez,"
and closed it very gently behind her. She had not noticed Chrysie as
she slipped into her own room, for her back was towards her, and,
happily, she had no suspicion whatever of the conclusions which
Chrysie's love-sharpened eyes had enabled her to reach. If she had,
some skilfully-devised accident would probably have happened. For
though but two people among the guests at Orrel Court knew it, there
were spies both inside and around the great house, unscrupulous agents
of an unscrupulous government, who would have carried out their orders
at all hazards. In fact, they had been brought there by Count
Valdemar, at his daughter's suggestion, to assist in working out the
most daring conspiracy that had ever been hatched at an English
country house.
"Well, papa," said Sophie, in her soft Russian, as she took a
cigarette, and dropped into an easy-chair with a motion that was
almost voluptuous in its gracefulness, "now that these good people
have gone to bed, we shall be able to have a little quiet talk. Are
you still of opinion that the scheme that I sketched out is feasible?"
"Everything is feasible, my dear Sophie," replied her father,
"provided only you have people of sufficient genius and boldness to
carry it out. No doubt it would be possible with our own people, and
those of the English sailors whom we have been able to bribe, to carry
out that brilliant plan of yours, especially as you appear to have
wrought such a magical transformation in the allegiance of this
impressionable young engineer of yours on the _Nadine_. Are you
quite sure of him?"
"Sure of him!" said Sophie, in a voice that was little above a
whisper, and leaning forward and looking at her father with a smile
which made even him think her beauty almost repulsive for the moment.
"Edward Williams is as much in love as Boris Bernovitch was, and
is--although he is where he is. I have promised, as usual. He has
believed me, as usual, just like any other fool of his sex. Day after
day I have met him and talked with him in what he calls my adorable
foreign English. I have given him rendezvous which would have startled
my Lord Orrel and all his belongings out of that abominable, habitual
calm of theirs, and perhaps procured me a request to leave the house
immediately. I have fooled him out of his seven senses, and to-night I
have performed the supreme sacrifice for Russia, and let him kiss me."
The cruelly smiling lips changed into an expression of contemptuous
disgust as she said this, and the count replied, coldly:
"Not a pleasant duty, Sophie; but for Holy Russia her servants must do
everything. That, as I have tried to teach you almost as soon as you
could speak, is our duty, almost our religion. Our fortune, our lives,
our everything must be devoted to the emperor and to Holy Russia--soon
now, I hope, to be mistress of the world. You as a woman, and a
beautiful woman, have your weapons; I as a man, and a diplomatist,
have mine. It is your duty to use yours with as little scruple as I
use mine.
"And so you really think," he went on, after a little pause, "that it
will be possible to capture the _Nadine_, with all her noble and
gallant company on board, and compel her to join our Russian
expedition to Boothia Land. Certainly, it would be a brilliant
triumph if we could. We should have all the heads of the great Trust
at our mercy--Lord Orrel, his son, and this most objectionably
straightforward Clifford Vandel, who, it would appear, has so vastly
improved upon the original scheme. Then we should have the womankind
too--Lady Olive, Miss Vandel, and the beautiful marquise herself,
always dangerous power that might work against us. By the way,
Sophie, has it struck you that the young viscount is wavering in his
allegiance to the fair American under the influence of the beautiful
daughter of the Condes?"
"As well ask me whether I am a woman, father," she replied, with a
low, wicked-sounding laugh. "Have I no eyes in my head? Did not this
fair American interfere with my plan for securing the noble Shafto to
ourselves by making him fall in love with her before I saw him, and
have I not done everything, all the thousand and one little things
that a woman can do, to help my dear friend the marquise to the
attainment of her very evident desires? In other words, have I
forgotten the lessons that you have been teaching me since you began
to train me to think myself not a girl with a heart and a soul, and
living blood in her veins, but only a human machine, fair to look
upon, animated by a brain which knows no other duty than the service
of our Holy Russia? You know that if I had loved this man myself it
would have been just the same. I should have done exactly as I have
done,--at least, I believe so."
"Ah," laughed the count, softly, "that is the problem, my dear Sophie;
and that, I tell you frankly, has always been my fear for you. You are
young, brilliant, and beautiful; and I've always been a little afraid
that out of some of all your admirers whom your smiles have brought to
your feet there might be one whom you might love; and when a woman
loves she pities, and pity and diplomacy have as much to do with each
other as charity and business. Still, I am not without hopes that some
day you will meet some worthy son of Russia; and remember, my Sophie,
that, if we succeed in this, if we place the control of the elixir
vitae of the world in the hand of Russia, you might look even near the
throne itself."
