IX THE RECKLESS GAME
The Princess was the first to speak. "Tell me, Your Excellency," shesaid, "do you admit my premises, now?"
"Are you, yourself, quite as sure of them, as you were?" he asked.
"Sure!--sure! I'm absolutely sure--I saw the truth in his eyes--didn'tyou, Armand?"
"No," said the latter, "I didn't--I never saw truth anywhere in Lotzen."
"If he were innocent, why should he plead guilty?" she demanded.
"And if guilty, why should he admit it?" the Archduke asked.
"Because in this case the truth is more misleading than a lie--he had nonotion we would believe him."
"He is a very extraordinary man," observed Courtney; "his mentalprocesses are beyond belief. Your question was the most amazing I everheard, and should have been instantly decisive of his guilt or innocence;instead, it has only clouded the matter deeper for you and cleared itcompletely for him. Your cards are exposed--his are still stacked."
"They are not stacked to me," said Dehra; "he is guilty."
"Then, in that aspect, he has deliberately asked you what you're going todo about it."
"I'm going to get the Book--for Adolph I don't care--I'm glad he killedthe little beast."
"And how," said Armand, "are we to get the Book? No ordinary means willsuffice. Imprisonment would only make a martyr of him and strengthen himenormously with the Nobles and the people; and banishment is absurd; hemay be the King."
"If he has the Book, he would welcome banishment," said Courtney; "itwould relieve him of your espionage. But, Your Highness, let me ask, whyshould he have it now? Armand admitted to the Council he is ineligiblewithout King Frederick's decree, so why would Lotzen preserve thatdecree? The Book is not essential to his title."
The Princess shook her head incredulously. "Ferdinand of Lotzen is aknave but I won't believe that of him.... A Dalberg destroy the DalbergLaws! Inconceivable!--oh, inconceivable!"
"So, between the Crown of Valeria and the Book of Laws, you think hewould chose the latter; and hand the Crown to Armand?"
"He would conceal the Laws--he wouldn't destroy them," she insisted.
The Archduke reached over and took her hand.
"Little woman," he said, "your mistake is in rating Lotzen a Dalberg--heisn't; he's a vicious mongrel; if he had the Book, you can rest assuredhe destroyed it."
But she shook her head.
"Your facts proved him innocent;" she smiled, "and so they don't appealto me to-day. I'm as sure he won't destroy the Laws as I am that hekilled Adolph; what troubles me is how to recover them."
"We have a year----"
"I don't intend to wait a year for your crowning, Sire," she broke in."Nor half a year, either."
He smiled indulgently, and pressing lightly the small fingers that stilllay in his.
"The little Kingmaker," he laughed.
"No, no!" she said, "not I; Mr. Courtney is your Warwick and Valeria'sbenefactor--he saved us from Lotzen."
"Then, your work is not finished, old man," the Archduke remarked;"there's a lot of saving to be done, I fear."
Courtney nodded rather gravely; he was quite of the same mind.
"Warwick will hold to the work," he answered, "and aid you all he may;but, for the immediate present, I would advise that we sit tight and givethe enemy a chance to blunder. And in the meantime, Armand, I suggest youchange the combinations on all the vaults here, and at the Castle."
"It was done ten days ago."
"The Book isn't in any vault," the Princess remarked; "they all have beenthoroughly searched."
"But something else may be in them, which will be needed--one can neverknow," the Ambassador answered. "Leastwise, it won't hamper us, and mayhamper Lotzen--or some one."
"It's only a wise precaution," the Archduke added--"the vault in theKing's library, both here and at the Castle, is filled with records andother valuables, and upon both I changed the combinations myself--Ididn't trust it to a workman, who could be found and bribed."
And it was this change of combination that the Duke of Lotzen haddiscovered that afternoon.
At the Archduke's firm insistence, Colonel Moore, his junior Aide, hadbeen detached from his staff and assigned as Adjutant to the Regent; anda portion of the King's suite, including his library, allotted to him forquarters. This, also, was at the Archduke's personal order--he, himself,might not be there always to guard Dehra, so he gave her the gallantIrishman, with the best sword in the Kingdom and a heart as true as hissword. Lotzen's bravos and his blandishment would be alike powerlessagainst him.
And the Duke, when he saw the order, smiled in quiet satisfaction; andBigler chuckled and read it to Rosen at the Club--"Thank Heaven we shan'thave the other damned foreigner to contend with when we go after theAmerican," he had said.
But when the Duke learned who occupied the library, he cursed Moore andthe luck that had put him there--with the Book in the vault, and to begot, and none but him to get it. For no one, not even his closestassociates, might know he had found it--he could not trust even theirloyalty against the fetish of the Laws. So it was for him alone to obtainit; and now the task--delicate enough at best--had become almostimpossible for one man. Under every precedent, the King's suite shouldhave remained unoccupied, awaiting his successor; but, instead, thisIrishman; this fellow with the quickest sword and surest eye in the Army;this devoted follower of the American, and, after him, the one man inValeria whom he hated the fiercest and feared even more; he was--thoughthank God he did not know it!--guarding the Book for his master.
