CHAPTER XXVIII
IN WHICH WHAT THREATENED TO BE TRAGEDY TURNS TO COMEDY
With a smothered cry Diana flew across the room to where my lord lay ina pitiful little heap, but before her was Richard. He fell on his kneesbeside the still figure, feeling for the wound.
Diana, on the other side, looked across at him.
"'Tis his shoulder, sir--an old wound. Oh, he is not--he cannotbe--_dead_?"
Richard shook his head dumbly and gently laid bare the white shoulder.The wound was bleeding very slightly, and they bound it deftly betwixtthem, with their united handkerchiefs and a napkin seized from thetable.
"'Tis exhaustion, I take it," frowned Richard, his hand before the palelips. "He is breathing still."
Over her shoulder Diana shot an order:
"One of you men, please fetch water and cognac!"
"At once, madam!" responded Andrew promptly, and hurried out.
She bent once more over my lord, gazing anxiously into his face.
"He will live? You--are sure? He--he must have rid all the way fromMaltby--for me!" She caught her breath on a sob, pressing one lifelesshand to her lips.
"For you, madam?" Richard looked an inquiry.
She blushed.
"Yes--he--we--I--"
"I see," said Richard gravely.
She nodded.
"Yes, and--and the Duke--caught me, and--brought me here--and--and then_he_ came--and saved me!"
The air blowing in from the window stirred the ruffles of my lord'sshirt, and blew a strand of her dark hair across Diana's face. Shecaught it back and stared at Richard with a puzzled air.
"Pardon me, sir--but you are so like him!"
"I am his brother," answered Richard shortly.
Her eyes grew round with surprise.
"His _brother_, sir? I never knew Mr. Carr had a brother!"
"Mr.--who?" asked Richard.
"Carr. It is not his name, is it? I heard the Duke call himCarstares--and--my lord."
"He is the Earl of Wyncham," answered Richard, stretching out a hand torelieve Andrew of the jug of water he was proffering.
"Good--gracious!" gasped Diana. "B-but he said he was a highwayman!"
"Quite true, madam."
"True? But how--how ridiculous--and how like him!"
She soaked a handkerchief in the water, and bathed my lord's forehead.
"He is not coming to in the least," she said nervously. "You are sure'tis not--not--"
"Quite. He'll come round presently. You said he had ridden far?"
"He must have, sir--I wish he were not so pale--he was staying with theO'Haras at Maltby."
"What? The O'Haras?"
"Yes--and he must have ridden from there--and his wound still sotender!" Again she kissed the limp hand.
Over by the window his Grace, his breath recovered, was eyeing Andrewthrough his quizzing-glass.
"May I inquire what brings you here?" he asked sweetly. "And why you sawfit to bring the saintly Richard?"
"I came because it suited me to do so. I never dreamed you werehere--'Pon my soul, I did not!"
"Where then did you think I was?"
"Never thought about you at all, my dear fellow. I'm not your squire."
"Why is Richard here?"
"Lord, what a catechism! He is here because he brought me with him onhis way to Wyncham. Have you any objection?"
"It would be useless," shrugged Tracy. "Have I killed that young fool?"
Andrew looked him over in disgust.
"No, you have not. You have barely touched him, thanks be."
"Dear me! Why this sudden affection for Carstares?"
Andrew swung round on his heel, remarking over his shoulder:
"He may be a cheat, but he's a damned fine fellow. By Gad! he nearlypinked you as I entered!" He chuckled at the memory of that gloriousmoment.
"He nearly pinked me a dozen times," replied Tracy, binding his armround more tightly. "He fights like ten devils. But he was fatigued."
He followed Andrew across the room and stood looking down at hisunconscious foe.
Diana's eyes challenged him.
"Stand back, your Grace! You have no more to do here!"
He drew out his snuff-box and took a pinch.
"So that is how the matter lies, my dear. I did not know that."
"You pretend that it would have made a difference in your treatment ofme?"
"Not the slightest, child," he replied, shutting the box with a snap."It has merely come as a slight surprise to me. It seems he has the luckthis round." He walked away again as another great bell-peal soundedthrough the house.
Andrew, pouring cognac into a glass, paused with bottle held in mid-air.
"Thunder and turf! We are like to be a party! Who now?" He set the glassdown and lounged out of the room, bottle in hand. They heard him give anastonished cry and a loud laugh, and the next moment O'Hara strode intothe room, booted and spurred and enveloped in a heavy surcoat. He cameswiftly upon the little group about my lord and went down on one kneebeside him. His eyes seemed to take in everyone at a glance. Then helooked across at Richard.
"Is he alive?"
Richard nodded, not meeting the hard, anxious gaze.
O'Hara bent over his friend.
"He has been wounded?"
Diana answered this.
