CHAPTER XLIX
LOVE AND ROSES
It was late the next afternoon before Maxwell arrived in London. He wasstill feeling ill and shaky, but there was hope in his heart now, forLechmere's telegram recalling him had given him reason to believe thateverything was perfectly settled. He dressed and walked as quickly as hecould to Lord Merehaven's house. He had been instructed to do so byLechmere's telegram. He was a little surprised and confused to find LordMerehaven shaking him cordially by the hand and inviting him to sitdown.
"Everything has been explained," Merehaven said. "You were a littlefoolish, Charles, but I don't see that you were in the least to blame.We are all foolish where pretty women are concerned. We know now how thecountess tried to drag you into the business, in fact Lancing had left aletter explaining everything and absolutely exonerating you from blame.Of course Vera did not know of it when she set out on her dangerousmission, and left that splendid creature Jessie Harcourt to take herplace. It does one good to know that this old country can produce suchgirls. Nobody knows anything, not even as to Lancing's letter or of thedeath of the King of Asturia. It is all settled."
"Except as to those missing papers," Maxwell said, suppressing atendency to laugh hysterically.
"The papers are recovered," Merehaven chuckled as he proceeded toexplain. "I have seen Count Gleikstein to-day and I fancy that he willrespect me a little more in the future. We have won all along the line.And the news from Asturia is good. Of course we in the secret know howthat matter has been arranged--that Prince Peretori played poor KingErno's part and posed as the king. Everybody believes that Erno hasabdicated in favour of Prince Alix, who is in the capital of Asturia,where he was crowned yesterday with the acclamations of the people.Peretori is on his way back to England and before nightfall the paperswill have it that he has reached London. The papers will also say thathe went at once to the rooms of General Maxgregor and that he waslooking shockingly ill. All this had been arranged, you understand.To-morrow all London will be grieved to hear that the king passedquietly away in the night at the general's rooms. That is all rightbecause the body is there and Dr. Varney will give the necessarycertificate. Those who wish to be sure will see the body for themselves.And I don't forget how carefully you managed that business, my boy, at atime when you were knocked about in that accident. The thing is a mostextraordinary romance, one of the strangest affairs that ever happenedin Europe. But Europe will never know it and the world will be thepoorer for one of the finest plays ever left unwritten. I forgot to saythat I probably vindicated your character in the House of Lords lastnight. I stretched my conscience a bit, but it had to be done. And now Iam going to give you a few days' holiday. Let me get back to my papersagain. Oh, I forgot to say that Lady Merehaven wants to speak to you.You will find her in the drawing-room, I think."
Lord Merehaven fairly hustled his young guest out of the room withoutwaiting for any further thanks. His step was lighter and his eyes moresparkling than it had been for some days. All the same, he drew back alittle as he saw that Vera Galloway was waiting for him alone.
"My aunt had to go out," she said demurely. "She will not be long,Charlie. Oh, my dear boy, how foolish you have been, and how splendidlyyou atoned for your folly."
Charles Maxwell felt his heart beating a little faster. He advanced withhands extended.
"So you have forgiven me," he cried. "I had hardly hoped for this, Vera.And yet I did nothing. It was no more than a silly piece of vanity. Butwhen I found that Lancing was in deadly earnest----"
"I don't think we need discuss it," Vera said quietly. "Naturally youtook the countess to be an honest woman, you had no idea that she was amere adventuress. What started me on the track was a letter which foundits way into my hands by mistake. There was no time to lose, but I couldnot find you. I could not find Captain Lancing also. You see, I darednot take anybody into my confidence, for there was always the chancethat you were implicated. Then I thought of what Ronald Hope had saidabout the shop girl who was so like me--you see I happened to know whoshe was. The scheme flashed into my mind and I put it into operation atonce. I would go and steal those papers because I had a pretty goodidea where to find them. I knew my way about that house as well as Iknow about this one. And I was successful beyond my wildest dreams....The rest I have just heard from my uncle. My dear Charlie, what a talewe could tell Europe if we only chose."
But Charlie Maxwell refused to say any more about it. He had had a goodlesson and he was going to take it to heart. Meanwhile all was well thatended well, he said. It was a very delicious half hour that passedbefore a footman announced Miss Jessie Harcourt.
