The Black Moth: A Romance of the XVIIIth Century

by Georgette Heyer

  CHAPTER X

  LADY O'HARA RETIRES

  For a long minute silence reigned, all three actors in the little comedylistening to the heavy footsteps retreating down the passage, Carstareswith one arm still around my lady's waist and a rather strained look onhis face. Molly instinctively felt that something beyond her ken was inthe air, and glanced fearfully up at the white face above her. Theexpression in the blue eyes fixed on her husband made her turn sharplyto look at him. She found that he was staring at my lord as though hesaw a ghost: She wanted to speak, to relieve the tension, but all wordsstuck in her throat, and she could only watch the _denouement_breathlessly. At last O'Hara moved, coming slowly towards them, readingJohn's countenance. Some of the wonder went out of his face, and, as ifhe sensed the other's agony of mind, he smiled suddenly and laid hishands once more on the straight, stiff shoulders.

  "Jack, ye rascal, what do ye mean by hugging and kissing me wife underme very eyes?"

  Molly all at once remembered the position of her "Cousin Harry's" arm,and gave a little gasp, whisking herself away.

  My lord put out his hands and strove to thrust his friend off.

  "Miles, don't forget--don't forget--what I am!"

  The words were forced out, but his head was held high.

  "Tare an' ouns, man! And is it meself that'll be caring what ye may ormay not be? Oh, Jack, Jack, I'm so pleased to see ye, that I can scarcerealise 'tis yourself I am looking at! When did ye come to England, andwhat-a-plague are you doing in that costume?" He jerked his head towhere John's mask lay, and wrung the hand he held as though he wouldnever stop.

  "I've been in England a year. As to the mask--!" He shrugged andlaughed.

  Lady O'Hara pushed in between them.

  "But please I do not understand!" she said plaintively.

  Carstares bowed over her hand.

  "May I be permitted to thank you for your kindly intervention, my lady?And to congratulate Miles on his marriage?"

  She dimpled charmingly and curtsied. Her husband caught her round thewaist.

  "Ay, the saucy minx! Oh, me cousin Harry, forsooth! If it had beenanyone but Jack I should be angry with ye, asthore, for 'twas a wickedthrick to play entirely!"

  She patted his hand and smiled across at Jack.

  "Of course, I would never have done such a forward thing had I not knownthat he was indeed a gentleman--and had he not saved me from suddendeath!" she added as an afterthought.

  Miles looked sharply round at her and then at Carstares.

  "What's this?"

  "My lady exaggerates," smiled my lord. "'Tis merely that I had thehonour to catch her as she fell down the steps this morning."

  O'Hara looked relieved.

  "Ye are not hurt, alanna?"

  "Gracious, no! But I had to do something to show my gratitude--and I wassure that you would never expose _my_ fraud--so I--But," as a suddenthought struck her, "you seem to _know_ my highwayman!"

  "Sure an' I do, Molly. 'Tis none other than Jack Carstares of whom ye'veoften heard me speak!"

  She turned round eyes of wonderment upon my lord.

  "Can it be--is it possible that you are my husband's dearestfriend--Lord John?"

  Jack flushed and bowed.

  "I was once--madam," he said stiffly.

  "Once!" she scoffed. "Oh, if you could but hear him speak of you! ButI'll let you hear him speak _to_ you, which perhaps you'll enjoy more. Iknow you've a prodigious great deal to say to one another, so I shallrun away and leave you alone." She smiled graciously upon him, blew anairy kiss to her husband and went quickly out of the room.

  Carstares closed the door behind her and came back to O'Hara, who hadflung himself back into his chair, trying, manlike, to conceal theexcitement he was feeling.

  "Come, sit ye down, Jack, and let me have the whole story!"

  My lord divested himself of his long cloak and shook out his hithertotucked-up ruffles. From the pocket of his elegant scarlet riding coat hedrew a snuff-box, which he opened languidly. With his eyes restingquizzically on O'Hara's face, he took a delicate pinch of snuff andminced across the room.

  Miles laughed.

  "What's this?"

