"It means harm to us, Lance," she said; "I am sure of it."
"Nonsense, my darling," he cried; "how can it be about us? Most likely there is a general election, or some business of that kind coming on, and he wants to see me about it."
Still the beautiful face grew paler, and the shadows deepened in the dark eyes.
"Shall you go at once?" she asked.
Lord Chandos looked at his watch.
"The train starts at twelve," he said. "I must go in half an hour"s time, Leone."
"Half an hour," she said, and the tender hands clasped him more tightly, "only half an hour, Lance?"
Some prophetic instinct seemed to come over her; the pa.s.sionate love on her beautiful face deepened into tragedy; yet he had never breathed one word to her of what had taken place. She knew nothing of the lawsuit; and Lord Chandos never intended her to know anything about it; but with the chill of that autumn morning came a chill of doubt and fear such as she had never known before.
"How long shall you be away?" she asked.
"Not one moment longer than I am compelled to stay," he replied. "If my father really wants to see me on election affairs I may be absent two days; trust me, Leone; the first moment I am free I shall return;" and drawing her beautiful face down to his own the young husband kissed it with pa.s.sionate devotion, little dreaming of what lay before him.
"Only half an hour," said Leone. "Oh, Lance, let me spend it with you. I will order your portmanteau to be packed; my dear, do not let me leave you for one moment."
She drew a little stool and sat down at his feet.
Lord Chandos laughed.
"One would think we were lovers still."
She looked at him with that wonderful expression of face, so earnest, so intent, so lofty.
"So we are," she said; "we will be lovers until we die; shall we not, Lance?"
"I hope so; but we shall be unlike most married people, Leone, if we do that," he replied.
"I will not believe you," she answered. "You laugh, sometimes, Lance, at love; but I am sure if I were your wife for fifty years you would never tire of me or love me less."
"I never wish to do so," he replied.
"You never will," said Leone, "my faith is as strong as my love, and you have it all. I could rather believe now that the heavens would fall over my head than you could ever for one moment forget me."
"I shall never forget you, sweet," he said; "this is the first time we have ever been parted since we have been married; you must not be sad and lonely, Leone."
"I shall spend all my time in thinking of your return," she said.
"Lance, it will comfort me all the time you are away; you will say some of those beautiful words I love to hear."
He took both her white hands in his.
"My darling," he said, "I love you with all my heart, and I will be true to you until death."
The sweetness of the words seemed to content her for a time; she laid her face on his hands for some minutes in wistful silence.
"Leone," said the rich, cheerful voice of the young earl, "I have an idea that I will bring you good news from home. My father would not have sent for me unless he wanted me, and I shall make a bargain with him. If he wants me to do anything, I shall consent only on condition that I take you to Cawdor."
They talked of it for some minutes; then Leone rose and busied herself for some time in helping him--her face was pale and her hands trembled.
When the moment came for him to say good-bye he held her in his arms.
"Once again," she whispered.
And he answered:
"My darling wife, I love you, and will be true to you until death."
And those were the last words that for some time she heard him speak.
CHAPTER XV.
AN EXCITING INTERVIEW.
Lady Lanswell looked somewhat startled when her son entered the room.
During those few months of his married life he had altered much; he looked taller and stronger; the handsome face was covered with a golden beard and mustache; he looked quite three years older than before his marriage.
He was a handsome stripling when his mother kissed him and sent him, with many injunctions as to study, to Dr. Hervey"s, a handsome stripling, with golden down on his lip, and the hue of a ripe peach on his face; now he was a man of the world, a.s.sured, confident, easy in his carriage and bearing.
He looked at his mother with half-defiance, half-amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes.
The strong, handsome woman, whose brave nature had never known fear, trembled for one moment when she remembered what she had to tell her son.
He bent down to kiss her, and for one moment her heart relented to her son. She steeled herself with the recollection that what she had done was for his benefit.
"I have good news for you, Lance," she said, with her stately grace; "very excellent news."
"I am glad to hear it, mother," replied Lord Chandos, thinking to himself how much more this interview resembled that of a queen and a crown prince than of mother and son.
"You have traveled quickly and would probably like some refreshment--you would like a gla.s.s of Madeira?"
The truth was that her ladyship herself, with all her courage, felt that she required some artificial stimulant--the courage and pride of the proudest woman in England ebbed; she feared what she had to say.
"An honor has been bestowed on you," she said, "one which would make any peer in England proud."
His face brightened--he was keenly susceptible to the flattery implied in his mother"s words.
"You have been asked, together with Lord Dunferline, to represent our gracious sovereign at the marriage of the Princess Caroline at Hempsburg. Such an invitation, I need not tell you, is equivalent to a royal command."
"I know it, mother, and I am delighted," he said, wondering in his own mind if he should be able to take Leone with him.
"The notice is rather short," continued the countess; "but that is owing to some delay on the part of Lord Dunferline. I hear that you are the envy of every man at the club. You will have to leave England for Germany in three days; to-morrow you must be at the palace. I congratulate you, Lance; it is very seldom that a man so young as you receives so signal a favor."