"Only slightly, Sir Miles, but 'twas his shoulder again. He was tiredafter the ride--Mr. Carstares thinks he has fainted from exhaustion."
O'Hara very gently slipped one arm beneath my lord's shoulders and theother under his knees, rising with him as easily as if he were carryinga baby. He walked over to the couch, lowering his burden on to thecushions that Diana placed to receive him.
"He will be easier there," he said, and looked across at her.
"Ye are quite safe, child?"
"Quite--quite--He came just in time--and fought for me." She dabbedopenly at her eyes. "I--I love him so, Sir Miles--and now I hear that heis an Earl!" she sighed.
"Well, child, 'twill make no difference, I take it. I hope he'll make yehappy."
She smiled through her tears very confidently.
O'Hara turned and faced Richard, who was standing a little in the rear,watching his brother's face. He met O'Hara's scathing look squarely.
"Well?"
"Nought," answered the Irishman cuttingly, and walked over to where LordAndrew was arguing hotly with his brother.
Carstares returned to my lord's side and stood looking silently down athim.
Diana suddenly gave a little joyful cry.
"He is coming round! He moved his head! Oh, Jack, my dear one, look atme!" She bent over him with eyes alight with love.
My lord's eyelids flickered and opened. For a moment he stared at her.
"Why--Diana!" She took his head between her hands and kissed him full onthe mouth. Then she raised his head to look into the blue eyes.
My lord's arm crept round her and held her tight against him. After amoment she disengaged herself and stood aside. Jack's eyes, still alittle bewildered, fell upon his brother. He struggled up on his elbow.
"Am I dreaming? _Dick_!" His voice was full of a great joy. Richard wentquickly to him, trying to put him back on the cushions.
"My dear Jack--no, no--lie still!"
"Lie still?" cried my lord, swinging his feet to the ground. "Not a bitof it! I am well enough, but a trifle dizzy. How in thunder did you comehere? Surely 'twas you knocked up my sword? Yes? Interfering young cub!Give me your arm a minute!"
"But why do you want to get up?" pleaded a soft voice in his ear.
"So that I can take you in my arms, sweetheart," he answered, andproceeded to do so.
Then his glance, wandering round the room, alighted on the heated groupby the table; Andrew vociferously indignant, Tracy coolly sarcastic, andO'Hara furious.
"Tare an' ouns!" ejaculated my lord. "Where _did_ they all spring from?"
"I don't quite know!" laughed Diana. "Sir Miles came a fe
w minutesago--the other gentleman came with Mr. Carstares."
"Ay, I remember him--'tis Andrew, eh, Dick? Zounds! how he has grown!But what in the world are they all fighting over? Miles! Miles, I say!"
O'Hara wheeled round, surprised.
"Oho! Ye are up, are ye." He crossed to his side. "Then sit down!"
"Since you are all so insistent, I will. How did you come here?"
O'Hara went round to the back of the couch to arrange a cushion beneaththe hurt shoulder, and leaned his arms upon the back, looking down witha laugh in his eyes.
"Faith, I rode!"
"But how did you know? Where--"
"'Twas all on account of that young rascal David," he said. "Mollyfretted and fumed all the way to the Frasers, vowing the child would beneglected, and what not, and we'd not been in the house above an hour orso, when up she jumps and says she knows that _something_ has happenedat home, and nothing will suffice but that I must drive her back. Wearrived just as Beauleigh was setting out. He told us the whole tale,and of course I had Blue Peter saddled in the twinkling of an eye andwas off after ye. But, what with taking wrong turns and me horse nothappening to be made of lightning, I couldn't arrive until now."
"You cannot have been so long after me," said Jack. "For I wasted fullhalf-an-hour outside here, trying to find an opening in the hedge forJenny to get through. She is now stalled in a shed at the bottom of thelawn with my cloak over her. I'll swear she's thirsty, too."
"I'll see to that," promised O'Hara.
Andrew came across the room and bowed awkwardly to my lord, stammering alittle. Carstares held out his hand. "Lord, Andy! I scarce knew you!"
After a moment's hesitation, Andrew took the outstretched hand andanswered, laughingly. But my lord had not failed to notice thehesitation, short though it had been.
"I--beg your pardon. I had forgot," he said stiffly.
Andrew sat down beside him, rather red about the ears.
"Oh, stuff, Jack! I'm a clumsy fool, but I did not mean that!" Richardstepped forward into the full light of the candles.
"If you will all listen to me one moment, I shall be greatly obliged,"he said steadily.
Lord John started forward.
"Dick!" he cried, warningly, and would have gone to him, but forO'Hara's hand on his shoulder, dragging him back.
"Ah, now, be aisy," growled Miles. "Let the man say it!"
