Charles Rex

by Ethel M. Dell

  CHAPTER I

  THE WINNING POST

  "I never thought it would be like this," said Toby.

  She spoke aloud, though she was alone. She stood at an immense window onthe first floor of a busy Paris hotel and stared down into the teemingcourtyard below. Her fair face wore a whimsical expression that was halfof amusement and half of discontent. She looked absurdly young, almostchildish; but her blue eyes were unmistakably wistful.

  Below her seethed a crowd of vehicles of every description and the babelthat came up to her was as the roar of a great torrent. It seemed tosweep away all coherent thought, for she smiled as she gazed downwardsand her look held interest in the busy scene even though the hint ofmelancholy lingered. There was certainly plenty to occupy her, and it wasnot in her nature to be bored.

  But yet at the opening of a door in the room behind her, she turned veryswiftly, and in a moment her face was alight with ardent welcome.

  "Ah! Here you are!" she said.

  He came forward in his quick, springy fashion, his odd eyes laughingtheir gay, unstable greeting into hers. He took the hands she held out tohim, and bending, lightly kissed them.

  "Have you been bored? _Mais non!_ I have not been so long gone. Why areyou not still resting, _cherie_, as I told you?"

  She looked at him, and still--though her eyes laughed their gladness--thewistfulness remained. "I am--quite rested, _monseigneur_. And thetiredness--quite gone. And now you are going to take me to see the sightsof Paris?"

  "Those of them you don't know?" suggested Saltash.

  She nodded. "I don't know very many. I never went very far. I wasafraid."

  He twisted his hand through her arm, and his fingers closed upon herwrist. "You are not afraid--with me?" he questioned.

  Her eyes answered him before her voice. "Never, _monseigneur_."

  "Why do you call me that?" said Saltash.

  She coloured at the abrupt question. "It suits you."

  He made his monkeyish grimace, and suddenly dropped his eyes to theblue-veined wrist in his grasp. "Are you happy, _mignonne_?" he askedher, still obviously in jesting mood.

  Toby's eyes dropped also. She mutely nodded.

  "The truth, Nonette?" His look flashed over her; his tone was imperious.

  She nodded again. "I always tell you--the truth."

  He began to laugh. "_Mais vraiment_! I had not thought that likely. Thenyou do not want to leave me--yet?"

  "Leave you!" Her eyes came up to his in wide amazement. "I!"

  "We have been married three days," he reminded her, with comicallyworking brows. "And I--have I not already begun to leave you--to neglectyou?"

  "I--I--I never expected--anything else," stammered Toby, suddenlyaverting her face.

  He patted her cheek with careless kindliness. "How wise of you, my dear!How wise! Then you are not yet--sufficiently _ennuyee_ to desire to leaveme?"

  "Why--why do you ask?" questioned Toby.

  There was a species of malicious humour about him that made her uneasy.Saltash in a mischievous mood was not always easy to restrain. He did notimmediately reply to her question, and she turned with a hint of panicand tightly clasped his arm.

  "It is--you who are--_ennuye_!" she said, with piteous eyes upraised.

  He flicked her cheek with his thumb, his odd eyes gleaming. "Not so,_Miladi_ Saltash! For me--the game is just begun. But--should you desireto leave me--the opportunity is yours. A knight has arrived to therescue--a very puissant knight!"

  "A knight!" gasped Toby, trembling. "Ah! Tell me what you mean!"

  His look was openly mocking. "A knight in gaiters!" he told herlightly. "A knight who bears--or should bear--a horsewhip in place ofa sword--that is, if I know him aright!"

  "Jake!" she gasped incredulously.

  He laughed afresh. "Even so! Jake! Most worthy--and most obtrusive! Whatshall we do with him, lady mine? Slay him--or give him a feed and sendhim home?"

  She stared at him, aghast. "You--you--you are joking!" she stammered.

  "I always joke when I am most serious," Saltash assured her.

  "Oh, don't!" She clung closer to his arm. "What shall we do? He--he can'tdo anything, can he? We--we--we really are married, aren't we?"

  Saltash's most appalling grimace fled like a hunted goblin across hisface. "Married? Heavens, child! What more do you want? Haven't you seenit--actually seen it--in our greatest London daily? And can a Londondaily lie? You may have dreamed the wedding, but that paragraph--thatparagraph--it takes a genius of the first literary degree to dream aparagraph, though it may only need quite an ordinary fool to write it!Why, what is the matter? What is it? Did you see something? Not a mouse?Not a beetle? I prithee, not a beetle!"

  For Toby had suddenly hidden her face against his shoulder and there wasactual panic in the clinging of her arms. He laid a hand upon her head,and patted it lightly, admonishingly.

  She did not speak for a second or two, only gulped with desperate effortat self-restraint. Then, at length, in a muffled voice, "Don't let himtake me away!" she besought him shakily. "You--you--you've promised tokeep me--now."

  "But, of course I'm keeping you," said Saltash. "It's what I did it for.It's the very essence of the game. Cheer up, Nonette! I'm not partingwith any of my goods, worldly or otherwise, this journey."

  "You are sure?" whispered Toby. "Sure?"

