"I--I also came to know it," she murmured.
"There are many ways of coming to know a thing," said I. "One is by being told; another, madame, is by finding out. Certainly it was amazing how M. de Perrencourt dealt with his Grace; ay, and with my Lord Carford, who shrank out of his path as though he had been--a King." I let my tones give the last word full effect.
"Simon," she whispered in eagerness mingled with alarm, "Simon, what are you saying? Silence for your life!"
"My life, madame, is rooted too deep for a syllable to tear it up. I said only "as though he had been a king." Tell me why M. Colbert wears the King"s Star. Was it because somebody saw a gentleman wearing the King"s Star embrace and kiss M. de Perrencourt the night that he arrived?"
"It was you?"
"It was I, madame. Tell me on whose account three messengers went to London, carrying the words "_Il vient_.""
She was hanging to my arm now, full of eagerness.
"And tell me now what M. de Perrencourt said to you. A plague on him, he spoke so low that I couldn"t hear!"
A blush swept over her face; her eyes, losing the fire of excitement, dropped in confusion to the ground.
"I can"t tell you," she murmured.
"Yet I know," said I. "And if you"ll trust me, madame----"
"Ah, Simon, you know I trust you."
"Yet you were angry with me."
"Not angry--I had no right--I mean I had no cause to be angry. I--I was grieved."
"You need be grieved no longer, madame."
"Poor Simon!" said she very gently. I felt the lightest pressure on my hand, the touch of two slim fingers, speaking of sympathy and comradeship.
"By G.o.d, I"ll bring you safe out of it," I cried.
"But how, how? Simon, I fear that he has----"
"The Duke?"
"No, the--the other--M. de Perrencourt; he has set his heart on--on what he told me."
"A man may set his heart on a thing and yet not win it," said I grimly.
"Yes, a man--yes, Simon, I know; a man may----"
"Ay, and even a----"
"Hush, hush! If you were overheard--your life wouldn"t be safe if you were overheard."
"What do I care?"
"But I care!" she cried, and added very hastily, "I"m selfish. I care, because I want your help."
"You shall have it. Against the Duke of Monmouth, and against the----"
"Ah, be careful!"
I would not be careful. My blood was up. My voice was loud and bold as I gave to M. de Perrencourt the name that was his, the name by which the frightened lord and the cowed Duke knew him, the name that gave him entrance to those inmost secret conferences, and yet kept him himself hidden and half a prisoner in the Castle. The secret was no secret to me now.
"Against the Duke of Monmouth," said I st.u.r.dily, "and also, if need be, against the King of France."
Barbara caught at my arm in alarm. I laughed, till I saw her finger point warily over my shoulder. With a start I turned and saw a man coming down the steps. In the dim light the bright Star gleamed on his breast. He was M. Colbert de Croissy. He stood on the lowest step, peering at us through the gloom.
"Who speaks of the King of France here?" he said suspiciously.
"I, Simon Dale, gentleman-in-waiting to the Duke of Monmouth, at your Excellency"s service," I answered, advancing towards him and making my bow.
"What have you to say of my master?" he demanded.
For a moment I was at a loss; for although my heart was full of things that I should have taken much pleasure in saying concerning His Majesty, they were none of them acceptable to the ears of His Majesty"s Envoy. I stood, looking at Colbert, and my eyes fell on the Star that he wore. I knew that I committed an imprudence, but for the life of me I could not withstand the temptation. I made another bow, and, smiling easily, answered M. Colbert.
"I was remarking, sir," said I, "that the compliment paid to you by the King of England in bestowing on you the Star from His Majesty"s own breast, could not fail to cause much gratification to the King of France."
He looked me hard in the eyes, but his eyes fell to the ground before mine. I warrant he took nothing by his searching glance, and did well to give up the conflict. Without a word, and with a stiff little bow, he pa.s.sed on his way to the hall. The moment he was gone, Barbara was by me. Her face was alight with merriment.