"Hold your tongue, O'Hara! Dick, wait one moment! I want to speak toyou!"
Richard never glanced at him.
"I am about to tell you something that should have been told--sevenyears ago--"
"Once and for all, I forbid it!" snapped my lord, trying to disengagehimself from O'Hara's grip.
Miles leant over him.
"See here, me boy, if ye don't keep a still tongue in your head, it'smeself that'll be gagging you, and that's that!"
My lord swore at him.
Diana laid a gentle hand on his arm.
"Please, John! Please be still! Why should not Mr. Carstares speak?"
"You don't know what he would do!" fumed Jack.
"In fact, Miss Beauleigh, Sir Miles and Andrew are completely in thedark," drawled the Duke. "Shall I tell the tale, Richard?"
"Thank you, I shall not require your assistance," was the coldrejoinder. "But I must ask you to be quiet, John."
"I will not! You must n--"
"That will do," decided O'Hara, and placed a relentless hand over hismouth. "Go on, Carstares!"
"For the sake of Miss Beauleigh, I will tell you that seven years ago mybrother and I went to a card-party. I cheated. He took the blame. He hasborne it ever since because I was too much a coward to confess. That isall I have to say."
"'Twas for that ye wanted to see me on Friday?" shot out O'Hara.
Richard nodded, dully.
"Yes, I was going to tell you then."
"H'm! I'm glad ye had decided to play the man's part for once!"
With a furious oath Jack wrenched himself free and rounded on hisfriend.
"You take too much upon yourself, O'Hara!"
He rose unsteadily and walked to Richard's side.
"Dick has told you much, but not all. You none of you know the reasonswe had for acting as we did. But you know him well enough to believethat it needed very strong reasons to induce him to allow me take theblame. If anyone has aught to say in the matter, I shall be glad if hewill say it to me--now!" His eyes flashed menacingly as they swept thecompany, and rested for an instant on O'Hara's unyielding countenance.Then he turned and held out his hand to his brother with his ownpeculiarly wistful smile.
"Can you bear to speak to me?" muttered Richard, with face averted.
"Gad, Dick, don't be ridiculous!" He grasped the unwilling hand. "Youwould have done the same for me!"
Andrew pressed forward.
"Well, I can see no use in raking up old scores! After all, what does itmatter? It's buried and finished. Here's my hand on it, Dick! Lord! Icouldn't turn my back on the man I've lived on for years!" He laughedirrepressibly, and wrung Richard's hand.
My lord's eyes were on O'Hara, pleading. Reluctantly the Irishman cameforward.
"'Tis only fair to tell you, Richard, that I can't see eye to eye withAndrew, here. However, I'm not denying that I think a good deal betterof ye now than I did--seven years ago."
Richard looked up eagerly.
"You never believed him guilty?"
O'Hara laughed.
"Hardly!"
"You knew 'twas I?"
"I had me suspicions, of course."
"I wish--oh, how I wish you had voiced them!"
O'Hara raised his eyebrows, and there fell a little silence. His Graceof Andover broke it, coming forward in his inimitable way. He lookedround the room at each member of the company.
"One, two, three--four, five--" he counted. "Andrew, tell them to laycovers for five in the dining-room."
"Aren't you staying?" asked his brother, surprised.
"I have supped," replied Tracy coolly.
For a moment O'Hara's mouth twitched, and then he burst out laughing.Everyone looked at him inquiringly.
"Ecod!" he gasped. "Oh, sink me an I ever came across a more amusingvillain! 'Lay covers for five!' Oh, damme!"
"Or should I have said six?" continued his Grace imperturbably. "Am Inot to have the honour of Mr. Beauleigh's company?"
O'Hara checked his mirth.
"No, ye are not! He was content to let me manage the business, and wentback to Littledean."
"I am sorry," bowed his Grace, and turned to my lord, who, with his armabout Diana's waist, was watching him arrogantly.
"I see how the land lies," he remarked. "I congratulate you, John. Icannot help wishing that I had finished you that day in the road. Permitme to say that you fence rather creditably."
My lord bowed stiffly.
"Of course," continued his Grace smoothly, "you also wish you haddisposed of me. I sympathise. But, however much you may inwardly despiseand loathe me, you cannot show it--unless you choose to make yourselfand me the talk of town--not forgetting Mistress Diana. Also I abhor badtragedy. So I trust you will remain here to-night as my guest--er,Andrew, pray do not omit to order bed-chambers to beprepared--Afterwards you need never come near me again--in fact, I hopethat you will not."
My lord could not entirely repress a smile.
"I thank your Grace for your hospitality, which I fear," he glanced downat Diana's tired face, "I shall be compelled to accept. As to therest--I agree. Like you, I dislike bad tragedy."
Diana gave a tiny laugh.