"And I most certainly should," said Sophie, throwing her head back. "I
tell you frankly, papa, I'm not doing all this for nothing. I am not
forgetting that I am a woman, with all a woman's natural feelings and
inspirations, all her possible loves and hopes and pities, only for
the sake of serving even Russia. If I succeed I shall have my reward,
and it shall be a splendid one."
"And you will have well deserved it," said the count, looking with
something more than fatherly pride on the beautiful daughter who had
learnt the lessons of what he was pleased to call diplomacy so well.
"Still, I cannot disguise from myself that this last scheme of yours
is, to say the least of it, a desperate one; for it amounts to nothing
less than a kidnapping of one of the best-known noblemen and statesmen
in England, his son and daughter, one of the wealthiest and best-known
American financiers in the world and his daughter; to say nothing of
one of the Ministers of the Tsar and his daughter. I need hardly
remind you, of course, that the failure of such a venture would never
be forgiven in Petersburg. I need not tell you that the Little Father
never pardons mistakes, and, besides, my dear Sophie, have you quite
satisfied yourself that such a very extreme measure is absolutely
necessary?"
"My dear papa," said Sophie, getting up from her chair, and raising
her voice ever so little, "in the first place, there will be--there
can be no mistake about it; and, in the second place, I assure you
that it is absolutely necessary if Russia is to have undisputed
control of the Storage Works. You see, the outside world knows
absolutely nothing about these works. There have been all sorts of
stories circulated about them, but no one who has actually seen them
has said or written a word about them. In fact, as far as we know,
only two men have been there and come back--Viscount Branston and Mr
Vandel; Dr Lamson is there still. How do we know what means of defence
they've got? They might be able even now, from what Victor Fargeau and
General Ducros told us, to demagnetise our ships, stop our engines
from working and our guns from shooting; or, on the other hand, what
would be almost as bad, this Lamson might blow up the works and
shatter every plan we've got--perhaps ruin all prospects of the
invasion, too, unless we have some means of persuading him not to use
his power. What better means could we have than the possession of the
heads of the concern?
"I have heard hints, too, that he is not without hopes of winning the
fair Lady Olive some day, when he becomes one of the masters of the
world. Granted now that it is within our power to do what we please
with all of them, or, if you like to put it diplomatically, with the
heads of this gigantic conspiracy against the peace and security of
the world, and plot to destroy the independence of the nations and the
freedom of humanity, for it is nothing else, should we not be
justified in using any and every means--yes," she went on, her voice
hardening, "even to the very last means of all, to snatch this
tremendous power out of the hands of these sordid English and
Americans and give it into those of Holy Russia. It is kidnapping,
piracy, invasion of friendly territory--everything, I grant you, that
is criminal under the law of nations; but remember it is also a
struggle for the command of the life-force of the world--which means
practically the control of the world itself and all that therein is."
"And," said the count, smiling, "I suppose you would say that, as
these people are our natural enemies, with whom we shall very soon be
at war--'a la guerre comme a la guerre'--I suppose you mean that when
we have got the _Nadine_ and her noble company we shall use them
as hostages to prevent any accidents happening to our little Polar
expedition. Really, my dear Sophie, your methods have suddenly become
almost mediaeval; still, if they are only successful, they will be none
the less effective for that. Let me see now," he went on, leaning back
in his chair and putting the tips of his fingers together, "I wonder
if I can find any flaw in the arrangements. You know, it is quite
essential, my dear Sophie, that there should not be any."
"My dear papa," she replied, smiling, and leaning her back against the
old carved mantelpiece, "try, by all means. If you cannot find one, I
don't think there can be much chance of its being anything but
practically perfect."
"Very well," said the count, lighting a fresh cigarette. "In two or
three days' time, when the regattas are over, the house-party at Orrel
Court will break up, and a few days after that, say a week in all, Lord
Orrel, with his son and daughter, and the American and his daughter,
and Ma'm'selle la Marquise as Lady Olive's guest, are taking a trip
across the Atlantic in the _Nadine_, partly in the course of business
and partly on pleasure bent; Madame de Bourbon and her maids return to
Paris; the _Vlodoya_ puts into Southampton the day the _Nadine_ sails,
to take us on our trip to the Mediterranean. Your good friend the
lieutenant has informed you that, although the _Nadine_ can make twenty
knots on an emergency, she will only take a leisurely summer trip
across the Atlantic to Boston, at about twelve or fifteen. He has given
you a chart of the course which she will take. He has also promised you
that at a certain spot in mid-Atlantic there shall be a little accident
to her engines which enable the _Vlodoya_ to overtake her. The
_Vlodoya_, commanded and well manned by good servants of the empire,
with a couple of three-pounders and a Maxim in case of accident, will
overhaul her and give her the alternative of surrender or sinking. That
is where the piracy will begin, I suppose."
