The Princess Dehra Part 28

Bigler nodded. "That was the crash I heard." He took another cigarette, and lighted it carefully. "And that, madame, is the story," he ended, looking at Mrs. Spencer.

She flashed him a bright smile.

"The nicest thing about it, my dear Count," she said, "is that you are here to tell it."

"Even if he doesn't in the least deserve to be here," the Duke interjected. "Such a-my dear Edmund, don't do it again. You're too young and innocent to die. Leave the strategy to me-and my lady, yonder; we will give you enough of fighting in due time-and soon."

The Count laughed in good natured imperturbability.

"I'm done," he said frankly. "I'm ready to take orders from you or my lady-particularly from my lady."

The Duke gave him a quick, sharp glance.

"The orders will come through me," he said, rather curtly.

Madeline Spencer held out her hand to the Count.

"When His Highness grows jealous," she said, languidly arising and shaking down her skirts, "it's time, you know, for you to go-come back when he is not here;" and with a provoking smile at the Duke, she flung the Count a kiss-"for your wounded ear, my lord."

XIII IN THE j.a.pONICA WALK

The Regent signed the last doc.u.ment, and, pus.h.i.+ng it across the table, laid aside the pen.

"How much better it would be if that were 'Armand, Rex,'" she said.

The Prime Minister was putting up his papers.

"And better, still, if it were 'Dehra, Regina,'" he returned, closing the portfolio and locking it.

She made a gesture of dissent.

"There would be no need for the Book, then," he continued; "and no danger of Lotzen becoming king. It is G.o.d's blessing on Valeria that you were you, and could a.s.sume the government-otherwise, we would have had civil war. Your Highness has no conception of the sentiment in the Army; it is two to one for the Archduke; but Lotzen's third is unduly powerful because of a coterie of high officers, who are jealous of the 'American,'

as he is styled, and their readiness to precipitate a contest; and Armand's contingent is unduly weak, because they do not feel a.s.sured that he would countenance war. In a word, the rogues and rascals are for Lotzen-they recognize a kindred leader and the opportunity for high reward. But they would accept you for Queen with enthusiasm-even rogues and rascals love a pretty woman who can rule them with a heavy hand."

Dehra looked at her hand, slender, soft, small, and smiled.

Count Epping nodded. "Very pretty," he said, "very pretty, but it's a Dalberg hand, you know-and they know, too."

"And as they shall experience," she remarked, eyelids narrowed just a trifle, "if they show a disposition to forget it.... And in the experience they may learn that the Governor of Dornlitz also has a Dalberg hand."

"There will be no civil war now," said the Count; "your regency has quite obviated any such catastrophe; and if the Book be found, its decision will be accepted without protest by the Army, as well as by the people at large. What I fear is the contest in the House of n.o.bles-the margin there will be very narrow, I apprehend; and that involves high feeling and fierce antagonism and smoldering family hate fanned into fire; and then, if Lotzen lose, the new king may have a chance to show his hand."

"Armand the First will show it, never fear," she said, with the pride a woman always has for him she loves.

"I have no fear," he said; "if I had, I would not help to make him king-yet, if I may be permitted, Henry the Fifth would be a t.i.tle far more pleasing to the nation than Armand the First. He bears the Great Henry's features, let him bear his name, as well."

She sprang up.

"He shall, he shall!" she exclaimed; "he will do it for me, I know."

The old Count's face softened in one of its rare smiles.

"He would be a poor sort of man, indeed, my lady, who would deny anything to you," he said, and in his stately, old-fas.h.i.+oned way he bent and kissed her hand.

As he arose, the Princess suddenly slipped an arm around his neck, and for the briefest moment her soft lips rested on his forehead.

The Prime Minister kept his face lowered; when he raised it, the tears still trembled in his eyes.

"Don't tell the Archduke," she laughed gayly, seeing how he was moved.

"No," said he, laughing with her now, "I'll not tell him-and lose all chance for another."

"I'll give you another now," she cried, and, springing on the chair beside him, she kissed him on the cheek. "Now go-you've had more than your share-but you shall have a third the day Armand is king."

He took her hand, and gallantly helped her down.

"You give me another object in life," he said.-"I shall claim it if the King permit."

"You may claim it, before him and all the Court," she answered.

After Count Epping had gone, the Princess turned to the table, and sitting on the corner, one foot on a chair, the other dangling, took up some papers he had left with her for examination. In the midst of it the Duke of Lotzen was announced.

"I am engaged," she said curtly; "I cannot see him ... or stay, admit him."

After her question and his answer in the garden near the sun-dial, two days before, she had decided she would receive him only upon occasions of ceremony, when, to exclude him, would have required a special order; but this unexpected and, for him, amazingly early visit, piqued her curiosity too sharply to resist.

But there was no cordiality in her look nor att.i.tude, as he bowed before her in the intensely respectful manner he could a.s.sume so well. She made no change in her position, nor offered him her hand, nor smiled; her eyes showed only polite indifference as, for a s.p.a.ce, she let him wait for leave to speak. When she gave it, her voice was as indifferent as her eyes.

"Well, Your Royal Highness," she said, "how can we serve you?"

Not a shade of her bearing had missed the Duke, and though his anger rose, yet his face bore only a placid smile of amused unconcern.

"I desire the Regent's permission," he said, "to absent myself from the country for an indefinite period."

"It is granted-a year, if you wish."

The Duke laughed softly, almost mockingly, indeed.

"I fear I may not stay quite so long," he answered, "much as it would please me to oblige you. My presence will be necessary in a certain ceremony in the Cathedral, that is fixed for a few weeks short of a year."

The Regent's eyes narrowed. "In the crypt, you mean?-your absence will, at least, postpone the ceremony-had you remained, I imagine it would have occurred much earlier."

Even Lotzen's calmness was disturbed by such a threat from a woman-and, momentarily, his color heightened and his eyes snapped in irritated surprise. Then he bowed.

"I am glad to have been shown the claws so early," he replied with sneering sarcasm; "I shall endeavor to keep beyond their reach. But I shall do my best to furnish the crypt another tenant, though I will not promise to put my Court in mourning for him."