“Since you are all so insistent, I will. How did you come here?”
O’Hara went round to the back of the couch to arrange a cushion beneath the hurt shoulder, and leaned his arms upon the back, looking down with a laugh in his eyes.
“Faith, I rode!”
“But how did you know? Where—”
“ ’Twas all on account of that young rascal David,” he said. “Molly fretted and fumed all the way to the Frasers, vowing the child would be neglected, and whatnot, and we’d not been in the house above an hour or so, when up she jumps and says she knows that something has happened at home, and nothing will suffice but that I must drive her back. We arrived just as Beauleigh was setting out. He told us the whole tale, and of course I had Blue Peter saddled in the twinkling of an eye and was off after ye. But, what with taking wrong turns and me horse not happening to be made of lightning, I couldn’t arrive until now.”
“You cannot have been so long after me,” said Jack. “For I wasted full half-an-hour outside here, trying to find an opening in the hedge for Jenny to get through. She is now stalled in a shed at the bottom of the lawn with my cloak over her. I’ll swear she’s thirsty, too.”
“I’ll see to that,” promised O’Hara.
Andrew came across the room and bowed awkwardly to my lord, stammering a little. Carstares held out his hand. “Lord, Andy! I scarce knew you!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Andrew took the outstretched hand and answered, laughingly. But my lord had not failed to notice the hesitation, short though it had been.
“I—beg your pardon. I had forgot,” he said stiffly.
Andrew sat down beside him, rather red about the ears.
“Oh, stuff, Jack! I’m a clumsy fool, but I did not mean that!” Richard stepped forward into the full light of the candles.
“If you will all listen to me one moment, I shall be greatly obliged,” he said steadily.
Lord John started forward.
“Dick!” he cried, warningly, and would have gone to him, but for O’Hara’s hand on his shoulder, dragging him back.
“Ah, now, be aisy,” growled Miles. “Let the man say it!”
“Hold your tongue, O’Hara! Dick, wait one moment! I want to speak to you!”
Richard never glanced at him.
“I am about to tell you something that should have been told—seven years ago—”
“Once and for all, I forbid it!” snapped my lord, trying to disengage himself from O’Hara’s grip.
Miles leant over him.
“See here, me boy, if ye don’t keep a still tongue in your head, it’s meself that’ll be gagging you, and that’s that!”
My lord swore at him.
Diana laid a gentle hand on his arm.
“Please, John! Please be still! Why should not Mr. Carstares speak?”
“You don’t know what he would do!” fumed Jack.
“In fact, Miss Beauleigh, Sir Miles and Andrew are completely in the dark,” drawled the Duke. “Shall I tell the tale, Richard?”
“Thank you, I shall not require your assistance,” was the cold rejoinder. “But I must ask you to be quiet, John.”
“I will not! You must n—”
“That will do,” decided O’Hara, and placed a relentless hand over his mouth. “Go on, Carstares!”
“For the sake of Miss Beauleigh, I will tell you that seven years ago my brother and I went to a card-party. I cheated. He took the blame. He has borne it ever since because I was too much a coward to confess. That is all I have to say.”
“ ’Twas for that ye wanted to see me on Friday?” shot out O’Hara.
Richard nodded, dully.
“Yes, I was going to tell you then.”
“H’m! I’m glad ye had decided to play the man’s part for once!”
With a furious oath Jack wrenched himself free and rounded on his friend.
“You take too much upon yourself, O’Hara!”
He rose unsteadily and walked to Richard’s side.
“Dick has told you much, but not all. You none of you know the reasons we had for acting as we did. But you know him well enough to believe that it needed very strong reasons to induce him to allow me take the blame. If anyone has aught to say in the matter, I shall be glad if he will say it to me—now!” His eyes flashed menacingly as they swept the company, and rested for an instant on O’Hara’s unyielding countenance. Then he turned and held out his hand to his brother with his own peculiarly wistful smile.
“Can you bear to speak to me?” muttered Richard, with face averted.
“Gad, Dick, don’t be ridiculous!” He grasped the unwilling hand. “You would have done the same for me!”
Andrew pressed forward.
“Well, I can see no use in raking up old scores! After all, what does it matter? It’s buried and finished. Here’s my hand on it, Dick! Lord! I couldn’t turn my back on the man I’ve lived on for years!” He laughed irrepressibly, and wrung Richard’s hand.
My lord’s eyes were on O’Hara, pleading. Reluctantly the Irishman came forward.
“ ’Tis only fair to tell you, Richard, that I can’t see eye to eye with Andrew, here. However, I’m not denying that I think a good deal better of ye now than I did—seven years ago.”
Richard looked up eagerly.
“You never believed him guilty?”
O’Hara laughed.
“Hardly!”
“You knew ’twas I?”
“I had me suspicions, of course.”
“I wish—oh, how I wish you had voiced them!”
O’Hara raised his eyebrows, and there fell a little silence. His Grace of Andover broke it, coming forward in his inimitable way. He looked round the room at each member of the company.
“One, two, three—four, five—” he counted. “Andrew, tell them to lay covers for five in the dining-room.”
“Aren’t you staying?” asked his brother, surprised.
“I have supped,” replied Tracy coolly.
For a moment O’Hara’s mouth twitched, and then he burst out laughing. Everyone looked at him inquiringly.
“Ecod!” he gasped. “Oh, sink me an I ever came across a more amusing villain! ‘Lay covers for five!’ Oh, damme!”
“Or should I have said six?” continued his Grace imperturbably. “Am I not to have the honour of Mr. Beauleigh’s company?”
O’Hara checked his mirth.
“No, ye are not!
