AN INVITATION TO DINNER
The landlord of the _Lion d'Or,_ who had appeared for a moment to chat
with his guests while they took their morning coffee, pointed downwards
into the valley, where little clouds of mist hung over the lowlands.
"The _messieurs_ will find themselves hot to-day," he remarked. "Here,
only, there will be a breeze. Eleven hundred feet up, and only three
miles from the sea! It is wonderful, eh?"
Wrayson pointed across towards the château, whose towers rose from the
bosom of the cool green woods.
"There, also," he said, "it will be very pleasant. The château is as high
as we are, is it not so?"
The landlord shrugged his shoulders.
"There is little difference," he admitted, "and in the woods there is
always shade. But who may go there? Never was an estate kept so zealously
private, and, does monsieur know? Since yesterday a new order has been
issued. The villagers were forbidden even their ancient rights of walking
across the park! The head forester has posted a notice in the village."
"I have heard something of it," Wrayson admitted. "Has any reason been
given. Are the family in residence there?"
The landlord shook his head.
"Madame la Baronne was never so exacting," he replied. "One hears that
she has lent the château to friends. Two ladies are there, and one
gentleman. It is all."
"Do you know who they are?" Wrayson asked.
The landlord assumed an air of mystery.
"One," he said, "is a young English lady. The other--well, they call her
Madame de Melbain."
"What?"
The exclamation came like a pistol-shot from Wrayson's fellow-guest at
the inn, who, up to now, had taken no part in the conversation. He had
turned suddenly round, and was facing the startled landlord.
"Madame de Melbain," he repeated. "Monsieur, perhaps, knows the lady?"
There was a moment's silence. Then the man who had called himself Duncan
looked away, frowning.
"No!" he said, "I do not know her. The name is familiar, but there is no
lady of my acquaintance bearing it at present."
The landlord looked a little disappointed.
"Ah!" he remarked, "I had hoped that monsieur would have been able to
give us a little information. There are many people in the village who
would like to know who this Madame de Melbain is, for it is since her
coming that all has been different. The park has been closed, the
peasants and farmers have received orders forbidding them to accept
boarders at present, and I myself am asked--for a consideration, I
admit--to receive no further guests. Naturally, we ask ourselves,
monsieur, what does it mean? One does not wish to gossip, but there is
much here to wonder at!"
"What is she like, this Madame de Melbain?" Duncan asked.
"No one has seen her, monsieur," the landlord answered. "She arrived in
a close carriage, since when she has not passed the lodge gates. She has
her own servants who wait upon her. Without doubt she is a person of some
importance! Possibly, though, she is eccentric. They say that every
entrance to the château is guarded, and that a cordon of men are always
watching."
Wrayson laughed.
"A little exaggeration, my friend, there, eh?"
The landlord shrugged his shoulders.
"One cannot tell," he declared. "This, at least, is singular," he
continued, bending forward confidentially. "Since the arrival of these
two ladies several strangers have been observed about the place, some of
whom have endeavoured to procure lodgings. They spoke French, but they
were not Frenchmen or Englishmen. True, this may be a coincidence, but
one can never tell. Monsieur has any further commands?"
Monsieur had none, and the landlord withdrew, smiling and bowing.
Duncan leaned across the table.
"My French," he said deliberately, "is rotten. I couldn't understand half
of what that fellow said. Do you mind repeating it to me?"
Wrayson did so, and his companion listened moodily. When he had finished,
Duncan was gazing steadfastly over towards the château, and knocking the
ashes from his pipe.
"Sounds a little feudal, doesn't it?" he remarked, drawing his pouch
from his pocket. "However, I don't suppose it is any concern of yours
or of mine."
Wrayson made no direct answer. He was fully conscious that his companion
was watching him closely, and he affected to be deeply interested in the
selection of a cigarette.
"No!" he said at last; "it is no concern of ours, of course. And yet one
cannot help feeling a little interested. I noticed myself that the lodge
gates of the château were rather strictly guarded."
"Very likely," the other answered. "Women of fashion who suffer from
nerves take strange fancies nowadays. This Madame de Melbain is probably
one of these."
Wrayson nodded.
"Very likely," he admitted. "What are you going to do with
yourself all day?"
"Loaf! I am going to lie down in the fields there amongst the wild
flowers, in the shade of the woods," Duncan answered; "that is, if
one may take so great a liberty with the woods of madame! This sort
of country rather fascinates me," he added thoughtfully. "I have
lived so long in a land where the vegetation is a jungle and the
flowers are exotics. There is a species of exaggeration about it all.
I find this restful."
"Africa?" Wrayson asked.
The other nodded silently. He did not seem inclined to continue the
conversation.
"You are the second man I have met lately who has come home from Africa,"
Wrayson remarked, "and you represent the opposite poles of life."
