CHAPTER XIII
THE SPARHAWK IN THE TOILS
The Princess Margaret was standing by the window as the young manentered. Her golden curls flashed in the late sunshine, which made akind of haze of light about her head as she turned the resentfulbrilliance of her eyes upon Maurice von Lynar.
"Is it a safe thing, think you, Sir Count, to jest with a princess inher own land and then come back to flout her for it?"
Maurice understood her to refer to the kiss given and returned in thedarkness of the night. He knew not of how many other indiscretions hewas now to bear the brunt, or he had turned on the spot and fled oncemore across the river.
"My lady," he said, "if I offended you once, it was not doneintentionally, but by mistake."
"By mistake, sir! Have a care. I may have been indiscreet, but I am notimbecile."
"The darkness of the night----" faltered von Lynar, "let that be myexcuse."
"Pshaw!" flashed the Princess, suddenly firing up; "do you not see, man,that you cannot lie yourself out of this? And, indeed, what need? If _I_were a secretary of embassy, and a princess distinguished me with herslightest favour, methinks when next I came I would not meanly deny heracquaintance!"
Von Lynar was distressed, and fortunately for himself his distressshowed in his face.
"Princess," he said, standing humbly before her, "I did wrong. Butconsider the sudden temptation, the darkness of the night----"
"The darkness of the night," she said, stamping her foot, and in aninstinctively mocking tone; "you are indeed well inspired. You remind meof what I ventured that you should be free. The darkness of the night,indeed! I suppose that is all that sticks in your memory, because yougained something tangible by it. You have forgotten the walk through thecorridors of the Palace, all you taught me in the rose garden,and--and--how apt a pupil you said I was. Pray, good MasterForgetfulness, who hath forgotten all these things, forgotten even hisown name, tell me what you did in Courtland eight months ago?"
"I came--I came," faltered the Sparhawk, fearful of yet furthercommitting himself, "I came to find and save my dear mistress."
"Your--dear--mistress?" The Princess spoke slowly, and the blue eyeshardened till they overtopped and beat down the bold black ones ofMaurice von Lynar; "and you dare to tell me this--me, to whom you sworethat you had never loved woman in the world before, never spoken to themword of wooing or compliment! Out of my sight, fellow! The Prince, mybrother, shall deal with you."
Then all suddenly her pride utterly gave way. The disappointment was tookeen. She sank down on a silk-covered ottoman by the window side,sobbing.
"Oh, that I could kill you now, with my hands--so," she said in littlefurious jerks, gripping at the pillow; "I hate you, thus to put a shameupon me--me, Margaret of Courtland. Could it have been for such a thingas you that I sent away the Prince of Muscovy--yes, and manyothers--because I could not forget you? And after all----!"
Now Maurice von Lynar was not quick in discernment where woman wasconcerned, but on this occasion he recognised that he was blindlyplaying the hand of another--a hand, moreover, of which he could nothope to see the cards. He did the only thing which could have saved himwith the Princess. He came near and sank on one knee before her.
"Madam," he said humbly and in a moving voice, "I beseech you not to beangry--not to condemn me unheard. In the sense of being in love, I neverloved any but yourself. I would rather die than put the least slightupon one so surpassingly fair, whose memory has never departed from me,sleeping or waking, whose image, dimly seen, has never for a moment beenerased from my heart's tablets."
The Princess paused and lifted her eyes till they dwelt searchingly uponhim. His obvious sincerity touched her willing heart.
"But you said just now that you came to Courtland to see 'your dearmistress?'"
The young man put his hand to his head.
"You must bear with me," he said, "if perchance for a little my wordsare wild. I had, indeed, no right to speak of you as my dear mistress."
"Oh, it was of me that you spoke," said the Princess, smiling a little;"I begin to understand."
"Of what other could I speak?" said the shameless Von Lynar, who nowbegan to feel his way a little clearer. "I have indeed been very ill,and when I am in straits my head is still unsettled. Oftentimes I forgetmy very name, so sharp a pang striking through my forehead that I doteand stare and forget all else. It springs from a secret wound that atthe time I knew nothing of."
"Yes--yes, I remember. In the duel with the Wasp--in the yew-tree walkit happened. Tell me, is it dangerous? Did it well-nigh cost you yourlife?"
The youth modestly hung down his head.
This sudden spate of falsehood had come upon him, as it were, from theoutside.
