Through the numbness engendered by the anaesthetic, fear had been growing in Cressida’s mind, until now it had overwhelmed every other feeling. She knew she was completely in the hands of these three men; and even what she had seen of them was enough to fill her with the acutest dread. Aird’s oily phrases went ill with the expression in his little piggish eyes.
“It’s a great thing to be a bit of a psycho-what-d’ye-call-it, miss. I can tell to a dot just exactly what’s passin’ through your mind,” he went on. “You’re wonderin’ where you are at this minute. I ’ave much pleasure in enlightenin’ you. You’ve ’ad the extraordinary good luck to be brought to the ’eadquarters of Aird & Co., a purely philanthropic syndikit formed for the good purpose of purifyin’ morals, and rescuin’ heiresses from the clutch of their fancy men, and teachin’ them to lead saintly lives in future. Your case is the first we’ve ’ad brought to our door, so we can give it our excloosive attention. And we shall!”
He sniggered, apparently much amused by his own conceit. Cressida felt the menace behind all this forced jocularity. Aird brought the candle nearer to her face, and made a pretence of studying her features.
“Ah!” he continued. “You’re feelin’ nervous, miss? It’s as plain as a pikestaff to the eye of the trained mind-reader like me. You’re all of a flutter, like. And no wonder, miss. You that’s been livin’ in sin with that young Fleetwood for the best part of a year, with your own true husband alive and mournin’ all the while. Shockin’! Such goin’s on! But never fear, miss. You ’ave fallen into good ’ands, as I said once before. Aird & Co., expert matrimonial agents, will take up your case and make an honest woman of you yet.”
Behind his jovality, Cressida could feel some dreadful menace. She turned her face away, so as to hide from herself his little gloating eyes.
“That’ll do, Aird,” said a fresh voice, quite unknown to her. “I’ll explain things. You talk too much.”
The man who had his back turned to her came across to the bed and took the candle from Aird. Then, stooping down, he let the light play over his own features, while his hand forced Cressida’s head round so that she gazed straight up into his face. At the first glance she thought she must still be under the influence of the chloroform, for what she saw was torn almost out of human likeness.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” said the wreck. “Your future husband, also your cousin: Derek Fordingbridge. Not recognise me again? Well, I suppose I’ve changed since we said goodbye last.”
He let the candlelight play across his shattered face for some moments, so that she might miss no detail of the horror. Then, as she closed her eyes, he released his grip, and she turned her head away to escape the sight of him.
“You’ll get used to me in time,” was his only comment. “Here’s the situation. Our uncle chooses to keep me out of my money. If I go to law over it, most of the cash will be wasted in legal expenses. He won’t suffer, but I shall. Now, you’re the next in the line of inheritance; so, if I drop out, it comes to you. And if you marry me, then what’s yours is mine—I’ll see to that part of it. You understand the idea? You marry me and I drop my claim; and between us we collar the dibs. Uncle won’t object, I’ll guarantee; and dear Auntie Jay will be delighted.”
He paused and examined the expression of loathing on Cressida’s face.
“I don’t wish to go to extremes,” he said coldly, “but you’re going to do as you’re told. Make no mistake about that.”
He drew back slightly, allowing Aird to come nearer.
“Aird will take the gag out and let you speak; but he’ll keep his hand on your throat, and the first attempt you make to cry out you’ll get throttled pretty sharply. Understand?”
Aird obeyed instructions, and Cressida passed her tongue over her bruised lips. She was in deadly terror now, and her mind was working swiftly. A glance at the three men bending over her was sufficient to show her that she need expect no mercy from them. She was completely in their power; and if she refused to give in to them, they might—But she thrust to the back of her mind all the possibilities which she could read so clearly on the face of Aird.
Then, as a thought shot through her mind, she strove her hardest to keep out of her expression the relief that she felt. If she submitted immediately, and promised to carry out the order, that would perhaps save her for the time being; and, when it came to implementing her promise, the marriage ceremony would have to be performed in public, or at least in the presence of some clergyman or official; and there would be nothing to prevent her refusing then. They could not coerce her in a church or before a registrar. Nowadays forced marriages are found only in books.
The pressure of the gag had hurt her mouth, and she had some difficulty in framing words in which to make her submission.
“I can’t help myself. But you’re not my cousin Derek.”
The faceless creature laughed.
“That’s a quick courting!” he sneered. “But one doesn’t need to be a psycho-what-d’ye-call-it, as Aird says, to see what’s in your mind.”
His voice became tinged with a menace beside which Aird’s seemed childish.
“You think you’ve only got to say ‘Yes’ now; then, when it comes to the point, you’ll turn on us and