The girls looked wonderfully alike as they stood side by side andMaxwell was fain to admit it. He saw Jessie's eyes gleam and the colourcome into her face as Ronald Hope entered. He advanced at once and shookhim cordially by the hand.
"'Be you as pure as snow, and as chaste as ice, thou shalt not escapecalumny,'" he quoted. "I know there was nothing wrong as far as you wereconcerned, Maxwell. And Lancing either. They tell me his gambling debtsturned his mind, poor fellow. And there were no papers missing afterall."
"Not as far as I am concerned," Maxwell said grimly. "The fellows at theclub----"
"Consider that you have been infernally badly treated by a mob ofnewspaper gossips," said Ronald. "By the way, there is an exceedinglyhandsome apology in to-day's _Mercury_. Everybody is talking about it. Ishould let the matter stop there if I were you."
Everything fell out exactly as Lord Merehaven had predicted. The eveningpapers were full of the new Asturian affair. They were glad to findthat Russia had been checkmated and that the appointment of Prince Alixwas likely to give satisfaction. They also cherished the fact that KingErno was back in London and that he was looking very ill. The morningpapers got their innings in due course with the announcement thatex-King Erno was dead, and that he had died in the night at GeneralMaxgregor's rooms. Dr. Varney had given a certificate of death to theeffect that his highness had succumbed to the shock following on hisrailway accident, and there was no more to be said. The body of theunfortunate prince was going to be embalmed and taken back to hiscountry for burial. Count Gleikstein was puzzled and felt that he hadbeen in some way outwitted, but there was the corpse of the king for himto see, and there, unfortunately for him, was Prince Alix apparentlyfirmly seated on the throne of Asturia. It was impossible for the countat this juncture to hold any sort of communication with either Mazaroffor Countess Saens, seeing that they were both arrested and both hadserious charges hanging over them. Russia would have to wait a furtheropportunity to gratify her designs upon Asturia.
"What will be the upshot of it all?" Ronald Hope asked Jessie as the twoof them strolled in the gardens behind Merehaven House a week later.There had been a small dinner-party there and the ex-Queen of Asturiajust back from the burial of her husband had been present. "Where will_she_ end, Jessie?"
Jessie laughed and coloured as she replied to the question. There wasnobody near so that she kissed Ronald.
"I hope _she_ will end as happily as my trouble is going to end withyou," the girl said softly. "I have seen quite enough of the queen toknow where her heart is. I know the temptation that was placed on theshoulders of General Maxgregor that fateful night. He loves the groundthat the queen walks on. And she knows it quite as well as I know thatyou love me, Ronald. She would have kept her secret so long as thethrone was fairly under her. But that is all over, and henceforth QueenMargaret and Asturia will be strangers. She feels that she has beatenRussia and that the dynasty is safe with Prince Alix. It was a nearthing, but between us we managed to win. Thenceforth the queen will beno more than a subject of King Edward here, and her happiness is in herown hands if she chooses to grip it."
Jessie's voice trailed off to a whisper, for at the same moment ex-QueenMargaret came out of the house down the lane with General Maxgregor byher side. They were talking very earnestly, and they passed by the sideof the sundial where Jessie had stood not so many ni
ghts before waitingfor the signal to come. The queen said something in a broken voice, herhead dropped, she held out her hand to Maxgregor who carried it to hislips.
"So that is settled," the involuntary eavesdroppers heard him say. "Godbless you for those words, Margaret. I always knew that this would come.And if the passing of the years does not bring----"
There was no more to be heard. Jessie stepped forward and smiled as thequeen beckoned her.
"You look very happy, my child," she said. "And Captain Hope! Are youvery happy, Jessie?"
"I believe I am the happiest girl in the world," she said in a voicethat thrilled. "Oh, so happy, your majesty. I only wish with my heartthat you would be the same."
"Do you?" the queen said drily. "It is a secret yet, but--but I am goingto ... try."
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Transcriber's note:
--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
--Printer and punctuation inaccuracies were silently corrected.
--Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.
--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.
--The author's long dash style has been preserved.
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