But then there had come a change. G.o.dfrey had fallen into the way of coming home early. In old days, both before the coming to England of Oliver Tropenell, and during the months that followed, G.o.dfrey had generally stayed at the Bank rather late, and then, as often as not, he had gone in and had a chat with Katty on his way home. Now he always came back before five, and after his return home he and Oliver would engage in interminable singles on the big tennis court which had been G.o.dfrey Pavely"s one contribution to the otherwise beautiful gardens of The Chase.
Sometimes, and especially had this been true these last few days, Laura told herself that perhaps after all, the world, the cynical shrewd world of which she knew so little, was right, and that a close and confidential friendship between a man and a woman is an impossible ideal.
To-day, staring into the fire with dry, unseeing eyes, she felt miserably unhappy--too troubled and uneasy to occupy herself in any of her usual ways. More than had ever been the case before, life seemed to stretch before her in a terrible, dreary, unending monotony.
Something else had come to pa.s.s during the last week, the week during which Oliver Tropenell had been away in London, which she scarcely liked to think of, or to make more real by dwelling on. G.o.dfrey had altered in his manner to her, he had become kinder, and yes, more loverlike than he had been for years. He hung about her, when he was at home, indoors and out of doors. In an awkward, clumsy way he actually tried to make himself pleasant! He had even suggested that she should ask one or two people to stay at The Chase. But she had protested that she much preferred being alone, and with a shrug of the shoulders he had given in. After all, he didn"t really care for strangers more than she did.
Several times during the last dreary week, he had astonished her by talking to her of Oliver in a rather fretful, complaining way, as if he thought it odd that the other man was staying on in England with his mother, instead of going back to Mexico. He had said that he thought it strange that such a big business as he understood Oliver Tropenell to have built up, could run by itself. She had answered coldly, "You forget that my brother is there." And to that he had made no reply.
Gillie? A pang of pain thrilled through Laura"s lonely heart. Oliver had said nothing more concerning Gillie"s visit to Europe. Everything which had happened, up to, and including, the evening when she and Oliver had had that curious, intimate conversation when he had promised so solemnly to be her friend, seemed now like a bright, happy dream compared with the drab reality of to-day.
And now, in a few minutes, G.o.dfrey would be coming in, and she would have to rouse herself to listen and to answer, while they had tea together in the cedar drawing-room, for G.o.dfrey did not care for the boudoir.
Suddenly she heard uttered in the corridor, outside the door, the eager words, "Is Mrs. Pavely there? You"re sure? All right--I"ll go straight in!" And before she could gather her mind together, the door opened, and her brother--the brother she had not seen for years, but of whom she had just been thinking--walked forward into the room, exclaiming heartily, resonantly: "Well, Laura? Well, little girl? Here I am again!"
She started up, and with a cry of welcoming, wondering delight, threw herself into his arms, half laughing, half crying, "Oh, Gillie--Gillie--Gillie! How glad I am to see you! Somehow I thought we were never going to meet again! Have you only just come? Has Oliver Tropenell seen you? Why didn"t you wire?"
Gillie was as touched and flattered as it was in him to be, for he remembered his sister as having been always quiet and restrained. And when they had parted, just before he had gone out to Mexico, she had seemed almost inanimate with--had it been vicarious?--shame and pain.
"I thought I"d take you by surprise." He looked round him with a pleased, measuring look. "Nothing altered!" he exclaimed, "and you"ve got a fire? That"s good! I feel it awfully cold here, I mean in England.
They haven"t started fires yet, over at Freshley."
He repeated, "Nothing"s altered--you least of all, Laura. Why, you don"t look a day older!"
She sighed. "I feel," she said, "a lifetime older."
"I don"t!" he cried briskly, "I feel younger. And G.o.dfrey?" His voice altered, becoming just a little graver. "Time stood still with G.o.dfrey too, eh?"
"I don"t think G.o.dfrey"s altered much----" She was hesitating. And then, very carefully, she added the words, "G.o.dfrey"s quite good to me, you know, Gillie."
"Oh, well--of course he always liked you the best!" And then he laughed, but to them both his laughter sounded just a little hollow. "I gather that he and Tropenell don"t quite hit it off?"
She turned on him quickly, and he was puzzled at the look of extreme astonishment which came over her face. "What makes you think that?" she exclaimed. "They"re the greatest friends! G.o.dfrey likes Oliver Tropenell better than I thought he"d ever like anybody."
And then, before Gillie Baynton could answer this, to him, surprising statement, the door opened, and the man of whom they were speaking stood gazing into the room as if he could not believe in the reality of the sight before him.
The brother and sister moved apart, and Gilbert Baynton held out his hand.