  "This, my dear friend, is Sir Anthony Ferndale, Bart.!" He bowed withgreat flourish.

  "Ye look it. But come over here, Sir Anthony Ferndale, Bart., and tellme everything."

  Jack perched on the edge of the desk and swung his leg.

  "Well really, I do not think there is much to tell that you do notalready know, Miles. You know all about Dare's card-party, for instance,precisely six years ago?"

  "'Tis just exactly what I do not know!" retorted O'Hara.

  "You surprise me! I thought the tale was rife."

  "Now, Jack, will ye have done drawling at me? Don't be forgetting I'myour friend--"

  "But are you? If you know the truth about me, do you feel inclined tocall me friend?"

  "There never was a time when I would not have been proud to call yefriend, as ye would very well have known, had ye been aught but a damnedyoung hothead! I heard that crazy tale about the card-party, but do yethink I believed it?"

  "It was the obvious thing to do."

  "Maybe, but I fancy I know ye just a little too well to believe anycock-and-bull story I'm told about ye. And even if I had been foolenough to have believed it, do ye think I'd be going back on ye? Sure,'tis a poor friend I'd be!"

  Jack stared down at the toe of his right boot in silence.

  "I know something more than we guessed happened at that same party, andI have me suspicions, but 'tis your affair, and whatever ye did ye hadyour reasons for. But, Jack, why in the name of wonder must ye fly offto the devil alone knows where, without so much as a good-bye toanyone?"

  Carstares never raised his eyes from the contemplation of that boot. Hespoke with difficulty.

  "Miles--in my place--would you not have done the same?"

  "Well--"

  "You know you would. Was it likely that I should inflict myself on youat such a time? What would you have thought of me had I done so?"

  O'Hara brought his hand down smartly on the other's knee.

  "I'd have thought ye less of a young fool! I would have gone away withye, and nothing would have stopped me!"

  Jack looked up and met his eyes.

  "I know," he said. "'Twas the thought of that--and--and--I could not besure. How should I know whether you would even receive me? Lastnight--last night--I was horribly afraid...."

  The hand on his knee tightened.

  "Ye foolish boy! Ye foolish boy!"

  Bit by bit he drew the story of the past six years out of Carstares, andthough it was a very modified version, Miles understood his friend wellenough to read between the lines.

  "And now," said Jack, when the recital was over, "tell me aboutyourself. When did you marry the attractive lady whom I have just beenkissing?"

  "Ye rogue! I married Molly three years ago. 'Tis a real darling she is,isn't she? And upstairs there's a little chap--your godson."

  "You lucky fellow! My godson, you say? Could you not find anyone moreworthy for that? I want to see him."

  "So ye shall presently. Have ye seen Richard?"

  "A year ago I held up his coach. 'Twas dark, and I could scarce see him,but I thought he seemed aged."

  "Aged! Ye wouldn't be afther knowing him! 'Tis an old man he is. ThoughI swear 'tis no wonder with that hussy about the house! Lord, Jack, youwere well out of that affair with her ladyship!"

  Carstares nursed his foot reflectively.

  "Lavinia? What ails her?"

  "Nought that I know of, save it be her shrewish temper. 'Tis a dog'slife she leads poor Dick."

  "Do you mean to say she does not love Dick?"

  "I cannot say--sometimes she's as affectionate as you please, but atothers she treats him to a fine exhibition of rage. And the money shespends! Of course, she married him for what she could get. There wasnever anything else to count with her."

  Jack sat very stil
l.

  "And anyone but a young fool like yourself would have seen that!"

  A gleam of amusement shot into the wistful blue eyes.

  "Probably. Yourself, for instance?"

  O'Hara chuckled.

  "Oh, ay, I knew! 'Twas the money she was after all along; and nowthere's not so much, it seems, as Dick won't touch a penny that belongsto you."

  "M'm. Warburton told me. Foolish of him."

  A grunt was the sole response.

  Jack's eyes narrowed a little as he gazed out of the window. "So Lavinianever cared? Lord, what a mix-up! And Dick?"

