The Jewelled Snuff Box (18 page)

“You are no dowerless girl, now, you know,” he reminded her, “but an heiress.”

Still she made no answer.

“If that story that Celia told me was true,” he said, with a slight emphasis, “there is now nothing that need stand in your way.”

“Forgive me, my l — uncle,” she amended hastily. “Do not press me to speak at this moment, I beg of you. The time may perhaps come — but indeed, I am resolved to put the past behind me, and I cannot do so unless I go away. Now that I have no fear of being an encumbrance, I think I shall avail myself of Mr. and Mrs. Sharratt’s kind offer to have me as their guest.”

“An encumbrance!” he exclaimed, struck by the word. “Who the devil says so?”

Jane smiled, “No one but myself. You see, while I was poor, I could not accept hospitality from my friends, but now —”

“Now you will give it,” he promised, with an answering smile. “We must hold a ball for you, my dear, as soon as the period of mourning is past. And, of course, you must be presented at Court. But all that will have to wait for a while.”

In spite of herself, a light came into Jane’s eyes, and, for a moment, the Earl caught a glimpse of the vanished madcap Bella.

“That is how you should look,” he said, approvingly.

“Such things ought not to count, I know,” said Jane, with a smile, “but how delightful it all does sound, to be sure!”

Her expression sobered again.

“There are some difficulties ahead, I fear,” she said, hesitatingly.

“Difficulties? I do not perceive any. You are my niece, and will take your proper place in the world.”

Jane continued to look uneasy.

“What is it, my dear?” he asked, gently.

“I do not see — forgive me, sir, but I cannot endure to be under the same roof as — as Celia. I fear it will be necessary for me to make my home elsewhere.”

He glanced swiftly at her, then veiled his eyes.

“Do not trouble your head over that,” he said, cryptically.

“This lawyer of yours — I must see him to make arrangements for your fortune to be placed at your disposal. Will you ask him to wait upon me at an early date?”

Jane promised, and the Earl crossed to the bell-rope.

“Well, I suppose I must spare you to these people, if that is your wish, but I make no apology for grudging the concession. I have been too long without you to wish to be parted from you so soon. I would accompany you to this man’s chambers myself, but that I have an engagement for this morning that cannot wait. However, I will order the carriage to take you there — shall we say in half an hour?”

“I believe half that time should suffice,” said Jane with a smile. “My possessions are soon packed.”

“That is another matter we shall alter,” he replied. “Do not be too long away, child. I shall miss you sadly.”

Chapter XX. Beauty Destroyed

AS THE carriage moved away from the house in Grosvenor Square, Jane’s heart lifted with pleasure. It was a lovely day; April’s green hand was at last pushing winter firmly away. The gardens of the Square were daubed with touches of yellow and mauve, the birds were singing from the budding branches of the trees. Hope sprang suddenly afresh; the past was left behind, and, whatever hurt she had suffered, time must eventually heal. A little regret must always remain, but a few days spent with the Sharratts would restore at least the outward appearance of equanimity. For the future, she must help herself; courage would be needed, but she did not lack that quality.

Her optimistic mood lasted until the carriage had turned into Brook St., and was approaching Letty’s house. The memory of her visit there earlier in the day came back to torment her, and she found her heart beating fast. As the vehicle drew level with the house, she suddenly espied her friend coming down the steps to the street, attended by an abigail. At the same moment, Letty caught sight of her, and signalled impatiently to her to stop. Jane gave the order, and lowered the window as Letty approached the carriage.

“My dearest Jane, I must speak with you!” she began, breathless with excitement. “There is something you must know! Where are you bound?”

Jane explained briefly that she was on an errand to Chancery Lane, not wishing to be more explicit in the hearing of the servants.

“Then I will come with you!” announced Letty. “May I?”

She waited only for Jane’s nod, before turning to dismiss her abigail. The steps were let down, and she hastily ascended, seating herself beside Jane on the handsome red leather upholstery of the interior with a sigh of relief. She was silent until the door was closed on the two young ladies, and the carriage moved forward at the sedate pace proper to my lord Bordesley’s town coach.

“I was just about to call on you,” explained Letty, “in spite of the fact that I might have had the ill-fortune to run across Celia! I could not wait another moment to hear your account — Jane, Richard has told me all!”

Jane glanced at her friend in dismay, but she had no time to make any remark, for Letty plunged headlong into her tale.