  "Sure of what?" He bent swiftly, and for a second, only a second, hislips touched her hair.

  "Sure you--don't--want to?" came in a gasp from Toby, as she burrowed alittle deeper.

  "Oh, that!" Saltash stood up again, and his face was sardonic, for themoment almost grim. "Yes, quite sure of that, my dear. Moreover,--it willamuse me to meet the virtuous Jake on his own ground for once. A newsensation, Nonette! Will you help me to face him? Or do you prefer themore early-Victorian _role_ of the lady who retires till the combat isover and then emerges to reward the winner?"

  She lifted her head at that, and uttered a scoffing little laugh,withdrawing herself abruptly from his support. Her pointed chin went upwith a hint of defiance. All signs of agitation were gone. "I'll stay andhelp you," she said.

  He made her an elaborate bow. "Then we will ring up the curtain. Icongratulate you, madam, upon your spirit. I trust the interview will nottry your fortitude too far. Remember, should your feminine ears beshocked by anything that may pass between us, it is up to you to retireat any moment."

  Toby's blue eyes caught sudden fire. She broke into an unexpectedchuckle. "I do not think I am likely to retire for that reason,_monseigneur_," she said. "Where is he? How did you know he was coming?"

  "Because he is already here," said Saltash. "I passed him at the office,making enquiries. He had his back to me, but there is no mistaking thatbull-neck of his. Ah!" He turned his head sharply. "I hear a stepoutside! Sit down, _mignonne_! Sit down and be dignified!"

  But Toby's idea of dignity was to sit on the corner of the table andswing one leg. If any apprehension lingered in her mind, she concealed itmost successfully. She looked like an alert and mischievous boy.

  There came a knock at the door, and for a moment her eyes sought Saltash.He grinned back derisively, and pulled out his cigarette-case."_Entrez!_" he called.

  The door opened with a flourish. A waiter entered with a card.

  Saltash barely looked at him. His eyes flashed beyond to the opendoorway. "You can come in," he remarked affably. "We've been expectingyou for some time."

  Jake entered. His square frame seemed to fill the space between thedoor-posts. He was empty-handed, but there was purpose--grim purpose--inevery line of him.

  Saltash dismissed the waiter with a jerk of the eyebrows. He was utterlyunabashed, amazingly self-assured. He met Jake's stern eyes with cheeryeffrontery.

  "Quite like old times!" he commented. "The only difference being, my goodJake, that on this occasion I have reached the winning-post first."

  Jake's look went beyond him to the slight figure by the table. Toby wason her feet. Her face
was flushed, but her eyes were wide and defiant. Heregarded her steadily for several seconds before, very deliberately, hetransferred his attention to Saltash, who nonchalantly awaited his turn,tapping the cigarette on the lid of his case with supreme indifference.

  Jake spoke, his voice soft as a woman's, yet strangely dominating. "Ishould like two minutes alone with you--if you can spare them."

  Saltash was smiling. His glance shot towards Toby, and came back to Jakewith a certain royal arrogance that held its own without effort. "Inother words, you wish--Lady Saltash--to leave us?" he questioned easily.

  "I'm not going," said Toby quickly, with nervous decision.

  Her hands were tightly clasped in front of her. She stood as one strungto the utmost limit of resistance.

  Jake did not again look at her. His eyes were upon Saltash, and theynever wavered. "Alone with you," he repeated, with grim insistence.

  Saltash regarded him curiously. His mouth twitched mockingly as he putthe cigarette between his lips. He held out the case to Jake in muteinvitation.

  Jake's look remained fixed. He ignored the action, and the case snappedshut in Saltash's hand with a sharp sound that seemed to denote amomentary exasperation. But Saltash's face still retained the monkey-likeexpression of calculated mischief habitual to it.

  "Bunny with you?" he enquired casually, producing a match-box.

  "No." Very quietly came Jake's answer. "I have come to see you--alone."

  Saltash lighted his cigarette, and blew a careless cloud of smoke. "Areyou proposing to shoot me?" he asked, after a pause.

  "No," said Jake grimly. "Shooting's too good for you--men like you."

  Saltash laughed, and blew another cloud of smoke. "That may be why I havesurvived so long," he remarked. "I don't see the horsewhip either. Jake,my friend, you are not rising to the occasion with becoming enthusiasm.Any good offering you a drink to stimulate your energies?"

  "None whatever," said Jake, still very quietly. "I don't go--till I havewhat I came for--that's all. Neither do you!"

  "I--see!" said Saltash.

  An odd little gleam that was almost furtive shone for a second in hiseyes and was gone. He turned and crossed the room to Toby.

  "My dear," he said, "I think this business will be more quickly settledif you leave us."

  She looked at him piteously. He took her lightly by the arm, and led herto a door leading to an adjoining room. "By the time you have smoked onecigarette," he said, "I shall be with you again."

  She turned with an impulsive attempt to cling to him. "You'll--keep me?"she said, through trembling lips.

  He made a royal gesture that frustrated her with perfect courtesy. "Areyou not my wife?" he said.

  He opened the door for her, and she had no choice but to go through. Shewent swiftly, without another glance, and Saltash closed the door behindher.