Sophie nodded, and, laughing, replied in English: "Yes, right there--as
our American beauty, as Lord Hardress thinks her, would say. The
_Nadine_ is unarmed, and, of course, resistance will be useless; in
fact, it would simply be the merest folly. His lordship will accept us
and a portion of the _Vlodoya's_ crew as self-invited guests; we shall
then steam away together, not to Boston, but to the rendezvous with our
little expedition, and once we join forces--well, the thing is
practically done."
"I agree so far," said her father; "still, there are one or two
accidents that we have not yet taken into account. Suppose, for
instance, one of these detestable British cruisers, which seem to be
everywhere, should happen to be there just then; or that even one of
the big liners should come in sight at the critical moment. It seems
to me that, for the present at least, secrecy is above all things
essential, for if the news of--well, such an outrage, did get back to
Europe, you know perfectly well that Russia would of necessity disown
us, and that we and all on board the _Vlodoya_ would simply be
treated as common pirates."
"So I suppose," said Sophie, coolly; "but I have provided for that,
because the day and place of rendezvous have been arranged so as to
avoid the possibility of meeting any of the regular liners, and I have
been careful to ascertain that no British warship will just then be
under orders to cross the Atlantic, either from the North American
station or from England. As for the piracy, I don't think we need
trouble ourselves about that. Before many weeks France must forestall
Germany's attack; Russia will, as we say, maintain the attitude of
benevolent neutrality until she hears that we have got the works, then
she will demand the surrender of the British concessions in China
which conflict with her interests, and there will be war, and our
actions, however drastic, will become legal under the law of war. In
fact, my dear papa, as far as I can see, there is really only one
possibility that I have not reckoned with, and that, as far as I can
see, is an impossibility."
"And what is that? It is just as well we should see them all."
"It is the possibility that these English or Americans--you know how
quick they are at all practical methods, pig-headed and all as they are
at diplomacy--have, by some means or other, guessed that the French and
Russian Polar expeditions have started at rather a suspicious time; I
mean just when the Storage Works--these wonderful works, which are to
light the world by electricity for a few pence an hour, and give us
displays of the _Aurora borealis_, just as we have fireworks at public
fetes, and all the rest of it--have been completed. Now that, if you
like, would be dangerous; for in such delicate work as ours success
depends on surprise. Still, as I say, it is hardly possible."
"Practically impossible, I should agree with you, my dear Sophie,"
said the count, making the greatest mistake of his diplomatic career;
"practically impossible. What do they know? What can they suspect?"
"Unless--unless," said Sophie, suddenly, clenching her hands, "our
good friend Adelaide de Conde, who, I tell you, papa, is in love with
Shafto Hardress, if woman ever was in love with man, unless she has
hinted at the real meaning of these expeditions. Yes; that is a danger
which, I admit, I have not counted."
"Yes, yes; I think I see what you mean," replied the count; "she is a
Frenchwoman, but her only interest in the destiny of France consists
in the restoration of the House of Bourbon to power; still, being a
Frenchwoman, and in love, as you believe, she would also do anything
for the sake of the man she loves, even to the ruin of her own hopes.
Finally, being on this supposition the rival of Miss Vandel, she would
stop at nothing to prove her devotion to him; and, if she did as you
suggest, Sophie, it would be a very formidable condition of affairs
indeed."
"Then, papa," she replied, coming and laying her hand on his shoulder,
"do you not see that that is all the greater reason why this scheme of
ours must be carried through? You see that Adelaide de Conde may
herself become a source of the greatest danger; but when we have not
only her, but Miss Vandel and the man they are both in love with, as
well as the two papas and Lady Olive, completely in our power, when,
for example, we could land them all on one of those drifting
ice-floes, to float away to somewhere where no one but the seals and
bears would know what had become of them, the game would be in our
hands to play as we please."
"My dear Sophie," said the count, laying his hand upon hers, "I am
delighted to see that you have the courage of your convictions. And
now, it is very late, or, rather, early, and I think you may as well
go to bed and dream of success, for you have convinced me that failure
is, to all intents and purposes, impossible."
As Sophie Valdemar stole quietly away to bed Clifford Vandel was
finishing a long cable dispatch in cipher to Doctor Lamson, giving him
a complete account, so far as he knew, of all that had been taking
place in Europe during the last few weeks, and concluding with the
words: "I have good reason to believe that the supposed French and
Russian Polar expeditions, which will be in your latitude in a few
weeks, are really intended for the capture or destruction of the
Storage Works; so take every possible precaution against attack or
surprise."