“After you left us this morning, Richard went out to keep some appointment or other, and when he returned later he seemed very thoughtful and abstracted. We were alone, for Mama was gone to take luncheon with Mrs. Wyme — she is an old friend of Mama’s, but that is nothing to the purpose — anyway, I began to tease him about all his mysteries and silences, for you cannot conceive how trying I have found it, Jane! I thought he might only give me one of his set-downs, for he has the greatest dislike of my taking too much interest in his affairs; but, believe me I was never so much surprised in my life! He suddenly said, ‘Very well, Letty, I will tell you all about it, for it will be a relief to me to confide in somebody’. He then went on to say something of what he would do to me if I went blabbing to anyone else — you can imagine the kind of thing!”

“Then you had much better not tell me any more,” said Jane, hastily.

“Pooh, no, how could he mean you, for you are most nearly concerned in the whole business, and already know the half, in any case? But only listen, Jane, and do not interrupt.”

Jane’s lips twitched at this reprimand, but she held her peace.

“Upon my word, I do not rightly know where to begin — but perhaps I should do as he did, and start with the letter.”

Jane looked up sharply at this.

“It seems that some little while back, Celia sent for Riccy, and asked him to procure a letter for her from Julian Summers — I don’t know if you are acquainted with him, Jane, but he is one of those handsome, dangerous men — anyway, he must be a monster, for he was extorting money from her in exchange for this indiscreet note which she had written to him at some time or other; but I am sure she deserves no better! At that time, Mr. Summers was at his place in Kent, where he always goes when he is in deep water, which is four or five times a year, if all the rumours are true. Anyway, Richard agreed to take the money to him there, and bring back the letter in exchange.”

Jane changed colour, and opened her lips to speak, but no sound came. Letty glanced curiously at her before continuing.

“Richard says he knows he was a fool to let himself get embroiled in Celia’s affairs; but he is so good, Jane, and you may know how Celia can wheedle! Anyway, he went on this errand, obtained the letter, and placed it in his snuff box. It is a special kind — it was my grandpapa’s — and has a secret compartment in the base, just large enough to contain a small document. He began his journey home, and then the odd part of the story comes in!”

She paused for breath, but this time, Jane did not interrupt. Her heart was surging with thankfulness. So the letter had not been written to Sir Richard, after all — he was not Celia’s lover! His clandestine meetings with her were no doubt concerned only with the recovery of the lost letter. And she, Jane, had been in possession of it all the time!

“A mile or so from Mr. Summers’ house, Richard was attacked and robbed of all he carried on him. He is quite clear on this, though not on anything that follows for some hours; for, believe it or not, Jane, he has no recollection whatever of what befell him after the attack, until he suddenly found himself in a street down in the City! And that was the next day, mark you!”

She paused here, expecting Jane to exclaim in surprise; but to her amazement, Jane sat there quietly smiling as though she found nothing wonderful in this recital.

“Upon my word, Jane; you take my news very calmly!” exclaimed Letty, in some chagrin.

“I suppose it must seem so to you: but I have a reason. What you tell me of your brother’s errand to Kent is news to me, but the rest of the story I know more of than he does himself.”

Letty turned an incredulous look upon her friend. Jane proceeded to explain her part in the affair: as she told her story, a weight seemed to slide from her shoulders. It was so much more comfortable not to be obliged to have any more secrets from Letty.

“Well!” exclaimed her friend, when she had come to the end of her story. “And to think that you had Richard’s snuff box all the time! But why did you not return it to him, Jane? That I cannot understand.”

It was not easy to answer this question without betraying the one secret which must still be guarded. Jane stumbled a little over her words.

“He did not remember me — it would have been necessary to explain how I came by it, and I did not wish him to feel under any obligation to me — my situation altogether was so difficult —”

Her voice tailed off. Letty gave her a shrewd glance; she knew her Jane.

“Oh, yes, I begin to see how it is!” she said, causing Jane to blush. “But you would have saved him a power of trouble — and Celia, too, though I don’t care a fig for her! However, they were both at their wits end, trying to discover where the letter could be; Riccy says that he even tried breaking into Mr. Summers’ town house in an endeavour to find it! But although he did not succeed, he did have a talk with the man Summers, and it seems that they both came to the conclusion that — this, at any rate, you cannot know, Jane — Mr. Summers’ valet and Celia’s abigail were concerned in the business. It seems that this girl Betty overheard Richard’s conversation with Celia when first he talked with her about the letter, and Betty thought it a splendid opportunity for enriching herself, so she put the valet up to stealing the letter; only it went wrong, and instead the man planned to hold Richard up on his way back to London, and take the letter from him. Their plans seem to have been doomed to failure, do they not, for that went wrong, too?”

Jane nodded absently. She had wondered about Betty’s part in last night’s scene. Here then was the explanation.

