CHAPTER XIX
THE WOMAN IN BLACK AND WHITE
A few days later we saw the cliffs of Chateaudon, from whose heightsthe stronghold of Dunois looks down upon the town crouching beneath.On arrival we found a lodging in the little square below the castle,and here I thought it necessary to call a halt for a couple of days.Thus far our journey to Paris had been free from serious misadventure;but I was full of fears, for I knew not what folly De Ganache mightcommit in his madness, and the evil phantom of Simon was ever grinningover my shoulder. I, therefore, judged it prudent to write to LeBrusquet, begging him to inform the Queen how far I had come; and, asdifficulties might arise in regard to my entry into Paris, I suggestedthat mademoiselle should be met by an escort either at Etampes orMontlhery; and, commending myself to his friendship, begged the favourof his losing no time in aiding me in this matter. This letter Ientrusted to Capus, bidding him meet me with the answer at Etampes,where he would find me at the Toison d'Or.
As soon as mademoiselle, chiefly upon whose account I had halted, wassufficiently rested to continue the journey we started once more, andquitting the vine country entered the smiling Beauce. It was towardsthe end of June, and our way led through the granary of France, withits long green reaches of meadow and rich cornland. Here, under theclear blue of the sky, and in an air like crystal, stretched endlessfields of corn, swaying gently in the gentle breeze, and chequered withvivid patches of blue cornflower and red poppy. After the searedplains of Poitou the freshness, the peace, and the plenty around usstruck us in convincing contrast, nor could I help thinking what alittle it would take to make the sad Poitevin plain smile like this.
We travelled by easy stages, reaching Etampes about the sixth day, andhere, on arrival at the Toison d'Or, I was disappointed to get no newsof Capus. There was nothing for it but to wait, and a few days passedpleasantly enough in the curious old town. One incident that occurredis, perhaps, worthy of notice. Almost opposite our inn was aforbidding-looking house, without arms or escutcheon of any kind uponthe gate. To all appearance it was uninhabited, but from the balconyof the inn mademoiselle and I observed a lady dressed in black whodaily paced for an hour or so on the terrace overlooking the garden ofthe house. We could not distinguish her features, for she was everclosely veiled, but her attitude and mien marked the deepest dejection.To the idle all things are of interest, and our curiosity was excited;so on one occasion, as the lady paced mournfully on the terrace,mademoiselle asked the landlord who she was.
"That, mademoiselle, is the Duchess herself."
"The Duchess!"
"Yes, mademoiselle; the Duchess d'Etampes. She has lived here in thestrictest seclusion ever since the late King's death. She receives noone, and yet for miles around she is blessed for her charity. 'Tissaid, however," and he dropped his voice, "that she is a Christaudin;but of this I know nothing."
And so this sad, dark-robed spectre was the once brilliant andbeautiful De Helly! I went back in my mind to the gay days when shereigned as queen. It was not so long ago, and I could recall all thatthrong of syrens. There was Canaples, star of the morning; the lovelySt. Pol, star of the evening; Rieux, Tallard, Lestrange; but one onlyof that galaxy was left, the loveliest and the worst--Diane, whom mencalled the crescent moon. For her I wondered what fate was in store.
The next day, towards sunset, mademoiselle and I were once again uponthe balcony of the inn, when I saw a horseman trotting past the parvisof St. Martin. I was sure it was Capus, and my doubts were soon atrest, for as he rounded the corner and came up the Rue St. Jacques Isaw it was he, and signalled to him. He lifted his arm in the air inanswer to my signal, and spurring his beast drew up a minute or soafter at the door of the inn.
"What news, Capus?" I called out; and he waved a letter that he held inhis hand. Making an excuse to mademoiselle I ran down to meet him, andsoon had Le Brusquet's letter in my hands. He had done as I asked, andwe were to be met at Longpont, near Montlhery; and in a postscript headded that Olden Hoorn had sent him the two hundred crowns I had askedfor from Poitiers--a piece of news not without interest to me. When Ihad finished Capus said:
"I came with the escort, monsieur, as far as Montlhery. It iscommanded by the Sieur de Lorgnac. There are ten lances and two courtladies and a dozen or so of sumpter horses--a brave show. They all lieat the priory at Longpont."
