The old Englishman puffed rings of smoke.
"If she is prepared never to cross his will, but let him be absolute master of her body and soul, while he makes continuous love to her, I should think she will be the happiest woman in the world. She is madly infatuated with him. She has been ever since we came from Egypt--I saw the beginning on the boat--and I warned you, as you know, when I thought he was only fooling."
"In Egypt!--they had met before then!" the Princess exclaimed, surprised; "how like Gritzko to pretend he did not know her,--and be introduced all over again! They had already quarreled, I suppose, and that accounts for the cat and dog like tone there has always been between them."
"Probably," said Stephen Strong; "but now I think we can leave it to chance. You may be certain that to marry her is what he wishes most to do,--or he would not have asked her."
"Not even if--he thought he ought to?"
"No--dear friend. No! I believe I know Gritzko even better than you do.
If there was a sense of obligation, and no desire in the case, he would simply shoot her and himself, rather than submit to a fate against his inclination. You may rest in peace about that. Whatever strain there is between them, it is not of that sort. I believe he adores her in his odd sort of way, just let them alone now and all will be well."
And greatly comforted the Princess was able to go out calling.
The news was received with every sort of emotion,--surprise, chagrin, joy, excitement, speculation, and there were even those among them who averred they had predicted this marriage all along.
"Fortunately we like her," Countess Olga said. "She is a good sort, and perhaps she will keep Gritzko quiet, and he may be faithful to her."
But this idea was laughed to scorn, until Valonne joined in with his understanding smile.
"I will make you a bet," he said; "in five years" time they will still be love-birds. She will be the only one among this party who won"t have been divorced and have moved on to another husband."
"You horribly spiteful cat!" Princess Sonia laughed. "But I am sure we all hope they will be happy."
Meanwhile Jack Courtray had come in at once to see Tamara.
"Well, upon my word! fancy you marrying a foreigner, old girl!" he said; "but you have got just about the best chap I have ever met, and I believe you"ll be jolly happy."
And Tamara bent down so that he should not see the tears which gathered in her eyes, while she answered softly, "Thank you very much, Jack; but no one is ever sure of being happy."
And even though Lord Courtray"s perceptions were rather thick he wondered at her speech--it upset him.
"Look here, Tamara," he said, "don"t you do it then if it is a chancy sort of thing. Don"t go and tie yourself up if you aren"t sure you love him."
Love him!--good G.o.d!--
Pent-up feeling overcame Tamara. She answered in a voice her old playmate had never dreamed she possessed--so concentrated and full of pa.s.sion. In their English lives they were so accustomed to controlling every feeling into a level commonplace that if they had had time to think, both would have considered this outburst melodramatic.
"Jack," Tamara said, "you don"t know what love is. I tell you I know now--I love Gritzko so that I would rather be unhappy with him than happy with any one else on earth. And if they ask you at home, say I would not care if he were a Greek, or a Turk, or an African n.i.g.g.e.r, I would follow him to perdition.--There!"--and she suddenly burst into tears and buried her face in her hands.
Yes, it was true. In spite of shame and disgrace, and fear, she loved him--pa.s.sionately loved him.
Of course Jack, who was the kindest-hearted creature, at once put his arm around her and took out his handkerchief and wiped her eyes, while he said soothingly:
"I say, my child--there! there!--this will never do," and he continued to pet and try to comfort her, but all she could reply was to ask him to go, and to promise her not to say anything about her outburst of tears to any one.
And, horribly distressed, Jack did what she wished, running against Gritzko in the pa.s.sage as he went out; but they had met before that day, so he did not stop, but, nodding in his friendly way, pa.s.sed down the stairs.
Tamara sat where he had left her, the tears still trickling over her cheeks, while she stared into the fire. The vision she saw there of her future did not console her.
To be married to a man whom she knew she would daily grow to love more--every moment of her time conscious that the tie was one of sufferance, her pride and self respect in the dust--it was a miserable picture.
