The White Plumes of Navarre: A Romance of the Wars of Religion
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CHAPTER XXIV.
COUSIN RAPHAEL, LORD OF COLLIOURE
"Is this thing true?"
The young man in the velvet suit, with the order of the Golden Fleece onhis breast, spoke hastily and haughtily, jerking his head back as ifDoctor Anatole had made to strike him in the face.
"My friend Professor Anatole Long does not lie," said Claire firmly. "Iam the daughter of Francis Agnew the Scot, and of his wife ColetteLlorient."
"You are prepared to prove this?"
"I have neither wish nor need to prove it," said Claire. "I am contentto be my father's daughter, and to have known him for an honest man. Itrust not to shame his memory!"
The young man with the golden order at his throat stood biting his lipand frowning--with a frown so concentrated and deadly that Clairethought she had never seen the like.
"The daughter of Colette Llorient--to whom my grandfather----"
He broke off hastily, his sentence unachieved. Then all at once his moodappeared to alter. A smile broke upon his lips. Upon his forehead thebushy black brows disjoined, and he sat down near Claire, so that hecould look in her face with the light of the sunset streaming upon itthrough the door, while his own was still in shadow.
"So you may be my cousin--my aunt Colette's daughter," he saidmeditatively. "Well, Don Jorge, you are a lawyer and learned, they say.I charge you to look at any papers the young lady may have, and reportto your brother, this grinder of good meal and responsible civilauthority of my town of Collioure. And pray tell me, little one," hecontinued, taking Claire's hand, as if he had been an old acquaintance,"how would you like me for a cousin? We have much need of one so youngand fair in our dingy old castle. The stock of the Llorients ofCollioure has worn itself away, till there remains only myself and--ifthere be no mistake--you, my kinswoman, fresh as the May morning! Why,you will redeem us all!"
It was then that the Senora found her tongue. Indeed, she had not lostit. But she did not approve of this too familiar and masterful youngman, and she only waited an opportunity of telling him so.
"Raphael Llorient of Collioure, listen to me," she said. "I was yourfoster-mother--you and my Don Jordy there are of one age, and lay on mybreast together. It is my right to speak to you, since, though they mayowe you feudal obedience and service, I abide here in this house of LaMasane for the term of my natural life. Let this maid stay with us. If Icould bring up you and these children of my body, I am able to guidealso this young maid, who has nor father nor mother."
"But we have gay company down yonder at the Castle," said RaphaelLlorient, "ladies of the Court even--or rather, who would be of theCourt if we had one, and not merely a monastery with a bureau attachedfor the Man-who-traffics-in-kingdoms!"
"I wish to stay here," said Claire, alarmed all at once by thestrangeness of her kinsman's manner. "I am very happy, and ProfessorAnatole brought me from Paris!"
"Happy Professor," smiled the Lord of Collioure, somewhat sneeringly. "Ipresume he did not forget his office, but used his eloquence to somepurpose by the way? But, all the same, though we will not compel you,sweet cousin, it would cheer us mightily if you would come. There aregreat ladies now doing the honours of my house--the Countess Livia, theDuchess of Err, and--Valentine la Nina."
"Raphael--little son," said the old lady, laying her withered hand onhis lace wristband, "leave her with me. She is better and safer with oldMother Amelie than with all your great folk down there!"
"That for the great folk," cried the young man, snapping his fingers;"they are no greater than any daughter of the house of the Llorients ofCollioure. Besides, they have seen her already. The duchess passed heryesterday with the Countess Livia on her way to the rock-fishing. But Iwill not tell what she reported of you to the duke, or it might make youvain!"
Claire moved uneasily. The man's eyes affected her curiously. She wouldnow very gladly have sat as close to the Abbe John as even thatencroaching youth could have wished.
"Do you know, little cousin," the lord of the manor continued, after apause in which no one spoke, "you are not very gracious to yourkinsfolk? Perhaps you have more of them than I--in Scotland, maybe?"
