CHAPTER XXXVII
AN AMAZING ELOPEMENT
The sun was shining brilliantly and the sky was cloudless as Richardturned his automobile into the grounds of the Villa Mimosa, soon afternine o'clock on the following morning. The yellow-blossomed trees,slightly stirred by the west wind, formed a golden arch across thewinding avenue. The air was sweet, almost faint with perfume. On theterrace, holding a pair of field-glasses in her hand and gazing intentlyout to sea, was Fedora. At the sound of the motor-horn she turnedquickly. She looked at the visitor in surprise. A shade of pink was inher face. Lane brought the car to a standstill, jumped out and climbedthe steps of the terrace.
"What has brought you here?" she asked, in surprise.
"I have just come to pay you a little visit," he remarked easily. "I wasonly afraid you mightn't be up so early."
She bit her lip.
"You have no right to come here at all," she said severely, "and topresent yourself at this hour is unheard of."
"I came early entirely out of consideration for your father," he assuredher.
She frowned.
"My father?" she repeated. "Please explain at once what you mean. Myfather is on that yacht and I cannot imagine why he does not return."
"I can tell you," he answered, standing by her side and looking outseawards. "They are waiting for my orders before they let him off."
She turned her head and looked at him incredulously.
"Explain yourself, please," she insisted.
"With pleasure," he assented. "You see, I just had to make sure of beingallowed to have a few minutes' conversation with you, free from anyinterruption. Somehow or other," he added thoughtfully, "I don't believeyour father likes me."
"I do not think," she replied coldly, "that my father has any feelingsabout you at all, except that he thinks you are abominablypresumptuous."
"Because I want to marry you?"
She stamped with her foot upon the ground.
"Please do not say such absurd things! Explain to me at once what youmean by saying that my father is being kept there by your orders."
"I'll try," Lane answered. "He boarded that yacht last night in mistake.He thought that it was a hired one, but it isn't. It's mine. I found himthere last night, entertaining a little party of his friends in thesaloon. They seemed quite comfortable, so I begged them to remain on asmy guests for a short time."
"To remain?" she murmured, bewildered. "For how long?"
"Until you've just read this through and thought it over."
He passed her a document which he had drawn from his pocket. She took itfrom him wonderingly. When she had read a few lines, the colour camestreaming into her cheeks. She threw it to the ground. He picked it upand replaced it in his pocket.
"But it is preposterous!" she cried. "That is a marriage license!"
"That's precisely what it is," he admitted. "I thought we'd be marriedat Nice. My sister is waiting to go along with us. I said we'd pick herup at the Hotel de Paris."
Severe critics of her undoubted beauty had ventured at times to say thatFedora's face lacked expression. There was, at that moment, no room forany such criticism. Amazement struggled with indignation in her eyes.Her lips were quivering, her breath was coming quickly.
"Do you mean--have you given her or any one to understand that there wasany likelihood of my consenting to such an absurd scheme?"
"I only told her what I hoped," he said quietly. "That is all I daredsay even to myself. But I want you to listen to me."
His voice had grown softer. She turned her head and looked at him. Hewas much taller than she was, and in his grey tweed suit, his head alittle thrown back, his straw hat clasped in his hands behind him, hisclear grey eyes full of serious purpose, he was certainly not anunattractive figure to look upon. Unconsciously she found herselfcomparing him once more with the men of her world, found herselfrealising, even against her will, the charm of his naive and doggedhonesty, his youth, his tenacity of purpose. She had never been madelove to like this before.
"Please listen," he begged. "I am afraid that your father must be in atearing rage by now, but it can't be helped. He is out there and hehasn't got an earthly chance of getting back until I give the word.We've got plenty of time to reach Nice before he can land. I just wantyou to realise, Fedora, that you are your own mistress. You can make orspoil your own life. No one else has any right to interfere. Have youever seen any one yet, back in your own country, amongst your ownpeople, whom you really felt that you cared for--who you really believedwould be willing to lay down his life to make you happy?"
"No," she confessed simply, "I do not know that I have. Our men are notlike that."
"It is because," he went on, "there is no one back there who cares as Ido. I have spent some years of my life looking--quite unconsciously, butlooking all the same--for some one like you. Now I have found you I amglad I have waited. There couldn't be any one else. There never couldbe, Fedora. I love you just in the way a man does love once in his life,if he's lucky. It's a queer sort of feeling, you know," he continued,leaning a little towards her. "It makes me quite sure that I could makeyou happy. It makes me quite sure that if you'll give me your hand andtrust me, and leave everything to me, you'll have just the things inlife that women want. Won't you be brave, Fedora? There are some thingsto break through, I know, but they don't amount to much--they don't,really. And I love you, you know. You can't imagine yet what a wonderfuldifference that makes. You'll find out and you'll be glad."
She stood quite still. Her eyes were still fixed seawards, but she waslooking beyond the yacht, now, to the dim line where sky and sea seemedto meet. The vision of her past days seemed to be drawn out before her,a little monotonous, a little wearisome even in their splendour, morethan a little empty. And underneath it all she was listening to the newmusic, and her heart was telling her the truth.
"You don't need to make any plans," he said softly. "Go and put on yourhat and something to wear motoring. Bring a dressing-bag, if you like.Flossie is waiting for us and she is rather a dear. You can leaveeverything else to me."
She looked timidly into his eyes. A new feeling was upon her. She gavehim her hand almost shyly. Her voice trembled.
"If I come," she whispered, "you are quite sure that you mean it all?You are quite sure that you will not change?"
He raised her hand to his lips.
"Not in this world, dear," he answered, with sublime confidence, "norany other!"
She stole away from him. He was left alone upon the terrace, alone, butwith the exquisite conviction of her return, promised in that lasthalf-tremulous, half-smiling look over her shoulder. Then suddenly lifeseemed to come to him with a rush, a new life, filled with a newsplendour. He was almost humbly conscious of bigger things than he hadever realised, a nearness to the clouds, a wonderful, thrilling sense ofcomplete and absolute happiness.... Reluctantly he came back to earth.His thoughts became practical. He went to the back of his car, drew outa rocket on a stick and thrust it firmly into the lawn. Then he startedhis engine and almost immediately afterwards she came. She was wearing awhite silk motor-coat and a thick veil. Behind her came a bewilderedFrench maid, carrying wraps, and a man-servant with a heavydressing-case. In silence these things were stowed away. She took herplace in the car. Lane struck a match and stepped on to the lawn.
"Don't be frightened," he said. "Here goes!"
A rocket soared up into the sky. Then he seated himself beside her andthey glided off.
"That means," he explained, "that they'll let your father and the othersoff in two hours. Give us plenty of time to get to Nice. Have you--leftany word for him?"
"I have left a very short message," she answered, "to say that I wasgoing to marry you. He will never forgive me, and I feel very wicked andvery ungrateful."
"Anything else?" he whispered, leaning a little towards her.
She sighed.
"And very happy," she murmured.