The Talisman Ring (12 page)

He had discarded his fur-lined cloak in the coffee-room so that all the glory of his primrose pantaloons and lilac-striped coat burst upon Miss Thane without warning. He wore the fashionable short boot, and bunches of ribbons at the ends of his pantaloons; his cravat was monstrous, his coat collar very high at the back, and he carried a tall sugar-loaf hat in his hand. He paused in the doorway and lifted his ornate quizzing-glass, smiling. ‘So here we have the little run-away!’ he said. ‘My dear cousin, all my felicitations! Poor, poor Tristram!’

‘I do not know why you have come here,’ responded Eustacie, ‘but I do not at all wish to see you. This is my cousin, Sarah. This is my friend, Miss Thane, Basil.’

He bowed, a hand on his heart. ‘Ah yes, the – er – acquaintance of Paris days, I believe. What a singularly happy chance it was that brought you to this unlikely spot, ma’am!’

‘Yes, was it not?’ agreed Miss Thane cordially. ‘Though until my brother was took ill, I had really no notion of remaining here. But the opportunity of seeing my dear Eustacie again quite reconciled me to the necessity of putting up at this inn. Pray, will you not be seated?’

He thanked her, and took the chair she indicated, carefully setting his hat down upon the table. Looking at Eustacie with an amused glint in his eyes, he said: ‘So you have decided not to marry Tristram after all! I liked the notion of your spirited flight to the arms of your friend. But how dark you kept her, my dear cousin! Now if only you had confided with me, I would have conveyed you to her in my carriage, and you would have been spared a singularly uncomfortable ride through the night.’

‘I preferred to go myself,’ said Eustacie. ‘It was an adventure.’

He said: ‘It is a pity you dislike me so much, and trust me so little, for I am very much your servant.’

To Miss Thane’s surprise Eustacie smiled quite graciously, and answered: ‘I do not dislike you: That is quite absurd. It is merely that I think you wear a silly hat, and, besides, I wanted to have an adventure all by myself.’

He gave a soft laugh. ‘I wish you did not dislike my hat, but that can be remedied. Shall I wear an old-fashioned tricorne like Tristram, or do you favour the
chapeau-bras
?’

‘You would look very odd in a
chapeau-bras
,’ she commented.

‘Yes, I am afraid you are right. Tell me, what do you mean to do with your life, Eustacie, now that you have given Tristram his
congé
?’

‘I am going to stay in town with Miss Thane.’

He looked thoughtfully at Miss Thane. ‘Yes? Have I Miss Thane’s permission to call upon her in London?’

‘Oh, but certainly! She will be delighted,’ said Eustacie. ‘
Du vrai
, she would like very much to call upon you at the Dower House, because it is such a very old house, and that is with her a veritable passion. But I said, No, it would not be
convenable
.’

Miss Thane cast her a look of considerable respect, and tried to assume the expression of an eager archaeologist.

The Beau said politely: ‘I should be honoured by a visit from Miss Thane, but surely the Court would be better worth her study?’

‘Yes, but you must know that I will not go to the Court with her,’ said Eustacie glibly. ‘Tristram is very angry, and I do not wish that there should be any awkwardness.’

The Beau raised his brows. ‘Is Tristram importuning you to marry him?’ he inquired.

Not having any exact knowledge of what Tristram had told him, Eustacie thought it prudent to return an evasive answer. She spread out her hands, and said darkly: ‘It is that he gave his word to Grandpère, you know. I do not understand him.’

‘Ah!’ sighed the Beau, running his hand gently up and down the riband of the quizzing-glass. ‘You are, of course, an heiress.’ He let that shaft sink in, and continued smoothly: ‘I have never been able to feel that you and Tristram were quite made for each other, but I confess your sudden flight took me by surprise. They tell me that your ride was fraught with adventure, too. Some tale of smugglers – but I dare say much exaggerated.’

‘I suppose,’ said Miss Thane opportunely, ‘that there is a great deal of smuggling done in these parts?’

‘I believe so,’ he responded. ‘I have always understood that my great-uncle encouraged the Trade.’

‘Basil,’ interrupted Eustacie, ‘is it permitted that I bring Miss Thane to the Dower House one morning, perhaps? I thought that you would be like Tristram, and try to make me go to Bath, but now I see that you are truly
sympathique
, and I do not at all mind coming with Sarah to call on you.’

He looked at her for a moment. ‘But, pray do!’ he said. ‘Have I not said that I shall count myself honoured?’

