VII
At twelve o'clock punctually Lord Bracondale was ushered into Mrs.McBride's sitting-room at the Ritz, the day after her dinner-party atArmenonville. He expected she would not be ready to receive him for atleast half an hour; having said twelve he might have known she meanthalf-past, but he was in a mood of impatience, and felt obliged to bepunctual.
He was suffering more or less from a reaction. He had begun towardsmorning to realize the manner in which he had spent the evening was notaltogether wise. Not that he had the least intention of not repeatinghis folly--indeed, he was where he was at this hour for no other purposethan to enlist the widow's sympathy, and her co-operation in arrangingas many opportunities for similar evenings as together they coulddevise.
After all, she only kept him waiting twenty minutes, and he had beenrather amused looking at the piles of bric-a-brac obsequious art dealershad left for this rich lady's inspection.
A number of spurious bronzes warranted pure antique, clocks, brocades,what not, lying about on all the available space.
"And I wonder what it will look like in her marble palace halls," hethought, as he passed from one article to another.
"I am just too sorry to keep you, mon cher Bracondale," Mrs. McBridesaid, presently, suddenly opening the adjoining door a few inches, "butit is a quite exasperating hat which has delayed me. I can't get thething on at the angle I want. I--"
"Mayn't I come and help, dear lady?" interrupted Hector. "I know allabout the subject. I had to buy forty-seven at Monte Carlo, and see themall tried on, too--and only lately! Do ask Marie to open that door alittle wider; I will decide in a minute how it should be."
"Insolent!" said the widow, who spoke French with perfect fluency and aquite marvellously pure American accent. But she permitted the gigglingand beaming Marie to open the door wide, and let Hector advance and kissher hand.
He then took a chair by the dressing-table and inspected the situation.
Seven or eight dainty bandboxes strewed the floor, some of theircontents peeping from them--feathers, aigrettes, flowers, impossiblebirds--all had their place, and on the sofa were three _chefd'oeuvres_ ruthlessly tossed aside. While in the widow's fair handswas a gem of gray tulle and the most expensive feather heart of womancould desire.
"You see," she said, plaintively, "it is meant to go just so," and sheplaced it once more upon her head, a handsome head of forty-five, freshand well preserved and comely. "But the vile-tempered thing refuses tostay there once I let go, and no pin will correct it."
"Base ingratitude," said Lord Bracondale, with feeling; "but couldn'tyou stuff these in the hiatus," and he tenderly lifted a bunch ofnut-brown curls from the dressing-table. "They would fill up the gap andkeep the fractious thing steady."
"Of course they would," said Mrs. McBride; "but I have a rootedobjection to auxiliary nature trimmings. That bunch was sent with thehat, and Marie has been trying to persuade me to wear it ever since webegan this struggle. But I won't! My hair's my own, and I don't mean tohave any one else's alongside of it. There is my trouble."
"If milor were to hold madame's 'at one side, while I de other, madamemight force her emerald parrot pin through him," suggested Marie, whichadvice was followed, and the widow beamed with satisfaction at thegratifying result.
"There!" she exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, "that will do; and I amjust ready. Gloves, handkerchief--oh! and my purse, Marie." And in fiveminutes more she was leading the way back into her sitting-room.
"I have not ordered lunch until one o'clock," she said, "so we haveoceans of time to talk and tell each other secrets. Sit down, jeunehomme, and confess to me." She pointed to a _bergere_, but it was filledwith Italian embroideries. "Marie, take this rubbish away!" she called,and presently some chairs were made clear.
"And what must I confess?" asked Hector, when they were seated. "That Iam frantically in love with you, and your coldness is driving me wild?"
"Certainly not!" said the widow, while she rose again and began toarrange some giant roses in a wonderful basket which looked as if it hadjust arrived--her shrewd eye had seen the card, "From CaptainFitzgerald, with his best bonjour." "Certainly not! We are going to talktruth, or, to punish you, I shall not ask you to meet her again, and Ishall warn her father of your strictly dishonorable intentions."
"You would not be so cruel!"
"Yes I would. And it is what I ought to do, anyway. She is as innocentas a woolly lamb, and unsophisticated and guileless, and will probablybe falling in love with you. You take the wind out of the sails of thathusband of hers, you see!"
"Do I?" said Hector, with overdone incredulity.
She looked at him. His long, lithe limbs stretched out, every lineindicative of breeding and strength. She noted the shape of his head,the perfect grooming, his lazy, insolent grace, his whimsical smile.Englishmen of this class were certainly the most provokingly beautifulcreatures in the world.
"It is because they have done nothing but order men, kill beasts, andsubjugate women for generations," she said to herself. "Lazy, naughtydarlings! If they came to our country and worked their brains a little,they would soon lose that look. But it would be a pity," sheadded--"yes, a pity."
"What are you thinking of?" asked Lord Bracondale, while she gazed athim.
"I was thinking you are a beautiful, useless creature. Just like allyour nation. You think the world is made for you; in any case, all thewomen and animals to kill are."