It was, in truth, the first faint frown of his Goddess, but Lotzen wastoo good a gambler to flout her at the loss of a single turn. It meanteither a little more careful play or a little more recklessness. And, onthe whole, the recklessness was rather more appealing than the care. Ifhe could not easily recover the Book, he could, at least, adventureleaving it where it was--and let the Regent's Adjutant guard it for him,too. And he smiled his cold smile--and longed to make a second Adolph ofthe Irishman, knowing well that he, skillful fencer though he was, couldnever reach Moore's heart save from the rear.
And that day, he had thought to take a reconnoissance, and he had come tothe Summer Palace, trusting for an opportunity to gain admission to thelibrary, to open the vault. There was a possibility that the King'seffects had been removed from it, and the box might also have been taken;and, if so, it might be lying in some room, quite unguarded. Yet hedeluded himself little on that score; the chance was too slight even toconsider seriously; there was really no occasion for emptying the vault;on the contrary, Moore's presence was the very best reason for leaving ituntouched. Nevertheless, it was well enough to make sure.
And here again luck bent to him. As he turned the corner of the corridorat the end farthest from the King's suite, Colonel Moore came out andhurried down the stairway opposite, without a glance aside.
Lotzen smiled, and went on to the library door--and smiled still morebroadly when he saw it was open wide. Really, the thing was getting tooeasy! He stopped and tapped lightly on the jamb with his sword hilt--thenstepped in and glanced quickly around. The shades were half drawn, butthere was enough light for him to see that the room was empty. Goingswiftly to the vault, he whirled the knob through the combination thatAdolph had given him, dropped it at the final number and seized thehandle.... The bolts refused to move. With a frown, he spun the knobagain; and again they stood firm. A third time he tried, carefully andslowly, not overrunning the marks by the shade of a hair--and still thebolts stayed fixed.
With a muttered curse he stepped back, and from the paper in his pocketverified the formula he had used--though he knew he had made nomistake.... Could the valet have lied--have given him a wrongcombination--have actually played him for a fool to his very face!...Impossible--quite impossible--he could recognize fear when he saw it; andno servant ever lied adroitly under such terror as had gripped Adolph atthat moment. He stared at the va
ult and at the paper ... and, then, of asudden, he understood--the combination had been changed.... Why--by whom,did not matter now. Enough, that behind that iron door the Book wassurely lying, and he powerless to obtain it.... Well, so be it--he mustchance the risk; the reckless game had been forced upon him by hisenemies, and he would play it out. They did not imagine the Book was inthe box--they would seek it elsewhere--and the American would lead in theseeking--on--on--on to Lotzenia, and the castle on the mountain, highabove the foaming Dreer--and then!... A fell smile crossed his face, andhis eyes narrowed malevolently--there would be no need for the Book, whenthey came back to Dornlitz.
As he stepped into the corridor, the door opposite, in the Princess'suite, opened and Mademoiselle d'Essolde came out.
"Your Highness!" she said, dropping him a bit of a curtsy.
"My lady!" he answered, bowing over her hand; then motioned behind him."Who occupies his Majesty's apartments?" he asked.
"The Adjutant to Her Royal Highness," she answered, knowing well he knew.
"True," said he; "I quite forgot. Colonel Moore has pleasant quarters,"and he smiled.
His inference was too evident to miss. She was of the Regent's Householdand Moore was her most persistent suitor. She made no pretense to concealher displeasure, though she echoed his laugh.
"Yes, very pleasant," she answered, "yet they won't be his for long--hebut holds them for another."
"And the other?" maliciously driving her to the choice between theArchduke and himself.
She raised her eyebrows.
"There could be but one, my lord," she answered, looking at him with calmdirectness.
He laughed. "May be we do not guess alike; and I fear me, when my othercomes, the dashing Colonel will have to make a far move--beyond theborder."
The blue eyes snapped. "I can well believe Your Highness," she retorted."When you move in, Colonel Moore would scorn to stay this side theborder."
Elise d'Essolde never forgot the look that came in Lotzen's eyes. It was,she said afterwards to the Regent, as though he had actually struck herin the face. And, for a little while, he did not speak. Then as she drewback into the room, he bowed, his hand upon his heart.
"My thanks, my lady, my thanks for your candor," his voice soft and verykind--"I shall see to it that your Colonel does not go alone."
"Small danger," she replied, as she slowly closed the door, "YourHighness has been seeing to that with fine success, these many years--aurevoir, mon Prince," and the latch clicked between them.
With a shrug, the Duke turned away. What a vixen she was!--and how verysure Dehra must be of the American's succession, when one of herHousehold would venture to flout Ferdinand of Lotzen to his face. Hismouth hardened. Damn the woman who played with statecraft--who meddledwith the things she knew nothing of--who would impose a foreigner upon anancient Kingdom, just because he was her lover. Damn the wholetribe--they were fit only to play with clothes, and to serve man's idlemoment....
The rattle of a sword and click of spurs sounded on the stairway, and theRegent's Adjutant turned the corner.