“Anyway,” continued Letty, enjoying her role of informant, “when Riccy went to see Celia yesterday evening, he told her what they suspected, and she taxed Betty with it. Apparently Celia lost her temper with the maid, and that brought on the dreadful scene in which you took part, Jane. There is no need to tell you of that, for you know it already. It was most unfortunate that the Earl should have walked in just then — but how like Celia to make up such a wicked lie to account for Richard’s presence in her room!”

Jane did not reply. There was so much in what she had just learned to make her thankful, so many points on which this information showed Sir Richard in a new light; her mind was too occupied for comment. Luckily, Letty did not appear to feel the lack of it.

“There is more, Jane. After Richard left my lord’s house last night, he encountered the abigail, who was running away.

He forced her to admit that what he suspected was true, and made her promise to take him to the valet, Perkins. The meeting was arranged for this morning, but first I came to bring you to see Riccy.”

The colour flamed again in Jane’s face as she recalled the interview.

“You know your own business best, to be sure, Jane; but I am persuaded that Richard is more than half taken with you already, in spite of the fact that he does not realise you have met before! However, perhaps you are indifferent to him.”

This remark was accompanied by a sly, sideways glance. What Letty saw on her friend’s face brought a smile to her generous mouth.

“When you went away,” continued Letty, “Richard went to keep his appointment with the man Perkins. He succeeded in recovering all his property except the snuff box, and apparently Perkins swore by all that is holy that he knew nothing of that. Of course, we both know that he was speaking the truth, but Richard could not, and it seems to have taken some time to convince him.”

She broke off, and a fierce expression crossed her normally gentle, good-humoured face.

“If only I could have laid hands on that man! — However, I believe Richard may have succeeded in giving him a good fright!”

“I have no doubt of it,” said Jane, conjuring up a mental image of Sir Richard’s heavy dark brows and broad shoulders. He would be a fearsome man in anger, she surmised.

“Riccy forced Perkins to tell him the name of the inn where his horse had been left — the very inn, Jane, where you and Riccy met! And that is where he has gone now — he went as soon as he had finished telling me the whole story, not staying for anything but to push a few clothes into a bag. He said that he is determined to remain there until he has found his snuff box, and cleared up the mystery that surrounds those hours which he has forgotten. He made up his mind that the box must have been dropped somewhere near the spot where he was attacked, and feels that the inn will be a likely starting point for his inquiries.”

“So it will be,” replied Jane, “for I showed the box to the landlord’s wife as proof that your brother would be able to meet his reckoning. She would not be likely to forget such a handsome trinket.”

“But what are we to do, Jane?” exclaimed Letty. “We know that he can never find it there. We cannot leave him in ignorance!”

“The box is soon obtained, at any rate,” answered Jane. “I left it in Mr. Sharratt’s keeping, as I told you, and you may have it of him when we arrive in Chancery Lane.”

“But what of Richard? He may remain in Kent for days, searching and questioning to no purpose, while we hold the key to the riddle! Jane, can we not go after him and explain?”

Jane hesitated.

“Why, yes, I think if I were you I should go, Letty.”

“But why cannot you — oh, of course! I am forgetting your situation with regard to Celia Bordesley! Do not return there, Jane; come with me to Kent — I assure you, there is not the least need for you to concern yourself with your future —”

Jane interrupted her, smiling.

“No, there is not, Letty. I have something surprising to tell you. This is a day of confidences for you, it seems.”

She went on to tell her friend of the change in her fortunes. Letty listened thunderstruck, for once forbearing to interrupt. Amazement at last gave place to delight.

“My dearest Jane!”

Warm arms encircled Jane’s neck, and for a time everything else was forgotten in the wonder of this latest piece of news. But at last Letty’s eager questions were all answered, and she could really believe in Jane’s changed state.

“It is just what I have always been planning for you, only a great deal better!” she cried. “And it has fallen out very fortunately for my purpose, for now there is nothing to hinder you from accompanying me into Kent at once!”

Jane was silent for so long, that her friend looked at her in surprise.

“Indeed, Letty,” she began falteringly, at last, “I scarcely know what to say — I am already engaged to spend a visit of some days to Mr. and Mrs. Sharratt, as I told you — I don’t quite see how I may come with you.”

“That is not spoken like my Jane!” cried Letty, indignantly. “You wretch, I believe you are making excuses! You also told me that you had but just formed the intention of going to the Sharratts, and therefore they cannot be expecting you; so what is to prevent your going there in a day or two, instead of immediately? No, Jane, you must do better than that, if you hope to take me in!”

Jane smiled wryly, and looked guilty.

“That is true,” she acknowledged. “I am sorry, Letty, but I — indeed, I had much rather not come, if you will forgive me. I —”