"What an abominable libel! But I am fond of both things--women andanimals to kill."
"And you class them equally--or perhaps the animals are ahead."
"Indeed not always," said Hector, reassuringly. "Some women have quitethe first place."
"You are too flattering!" retorted the widow. "Those sentiments are allvery well for your own poor-spirited, down-trodden women, but they won'tdo for Americans! A man has to learn a number of lessons before he isfitted to cope with them."
"Oh, tell me," said Hector.
"He has got to learn to wait, for one thing, to wait about for hours ifnecessary, and not to lose his temper, because the woman can't make upher mind to be in time for things, or to change it often as to where shewill dine. Then he has to learn to give up any pleasure of his own forhers--and travel when she wants to travel, or stay home when she wantsto go alone. If he is an Englishman he don't have brains enough to makethe money, but he must let her spend what he has got how she likes, andnot interfere with her own."
"And in return he gets?"
"The woman he happens to want, I suppose." And the widow laughed,showing her wonderfully preserved brilliant white teeth.
"You enunciate great truths, belle dame!" said Hector, "and your lastsentence is the greatest of all--'_The woman he happens to want._'"
"Which brings us back to our muttons--in this case only a defencelessbaby lamb. Now tell me what you are here for, trying to cajole me withyour good looks and mock humility."
"I am here to ask you to help me to see her again, then," said Hector,who knew when to be direct. "I have only met her three times, as youknow, but I have fallen in love, and she is going away next week, andthere is only one Paris in the world."
"You can do a great deal of mischief in a week," Mrs. McBride said,looking at him again critically. "I ought not to help you, but I can'tresist you--there! What can we devise?"
It is possible the probability of Theodora's father making a fourth mayhave had something thing to do with her complaisance. Anyway, it wasdecided that if feasible the four should spend a day at Versailles.
They should go in their two automobiles in time for breakfast at theReservoirs. They would start, Theodora in Mrs. McBride's with her, andCaptain Fitzgerald with Lord Bracondale, and each couple could spend theafternoon as they pleased, dining again at the Reservoirs and whirlingback to Paris in the moonlight. A truly rural and refreshing programme,good for the soul of man.
"And I can rely upon you to get rid of the husband?" said LordBracondale, finally. "I do not se
e the poetry of the affair with hisbald head and mutton-chop whiskers as an accessory."
"Leave that to Captain Fitzgerald and myself," Mrs. McBride said,proudly. "I have a scheme that Mr. Brown shall spend the day withClutterbuck R. Tubbs, examining some new machinery they are bothinterested in. Leave it to me!" The part of _Deus ex machina_ was alwaysa role the widow loved.
Then they descended to an agreeable lunch in the restaurant, with anumerous party of her friends as usual, and Lord Bracondale feltafterwards full of joy and hope, to continue his sinful pathunrepenting.
The days that intervened before Theodora saw him again were uneventfuland full of blankness. The walks in the Bois appeared more tedious thanever in the morning, the drives in the Acacias more exasperating. It wasa continual alertness to see if she caught sight of a familiar face, butshe never did. Fate was against them, as she sometimes is when she meansto compensate soon after by some glorious day of the gods. And althoughLord Bracondale called at her hotel and walked where he thought heshould see her, and even drove in the Acacias, they had no meeting.
Josiah did not feel himself sufficiently strong to stand the air oftheatres, and they went nowhere in the evenings. He was keeping himselffor his own dinner-party, which was to take place at the Madrid on theMonday.
Captain Fitzgerald had arranged it, and besides Mrs. McBride several ofhis friends were coming, and a special band of wonderfully talentedTziganes, who were delighting Paris that year, had been engaged to playto them. If only the weather should remain fine all would be well.
A surprise awaited Theodora on Saturday morning. A friendly note fromMrs. McBride arrived, asking her if she would spend the day with her atVersailles, as she had asked her husband to do her a favor and lunchwith Mr. Clutterbuck R. Tubbs.
Theodora awaited Josiah's presence at the _premier dejeuner_, which theytook in their salon, with absolute excitement. He came in, a pompoussmile on his face.
"Good-day, my love," he said, blandly. "That charming widow writes methis morning, asking if I will do her a favor, and take her friend, Mr.Clutterbuck Tubbs, to examine that machinery for the separation of fatswe both have an interest in, and he suggests I should lunch with him, ashe is very anxious to have my opinion upon the merits of it."
"Yes," said Theodora.
"She also says," referring to the letter in his hand, "she will takecharge of you for the day, and take you to Versailles, which I know youwish to go to. She wants an answer at once, as she will call for you attwelve o'clock if we accept."
"I have heard from her, too," said Theodora. "What shall you answer,Josiah?" and she looked out of the window.
"Oh, I may as well go, I think. There is money in the invention, or thatold gimlet-eye would not be so keen about it; I talked the matter overwith him at Armenonville the other night."
"Then shall you write or shall I?" said Theodora, as evenly as shecould. "Her servant is waiting."