  "I'm afraid he still does."

  "Poor old Dick! Devil take the woman! Does she bully him? I know what heis--always ready to give in."

  "I am not so sure. Yet I'll swear if 'twere not for John his life wouldbe a misery. He misses you, Jack."

  "Who is John?"

  "Did not Warburton tell you? John is the hope of the house. He's fourand a half, and as spoilt a little rascal as you could wish for."

  "Dick's child? Good Lord!"

  "Ay, Dick's child and your nephew." He broke off and looked into theother's face. "Jack, cannot this mystery be cleared up? Couldn't ye goback?" He was clasping Jack's hand, but it was withdrawn, and the eyeslooking down into his were suddenly bored and a little cold.

  "I know of no mystery," said Carstares.

  "Jack, old man, will ye be afther shutting me out of your confidence?"

  A faint, sweet smile curved the fine lips.

  "Let us talk of the weather, Miles, or my mare. Anything rather thanthis painful subject."

  With an impatient movement O'Hara flung back his chair and strode overto the window with his back to my lord. Jack's eyes followed himseriously.

  "If ye cannot trust me, sure I've no more to say, thin!" flashed O'Hara."It seems ye do not value your friends too highly!"

  My lord said never a word. But the hand that rested on the desk clenchedsuddenly. O'Hara wheeled about and came back to his side.

  "Sure, Jack, I never meant that! Forgive me bad temper!"

  Carstares slipped off the table and straightened himself, linking hisarm in the Irishman's.

  "Whisht, Miles, as you'd say yourself," he laughed, "I know that. 'Tisnot that I don't trust you, but--"

  "I understand. I'll not ask ye any more about it at all. Instead, answerme this: what made ye come out with unloaded pistols?"

  The laugh died out of Carstares' face.

  "Oh, just carelessness!" he answered shortly, and he thought of theabsent Jim with a tightening of the lips.

  "'Twas that very same reason with meself thin!" Jack stared at him.

  "Miles, don't tell me yours were unloaded, too?"

  "'Deed an' they were! Ecod, Jack! 'tis the best joke I've heard for atwelvemonth." They both started to laugh. "Sure 'twas bluff on my part,Jack, when I told ye yours was unloaded. And me lady was determined toset you free from the moment I told her all about it this morning. Wewere sure ye were no ordinary highwayman, though I was a fool not tohave known ye right away. But now I have found ye out, ye'll stay withus--Cousin Harry?"

  "I cannot thank you enough, Miles, but I will not do that. I must getback to Jim."

  "And who the devil is Jim?"

  "My servant. He'll be worried nigh to death over me. Nay, do not pressme, I could not stay here, Miles. You must see for yourself 'tisimpossible--Jack Carstares does not exist; only Anthony Ferndale isleft."

  "Jack, dear man, can I not--"

  "No, Miles, you can do nothing, though 'tis like you to want to help,and I do thank you. But--oh well! ... What about my mare?"

  "Plague take me if I'd not forgotten! Jack, that scoundrel of mine lether strain her fetlock. I'm demmed sorry."

  "Poor Jenny! I'll swear she gave him an exciting ride, though."

  "I'll be trying to buy her off ye, Jack, if I see much of her. 'Tis alittle beauty she is."

  "I'm not selling, though I intended to ask you to keep her, if--"

  A quick pressure on his arm arrested him.

  "That will do! I'm too heavy for her anyway."

  "So was that devil of a groom you put on her."

  "Ay. I'm a fool."

  "I always knew that."

  "Whisht now, Jack! Ye'll have to take one of my nags while she heals, ifye won't stay with us. Can ye trust her to me for a week, do yesuppose?"

  "I don't know. It seems as though I must--oh, I retract, I retract. Youare altogether too large, the day is too hot, and my cravat too nicelytied--Egad, Miles! I wish--oh, I _wish_ we were boys again, and--Yes.When may I see your son and heir?"

  "Sure, ye may come now and find Molly, who'll be aching for the sight ofyou. Afther you, Sir Anthony Ferndale, Bart!"