The days go slowly on, my preparations are complete. My good friend
Nelson arrived on Monday and took charge of the affair. He was entirely
aware of the Bulteel story, it was the great scandal of twenty-five
years ago. He expressed no opinion as to my marrying into such a family,
but went about the business end with diligence. I made a very nice
settlement upon Alathea, more than he thought was necessary. Then he
spoke of arrangements for possible children, and fixed that, too. I
wonder what she will say when she reads that part! I have settled with
the Duchesse, who is entering into the spirit of the thing with her
usual delicious whimsical understanding, that some time soon after the
wedding she shall ask about ten of our principal mutual friends to come
in the afternoon, and she will present Alathea to them, and if anyone
makes comments upon the matter, she will say that she is the daughter of
an old English friend, and even if Coralie recognizes her as the girl
who was with me at Versailles, she will not dare to say a word about any
protegée of the Duchesse's. She is much too afraid of offending her,
being received at the Hotel de Courville herself on sufferance only
because of her birth and family. As for Maurice, I can manage him! Now I
am beginning to wonder what Alathea would prefer to do? I don't want to
see her until the ceremony, but I suppose I must.
The Duchesse has arranged that I should meet my _fiancée_ in her
sitting-room and sign the contract there on the day before the wedding,
five days from now. Alathea, she tells me is like a frozen image, but
faithful to her promise to me, my dear old friend has not made any
comment or tried to aid matters. I think she rejoices that I shall have
such an interesting time in the breaking down of the barrier.
Nina writes heartbrokenly; Johnnie was very dear to her; sorrow seems to
have brought out all that is best in her. She says she feels that she
just drifted along, taking all good and happiness for granted, and not
doing enough for other people, and that now she is going to devote her
life to making Jim happy and contented, and hopes some day, not too far
off, to have another child to care for. Darling old Nina! She always was
the best sort in the world.
Of Suzette I have heard nothing, although Burton says he caught sight of
her on the stairs just whisking into the flat above mine, which has been
taken by a lovely actress, a cousin of hers, who has married a rich
retired Jew _antiquaire_!
There are still possibilities of complications here!
But I feel quite serene, Alathea will be mine. She cannot get away from
me. I can insidiously, from day to day, carry out my plan of winning
her, and the tougher the fight is, the more it will be worth while
afterwards!
_November 6th._
To-day was really wonderful! Mr. Nelson has presumably seen Alathea and
her family several times. I have refused to hear anything about it, and
he arrived with her alone at the Hotel de Courville. I had understood
that her mother was coming with her, but she was ill and did not turn
up.
The Duchesse and I were talking when the two were announced. Alathea was
in a nice little grey frock and had her glasses on. I think she knew the
Duchesse would not approve of that camouflage, because there was an air
of defiance about her, her rebellious Cupid's bow of a mouth was shut
sternly, she was even quite repellant,--she has never attracted me more!
The Duchesse was sweet to her and made no remark about the glasses, but
was called back to the ward almost immediately for a little, and while
she was gone Mr. Nelson read over the settlement.
"I think you are giving me a great deal too much," Alathea said
annoyedly. "I shall feel uncomfortable,--and chained."
"I intend my wife to have this." I answered quietly. "So I am afraid you
will have to agree."
She pulled in her lips but said no more until the part about the
children came, when she started to her feet, her cheeks crimson.
"What is this ridiculous clause?" she asked angrily.
Old Mr. Nelson looked unspeakably shocked. "It is customary in all
marriage settlements, my dear young lady," he said reprovingly, and
Alathea looked at me with suspicion, but she said nothing, and the
Duchesse, returning then to the room, all was soon signed, sealed and
delivered! Mr. Nelson withdrew, saying he would call for Miss Bulteel
next day for the wedding.
When we were alone the Duchesse kissed us both.
"I hope for your happiness, my children," she said. "I know you both,
and your droll characters, the time will come when you may know each
other, and in any case, I feel that you will both remember that _tenue_,
a recognition of correct behaviour, helps all situations in life, and
the rest is in the hands of the _Bon Dieu_."
Then she left us again, and Alathea sat stiffly down upon an
uncompromising little Louis XV _canapé_ out of my reach. I did not move
or speak, indeed I lit a cigarette casually.