Claire shook her head sadly enough.
"Save these good friends here, I am alone in the world," she answeredsteadily. "I do not know my father's family in Scotland. I think theyknow as little of me as you did before entering that door!"
"Perhaps," Raphael went on courteously, "that is more than you think. Weare a poor little village, a poverty-stricken countryside, in which sucha pearl as you cannot long be hidden. Somebody will surely be wanting itfor their crown!"
"Pearls mean tears and of those I have shed enough," said Claire simply;"also I have seen and heard much of crowns and those who wear them. Iwould rather stay at the Mas and take the goats to the mountains,and----"
"The learned Professor to the beach!" added Raphael, with a curl of hislip.
"Indeed, yes!" cried Claire, reaching out her hand to the Professor. "Iam always happy with him. He teaches me so many things. My father was awise man, but he lacked the time to talk much with me."
"And I dare say the learned Professor of the Sorbonne gives his timewillingly," said the Lord of Collioure; "his tastes are not singular.And pray, of your courtesy, what might he teach you in your_tete-a-tetes_?"
"I have everything to learn," Claire answered with intent, "exceptfencing with the small-sword and how to shoot straight with a pistol!These my father taught me!"
"Ah," cried Raphael Llorient, clapping his hands, "this is a dangerousdamsel to offend. Why, you could call us all out, and kill us one byone, if duelling were not forbidden in Spain!"
"I stand for peace," said the Professor, interrupting unexpectedly, foreven after many years filled with learned labours and crowned withsuccess, the feudal reverence was strong on him; "I am a man of peace,but there are many who would not let Mistress Claire go without adefender. Even I----"
The feudal superior laughed unpleasantly.
"Oh, yes," he cried, "you would defend her with a syllogism, draw yourmajor and minor premises upon the insulter, and vanquish the lady's foesbefore a full meeting of the Sorbonne!"
"Indeed," returned the Professor shortly, "we have had some meetings ofthat body lately which came near to losing kings their thrones!"
The keen, dark features of the Lord of Collioure took on a graverexpression.
"Where I come from," he said, "we live too near to the rack and thewater-torture to air our opinions concerning such things. Our Philip hastaught us to guard our thoughts for times when we find ourselves somedistance outside the frontiers of Spain."
He cast a significant look around, on the dusking purplish sea, on thegreat mass of Estelle and the Canigou, standing out black against asaffron sky. The glance conveyed to those who knew Raphael Llorient,that they dwelt at present too far within the dangerous bounds of Spain,and that if they had once to do with the Demon of the South, it would beworse for them than many Holy Leagues and Bearnais war-levyings.
He rose to take his leave, kissing the Senora, and palpably hesitatingbetween Claire's cheek and her hand, till something in the girl's mannerdecided him on the latter.
"_Au revoir_, sweet cousin newly found!" he cried, lifting his blackvelvet bonnet to his head with grace; "I hope you will like me betterthe next time you see me. I warn you I shall come with credentials!"
"I sha'n't--I won't--I never could!" Claire was affirming to herselfbehind her shut lips, even as he was speaking.
"I hate that man!" she burst out, as soon as the lithe slender figure inthe black velvet suit was sufficiently far out of ear-shot down themountain side.
"You mean," said the Professor soothingly, "that you are a little afraidof Don Raphael. I do not wonder. Perhaps I did wrong to bring you here.But I never thought to see him cross this doorstep. He has not done somuch for years and years. For how long, mother?"
"For sixteen years--not since his father's death," said the old woman;"he was angry that the farm of L
a Masane was left to me burden-free formy lifetime, when he had so great need of the money to spend in Madrid!"
"I hate him! I cannot tell why--no," added Claire, recurring to theformer speech of Professor Anatole, "I do not fear him--why should I? Inthe end, I am stronger than he!"
"Ah," said the Professor, "but it is always such a long way to theend!"