"Thanks, Capus. Go now and rest." And as the man went I stood for alittle looking after him, and then went back to the balcony, the letterin my hand. As I came up mademoiselle called out to me:
"See!" she cried, "there is the new moon; turn over the money in yourpocket, and wish."
I laughed. "There is little enough to turn, mademoiselle; but for mywish--it is all good fortune and happiness to you."
"Now you will bring me ill-luck for having spoken your wish aloud. Oh,monsieur!"
"Heaven forbid! But have you wished, may I ask?" She turned away witha little sigh, and looked out into the violet evening, where theslender sickle of the moon shone silver bright. Down below thetwilight darkled in the streets. Figures moved like shadows, and nowand again a light flashed out. Tall and slight, she stood out againstthe darkening sky, her face half averted from me, and I knew not whatit was, but an almost irresistible impulse came on me to put my fortuneto the touch. But I thought of De Ganache. She was his promised wife.I thought of what I had to offer, and this and that gave me strength,and so I held back.
"Mademoiselle," I said with an effort, "this is our last evening, andmy wardship ends to-morrow."
"To-morrow?"
"Yes; the Queen has sent an escort to meet you at Longpont."
"She is most kind!"
"And as I may not have the chance of speaking to you alone again----"
"Why that?" she interrupted quickly. "You will be in Paris. You willbe at the Court. I counted upon having at least one friend there."
"You will have more than one friend there, mademoiselle, and more thanone enemy, I fear; but I was about to say that I leave Paris the dayafter I reach there for Italy."
"For Italy?"
"Yes; I follow M. de Montluc there. You see, old as I am, I have tobegin life over again, and there is many a fair fortune yet waiting tobe sliced out of the Romagna."
She said never a word, and I continued: "It will be long ere I seeFrance again--perhaps never; and so, mademoiselle, I once more wish youall that is good, and I offer my congratulations--I have not venturedto do so before."
She spoke now. "Monsieur, I thank you! I will not pretend not tounderstand your last words; but there are some good wishes that maymean misfortune, and it grows late. Good-night!"
She slid by me, and was gone almost before I realised it.
It was just past the dawn the next morning when we left Etampes. Therewere but five leagues or so to cover ere we reached Montlhery, and foralmost the whole way we could see before us the castle that crowned thehill. At the ford of the Orge we saw a small group of horsemen, theirarms shining in the sunlight.
"'Tis the escort," said Capus, and quickening our pace we were soonwith them, and I handed over my charge to De Lorgnac.
There were with him two of the Queen's ladies--Madame de Montal, andthe bright-eyed Cypriote, Mademoiselle Davila, she who had escaped fromthe sack of Cyprus--and these two immediately appropriatedmademoiselle, asking ten questions in a breath, never waiting foranswer, and detailing the hardships of their own journey of fourleagues or so from Paris. I had no chance of another word with her,and rode morosely by Lorgnac's side.
That night we lay at the priory of Longpont; but I saw nothing ofmademoiselle, for the ladies both dined and supped by themselves,leaving De Lorgnac and myself to our own devices. After supper, as wepaced the garden together, De Lorgnac gave me the news of the day,mentioning, amongst other things, that Vendome had returned to theCourt once more, and that all differences between him and the Duchessde Valentinois appeared to have been buried. I glanced at the signetthat I wore on my fin
ger, Vendome's gift to me, saying:
"That is, perhaps, the best thing that could have happened for me; butI little dreamed that Vendome would ever have joined hands with Diane."
"As to that," he said, "I have long ceased to be surprised at anything.Poor Le Brusquet was in disgrace for a whole day for suggesting a newdevice for the Duke--a weathercock on a steeple." And he laughed as headded: "The Duke came back almost a week ago, with five hundredgentlemen in his train--amongst others the late rebel De Ganache, forwhom he has obtained a pardon."
"De Ganache!"
"Yes; there has been a turn of the wheel, and for the moment the newreligion is in favour. What it means I know not; but as for DeGanache, the Court gossips are already linking his name with Diane's.'Tis certain he is ever at her heels."
"The weathercock would suit him as well as Vendome," I said a littlebitterly; "but it is good news that even for the moment the new faithis in favour. It removes one danger, and the other is----"
"Back in Paris," interrupted De Lorgnac.