Alathea's face was a study! I watched her lazily. How had I ever thought
her plain? Even in those first days, disguised with the horn spectacles,
and the tornback hair, the contour of her little face is so perfectly
oval, and her neck so round and long, but not too long. There is not the
least look of scragginess about her, just extreme slenderness, a
small-boned creature of perhaps five foot four or five, with childish
outline. To-day in the becoming little grey frock, and even with the
glasses on she is lovely, perhaps she seems so to me because I now know
that the glasses are not necessary. The expression of her mouth said,
"Am I being tricked? Does the man mean to seize me when he gets me
alone? Shall I run away and have done with it?"
She was restless, her old serenity seems to have deserted her.
"I wanted to ask you," I began calmly, "What you would like to do
immediately after the wedding. I mean would you prefer that we went to
Versailles? The passport business makes everything so difficult, or
would you rather go down to the Riviera? Or just stay at the flat?"
"I don't care in the least," she replied ungraciously.
"Then if you don't care, we will stay at the flat, because if I do not
interrupt my treatment I shall be the sooner well to go to England. Have
you engaged a maid?"
"Yes."
"You will give orders that your trunks are sent in in the morning, then,
and that she has everything ready for you."
"Very well."
All this time her face was turned away from me as much as possible. For
one second a fear came to me that after all perhaps it is real hate she
has for me, which will be unsurmountable, and I was impelled to ask her:
"Alathea, do you detest the idea of marrying me so much that you would
rather break the whole thing?"
She turned and faced me now, and I feel sure blue fire was coming from
those beautiful eyes, could I have seen them!
"It is not a question of what I would wish or not, nor of my feelings in
any way. I am going through with the ceremony, and shall be your
permanent secretary, because I am under great monetary obligations to
you, and wish for security for my family in the future. You put it to me
that you wanted to buy me, and I could name the price--you have overpaid
it. I shall not go back upon my promise, only I want to feel perfectly
sure that you will expect nothing more of me than what we have
arranged."
"I shall expect nothing more; your sense of the fitness of things will
suggest to you not to make either of us look ridiculous in public by
your being over disagreeable to me, we shall carry on with a semblance
of mutual respect, I hope."
She bowed.
The temptation to burst out and tell her of my feelings was
extraordinary. I absolutely trembled with the control it required not to
rise from my chair and go and take her hands; but I restrained every
sign and appeared as indifferent as she is. The Duchesse came back in a
few moments and I said I would go.
I did not even then shake hands with Alathea, and the Duchesse came out
into the passage with me, to see me safe into the lift, she is always so
kind to anything crippled.
"Nicholas," she whispered, "Her manner to you is very cruel, but do not
be discouraged!--I feel that it is more promising than if she were kind.
She has also had a dreadful time with the father, who has now been
transferred to the _poste_ in the desert in Africa. One must hope for
good, and her poor mother is going off to Hyères with little Hilda and
their faithful old maid, the only servant they had, so after the wedding
you will have your bride all to yourself!"
"Perhaps the thought of that is what is making her so reluctant and icy
to-day!"
The Duchesse laughed as she handed me my crutch and closed the lift
door. "Time will tell, my son!" and she waved her hand as I disappeared
below.
And now I am alone before the crackling fire in my sitting-room,--and I
wonder how many men have spent the eve of their marriages in so quiet a
manner? I feel no excitement even. I have re-read this journal, it is a
pretty poor literary effort, but it does chronicle my emotions, and the
gradual growing influence Alathea has been exercising upon me. By
putting down what happens between us each day like this, I can then
review progress once a week, and can take stock of little shades which
would not be remembered otherwise.
* * * * *
At that moment the telephone rang, and George Harcourt asked if he might
come round and smoke a cigar.
"Your pre-war ones are so good, Nicholas," he said. He was in at the
Ritz, from Versailles, for the night.
I answered "Yes." I like to talk to old George, I don't know why I call
him old always, he is forty-eight perhaps, and absolutely well
preserved, and women love him passionately, more perhaps than when he
was young.
When we were settled in two comfortable arm chairs before the fire, he
held forth as usual. He had arranged the affairs of Bobby Bulteel only
in the nick of time. "I have all the receipts, Nicholas, to hand to
you," he said.
"The wretched creature was overcome with gratitude. We had a long chat,
and he plans to clear out and start life afresh in the Argentine as soon
as War is over and he can be released from his commission. He is bound
to end in hell with his temperament, but it won't matter so long as poor
Lady Hilda is not dragged down too. He agreed to leave the family here
unmolested now, and not return for years to them, when he does retire
from the army."
Then I told my old friend that I intended to marry the daughter on the
morrow. He was very surprised.
"I could not imagine what your interest could be, Nicholas, unless it
had something to do with a woman, but where did you ever meet the girl,
my dear boy?"