Rachel's engagement to Belhaven was announced by Astry, before twelve
o'clock the following day, in the library.
Matrimonial engagements do not, as a rule, occur during week-end
parties without some preliminary symptoms. The entire family might be
taken by measles unawares much more easily than to be wholly surprised
by an engagement. This absence of preliminary symptoms, in fact of
any symptoms at all, had the effect of making Astry's announcement as
violently abrupt as an explosion of nitroglycerine.
Paul Van Citters remarked afterwards, in private, that it had quite
bowled him over, but Mrs. Van Citters, though a dutiful wife, made no
response; she had impressions of her own, having just heard from her
husband the report of that other engagement between Charter and Mrs.
Prynne. Charter was Pamela Van Citters' first cousin and she did not
relish the Prynne idea, though she withheld her reasons from Paul.
Being a wise woman, Pamela had never criticized Mrs. Prynne, but she
was really stunned by Rachel's engagement to Belhaven. So were the
others.
Sidney Billop nearly swallowed his collar-button, which he had in
his mouth when his mother burst into his room to inform him. She had
been one of the group in the library; Sidney had not, having sat up
uncommonly late the night before trying to discover why Astry kept
Belhaven so long in tête-à-tête. The engagement offered a solution,
but not a satisfactory one. It was scarcely necessary for Belhaven to
ask Astry's consent to his sister-in-law's marriage, and everybody
knew that the Leven money, what there was of it, was in charge of a
trust company and tied up in real estate, so there could have been no
question of a settlement. Sidney recovered the collar-button but not
his peace of mind; it was all certainly very curious.
Colonel Sedley, with an elephantine effort at playfulness,
congratulated Rachel with the remark that he had hoped, at one time,
that she would join the army, but she met this shaft with composure and
even smiled gently at the colonel's impossible pleasantry.
The subtle charm of her personality had never been more apparent and,
although she was very pale, her face had the delicate loveliness
of a Greuze. The low arch of the brow, framed by dusky hair, and
the thick-set, dark lashes that shadowed her dark gray eyes, seemed
perfect enough, in the subdued light of the library, to establish an
actual claim to beauty almost as great as Eva Astry's. She had suddenly
become the central figure of the drama and her friends were surprised
and even impressed by the unexpected resources she showed, for no
matter how awkward and incongruous it seemed, she remained the mistress
of the situation. That the situation was incongruous could not be
denied; it had the appearance, at first sight, of a nine days' wonder.
"Surprised?" Pamela Van Citters exclaimed, replying to Dr.
Macclesfield. "Don't ask me; I've been figuratively snatching at things
to keep on my feet. I'm like Paul; it's bowled me over."
"Yet we were wondering the other day how Rachel had escaped the
infection so long."
"It isn't that. Rachel's lovely and she must have refused dozens of
offers already, but--it's the man!"
Dr. Macclesfield cocked an erratic eyebrow. "Why the man? Belhaven's
good looking, you know, and reasonably rich, and I rather thought you
women liked him."
"Oh, did you?"
The old man laughed. "Out with it, Pamela; I'm safe as the
confessional."
Pamela considered; of course the doctor was safe enough, but ought she
to speak the truth? She edged around the idea, fascinated with it; she
was possessed with a wild desire to talk it over; she was loyal enough
to Rachel, but that very loyalty made her indignant; from her point of
view the engagement was an injury to Rachel.
"I suppose you know what people say?" she ventured.
"Oh, that's sometimes wide of the mark!"
"Well, it's true, I think, don't you? At least he's in love with Eva."
"My dear Pamela, how do you know that?"
"Know it?" She gave a quick glance back at the long room--they were
standing in the door of the hall--to assure herself that she was
unheard. "Why, it's as plain as the nose on your face!"
Macclesfield laughed. "You can't expect me to be accomplished in these
details; besides, Belhaven has probably only been telling Eva how much
he loved her sister."