CHAPTER XXI
THE next afternoon as Lee was taking tea with the other guests in the library she happened to glance out of the window, and saw Lord Barnstaple returning from the moors, alone. It was an unusual occurrence, for he was an ardent and vigorous sportsman. Ten minutes later she became aware that a servant in the corridor was endeavouring to attract her attention. She went out at once and closed the door. The servant told her that Lord Barnstaple desired an interview with her in his own sitting-room; he feared interruptions in her boudoir.
Lee went rapidly to his rooms, curious and uneasy. She felt very much like running away, but Lord Barnstaple had been consistently kind to her, and was justified in demanding what return she could give him.
He was walking up and down, and his eyebrows were more perturbed than supercilious.
“I want to know if you will give me a little help,” he said abruptly.
“Of course I will do anything I can.”
“I want that bounder, Pix, put out of this house. I can’t stand him another day without insulting him, and of course I don’t want to do that. But he is Emmy’s guest and she can get rid of him—I don’tcare how she does it. Of course I can’t speak to her; she would be in hysterics before I was half through; and would keep him here to spite me.”
“And you want me to speak to her?”
“I’m not asking you to undertake a very pleasant task; but you’re the only person who has the least influence over her, except Cecil—and I don’t care to speak to him about it.”
“But what am I to say to her? What excuse?”
Lord Barnstaple wheeled about sharply. “Can’t you think of any?” he asked.
Lee kept her face immobile, but she turned away her eyes.
Lord Barnstaple laughed. “Unless you are blind you can see what is becoming plain enough,” he said harshly. “I’ve seen him hanging about for some time, but it never occurred to me that he might be her lover until lately. I don’t care a hang about her and her lovers, but she can’t bring that sort to the Abbey.”
“I can tell her that everybody is talking and that the women are hinting that unless she drops him she’ll be dropped herself.”
“Quite so. You’ll have a nasty scene. It is good of you to undertake it without making me argue myself hoarse.”
“I am one of you; you must know that I would willingly do anything for the family interests that I could.”
“You do belong to us,” said Lord Barnstaple with some enthusiasm. “And that is what Emmy has never done for a moment. By the way,” he hesitated,“I hate to mention it now, it looks as if I were hastening to reward you; but the fact is I had made up my mind to give you my wife’s jewels. They are very fine, and Emmy does not even know of their existence. I suppose it would have been rather decent of me to have given them to you long ago: but——”
Lee nodded to him, smiling sympathetically.
“Yes,” he said, “I hated to part with them. But I shan’t mind your having them. I’ll write to my solicitors at once to send them down; I’ve got to pass the time somehow. For Heaven’s sake come back and tell me how she takes it.”
“I don’t suppose I shall be long. I haven’t thanked you. Of course I shall be delighted to have the jewels.”
“You ought to have the Barnstaple ones, but she’s capable of outliving the whole of us.”