The Avenger
Page 23
CHAPTER XXIII
A PASSIONATE PILGRIM
It seemed to Wrayson, as by and by he began to make bolder and morerapid progress, that it was an actual fairy world into which he waspassing with beating heart and this strange new sense of deliciousexcitement. As he drew nearer, the round Norman towers and immense greyfront of the chateau began to take to themselves more definite shape.The gardens began to spread themselves out; terraced lawns, from whoseflower-beds, now a blurred chaos so far as colour was concerned, wavesof perfume came stealing down to him; statuary appeared, white andghostly in the half light, and here and there startlingly lifelike;there were trimmed shrubs, and a long wall of roses trailed down fromthe high stone balcony. But, as yet, there was no sound or sign of humanlife! That was to come.
Wrayson came to a pause at last. He had passed from the shelter of thewoods into a laurel walk, but further than this he could not go withoutbeing plainly visible to any one in the chateau. So he waited andwatched. There were lights, he could see now, behind many of the groundfloor windows of the chateau, and more than once he fancied that he couldcatch the sound of music. He tried to fancy in which room she was, toproject his passionate will through the twilight, so that she should cometo him. But the curtains remained undrawn, and the windows closed. StillWrayson waited!
Then at last Providence intervened. Above the top of the woods, over onthe other side of the chateau, came first a faint lightening in the sky,which gradually deepened into a glow. Slowly the rim of the moon creptup, and very soon the spectral twilight was at an end. The shadowylandscape became real and vivid. It was a new splendour creeping softlyinto the night. Wrayson moved a little further back into his shelter, andeven as he did so one of the lower windows of the chateau was thrownopen, and two women, followed by a man, stepped out. Their appearance wasso sudden that Wrayson felt his breath almost taken away. He leaned alittle forward and watched them eagerly.
The woman, who was foremost of the little group, was a stranger to him,although her features, and a somewhat peculiar headdress which she wore,seemed in a sense familiar. She was tall and dark, and she carriedherself with the easy dignity of a woman of rank. Her face was thoughtfuland her expression sweet; if she was not actually beautiful, she was atleast a woman whom it was impossible to ignore. But Wrayson glanced ather only for a minute. It was Louise who stood by her side!--the music ofher voice came floating down to him. Heavens! had he ever realized howbeautiful she was? He devoured her with his eyes, he strained his nervesto hear what they were saying. He was ridiculously relieved to see thatthe man who stood by their side was grey-headed. He was beginning torealize what love was. Jealousy would be intolerable.
They moved about the terrace. He scarcely knew whether he hoped or fearedthe more that they would descend and come nearer to him. After all, itwas cruelly tantalizing. He dared not disobey the Baroness, or he wouldhave stepped boldly from his hiding-place and gone up to them. But that,by the terms of his promise, was impossible. He was to make his presenceknown to Louise only if he could do so secretly. He was not to accost herin the presence of any other person. It might be days or weeks before theopportunity came--or it might--it might be minutes! For, almost withoutwarning, she was alone. The others had left her, with farewells, if any,of the briefest. She came forward to the grey stone parapet, and, withher head resting upon her hand, looked out towards the woods.
His heart began to beat faster--his brain was confused. Was there anychance that she would descend into the gardens--dare he make a signalto her? Her head and shoulders were bare, and a slight breeze hadsprung up during the last few minutes. Perhaps she would feel the coldand go in! Perhaps--
He watched her breathlessly. She had abandoned her thoughtful attitudeand was standing upright, looking around her. She looked once at thewindow. She was apparently undecided whether to go in or not. Wraysonprayed then, if he had never prayed before. He didn't know to whom! Hewas simply conscious of an intense desire, which seemed somehowformulated into an appeal. Before he was fully conscious of it, she wascoming down the steps. She stood on the edge of the lawn for a moment, asthough considering; then, carefully raising her skirts in both hands, shepicked her way amongst the flower-beds, coming almost directly towardshim. Glancing round, he saw her objective--a rustic seat under a darkcedar tree, and he saw, too, that she must pass within a few feet ofwhere he stood. She walked as one dreaming, or whose thoughts are fardistant, her head thrown back, her eyes half closed. The awakening, whenit came, was sudden enough.
"Louise," he called to her softly, "Louise!"
She dropped her skirts. For a moment he feared that she was goingto cry out.
"Who is that?" she asked sharply.
"It is I, Herbert Wrayson," he answered. "Don't be afraid. Shall I comeout to you, or will you come down the laurel path?"
"You!" she murmured. "You!"
He saw the light in her face, and his voice was hoarse with passion.
"Come," he cried, "or I must fetch you! Louise! Sweetheart!"
She came towards him a little timidly, her eyebrows arched, a divinesmile playing about her lips. She stood at the entrance to the laurelgrove and peered a little forward.
"Where are you?" she asked. "Is it really you? I think that I am a littleafraid! Oh!"
He took her into his arms with a little laugh of happiness. Time and lifeitself stood still. Her feeble remonstrances were swept away in the tideof his passion. His lips hung burning against hers.
"My sweetheart!" he murmured. "Thank God you came!"...
She disengaged herself presently. A clock from the stables was striking.She counted the hours.
"Eleven o'clock!" she exclaimed. "Herbert, how long have I been here?"
"Don't ask me that," he answered. "Only tell me how long you aregoing to stay."
"Not another minute, really," she declared. "They will be sending outsearch parties for me directly. And--Herbert--how did you get here?" shedemanded anxiously.
"I climbed over the wall," he answered cheerfully. "There didn't seem tobe any other way."
She seemed almost incredulous.
"Didn't you see any watchmen?" she asked.
"There was one at the gates," he answered. "I fancied he followed me upthe road, but I gave him the slip all right."
"Be careful how you go back," she begged. "This place is supposed to beclosely watched."
"Watched! Why?" he asked. "Are you afraid of robbers?"
"How much did the Baroness tell you?" she asked.
"Nothing, except that I should find you here," he declared. "She made mepromise that I would wait for an opportunity of seeing you alone."
"And why," she asked, "have you come?"
He took her into his arms again.
"I have learnt what love is," he murmured, "and I have forgotten theother things."
"That is all very well," she laughed, smoothing out her hair; "but theother things may be very important to me."
"A man named Stephen Heneage has taken up this Barnes affair," heanswered. "He saw you leave the flats that night, and he is likely, if hethinks that it might lead to anything, to give the whole show away. Hewarned me to get away from England and--but you want the truth, don'tyou? All these are excuses! I came because I wanted you!--because Icouldn't live without you, Louise! Couldn't we steal away somewhere andnever go back? Why need we? We could go to Paris to-morrow, catch theOrient express the next day--I know a dozen hiding-places where we shouldbe safe enough. We will make our own world and our own life--and forget!"
"Forget!" She drew a little away from him. Her tone chilled him."Herbert," she said, "whatever happens, I must go now--this moment. Whereare you stopping?"
"The _Lion d'Or_," he answered, "down in the village."
"I will send a note in the morning," she said eagerly. "Only you must gonow, dear. Some one will be out to look for me, and I cannot think--Imust have a little time to decide. Be very careful as you go back. If youare stopped, be sure and make them understan
d that you are an Englishman.Good night!"
He kissed her passionately. She yielded to his embrace, but almostimmediately drew herself away. He clutched at her hand, but she eludedhim. With swift footsteps she crossed the lawn. Just as she reached theterrace, the windows opened once more and some one called her name.
"I am coming in now," he heard her answer. "It has been such awonderful night!"