Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
Mums was persuaded to go, at last, after having upbraided her daughter,
with tears, for forcing them all--including Lord Severance--into such a
deplorable, such a perilous situation.
As for the peril, after Garth's words, and still more his _look_, all
thrill of danger and the chance of a fight, with a triumphant if
exhausting close, had died. Marise felt dull and "anti-climaxy," and
homesick for her friends, the dear public who loved and appreciated her.
Céline remained to undress her mistress, having (despite Mrs. Sorel's
advice) brought various articles from Marise's own room. When at last
the bride was ready for bed in a dream of a "nighty" fetched by her
maid, Céline thought of the jewels on a table in the salon.
By this time the room was empty, Garth having retired like a bear to his
den; and the Frenchwoman took it on herself to transfer the valuables to
the bedroom adjoining. "They will be safer here," she said. "Unless
Mademoiselle--Madame--would like me to carry the cases to the other
suite and put them in the care of Madame his mother."
"No, leave everything here," directed Marise.
She had made up her mind not to keep the gifts. They were beautiful, and
she wouldn't have been a woman if she'd not wanted them. But she wanted
still more the stern splendour of handing the spoil back to Garth,
advising him to return the jewels whence they came, since _only
millionaires_ should buy such expensive objects. But she would not of
course take a servant, even Céline--who knew everything and a little
more than everything--into her confidence.
She gave the Frenchwoman a key (which had been handed her by Garth) to
use in the morning, when the time came for early tea, a bath, and being
dressed. Then, when the maid had departed with a click of the outer
door, an idea sprang into the mind of Marise. At first she thought it
would not do. Then she thought it would. And the more she thought in
both directions, the more she was enmeshed by the idea itself.
Only half an hour had elapsed since Garth went to his room. The man
wouldn't be human, after what they'd passed through, if he had gone to
bed. Marise was sure he had done no such thing: and she fancied that she
caught a faint whiff of tobacco stealing through the keyhole of that
stout locked door between their rooms.
At last she could no longer resist the call of the blood--or whatever it
was. She switched on the light again, jumped up, and looked for a
dressing-gown. Bother! Céline hadn't brought one--had taken it for
granted she would use that wonderful thing which Garth's taste--or the
taste of some hidden guide of his--had provided.
Well, what did it matter, anyhow? She would slip it on--and the
sparkling gold and silver _mules_, too. She glanced in the long Psyche
mirror. She _did_ look divine! Even a rock-carved statue couldn't deny
that! Gathering up the jewels, she unlocked the door which led into the
hall, and tapped at the door of Garth's room, adjoining her own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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