"You are all so stiff!" she said _I_ shall go to bed!"
"I will take you to the stairs then," said Jack promptly, and led herforward.
She stopped as they were about to pass his Grace, and faced him.
Tracy bowed very low.
"Good-night, madam. Carstares will know which room I had assigned toyou. You will find a servant there."
"Thank you," she said steadily
. "I shall try to forget the happenings ofthis day, your Grace. I see the truth in what you say--we cannot affordto let the world see that we are at enmity, lest it should talk. And, Iconfess it freely, I find it less hard to forgive you the insults of--ofto-day, since they brought--Jack--to me. An I had not been in such direstraits, I might never have seen him again."
"In fact," bowed his Grace, "everything has been for the best!"
"I would not say that, sir," she replied, and went out.
For a moment there was silence in the room. No one quite knew what tosay. As usual, it was Tracy who came to the rescue, breaking anuncomfortable pause.
"I suggest that we adjourn to the dining-room," he said. "I gather wemay have to wait some time before his lordship reappears. O'Hara, afteryou!"
"One moment," replied Miles. "Jack's mare is in a shed somewhere. I saidI would see to her."
"Andrew!" called his Grace. "When you have finished superintending thelaying of the supper, give orders concerning Carstares' mare!"
A casual assent came from outside, and immediately afterwards LordAndrew's voice was heard shouting instructions to someone, evidentlysome way off.
On the whole, the supper-party passed off quite smoothly. His Grace wassmilingly urbane, Andrew boisterous and amusing, and O'Hara bent onkeeping the conversation up. Richard sat rather silent, but my lord,already deliriously happy, soon let fall his armour and joined in thetalk, anxious to hear all the news of town for the last six years.
O'Hara was several times hard put to it to keep from laughing out loudat his thoughts. The humour of the situation struck him forcibly. Afterfighting as grimly as these men fought, and after all that hadtranspired, that they should both sit down to supper as they were doing,appealed to him strongly. He had quite thought that my lord wouldincline to tragedy and refuse to stay an instant longer in the Duke'shouse.
It was not until midnight, when everyone else had gone to bed, that thebrothers came face to face, alone. The dining-room was very quiet now,and the table bore a dissipated look with the remains of supper left onit. My lord stood absently playing with the long-handled punch spoon,idly stirring the golden dregs at the bottom of the bowl. The candlesshed their light full on his face, and Richard, standing opposite in theshadow, had ample opportunity of studying it.
It seemed to him that he could not look long enough. Unconsciously hiseyes devoured every detail of the loved countenance and watched eachmovement of the slender hand. He found John subtly changed, but quitehow he could not define. He had not aged much, and he was still the samelaughter-loving Jack of the old days, with just that intangibledifference. O'Hara had felt it, too: a slight impenetrability, areserve.
It was my lord who broke the uncomfortable silence. As if he felt theother's eyes upon him, he looked up with his appealing, whimsical smile.
"Devil take it, Dick, we're as shy as two schoolboys!"
Richard did not smile, and his brother came round the table to his side.
"There's nought to be said betwixt us two, Dick. 'Twould be so damnedunnecessary. After all--we always shared in one another's scrapes!"
He stood a moment with his hand on Richard's shoulder; then Richardturned to him "What you must _think_ of me!" he burst out. "My God, whenI realise--"
"I know. Believe me, Dick, I know just what you must have felt. But prayforget it! It's over now, and buried."
There was another long silence. Lord John withdrew his hand at last, andperched on the edge of the table, smiling across at Richard.
"I'd well-nigh forgot that you were a middle-aged papa! A son?"
"Ay--John--after you."
"I protest I am flattered. Lord, to think of you with a boy of yourown!" He laughed, twirling his eyeglass.
At last Richard smiled.
"To think of you an uncle!" he retorted, and suddenly all vestige ofstiffness had fled.
* * * * *
Next morning Richard went on to Wyncham, and Diana, Jack and O'Haratravelled back to Sussex. Jack would not go home yet. He protested thathe was going to be married first, and would then bring home hisCountess. But he had several instructions to give his brother concerningthe preparation of his house. The last thing he requested Richard to dowas to seek out a certain city merchant, Fudby by name, and to rescue aclerk, Chilter, from him, bearing him off to Wyncham. All this he calledfrom the coach window, just before they set off.
Richard led Jenny, whom he was to ride home, up to the door of thevehicle, and expostulated.
"But what in thunder am I to do with the man?"
"Give him to Warburton," advised Jack flippantly. "I know he needs aclerk--he always did!"
"But perhaps he will not desire to come--"
"You do as I tell you!" laughed his brother. "I shall expect to find himat Wyncham when I arrive! _Au revoir_!" He drew his head in, and thecoach rumbled off.