"What have I to do with all this?" said Mrs Gabriel, sitting up.
"This much: I want your ladyship to give me a thousand pounds."
"Ah! I thought so. Your mission here is one of blackmail?"
Mrs Jeal shrugged her plump shoulders. "Some people would call it that,"
she said, dropping the courtesy t.i.tle; "and as you have paid blackmail to Pratt all these years, I don"t see why you should not give me a thousand pounds to get rid of me."
"Pratt!" Mrs Gabriel could hardly speak. "What do you know?--"
"I know that Pratt was married to you in Switzerland when you were Miss Haverleigh, and that you afterwards married Mr Gabriel. The property was left by Mr Gabriel to--"_my wife_." Those were the words used in the will. And you, Miss Haverleigh, were never Mr Gabriel"s wife."
"It is not true," muttered Mrs Gabriel, her lips quivering.
"It is true; you know it is!" said the other woman. "A word from Pratt, and you would have been turned out of possession here. He held his tongue so long as you took the child and brought him up. I have held my tongue also, because I was afraid of Pratt. But now he has told my secret about Lord Morven, I want money on my own account, so as to get away from him across the seas."
Mrs Gabriel drummed on the table. She saw that this woman was too much for her. "What you say is perfectly true," she said. "I met Pratt in Switzerland when I was a young girl. We were married in Geneva, and I afterwards found out what a brute he was. We parted. Afterwards I heard that he was dead, and regarded myself as free to marry Gabriel."
"Oh, that was one of Pratt"s jokes," said Mrs Jeal, easily. "He was always a merry sort of brute. But, you see, I can turn you out."
"Not without Pratt"s aid," said Mrs Gabriel, fiercely. "I won"t give up the property to go to the Crown! I love power, and I intend to keep what I have. Pratt made me take that child, and lie about him. He made me introduce him to Colester society, and for years he has taken money from me. After doing all this, do you think I"ll give it up? No; I"ll fight!"
Mrs Jeal laughed unpleasantly. "I can put a weapon into your hand to fight with," she said; "that is, if you give me a thousand pounds."
"What do you mean" panted Mrs Gabriel, throwing herself forward and seizing Mrs Jeal by the shoulders. "Can you?--will you?--"
"If you give me a thousand pounds," replied the other woman, quite unmoved, and looking up with her wicked eyes into Mrs Gabriel"s agitated face.
"What do you know? Quick--tell me!" Mrs Gabriel shook her.
"Don"t shake me," said Mrs Jeal, tartly, twisting herself free. "If you want to know my secret, I"ll tell it to you--I am Pratt"s lawful wife."
Mrs Gabriel put her hand to her forehead, and reeled to the end of the room. "Wife--wife!" she muttered. "Then I am not--"
"You are _not_ his wife," finished Mrs Jeal, coolly. "You never were his wife, seeing he was married to me before he met you. You are Mrs Gabriel, the widow of John Gabriel, and the possessor of this property."
"Can you--can you prove this?" asked the other woman, gasping.
"I"ll give you my marriage certificate for a thousand pounds," said Mrs Jeal. "I don"t want it. I"ve had enough of Pratt. Then you can see the church where we were married, and search the register. Oh, it"s all right."
"Give me the certificate," Mrs Gabriel stretched out her hand eagerly.
"Not without the thousand pounds," said Mrs Jeal, resolutely.
"I"ll give you a cheque," said Mrs Gabriel, hurrying to a writing-desk.
Mrs Jeal shook her head. "Won"t do!" she remarked. "I"ve had to do with ladies before. You might stop that cheque when I had given you what you wanted. No. Come to the bank; give me the money in notes, and I"ll place the certificate in your hands."
"We can"t go to the bank to-night," said Mrs Gabriel, frowning.
"Oh! I can wait till to-morrow," replied Mrs Jeal, coolly.
Mrs Gabriel lost her temper and stamped her foot. "Give me that certificate, or I"ll have you arrested."
"Oh! So you want me to tell my story in court, my lady."
"You dare to!"