Miss Thane, summoning up every recollection of historical houses she had visited during the course of her travels, at once engaged him in conversation. Luckily she had her foreign journeys to draw upon. This she did with great enthusiasm, and no lack of imagination. The Beau was diverted from the topic of smugglers, and although his knowledge of antiques was slight and his interest in them almost non-existent, he was too well-bred to attempt to change the subject. Miss Thane kept his attention engaged for the remaining twenty minutes of his visit, and when he got up to go, thanked him profusely for his permission to visit the Dower House, and promised herself the treat of exploring his premises on the first fine day that offered. Eustacie thoughtfully reminded her that she would like to bring her sketching-book, to which she assented, as one in honour bound.

The Beau bowed himself out, was shepherded to his chaise by the mistrustful Nye, and drove off, watched from behind the parlour blinds by his gleeful cousin.

Miss Thane sank into a chair, and said: ‘Eustacie, you are a wretch!’

‘But no, but no!’ Eustacie cried, dancing in triumph. ‘You did it so very well!’

‘I am not at all sure that I convinced him. My dear, I know nothing of pictures, or wood-panelling! If he had not taken his leave of us when he did, my tongue must have run dry. I am convinced he thought me a chattering fool.’

‘It does not matter in the least. We shall go to the Dower House, and while I talk to Basil you will find the secret panel and steal the ring!’

‘Oh,’ said Miss Thane blinking. ‘Just – just find the panel and steal the ring. Yes, I see. I dare say it will be quite easy.’

‘Certainly it will be easy, because I have thought of a very good plan, which is to pretend to Basil that I do not at all know what to do. I shall say to him that I have no one to advise me, and I am afraid of Tristram, and you will go away to draw a picture and you will see that he will be very glad to let you. Come, we must immediately tell Ludovic what we have done!’

Ludovic, when the scheme was breathlessly divulged to him, at first objected to it on the score that he had thought of a better plan. Once the coast was clear, he said, Abel Bundy would be bound to work his way up to the Red Lion to deliver his kegs of brandy, and to try to get news of him. If Tristram misliked the notion of breaking into the Dower House, Abel, not so nice, would make a very good substitute.

‘Yes, but it is altogether dangerous for you, and for us not at all,’ Eustacie pointed out. ‘Besides, I do
not
see that it is fair that you should keep the whole adventure to yourself.’

‘Oh, very well!’ said Ludovic. ‘Not that I believe in this precious scheme of yours, mind you! Ten to one the Beau will suspect something. You can’t hunt for the catch to the panel under his very nose.’

‘
Entendu
, but I have provided. I shall desire to speak with Basil alone, and he will like that, and permit it.’

Ludovic eyes her somewhat narrowly. ‘He will, will he?’

‘Yes, because he has said that he would like to marry me.’

Ludovic sat up. ‘I won’t have you going up to the Dower House to let that fellow make love to you, so don’t think it!’

‘Not that, stupid! I shall ask for his advice, and he will not make love to me, because Sarah will be there.’

‘She won’t. She’ll be hunting for the panel.’

‘But I could scream if he tried to make love to me!’

‘Ay, so you could. You’ve a mighty shrill scream, what’s more. All the same, it’s my belief the scheme will fail. It’s a pity I can’t recall which room the curst panel is in.’

‘Yes, I have been feeling that, too,’ agreed Miss Thane. ‘I mean – it would be easier, wouldn’t it?’

‘In an adventure,’ said Eustacie severely, ‘it is not proper to have everything quite easy.’

Miss Thane was about to beg pardon when the sound of a quick, firm footstep on the stairs made them all look towards the door. It opened, but it was only Sir Tristram who came in, so that both ladies were able to relax their suddenly strained attitudes.

‘Oh, it’s you, is it?’ said Ludovic, withdrawing his hand from under his pillows, where it had been grasping the butt of a serviceable pistol. ‘Come in, and shut the door. Eustacie has thought of a plan. I don’t say it’s a good one, but it might answer.’

‘Has the Beau been here?’ Sir Tristram demanded.

‘Yes, that’s what put this scheme of hers into Eustacie’s head. I wish I might have seen him. She tells me he has taken to wearing a lilac-striped coat.’

‘I thought I could not be mistaken in his chaise. Why did he come?’

