"But I couldn"t have thought of anything half as perfect as this!" was her admiring response.
He smiled, but let the compliment pa.s.s.
"I want you to put your feet up now," he said, "for I know you must be tired to death. Let me show you how the end of your couch lets down.
There! Are the pillows right?"
She ensconced herself in luxury. "This is just like a dream," she said; "and if you will play to me, it will be still more so. I"ll graciously allow you to drink your coffee first," she added, as Hemming came in.
He stood before the hearth as he drank his coffee, looking down upon her and wondering how long he was going to bear things. He must find a way out before his resolution quite failed.
With that disconcerting suddenness of his, he put down his cup and made a dash for the piano. As he sat at the keyboard he could see the top of her shining head just above the delicate-hued cushions which supported it. He saw Cosmo jump upon her lap, and he watched the waving to and fro of her hand as she gently stroked the cat. When he stopped playing she begged him to go on. Then after a while the little hand ceased to move. The head was very still. At last he paused, let his hands fall, waited. No sound. He rose and limped across the soft carpet with noiseless feet. She was fast asleep.
Just for a moment he allowed himself to stand there looking upon her.
His strong, somewhat harsh features wore a look which transfigured them. Then he turned away with his mouth hard set. He had no right there, he bitterly reminded himself.
The little buhl clock chimed nine in silver tones. He went softly to the door to prevent Grover from coming in and awakening her abruptly.
As he opened it, Hemming was approaching with a telegram upon a tray.
He took it, and as he read his eyes lit with a gleam of satisfaction.
_Is Virginia with you? She left Worthing this morning._
Making a sign to Hemming not to disturb Mrs. Gaunt, he went over to the writing-table and wrote:
_Virginia came home to-day, as previously arranged. Seems very well._
As Hemming took the message and departed, Grover came along the pa.s.sage. Gaunt admitted her, with a shy smile.
"I have played her to sleep," he said. "It seems a shame to disturb her."
Grover went and stooped over Virginia, then raised her eyes to the husband"s face.
"Spite of that tiresome chill, she looks a deal stronger, doesn"t she, sir?" she asked in hushed accents.
He nodded, beckoning her to come to him at some distance, that their lowered tones might not disturb the sleeper. "Grover, is it true, for a fact, that Mrs. Mynors kept back a letter from Mrs. Gaunt to me?"
"I can"t swear to it, sir, not what they"d take in a court of justice, I suppose; but I"ll tell you what happened about it." She related the circ.u.mstances, and then asked whether he had, in fact, received the letter. When she heard that he had not, she looked triumphant, but she looked troubled too.
"I can"t seem to make out the rights of it, sir, but there was something afoot. For some reason which I can"t understand, they didn"t want her to come back here. I can"t make head nor tail of it myself."
"Was this Mr. Rosenberg"s plot, do you think?"
"Well, sir, that is what is so puzzling. Mrs. Mynors is, I suppose, a respectable lady. She isn"t what you call fast; and her daughter is a married woman. What could she mean?"
"Tell me frankly, Grover. Do you think they had an idea of making mischief, serious enough to cause a breach between Mrs. Gaunt and me?"
"Oh, for pity"s sake, they couldn"t be so wicked as that! And you but just married! But since you have put it so plain, I will just own to you that I feel sure in my own mind about one thing, which is that Baines, that"s Mr. Rosenberg"s chauffeur, was given orders not to bring back the car to fetch them that night. He never said so to me, not in so many words, but it was the look in his eye, sir, if you understand me."
"Do you think that her mother supposed that Mrs. Gaunt was not happy with me?"
"Why, sir, if you"ll pardon the remark, that sounds like nonsense, for you have had no chance to be together so far. I can tell you I was thankful when I was once safe in the train with her this morning. I felt, even if she has to go back to bed the minute she gets home, home is the proper place for her, any way of it. And though she was leaving her little sister and all, she seemed to cheer up when we were off; and I know she felt a relief when we had got through London and were fair on our way. We had to steal out of the house as careful as anything, for Miss Pansy was not started for the parade front, it being so early.
Fortunately, Mr. Tony was off for the day with his friend."
"Tony? Was the boy there?"
"Oh, yes, sir, for the whole time, and the last week we were in London as well."
Gaunt was surprised. No room or board for Tony had been charged in any of the minutely kept accounts which he had received. He made no comment, however, and the maid crossed the room and gazed once more upon the sleeping girl.
"Don"t you think she looks bonny, sir?" she asked timidly; and was rea.s.sured when Gaunt"s eyes met her own in friendly approval.
"She"s more lovely than ever, Grover," he replied, to her immense gratification.
"You might carry her upstairs, sir," she suggested; "you can do it easy, can"t you?"
His face changed. "No," he said decidedly, "it would startle her. You had better rouse her, please, if you want her to go with you now."
He walked away to the window, and stood in the empty s.p.a.ce for which he had designed the statue of Love. Grover sent a keen, vexed glance after him. "Silly thing," was her disrespectful inward comment. "Why is he so plaguey shy of his own wife?"
"She"ll have to get used to you, sir," she ventured after a pause, her heart in her mouth.
"It must be by degree," he answered, speaking with his back towards her.
With a shrug of her shoulders, having ventured all and more than all she dare, she bent over Virginia and aroused her. The grey cat bounded to the floor, hunching his back and stretching his legs in the heat of the glowing logs.
"Oh!" cried Virgie, springing to her feet, "I went to sleep while Mr.
Gaunt was playing!"
"The greatest tribute you could pay me, since I played a lullaby,"
remarked her husband, strolling up.
Next morning, though it was still cold, autumnal weather, the sun was shining. Gaunt could hardly believe his eyes when Virgie ran into the dining-room at the summons of the breakfast gong, looking as fresh and gay as the morning. The contrast between what was in his heart, and his cool, undemonstrative greeting, struck him as so grotesque that he almost laughed.
When they were seated, and she had poured out his coffee, they found it very difficult to know what to say. Virginia felt herself held back by what he had said the previous day. He had spoken as though he thought her stay at Omberleigh would be only temporary. She was eager to settle down, to know what she might do and plan, to begin some kind of a life together. In face of his att.i.tude, she felt unable to make any advance, to offer any request or suggestion.
At last it occurred to her to ask what he had to do that day. He began to tell her that he was due in a certain part of the estate to----Then he pulled himself up, and said, with a covert eagerness:
"Unless you want me?"
She rested her elbows on the table and looked shyly at him. "Of course I should like to have your society for a while," she answered. "I want to go round the place again. I was so stupid that first day--I felt so ill I hardly knew what I was doing. But now I can walk finely! If you have time----"
"But of course I have. Caunter is all right without me. I am at your service. Do you remember one day when you were on the terrace, and Mrs.
Ferris was here, you said, or she said, that you would like to remodel the garden? Well, you know this is the time of year to do that. If you set to work now it will be all ready for next spring."