"Then give me the thousand pounds." Mrs Jeal was beginning to lose her temper. "Here"s a coil about a trifle," she said angrily; "instead of asking you for blackmail, as I could have done, I offer to give you freedom. And you won"t pay for it."
"I will. Here"s a cheque. Come with me to the bank at Portfront to-morrow, and you can cash it in my presence. The certificate--"
"Will be given to you when the notes are in my hand. You can take me to Portfront with my boxes, as I then can catch the afternoon steamer to London. I have given up my cottage, and sold my furniture, and packed my things. To-morrow I"ll take Pearl to Miss Tempest, and then we can drive to the bank."
"You insolent woman!" raged Mrs Gabriel, but she was obliged to yield.
For once in her life she had met a person of her own s.e.x who had as bad a temper as herself. The two women had a royal battle, but in the end victory declared itself on the side of Mrs Jeal, and she departed in triumph.
The next morning Sybil was informed that Mrs Jeal and Pearl were waiting to see her. Guessing the woman"s errand, Miss Tempest descended. Mrs Jeal, perfectly respectful, dropped a curtsey.
"I"ve brought you Pearl, my lady," she said.
"I am not "my lady,"" said Sybil, coldly.
"You soon will be," smirked Mrs Jeal, "Lady Morven. Well, I don"t grudge it to you. You"re not so bad as some. Here"s Pearl."
Sybil took the hand of the poor creature, who was shedding tears at the thought of losing Mrs Jeal. "Don"t cry, Pearl, you will be quite happy with me. Remember you have to look after the cup." Whereat Pearl clapped her hands and was joyful again.
"I shan"t want you any more," said Pearl to Mrs Jeal; "the Master has given me the cup to look after, and you are too wicked to come near me."
Mrs Jeal winced, and looked down. "Here"s grat.i.tude," she sighed. "I"ve loved but one thing in my life, and it turns against me. Well, Pearl, I hope you will be happy. Good-bye." She paused, and then went on. "And, my lady, I would like to tell you the reason I told that lie about Lord Morven having p.a.w.ned the cup. It was Sir Frank Hale made me do it."
"Sir Frank!" echoed Sybil in amazement. "Why should he?"
"It was partly your fault, miss," said Mrs Jeal, coolly; "he loved you, and he loved his sister. If Lord Morven had married Miss Edith, and you had married Sir Frank, all would have been well. But on that night I brought back the cup he saw me, and got the truth out of me. There he used me for his own ends, so as to get the blame laid on Mr Haverleigh."
"How wicked of him!" said Sybil, angrily.
Mrs Jeal laughed. "It was his way, my lady. But he has gone away, and will not trouble you again. Neither shall I. Good-bye, my lady. Pearl?"
But Pearl turned away like a cross child. Mrs Jeal had to go without a farewell kiss, and her wicked nature felt the slight. However, she controlled her emotion, and went off to Portfront with Mrs Gabriel.
There the cheque was cashed, and Mrs Jeal became possessed of a thousand pounds in Bank of England notes--she would take no other.
"And there"s the certificate," she said to Mrs Gabriel.
"Thank G.o.d!" cried that lady, seizing it, "now I"m free of that man. If he comes to Colester again I"ll put him in gaol. And you, hussey, I"ll have you ducked."
"I said you would talk like that," jeered Mrs Jeal. "A lucky thing I have the notes. Good-day, Miss Haverleigh!" And with this last insulting speech, which she knew was untrue, Mrs Jeal went away. What became of her no one ever heard. But creatures like Mrs Jeal always fall on their feet like cats, perhaps because they have so much of the cat nature in them. Mrs Gabriel, rejoicing in her freedom, returned to Colester, and became more domineering than ever. Whether Pratt guessed that his wife would tell her the truth, it is impossible to say. But he never came near Mrs Gabriel again, nor did he write to her. If he had, she would have set to work to trace him out and have him arrested. With the certificate of marriage it was easy for Mrs Gabriel to prove that she had been deceived by a villain, and she would have had no hesitation in making the affair public. Pratt knew this, and knew her savage nature.
He therefore kept away, and Mrs Gabriel, unrestrained by any fear, became more of a tyrant than ever.