Gritzko came in so quietly through the anteroom that, lost in her troubled thoughts, she did not hear him until he was quite close. She gave a little startled exclamation and then looked at him defiantly--she was angry that he saw her tears.
His face went white and his voice grew hoa.r.s.e with overmastering emotion.
"What has happened between you and your friend, Madame? Tell me the truth. No man should see you cry! Tell me everything, or I will kill him."
And he stood there his eyes blazing.
Then Tamara rose and drew herself to her full height, while a flash of her vanished pride returned to her mien, and with great haughtiness she answered in a cold voice:
"I beg you to understand one thing, Prince, I will not be insulted by suspicions and threats against my friends. Lord Courtray and I have been brought up as brother and sister. We spoke of my home, which I may never see again, and I told him what he was to say to them there when they asked about me. If I have cried I am ashamed of my tears, and when you speak and act as you have just done, it makes me ashamed of the feeling which caused them."
He took a step nearer, he admired her courage.
"What was the feeling which caused them? Tell me, I must know,--" he said; but as he spoke he chanced to notice she had replaced her wedding ring, it shone below his glittering ruby.
"That I will not bear!" he exclaimed, and with almost violence he seized her wrist and forcibly drew both rings from her finger, and then replaced his own.
"There shall be no token of another! No gold band there but mine, and until then, no jewel but this ruby!"
Then he dropped her hand and turning, threw the wedding ring with pa.s.sion in the fire!
Tamara made a step forward in protest, and then she stood petrified while her eyes flashed with anger.
"Indeed, yes, I am ashamed I cried!" she said at last between her teeth.
He made some restless paces, he was very much moved.
"I must know--" he began. But at that moment the servants came in with the tea, and Tamara seized the opportunity while they were settling the tray to get nearer the door, and then fled from the room, leaving Gritzko extremely disturbed.
What could she mean? He knew in his calmer moments he had not the least cause to be jealous of Jack. What was the inference in her words? Two weeks seemed a long time to wait before he could have all clouds dispersed, all things explained--as she lay in his arms. And this thought--to hold her in his arms--drove him wild. He felt inclined to rush after her, to ask her to forgive him for his anger, to kiss and caress her, to tell her he loved her madly and was jealous of even the air she breathed until he should hear her say she loved him.
He went as far as to write a note.
"Madame," he began--He determined to keep to the severest formality or he knew he would never be able to play his part until the end.--"I regret my pa.s.sion just now. The situation seemed peculiar as I came in.
I understand there was nothing for me to have been angry about,--please forgive me. Rest now. I will come and fetch you at quarter to eight.
"Gritzko."
And as he went away he had it sent to her room.
And when Tamara read it the first gleam of comfort she had known since the night at the hut illumined her thoughts. If he should love her--after all!--But no, this could not be so; his behavior was not the behavior of love. But in spite of the abiding undercurrent of humiliation and shame, the situation was intensely exciting. She feverishly looked forward to the evening. Her tears seemed to have unlocked her heart--she was no longer numb. She was perfectly aware that no matter what he had done she wildly loved him. He had taken everything from her, dragged her down from her pedestal, but that last remnant of self-respect she would keep. He should not know of this crowning humiliation--that she still loved him. So her manner was like ice when he came into the room, and the chill of it communicated itself to him. They hardly spoke on the way to the Theatre Michel, and when they entered the box she pretended great interest in the stage, while, between the acts, all their friends came in to give their congratulations.
Tamara asked to be excused from going on to supper and the ball which was taking place. And she kept close to her G.o.dmother while going out, and so contrived that she did not say a word alone with Gritzko. It was because he acquiesced fully in this line of conduct that she was able to carry it through, otherwise he would not have permitted it for a moment.
He realized from this night that the situation could only be made possible if he saw her rarely and before people--alone with her, human nature would be too strong. So with the most frigid courtesy and ceremony between them the days wore on, and toward the beginning of the following week Gritzko went off with Jack Courtray on the bear-hunt. He could stand no more.