‘He came to see me, and you must at once listen to me,
mon cousin
, because I have made a plot. I am going to take Sarah to the Dower House, because she has an
envie
to see it. I have told Basil that she likes old houses, and he was very content that she should see it. And when we are there I shall pretend that I wish to consult Basil, and while I am explaining to him how it is that I do not wish to marry you, Sarah will ask leave to make a drawing of the woodwork in the library. In that way she will be able to search for the secret panel, and when she has found it, she must steal the ring, and make just one little drawing to show Basil. Is it not a very good plot?’

‘Yes,’ said Shield, somewhat to her surprise, ‘it is a good plot, but if you do find the ring you must on no account remove it, Miss Thane. Make a sketch of that particular portion of the frieze so that we may easily find it again, and leave the rest to me.’

‘Certainly,’ said Miss Thane. ‘But there is just one thing –’

‘Where’s the sense in leaving it there?’ interrupted Ludovic. ‘I want my ring. I haven’t had a day’s good luck since I lost it.’

‘There is just one thing,’ began Miss Thane again, ‘which perhaps I ought to –’

‘Of course, he must have the ring at once!’ declared Eustacie. ‘Why should she leave it?’

‘Because we must be able to prove that the ring is in the Beau’s possession. Steal it, and it is merely a matter of your word against his. Once we can prove that the Beau has it, Ludovic is cleared. Until then Ludovic is the last person in the world to hold the ring. If Miss Thane can find the panel, and sketch the frieze for us –’

‘Yes,’ said Miss Thane. ‘But I have been trying to tell you for quite some time now that there is a – a trifling hitch. I cannot draw.’

They stared at her in incredulity. ‘Can’t
draw
?’ repeated Ludovic. ‘Nonsense, of you course you can! All females can draw!’

‘I can’t.’

‘I thought,’ said Sir Tristram, with a touch of scorn, ‘that drawing and water-colour painting were taught in every young ladies’ seminary?’

‘They may be,’ retorted Sarah, ‘but I still cannot draw.’

‘Well, why the devil can’t you, if you were taught?’ demanded Ludovic reasonably.

‘I had no aptitude,’ explained Sarah.

‘But consider, Sarah!’ said Eustacie. ‘It is most important that you should be able to make just a
little
drawing!’

‘I know,’ said Sarah. ‘I am very sorry, and I quite see that a person who is unable to draw is unfit to take part in any adventure.’

‘It seems to me,’ said Ludovic, ‘that girls merely waste their time at school.’

‘Yes, and what is worse, I have told Basil that she will bring her sketching-book,’ added Eustacie. ‘Now it appears that she has not got one, and we are quite undone.’

‘If she can’t draw, she can’t,’ said Sir Tristram. ‘I shall have to join your party.’

Eustacie shook her head. ‘No, because I have told Basil that I do not care to see you, and he would think it very odd if you were to be of my party.’

Sir Tristram gave a resigned sigh. ‘You had better let me know at once just what lie it is you have told the Beau. What am I now held to have done?’

Eustacie’s eyes twinkled wickedly. ‘Well, you see, I had to make up a reason why I could not take Sarah to the Court, so I said that you were very angry with me.’

‘Oh, is that all?’ Sir Tristram sounded relieved.

Miss Thane, feeling that she had something to avenge said meditatively: ‘Yes, it was the Beau himself who suggested the rest. No one could really blame Eustacie.’

‘The rest?’

‘Oh, it was nothing to signify!’ said Sarah, with an airy gesture. ‘Mr Lavenham just asked if you were still importuning Eustacie to marry you.’

‘Why should I be doing anything of the sort?’

‘On account of her being an heiress,’ explained Sarah.

Sir Tristram said dryly: ‘Of course. I should have thought of that. I trust neither of you will hesitate to vilify my character whenever it seems expedient to you to do so.’

‘No, of course we shall not,’ Miss Thane assured him.

‘But you do not mind,
mon cousin
, do you?’

‘On the contrary, I am becoming quite accustomed to it. But I am afraid even your imagination must fail soon. I have been in swift succession a tyrant, a thief and a murderer, and now a fortune-hunter. There is really nothing left.’

‘Oh!’ said Ludovic gaily, ‘we have acquitted you of theft and murder, you know.’

‘True,’ Shield retorted. ‘But as your acquittals are invariably accompanied by fresh and more outrageous slanders, I almost dread the moment when you acquit me of fortune-hunting.’

Eustacie looked a little distressed. ‘But, Tristram, you do not understand! We do not really think you are a fortune-hunter!’