"Oh, Simon, Simon!" she whispered reprovingly. "But I love you for it!"
And she was gone up the stairs like a flitting moonbeam.
Upon this, having my head full and to spare of many matters, and my heart beating quick with more than one emotion, I thought my bed the best and safest place for me, and repaired to it without delay.
"But I"ll have some conversation with M. de Perrencourt to-morrow," said I, as I turned on my pillow and sought to sleep.
CHAPTER XIII
THE MEED OF CURIOSITY
The next morning my exaltation had gone. I woke a prey to despondency and sickness of soul. Not only did difficulty loom large, and failure seem inevitable, but a disgust for all that surrounded me seized on my mind, displacing the zest of adventure and the excitement of enterprise.
But let me not set my virtue too high. It is better to be plain. Old maxims of morality, and a standard of right acknowledged by all but observed by none, have little power over a young man"s hot blood; to be stirred to indignation, he must see the wrong threaten one he respects, touch one he loves, or menace his own honour and pride. I had supported the scandals of this Court, of which I made a humble part, with shrugs, smiles, and acid jests; I had felt no dislike for the chief actors, and no horror at the things they did or attempted; nay, for one of them, who might seem to sum up in her own person the worst of all that was to be urged against King and Court, I had cherished a desperate love that bred even in death an obstinate and longing memory. Now a change had come over me; I seemed to see no longer through my own careless eyes, but with the shamed and terrified vision of the girl who, cast into this furnace, caught at my hand as offering her the sole chance to pa.s.s unscathed through the fire. They were using her in their schemes, she was to be sacrificed; first she had been chosen as the lure with which to draw forth Monmouth"s ambitions from their lair, and reveal them to the spying eyes of York and his tool Carford; if that plan were changed now, she would be no better for the change. The King would and could refuse this M. de Perrencourt (I laughed bitterly as I muttered his name) nothing, however great; without a thought he would fling the girl to him, if the all-powerful finger were raised to ask for her. Charles would think himself well paid by his brother king"s complaisance towards his own inclination. Doubtless there were great bargains of policy a-making here in the Castle, and the nature of them I made shift to guess. What was it to throw in a trifle on either side, barter Barbara Quinton against the French lady, and content two Princes at a price so low as the dishonour of two ladies? That was the game; otherwise, whence came M. de Perrencourt"s court and Monmouth"s deference? The King saw eye to eye with M. de Perrencourt, and the King"s son did not venture to thwart him. What matter that men spoke of other loves which the French King had? The gallants of Paris might think us in England rude and ignorant, but at least we had learnt that a large heart was a prerogative of royalty which even the Parliament dared not question.
With a new loathing I loathed it all, for it seemed now to lay aside its trappings of pomp and brilliancy, of jest and wit, and display itself before me in ugly nakedness, all unashamed. In sudden frenzy I sat up in my bed, crying, "Heaven will find a way!" For surely heaven could find one, where the devil found so many! Ah, righteous wert thou, Simon Dale, so soon as unrighteousness hurt thee! But Phineas Tate might have preached until the end of time.
Earlier than usual by an hour Jonah Wall came up from the town where he was lodged, but he found me up and dressed, eager to act, ready for what might chance. I had seen little of the fellow lately, calling on him for necessary services only, and ridding myself of his sombre company as quickly as I could. Yet I looked on him to-day with more consideration; his was a repulsive form of righteousness, grim and gloomy, but it was righteousness, or seemed such to me against the background of iniquity which threw it up in strong relief. I spoke to him kindly, but taking no heed of my advances he came straight up to me and said brusquely: "The woman who came to your lodging in London is here in Dover. She bids you be silent and come quickly. I can lead you."
I started and stared at him. I had set "Finis" to that chapter; was fate minded to overrule me and write more? Strange also that Jonah Wall should play Mercury!
"She here in Dover? For what?" I asked as calmly as I could.