"Well!" continued Patricia, speaking slowly, "when you sent me flowers and messengers and telegraph-boys and things I was angry, and then when you didn"t I----" she paused.
"Wanted them," he suggested.
"U-m-m-m!" she nodded her head. "I suppose so," she conceded. "But,"
she added with a sudden change of mood, "I shall always be dreadfully afraid of Peel. He seems so perfect."
Bowen laughed. "I"ll try and balance matters," he said.
"But you haven"t told me," said Patricia, "why you left me alone all at once. Why did you?" She looked up enquiringly at him.
During the next half an hour Patricia slowly drew from Bowen the whole story of the plot engineered by Lady Tanagra.
"But why," questioned Patricia, "were you going away if you knew that--that everything would come all right?"
"I had given up hope, and I couldn"t break my promise to Tan. I convinced myself that you didn"t care."
Patricia held out her hand with a smile. Bowen bent and kissed it.
"I wonder what you are thinking of me?" She looked up at him anxiously. "I"m very much at your mercy now, Peter, aren"t I? You won"t let me ever regret it, will you?"
"Do you regret it?" he whispered, bending towards her, conscious of the fragrance of her hair.
"It"s such an unconditional surrender," she complained. "All my pride is bruised and trampled underfoot. You have me at such a disadvantage."
"So long as I"ve got you I don"t care," he laughed.
"Peter," said Patricia after a few minutes of silence, "I want you to ring up Tanagra and G.o.dfrey Elton and ask them to dine here this evening. They must put off any other engagement. Tell them I say so."
"But can"t we----?" began Bowen.
"There, you are making me regret already," she said with a flash of her old vivacity.
Bowen flew to the telephone. By a lucky chance Elton was calling at Grosvenor Square, and Bowen was able to get them both with one call.
He was a little disappointed, however, at not having Patricia to himself that evening.
"When shall we get married?" Bowen asked eagerly, as Patricia rose and announced that she must go and repair damages to her face and garments.
"I will tell you after dinner," she said as she walked towards the door.
II
"It is only the impecunious who are constrained to be modest," remarked Elton as the four sat smoking in Bowen"s room after dinner.
"Is that an apology, or merely a statement of fact?" asked Lady Tanagra.
"I think," remarked Patricia quietly, "that it is an apology."
Elton looked across at her with one of those quick movements of his eyes that showed how alert his mind was, in spite of the languid ease of his manner.
"And now," continued Patricia, "I have something very important to say to you all."
"Oh!" groaned Lady Tanagra, "spare me from the self-importance of the newly-engaged girl."
"It has come to my knowledge, Tanagra," proceeded Patricia, "that you and Mr. Elton did deliberately and wittingly conspire together against my peace of mind and happiness. There!" she added, "that"s almost legal in its ambiguity, isn"t it?"
Lady Tanagra and Elton exchanged glances.
"What do you mean?" demanded Lady Tanagra gaily.
Patricia explained that she had extracted from Bowen the whole story.
Lady Tanagra looked reproachfully at her brother. Then turning to Patricia she said with unwonted seriousness:
"I saw that was the only way to--to--well get you for a sister-in-law and," she paused a moment uncertainly. "I knew you were the only girl for that silly old thing there, who was blundering up the whole business."
"Your mania for interfering in other people"s affairs will be your ruin, Tanagra," said Patricia as she turned to Elton, her look clearly enquiring if he had any excuse to offer.
"The old Garden of Eden answer," he said. "A woman tempted me."
"Then we will apply the old Garden of Eden punishment," announced Patricia.
Elton, who was the first to grasp her meaning, looked anxiously at Lady Tanagra, who with knitted brows was endeavouring to penetrate to Patricia"s meaning. Bowen was obviously at sea. Suddenly Lady Tanagra"s face flamed and her eyes dropped. Elton stroked the back of his head, a habit he had when preoccupied--he was never nervous.
"You two," continued Patricia, now thoroughly enjoying herself, "have precipitated yourselves into my most private affairs, and in return I am going to take a hand in yours. Peter has asked me when I will marry him. I said I would tell him after dinner this evening."
Bowen looked across at her eagerly, Elton lit another cigarette, Lady Tanagra toyed nervously with her amber cigarette-holder.
"I will marry Peter," announced Patricia, "when you, Tanagra," she paused slightly, "marry G.o.dfrey Elton."
Lady Tanagra looked up with a startled cry. Her eyes were wide with something that seemed almost fear, then without warning she turned and buried her head in a cushion and burst into uncontrollable sobbing.
Bowen started up. With a swift movement Patricia went over to his side and, before he knew what was happening, he was in the corridor stuttering his astonishment to Patricia.
For an hour the two sat in the lounge below, talking and listening to the band. Patricia explained to Bowen how from the first she had known that Elton and Tanagra were in love.
"But we"ve known him all our lives!" expostulated Bowen.
"The very thing that blinded you all to a most obvious fact."
"But why didn"t he----?" began Bowen.
"Because of her money," explained Patricia. "Anyhow," she continued gaily, "I had lost my own tail, and I wasn"t going to see Tanagra wagging hers before my eyes. Now let"s go up and see what has happened."
Just as Bowen"s hand was on the handle of the sitting-room door, Patricia cried out that she had dropped a ring. When they entered the room Elton and Lady Tanagra were standing facing the door. One glance at their faces, told Patricia all she wanted to know. Without a word Elton came forward and bending low, kissed her hand. There was something so touching in his act of deference that Patricia felt her throat contract.
She went across to Lady Tanagra and put her arm round her.
"You darling!" whispered Lady Tanagra. "How clever of you to know."