"Well, G.o.dfrey," he exclaimed, "here I am again! I expect Tropenell told you that I was thinking of coming to Europe? But I can"t be more than a month in the old country--if as long--unless Tropenell goes back leaving me behind for a bit. He did make some such suggestion, but I think we"re more likely to go back together."
As he spoke on, he let his hand slowly drop to his side, for the man he was addressing had made no answering movement of welcome, or even of greeting.
Such a flood of wrath had mounted up into G.o.dfrey Pavely"s brain when he saw Gilbert Baynton standing there, with his arm round Laura"s shoulder, that he was fearful the words he meant to utter would never get themselves said. He had never felt so angry before, and the sensation had a curious physical effect on him. He felt, as country folk so vividly put it, "all of a tremble."
A curious, ominous, sinister silence fell on the room. Laura, unconsciously, drew a little nearer to her brother; and G.o.dfrey, who was staring straight at her, saw the movement, and it intensified the pa.s.sion of anger which was working in his brain as wine does in the body.
"I must ask you to leave my house at once," he said in a low voice. "I have had no reason to change my mind as to what I said when you were last in this house, Gilbert Baynton."
_"G.o.dfrey!"_ There was a pa.s.sionate protest and revolt in the way Laura uttered her husband"s name.
But her brother put up his hand. "Hush, Laura," he said. "It"s much better I should tackle this business alone. In fact, if you don"t mind, you"d better leave the room."
She shook her head. "No, I mean to stay."
He shrugged his shoulders, and looked straight at G.o.dfrey Pavely. "Look here!" he exclaimed, "isn"t all this rather--well, highfaluting rot?
It"s quite true that when I left here I didn"t mean ever to darken your doors again. But everything"s altered now! I"ve paid you back every cent of that money--it wasn"t even your money, it was my own sister"s money.
She didn"t mind my having it--I heard her tell you so myself."
"You forged my signature to obtain it," said G.o.dfrey. He spoke in a very low voice, almost in a whisper. He was the sort of man who always suspects servants of listening at the door.
"Yes, I own I was a d.a.m.ned fool to do that--though as a matter of fact you goaded me to it! However, it"s a long time ago, and I suggest that we"d better let bygones be bygones. If I don"t marry, and I"m not a marrying man, your child will be my heiress. Laura"s my only sister, the only thing in the world I really care for----"
Laura put her hand through his arm when she heard him say that.
And then G.o.dfrey spoke again, his voice a little raised: "That makes no difference," he said--"I mean your having paid the money back makes no difference. I won"t have you in my house, and if Laura considers my wishes she won"t see you again while you"re in England."
Laura said at once: "I shall not consider your wishes, G.o.dfrey. Of course I shall see my brother as often as I can."
But G.o.dfrey went on, still directly addressing Gilbert Baynton, "I can"t prevent Laura seeing you, if she insists upon it. She"s a grown-up woman, and I can"t turn the key on her. But she shan"t see you in _my_ house. And, as far as I"m concerned, this is the last time I"ll ever set eyes on your face."
"Don"t you be so sure of that!" Gillie muttered the words between his teeth. His fair face had turned a deep red-brick colour, his blue eyes were blazing.
Again there fell on the three of them that strange, ominous, sinister silence.
Then Gilbert Baynton turned to his sister. He actually laughed out loud.
But even Pavely noticed, with bitter satisfaction, that the laughter sounded very forced.
"Ha! ha! ha! G.o.dfrey"s not a bit changed. He"s just the same old narrow-minded, sanctimonious prig he always was!"
He took Laura in his arms, and kissed her two or three times very warmly. "Never mind, little girl," he said. "I shan"t make trouble between you and G.o.dfrey for long! I shan"t be in England for more than a few days. I"m off to Paris next week."
He disengaged himself gently from Laura"s clinging arms, went to the door, opened it, then shut it very quietly behind him.
Laura turned away, and stared into the fire.
G.o.dfrey began, awkwardly, conciliatingly, "Now, my dear Laura----"
She put up her hand. "Don"t speak to me," she said, in what he felt to be a dreadful voice of aversion and of pain. "I shall never, never forgive you for this!"
He shrugged his shoulders, and went out of the room, into the long corridor. And then he walked quickly through it and so to the hall of the fine old house, of which, try as he might, he never felt himself, in any intimate sense, the master.
The hall was empty. Quietly he opened the front door. Yes, Gillie had kept his word this time! He really had gone. Pavely could see the alert, still young-looking figure of the man whom in his mind he always called "that scoundrel" hurrying down the carriage road which led to the great gates of The Chase.
CHAPTER X