"It is very possible," Duncan admitted. "We are a polyglot lot who come
from there."
"You were in the war, of course?" Wrayson asked.
"I was in the war," Duncan answered, "almost to the finish. Afterwards I
went into Rhodesia, and incidentally made money. That's all I have to
say about Africa. I hate the country, and I don't want to talk about it.
See you later, I suppose."
He rose from his chair and stretched himself. Across the lawn the
landlord came hurrying, his face perturbed and uneasy. His bow to Wrayson
was subtly different. Here was perhaps an aristocrat under an assumed
name, a person to be, without doubt, conciliated.
"Monsieur," he announced, with a little flourish of the white serviette
which, from habit, he was carrying, "there is outside a young lady from
the château who is inquiring for you."
"Which way?" Wrayson demanded anxiously.
"Monsieur will be pleased to follow me," the landlord answered.
Louise was alone in a victoria, drawn up before the front door of the
inn. Wrayson saw at once that something had happened to disturb her. Even
under her white veil he knew that she was pale, and that there were rings
under her eyes. She leaned towards him and held out her hand in
conventional manner for the benefit of the landlord, who lingered upon
the steps.
"Come round to the other side of the carriage, Herbert," she said. "I
have something to say to you. The coachman does not understand English. I
have tried him."
Wrayson crossed behind the carriage and stood by her side.
"Herbert," she asked, anxiously, "will you do something for me, something
I want you to do very much?"
"If I can," he answered simply.
"You can do this," she declared. "It is very easy. I want you to leave
this place this morning, go away, anywhere! You can go back to London, or
you can travel. Only start this morning."
"Willingly," he answered, "on one condition."
"What is it?" she asked quickly.
"That you go with me," he declared.
She shook her head impatiently.
"You know that is not what I mean," she said reproachfully. "I was mad
last night. You took me by surprise and I forgot everything. I was awake
all night. This morning I can see things clearly. Nothing--of that
sort--is possible between you and me. So I want you to go away!"
He shook his head, gently but firmly.
"It isn't possible, Louise," he said. "You mustn't ask me to do anything
of that sort after last night. It's too late you see, dear. You belong to
me now. Nothing can alter that."
"It is not too late," she answered passionately. "Last night was just
an hour of madness. I shall cut it out of my life. You must cut it out
of yours."
He leaned over till his head nearly touched hers, and under the holland
dust-sheet which covered her knees he gripped her hand.
"I will not," he answered. "I will not go away. You belong to me, and I
will have you!"
She looked at him for a moment without speech. Wrayson's features, more
distinguished in a general way by delicacy than strength, had assumed a
curiously set and dogged appearance. His eyes met hers kindly but
mercilessly. He looked like a man who has spoken his last word.
"Herbert," she murmured, "there are things which you do not know and
which I cannot tell you, but they stand between us! They must stand
between us forever!"
"Of that," he said, "I mean to be the judge. And until you tell me what
they are, I shall treat them as though they did not exist."
"I came here," she said, "to ask you, to beg you to go away."
"Then I am afraid you must write your mission down a failure," he
answered doggedly, "for I refuse to go!"
Her eyes flashed at him from underneath her veil. He felt the pressure
of her fingers upon his hand. He heard a little sigh--could it have been
of relief?
"If I failed--" she began.
"And you have failed," he said decidedly.
"I was to bring you," she continued, "an invitation to dine to-night at
the château. It is only a verbal one, but perhaps you will forgive that."
The colour streamed into his cheeks. He could scarcely believe his ears.
"Louise!" he exclaimed, "you mean it?"
"Yes!" she answered softly. "It would be better for you, better, perhaps,
for me, if you would do as I ask--if you would go away and forget! But if
you will not do that, there is no reason why you should not come to the
château. A carriage will arrive for you at seven o'clock."
"And you will come with me again into the gardens?" he whispered
passionately.
"Perhaps," she murmured.
The horses, teased by the flies, tossed their heads, and the jingling of
harness reminded Louise that half the village, from various vantage
points, were watching the interview between the young lady from the
château and the visitor at the inn.
"I must go at once," she said to Wrayson. "About to-night, do not be
surprised at anything you see at the château. I have no time to say more.
If you notice anything that seems to you at all unusual, accept it
naturally. I will explain afterwards."
She spoke a word to the immovable man on the box, and waved her hand to
Wrayson as the horses started forward. They were round the corner in a
moment, and out of sight. Wrayson turned back to the inn, but before he
had taken half a dozen paces he stopped short. He had happened to glance
towards the upper windows of the small hotel, and he caught a sudden
vision of a man's face--a familiar face, transformed, rigid, yet with
staring eyes following the departing carriage. Wrayson himself was
conscious of a quick shock of surprise, followed by a sense of
apprehension. What could there possibly have been in the appearance of
Louise to have brought a look like that into the face of his
fellow-guest?