"You mean my brother?"
"Yes; the Vidame came back a trifle over a fortnight ago with an armvery much hurt and one-third of his usual following of cut-throats."
"He will not have much trouble in filling his vacancies; but is he muchhurt?" And I smiled grimly to myself.
"Oh! he was badly pinked; but his arm is out of its sling now. Thereis some devil's broth preparing, and he and Diane are the cooks. LeBrusquet, however, has sworn to put his ladle into it, and so we shallsee things ere long."
"Not I," I laughed. "I shall be in Italy with Montluc."
"You may not," was the dry answer. "Recollect that the Queen has thefirst claim on you, and the war between her and Diane will soon be openwar. Up to now it has been a kiss and a stab, but soon it will be allstab."
And so we talked until a late hour, and little did I think, as Iretired to sleep, that Lorgnac's doubt about my Italian journey wouldcome to be true.
It was well on towards the afternoon that we reached the Porte St.Michel, for we had started late, and Madame de Montal would on noaccount be parted from the sumpter horses, whose rate of progress wasnecessarily slow. M. Agrippa de Pavanes was at the gate, and as wefiled in, I last of all, he looked hard at me; but I had other businesson hand, and could not at the moment spare time to devote to thisgentleman. It was clear, however, that he owed me a grudge over theaffair of the King's letter. As it happened, we never met again; andPavanes, if he still lives, must look upon his account with me as oneof his unsettled scores.
A few yards from the gate the road narrowed, and at the corner wherethe little Rue Poiree strikes off between two rows of tumble-downhouses to join the Rue St. Jacques there was somewhat of a block. Ihad fallen back behind the sumpter horses, and halted for a moment,when I felt a hand rest lightly on my stirrup. I looked down, and, asI live, it was La Marmotte.
"You!" I exclaimed. "In Paris!"
"Monsieur," she said hurriedly, her face pale and haggard, "thismeeting is not chance. Ask for me tomorrow at vespers at the shop ofBarou the armourer in the Rue Tire Boudin. If you do not do this youwill never cease to regret it. Fail not!" And she made as if to drawaway.
"A word," I said. "Trotto--does he live?"
"Oh! he lives. Thanks, monsieur, a thousand thanks!"
I had placed a piece of money in her hand, to take off any suspicion,and, rising to her part, she seized it, calling down blessings on me,and stepped back into the crowd.
Our party had gone a little ahead, and I did not overtake them untilalmost opposite the Cordeliers, where I joined De Lorgnac.
"That was a strange-looking beggar," he remarked.
"She was no beggar, De Lorgnac; but of her I will tell you when you, LeBrusquet, and I are once more together."
"I shall try to wait until then; it will be in less than an hour."
We then joined the ladies, and rode by them, all outwardly in highspirits. As we rode past the tennis courts the sumpter horses werediverted to enter the Louvre by the gate near the riding-school, but weourselves rode directly towards the main entrance. On arrival there wenoticed a large crowd of sightseers at the gates, and our furtherprogress was stopped by a carriage, surrounded by a troop of the King'sguards, that came slowly out of the gate. In the carriage sat, orrather reclined, a woman robed in black and white--a woman with sullen,dark eyes and a face lovely in its pride. It was the crescentmoon--Diane herself. The carriage came out slowly, as I have said, thehorses walking, and from where I rode beside mademoiselle I saw herclearly. She was toying with a little dog she held under her arm andtalking to a young man who sat facing her--a man whose face burned likefire, and the laugh on whose lips died away when he saw us--for it wasDe Ganache. The Duchess followed his glance, and turned in ourdirection. As her fathomless eyes fell on mademoiselle her lips partedin a smile.
"St. Siege! it must be your little heiress. Come, tell me, DeGanache--is it not so?"
Her voice, clear as a bell, came to us distinctly. The veiled scornand mockery in her glance was not to be mistaken, and then the horseswere whipped up, and she was gone. It was all over in a moment; but Isaw the riding-whip in mademoiselle's hand trembling, and she kept herface from me, looking straight between her horse's ears.
"Do you know who that was?" I asked in a low voice; but she made noanswer, and I went on:
"Remember the prophecy you told me of, and--be on your guard againstthe woman in black and white. That was Diane of Valentinois."