Walter saw her into a cab, after which he returned to the house. He was relieved to find that Vera had already retired. Lord Ravenspur was walking moodily up and down the library.
“One of the grooms is going to sleep in the studio,” he said. “We can get the damage repaired tomorrow. And now tell me everything. I am certain that you have something unpleasant to disclose.”
Walter told his story at some length. Lord Ravenspur followed with every sign of interest.
“Oh, I can quite understand that man’s point of view,” he said. “You see, I know something about those people. When I was quite a young man I spent a year or two in Corsica, and, to a certain extent, I sympathise with them. I have committed an outrage on the national honour, and I am to pay the penalty with my life. The thing is recognised out there. It is regarded as quite commonplace.”
“And there is no way of clearing yourself?” Walter asked.
“Well, perhaps there is one,” Ravenspur said thoughtfully. “You see, the head of the family can interfere. Vera’s mother is in a position to say—But what am I talking about? My dear boy, my life is in danger, and I am afraid that even if we lay Silva by the heels there will be others. But, come what may, I am going to ask for no clemency. Come what may, Vera shall never pass into the custody of that vile woman whom she has the misfortune to call her mother. Nothing shall induce me to change my mind. Indeed, such a thing would be a violation of my promise to the dead.”
“Your sentiments do you honour,” Walter said; “but, unhappily, I don’t see how you can carry them out.”
XXVII
Flight!
It was a long time before Lord Ravenspur replied. He paced up and down the studio immersed in his own gloomy thoughts. Then gradually his face cleared, his eyes flashed with resolution.
“I begin to see my way,” he said. “It is not for my sake, but that of the child. I hope you will believe me when I say I am no coward. If it were six months hence I could laugh at the danger, because, whatever happened to me, I should have succeeded in my purpose. In six months’ time Vera will be of age. At the expiration of that period she can become a naturalized British subject. Then the Crown will look after her interests, and see that the estates which she will some day inherit are properly administered. Six months hence Vera will be her own mistress. She has already been informed what her mother is like, and she will know how to behave towards that woman. It will be a satisfaction for me to know that we have baffled those bloodthirsty wretches after all.”
“And in the meantime?” Walter asked. “Don’t you think we should have Silva arrested, so that at any rate we should be safe as far as he is concerned? We could easily find him.”
“I don’t think so,” Ravenspur said, thoughtfully. “I know my enemy by sight, which you will admit is a very great advantage. If another assassin comes along, he will have a tremendous pull over me. Besides, you made a suggestion just now which gave me a brilliant idea. You said that it was a pity we hadn’t got the dogs here. We will have a couple of bloodhounds up the first thing in the morning, and one of them shall sleep in my bedroom, the other in the studio. The hounds are not in the least dangerous to those who know them. But I pity the midnight intruder who comes along and gets introduced to one of them. That will be one way of protecting myself for a time, and it will give the scoundrels something to do to devise fresh means of putting an end to me. I have thought it all out, and the best thing we can do is to disappear.”
“Disappear!” Walter cried. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I say. The thing can be done tomorrow night. There is nothing easier.”
“But tomorrow night we are going to Lady Ringmar’s great reception,” Walter urged. “I understand that it is to be one of the biggest things of the season, and I know that Vera is looking forward to it with the greatest possible pleasure.”
“Well, we can go,” Ravenspur said, a trifle impatiently. “Now my scheme is this: we go to Lady Ringmar’s, and stay there till about two o’clock in the morning. We take certain wraps with us, and we leave the house, not in one of the carriages, but in a hired fly which will subsequently take us to Waterloo Station. By special train we will go down to Weymouth, and at that point hire a yacht to convey us to Jersey. There we shall be able to stay a few days, and settle our plans. The servants can easily get all we want together early tomorrow morning, and send the bags down to Weymouth as luggage in advance. The next day the papers will contain the information that Lord Ravenspur has suddenly been attacked with a mysterious illness, and that he has been ordered to leave London at once. As perfect rest and quietness are prescribed, he is keeping his address a secret, and has given strict orders that no communication of any kind is to be forwarded. Even the servants in Park Lane will profess not to know where we have gone, which will be nothing less than the truth. How does the idea strike you?”
Walter murmured something in reply. As a matter of fact, he was not in the least in love with the scheme, though Lord Ravenspur appeared to be so eager and happy about it, that he had not the heart to throw cold water on the programme. From his more youthful point of view, the idea of flight seemed cowardly. He
