"Surely you need not ask me," he said, deep reproach in his eyes. "You must be very changed in seven days to even have thought it possible."
The shame deepened in Theodora. She was, indeed, unlike herself to have been moved at all by Mrs. Devlyn"s words, but she would never doubt again, and she must tell him that.
"Forgive me," she said, quite low, while she looked away. "I--of course I ought to be pleased at anything which made you happy, but--oh, I hated it!"
"Theodora," he said, "I ask you--do not act with me ever--to what end?
We know each other"s hearts, and I hope it would pain you were I to marry any other woman, as much as in like circ.u.mstances it would pain me."
"Yes, it would pain me," she said, simply. "But, oh, we must not speak thus! Please, please talk of the music, or the--the--oh, anything but ourselves."
And he tried hard for the few moments which remained before the curtain rose again. Tried hard, but it was all dust and ashes; and as he left the box and returned to his own seat next door his heart felt like lead.
How would he be able to follow the rules he had laid down for himself during his week of meditations in Paris alone?
"You see, dear Lady Bracondale," Morella Winmarleigh had been saying, "Hector knows that woman with the pearls. He is sitting talking to her now."
"Hector knows every one, Morella. Lend me your gla.s.ses, mine do not seem to work to-night. Yes, I suppose by some she would be considered pretty," Lady Bracondale continued, when the lorgnette was fixed to her focus. "What do you think, dear?"
"Pretty!" exclaimed Miss Winmarleigh. "Oh no! Much too white, and, oh--er--foreign-looking. We must find out who she is."
The matter was not difficult. Half the house had been interested in the new-comer, the beautiful new-comer with the wonderful pearls, who must be worth while in some way, or she would not be under the wing of Florence Devlyn.
By the time Hector again entered their box in the last act, Miss Winmarleigh had obtained all the information she wanted from one of the many visitors who came to pay their court to the heiress. And the information rea.s.sured her. Only the wife of a colonial millionaire; no one of her world or who could trouble her.
Early next morning, while she sat in her white flannel dressing-gown, her hair screwed in curling-pins, after the Brantinghams" ball, she wrote in her journal the customary summary of her day, and ended with: "H.B. returned--same as usual, running after a new woman, n.o.body of importance; but I had better watch it, and clinch matters between him and me before Goodwood. Ordered the pink silk after all, from the new little dressmaker, and beat her down three pounds as to price. Begun Marvaloso hair tonic."
Then, as it was broad daylight, after carefully replacing in its drawer this locked chronicle of her maiden thoughts, she retired to bed, to sleep the sleep of those just persons whose digestions are as strong as their absence of imagination.
XVIII
Next day Lady Anningford called, as she had promised, at Claridge"s, and found Mrs. Brown at home, although it was only three o"clock in the afternoon.
She had not two minutes to wait in the well-furnished first-floor sitting-room, but during that time she noticed there were one or two things about which showed the present occupant was a woman of taste, and there were such quant.i.ties of flowers. Flowers, flowers, everywhere.
Theodora entered already dressed for her afternoon drive. She came forward with that perfect grace which characterized her every movement.
If she felt very timid and nervous it did not show in her sweet face, and Lady Anningford perceived Hector had every excuse for his infatuation.
"I am so fortunate to find you at home, Mrs. Brown," she said. "My brother has told me so much about you, and I was longing to meet you.
May we sit down on this sofa and talk a little, or were you just starting for your drive?"
"Of course we may sit down," said Theodora. "My drive does not matter in the least. It was so good of you to come."
And her inward thought was that she would like Hector"s sister. Anne"s frankness and _sans gene_ were so pleasing.
They exchanged a few agreeable sentences while each measured the other, and then Lady Anningford said:
"You come from Australia, don"t you?"
"Australia!" smiled Theodora, while her eyes opened wide. "Oh no! I have never been out of France and Belgium and places like that. My husband lived in Melbourne for some years, though."
"I thought it could not be possible," quoth Anne to herself.
"Then you don"t know much of England yet?" she said, aloud.
"It is my first visit; and it seems very dull and rainy. This is the only really fine day we have had since we arrived."
Anne soon dexterously elicited an outline of Theodora"s plans and what she was doing. They would only remain in town until Whitsuntide, perhaps returning later for a week or two; and Mrs. Devlyn, to whom her father had sent her an introduction, had been kind enough to tell them what to do and how to see a little of London. She was going to a ball to-night. The first real ball she had ever been to in her life, she said, ingenuously.
And Lady Anningford looked at her and each moment fell more under her charm.
"The ball at Harrowfield House, I expect, to meet the King of Guatemala," she said, knowing Lady Harrowfield was Florence Devlyn"s cousin.
"That is it," said Theodora.
"Then you must dance with Hector--my brother," she said.
She launched his name suddenly; she wanted to see what effect it would have on Theodora. "He is sure to be there, and he dances divinely."
She was rewarded for her thrust: just the faintest pink came into the white velvet cheeks, and the blue eyes melted softly. To dance with Hector! Ah! Then the radiance was replaced by a look of sadness, and she said, quietly:
"Oh, I do not think I shall dance at all. My husband is rather an invalid, and we shall only go in for a little while."
No, she must not dance with Hector. Those joys were not for her--she must not even think of it.
"How extraordinarily beautiful she is!" Anne thought, when presently, the visit ended, she found herself rolling along in her electric brougham towards the park. "And I feel I shall love her. I wonder what her Christian name is?"
Theodora had promised they would lunch in Charles Street with her the next day if her husband should be well enough after the ball. And Anne decided to collect as many nice people to meet them as she could in the time.
At the corner of Grosvenor Square she met an old friend, one Colonel Lowerby, commonly called the Crow, and stopped to pick him up and take him on with her.
He was the one person she wanted to talk to at this juncture. She had known him all her life, and was accustomed to prattle to him on all subjects. He was always safe, and gruff, and honest.
"I have just done something so interesting, Crow," she told him, as they went along towards Regent"s Park, to which sylvan spot she had directed her chauffeur, to be more free to talk in peace to her companion. Some of her friends were capable of making scandals, even about the dear old Crow, she knew.
"And what have you done?" he asked.
"Of course you have heard the tale from Uncle Evermond, of Hector and the lady at Monte Carlo?"
He nodded.
"Well, there is not a word of truth in it; he is in love, though, with the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life--and I have just been to call upon her. And to-morrow you have got to come to lunch to meet her--and tell me what you think."
"Very well," said the Crow. "I was feeding elsewhere, but I always obey you. Continue your narrative."