The butler looked horrified. 'Throw you out, my lord?'
'Haven't been invited: don't know the Worths,' explained George. 'I'll risk it. Where do they live?'
Judith's salons were crowded when he arrived, and since the evening was too far advanced for her to expect any more guests, she had left her station by the door and was standing at the other end of the long room, Balking to two Belgian ladies. The footman's voice, announcing Lord George, was not audible above the clatter of conversation, and Judith remained unaware of his entrance until Madame van der Capellan directed her attention towards him, desiring to know who ce beau geant might be.
She turned her head, and saw his lordship standing on the threshold, looking round him with an air of perfect sangfroid. A handsome giant was a description which exactly hit him off. He stood over six foot, in all the magnificence of a Life Guardsman's dress uniform. He was a blaze of scarlet and gold; a very dark young man with curling black hair, and dashing whiskers, gleaming white teeth, and a pair of bold, fiery eyes.
'It is Lord George Alastair,' said Judith. She moved towards him, by no means pleased at the advent of this uninvited guest.
He came at once to meet her. His bow was perfection: the look that went with it was that of a schoolboy detected in crime. 'Lady Worth?'
'Yes,' she acknowledged. 'You - !'
'I know! I know! You're not acquainted with me - don't know me from Adam - wonder how the deuce I got in!'
She was obliged to smile. 'Indeed, I do know you. You are Lord George Alastair.'
'Oh, come now, that's famous! I daresay you won't have me thrown out after all.'
'I am sure it would be a very difficult task,' she said. 'You have come in search of your sister, I expect? She is here, and your brother too. I think they must both be in the farther salon. Shall we go and find them?'
'Devilish good of you, Lady Worth. But don't put yourself out on my account: I'll find 'em.'
She saw that he was looking beyond her, at someone at the other end of the room. She glanced in the same direction, and discovered that the object of his gaze was none other than Miss Devenish. It was plain that Lucy was aware of being stared at; she was blushing uncomfortably, and had cast down her eyes.
'I will show you the way to your sister,' said Judith firmly.
'Thank you - in a moment!' said his lordship, with cool impudence. 'I have seen a lady I know. Must pay my respects!'
He left her side as he spoke, and bore ruthlessly down upon Miss Devenish. She was seated on a sofa, and cast such a scared look up at George that Judith felt impelled to go to her rescue. George was towering over her - enough to frighten any girl! thought Judith indignantly - and Lucy had half risen from the sofa, and then sunk back again.
By the time Judith, delayed by Mr Creevey in the middle of the room, reached her, George had not only shaken hands, but had seated himself beside her. His eyes were fixed on her downcast face with an ardent expression Judith much disliked, and a teasing smile, as impish as his sister's, curled his lips. When Judith came up he rose. 'I am recalling myself to Miss Devenish's memory,' he said. 'It's my belief she had forgotten me.'
'I was not aware that you were acquainted with Lord George, my dear?' Judith said, a question in her voice.
'Oh!' faltered Lucy. 'We met once - at a ball!'
'If that is all, it is no wonder that you were forgotten, Lord George!' Judith said.
'All! No such thing! Miss Devenish, can you look me in the face and say we met only once, at a ball?'
She did look him in the face, but with such an expression of reproach in her eyes as must have abashed any but an Alastair. She replied in a low voice, and with a good deal of dignity: 'It is true that we have several times met: I do not forget it.'
She got up as she spoke, and with a slight inclination of her head moved away to where her aunt was seated.Lord George looked after her for a moment, and then turned to his hostess, saying briskly: 'Where's Bab? Inanother salon? I'll go and find her. Now, don't bother your head about me, Lady Worth, I beg! I shall do very well.'
She was perfectly willing to let him go, and with a nod and a smile he was off, making his way across the crowded room through the double doors leading into the farther salon. These had been thrown open, and as he approached them George saw his brother Harry standing between them in conversation with Lord Hay. He waved casually, but Harry, as soon as he caught sight of him, left Hay and surged forward.
'Hallo, George! When did you arrive? Where are you quartered? I am devilish glad to see you!'
George answered these questions rather in a manner of a man receiving a welcome of a boisterous puppy; twitted Harry on the glory of his brand-new regimentals; and demanded: 'Where's Bab?'
'Oh, with Audley somewhere, I daresay! But what a hand you are, not to have written to tell us you were coming!'
'Who's Audley?' interrupted George, looking over the heads of several people in an attempt to see his sister.
'Why, Worth's brother, to be sure! Lord, don't you know? Bab's going to marry him - or so she says.'
This piece of intelligence seemed to amuse George. 'Poor devil! No, I didn't know. New, is it?'
'Oh, they've been engaged for a fortnight or more! Look, there they both are!'
A moment later Barbara was startled by an arm being put familiarly round her waist. 'Hallo, Bab, my girl!' said his lordship.
She turned quickly in his embrace, an exclamation on her lips. 'George! You wretch, to creep up behind me like that!'
He kissed her cheek, and continued to hold her round the waist. 'What's all this I hear about your engagement?' He glanced at Colonel Audley, and held out his free hand. 'You're Audley, aren't you? How d'ye do? Think we've met before, but can't recall where. What the devil do you mean by getting engaged to my sister? You'll regret it, you know!'
'But you must see that I can't, in honour, draw back now,' returned the Colonel, shaking hands. 'When did you arrive? At Liedekerke, aren't you? We're deuced glad to see you fellows, I can tell. How strong are you?'
'Two squadrons. What are these Dutchmen like,hey? Saw some of them on our way up from Ostend. They're not so badly mounted, but they can't ride.'
'That's the trouble,' admitted the Colonel. 'A great many of them are shocking bad riders.You know we are not getting Combermere to command the cavalry after all. The Horse Guards are sending Lord Uxbridge out to us.'
'Oh, he's a good fellow! You'll like him. But you've served under him, of course. You were with Moore, weren't you? I say, Audley, you Peninsular fellows have the advantage of us - and by Jove, don't you mean to let us know it! A damned rifleman I met tonight called my lot Hyde Park soldiers!'
'So you knocked him down, and poor Vidal will be faced with another scandal!' remarked Barbara.
'No, I didn't. Fellow was my host. But when it comes to fighting we'll show you what Hyde Park soldiers can do!'
Barbara, who was tired of a purely military conversation, changed the subject by asking him how her grandfather did. He confessed that he had not seen that irascible gentleman quite lately, but thought - from the energetic tone of his correspondence - that he was enjoying his customary vigorous health.
'In debt again?' asked Barbara. 'Would he not come to the rescue?'
'Oh lord, no! Wrote that he'd see me to the devil first!' replied George. 'But I daresay if I come out of this little war alive he'll pay up.'
'Return of a hero?' enquired the Colonel. 'You'd better get wounded.'
'Devilish good notion,' agreed his lordship. 'Of course if I'm killed it won't matter to me how many debts I've got. Either way I'm bound to win. What are the Prussians like, Audley?'
'I haven't seen much of them, so far. Old Blucher has arrived at Liege, and says he can put 80,000 men in the field. Some of them pretty raw, of course - like our own.'
'Queer old boy, Blucher,' remarked George. 'Saw him last year, when he was in London with the Emperors and all that crowd. Seemed to take very well - people used to cheer him whenever he showed his face out of doors.'
Lady Barbara moved away; Lord George wandered off, and presently discovered Miss Devenish again. He