"Ah, Colonel, well met!" said Lotzen briskly, as Moore came to attentionand salute; "I took the liberty, as I passed your quarters, of looking atHis late Majesty's portrait; I wish to have a copy made--the door wasopen, so I assumed I might go in," and with a pleasant smile and nod hepassed on--then stopped. "My congratulations on your promotion--though asthe smartest soldier in the army it belonged to you."
Moore looked after him thoughtfully.
"What particularly fine bit of deviltry are you up to now," he muttered;"and what were you really doing in the library?"
Half way down the corridor Moore met Elise d'Essolde.
"Whither away, my lady, whither away?" he asked, sweeping the floor withhis cap.
"I'm not your lady," she answered, making to pass by, but smilingsidelong at him.
"Egad, I wish you wouldn't tell me that so often--have some regard for mypoor heart."
She tossed her head. "Your heart, indeed! which heart? An Irishman has ahundred and a different girl for every one."
"This Irishman has a million hearts--and the same girl for them all."
She put the tip of her parasol to the wall, and leaned lightly againstit.
"And how many hearts has she?" she asked.
He shook his head sadly. "None--none--not the faintest trace of one."
She bent further over, and tightened the bow of blue ribbon on the staff.
"May be you're not the one to find it," she smiled--"another man----" andthe merry eyes glinted gaily through the long lashes.
"Oh, I'm the man--and she knows it."
A little laugh rippled forth--"And does she know, also, your stupendousself sufficiency?"
"Yes, she knows that, too--and likes me just the same."
"Which would seem to be very little--as it should be.... My parasol ifyou please, I'm going."
He kept his hold.
"You little witch," he said; "I don't know why I let you walk upon meso."
The saucy mouth drooped at the corners. "Nor I why I walk--the way issurely very stony.... My parasol, I said."
He glanced up and down the corridor.
"Do you know," he said seriously, "I believe that hat is so big I couldkiss you, and no one see us."
She dropped the sun-shade and sprang back.
"Yes, I believe you could--and I believe you actually would--but youshan't."
He opened the parasol, and drew the circle close behind his head.
"It's not quite so large as your hat," he went on, "but I think, if youdon't struggle too much, I can manage to hold it properly."
He went slowly toward her--she retreated.
"Come," she commanded;... "cease this foolishness ... my parasol;... I'mgoing...."
He did not answer.
"Ralph," she exclaimed, "are you crazy!"
He shook his head and came on.
She was on the stairway now--a glance:--no one was below her. She liftedher skirts with both hands, and backed down the steps, smiling up at himthe while, tantalizingly.
"Come on," she said, as he halted at the top; "I need the parasol; comeon."
"You little devil," he laughed; "You'll tempt me once too often.... Here,take your sun-shade--I may have need of it another time."
"Merci--amant, merci," she inflected softly, then flung him a kiss fromher finger tips--"and you take that--I won't need it another time--and,if I do, I've others."
"Many others?" he asked.
She faced about, and raising the parasol swung it between them.
"A million--for your hearts," she answered, and ran quickly down thesteps.
Meanwhile the Duke of Lotzen, passing along the lower corridor, hadcaught, in a mirror, the reflection of the scene on the stairs, and hadpaused to watch it.
"A pretty picture, Mademoiselle; truly, a pretty picture," he said, asthey met; "and most charming from the rear--and below--oh! mostcharming."
Her cheeks and brow went red as flame, as she caught his meaning.
"You vile peeper," she exclaimed; "doubtless, you're an experiencedjudge," and dropping the parasol in his face, nor caring that the silkstruck him, she hurried by.
The Duke looked after her contemplatively. Really, this girl was worthwhile--he must take a hand in the Irishman's game--that hair, those eyes,that walk, that figure--oh, decidedly, she was quite worth while.
With an evil little laugh, he put her out of his mind, for the moment,and turned toward the terrace and to business. He had learned of thealfresco luncheon near the pergola, and he appreciated that there was theplace to make the first move in his new plot.
Yet when, from the sun-dial, as he feigned to study it, he saw thePrincess, through the rhododendrons--with the American across the tablefrom her, where he himself ought to have been; and watched her lavishupon Armand the adorable smile that should have been his; and knew,afresh, that, come what may, the glorious woman yonder was lost to himforever--
his anger welled so high he dared not risk a meeting, lest inhis rage he wreck his cause completely. So he braced his shouldersagainst the fierce desire that tugged him toward them, and went on,giving no glance aside.
Then the Princess called him; and when the only voice able, hitherto, totouch a soft chord in his heart, struck now a jarring dissonance, thefury passed; and again he was the man of cold, calm hate and ruthlesspurpose. So he turned aside, and to his enemies--her and theforeigner--deliberating how to make his play quickly, yet naturally andwith seeming inadvertence. The faintest blunder would be fatal withCourtney watching; Armand he despised.
And at Dehra's sudden question, he had almost laughed aloud--was italways to be so easy! But he bound his face to his part, and made hisanswer, and went his way; whistling softly, and all unknowingly, a littlesong, that a slender, sinuous woman, with raven hair and dead-whitecheek, had sung to him in the North.
And when, presently, it came to him whose the song was, and where he hadheard it, he laughed gaily.
"An omen!" he said aloud, "an omen! On to Lotzenia--and a dead Archduke."
The Princess Dehra Page 9