"If the truth will not help me," he muttered, "why, I can lie with anyman. Else wherefore was I born a Dane? But, by my faith, my mistressmust have done some rare tall lying on her own account, and now I amreaping that which she hath sown."
As he kneeled thus the Princess bent over him with a quizzicalexpression on her face.
"You are sure that you speak the truth now? Your wound is not againcausing you to dote?"
"Nay," said the Sparhawk; "indeed, 'tis almost healed."
"Where was the wound?" queried the Princess anxiously.
"There were two," answered Von Lynar diplomatically; "one in my shoulderat the base of my neck, and the other, more dangerous because internal,on the head itself."
"Let me see."
She came and stood above him as he put his hand to the collar of hisdoublet, and, unfastening a tie, he slipped it down a little and showedher at the spring of his neck Werner von Orseln's thrust.
"And the other," she said, covering it up with a little shudder, "thaton the head, where is it?"
The youth blushed, but answered valiantly enough.
"It never was an open wound, and so is a little difficult to find. Here,where my hand is, above my brow."
"Hold up your head," said the Princess. "On which side was it? On theright? Strange, I cannot find it. You are too far beneath me. The lightfalls not aright. Ah, that is better!"
She kneeled down in front of him and examined each side of his head withinterest, making as she did so, many little exclamations of pity andremorse.
"I think it must be nearer the brow," she said at last; "hold up yourhead--look at me."
Von Lynar looked at the Princess. Their position was one as charming asit was dangerous. They were kneeling opposite to one another, theirfaces, drawn together by the interest of the surgical examination, hadapproached very close. The dark eyes looked squarely into the blue. Withstuff so inflammable, fire and tow in such immediate conjunction, whoknows what conflagration might have ensued had Von Lynar's eyescontinued thus to dwell on those of the Princess?
But the young man's gaze passed over her shoulder. Behind Margaret ofCourtland he saw a man standing at the door with his hand still on thelatch. A dark frown overspread his face. The Princess, instantlyconscious that the interest had gone out of the situation, followed thedirection of Von Lynar's eyes. She rose to her feet as the young Danealso had done a moment before.
Maurice recognised the man who stood by the door as the same whom he hadseen on the ground in the yew-tree walk when he and Joan of the SwordHand had faced the howling mob of the city. For the second time PrinceWasp had interfered with the amusements of the Princess Margaret.
That lady looked haughtily at the intruder.
"To what," she said, "am I so fortunate as to owe the unexpected honourof this visit?"
"I came to pay my respects to your Highness," said Prince Wasp, bowinglow. "I did not know that the Princess was amusing herself. It is myill-fortune, not my fault, that I interrupted at a point so full ofinterest."
It was the truth. The point was decidedly interesting, and therein laythe sting of the situation, as probably the Wasp knew full well.
"You are at liberty to leave me now," said the Princess, falling back o
na certain haughty dignity which she kept in reserve behind her headlongimpulsiveness.
"I obey, madam," he replied; "but first I have a message from the Princeyour brother. He asks you to be good enough to accompany his bride tothe minster to-morrow. He has been ill all day with his old trouble, andso cannot wait in person upon his betrothed. He must abide in solitudefor this day at least. Your Highness is apparently more fortunate!"
The purpose of the insult was plain; but the Princess Margaretrestrained herself, not, however, hating the insulter less.
"The lady looked haughtily at the intruder." [_Page 88_]]
"I pray you, Prince Ivan," she said, "return to my brother and tell himthat his commands are ever an honour, and shall be obeyed to theletter."
She bowed in dignified dismissal. Prince Wasp swept his plumed hat alongthe floor with the profundity of his retiring salutation, and in thesame moment he flashed out his sting.
"I leave your Highness with less regret because I perceive that solitudehas its compensations!" he said.
The pair were left alone, but all things seemed altered now. Margaret ofCourtland was silent and distrait. Von Lynar had a frown upon his brow,and his eyes were very dark and angry.
"Next time I must kill the fellow!" he muttered. He took the hand of thePrincess and respectfully kissed it.
"I am your servant," he said; "I will do your bidding in all things, inlife or in death. If I have forgotten anything, in aught been remiss,believe me that it was fate and not I. I will never presume, never counton your friendship past your desire, never recall your ancient goodness.I am but a poor soldier, yet at least I can faithfully keep my word."
The Princess withdrew her hand as if she had been somewhat fatigued.
"Do not be afraid," she said a little bitterly, "I shall not forget. _I_have not been wounded in the head! _Only in the heart!_" she added, asshe turned away.