King of the Castle Part 96

"And you will stay?"

"Yes, my dear, if I have to wring Parry Glyddyr's neck."

"Ah, now you are speaking like yourself," cried Mary, drawing a breath full of relief. "I'm not a bit afraid now."

Just then a bell rang, and Mary ran out of the room, to find Sarah Woodham anxiously awaiting her, for Claude was pacing the floor wildly, her face flushed, and the excitement from which she suffered finding vent in rapid, almost incoherent words.

She ran to Mary and clung to her, sobbing out--

"Don't--don't leave me again, dear. Stay with me. I cannot bear it.

Oh, Mary, Mary, I must have been mad--I must have been mad."

"Hush, darling! Be calm; try and be calm."

"Calm! You do not know--you do not know. Stop!" she cried wildly, as she saw Woodham cross gently towards the drawing-room door. "Don't leave me. If you care for me now, pray stay."

"Claude, dear, this is terrible," said Mary firmly. "You are acting like a child."

Claude sank upon her knees and buried her face in her cousin's dress.

"Don't think me cruel or unfeeling to you, but what can we do or say?

You are Mr Glyddyr's wife."

"Yes, I know," wailed Claude. Then, looking excitedly in her cousin's face, "I did not know then. I was blind to it all. Mary, what have I done? Tell me--that man--he has married me--for the fortune--tell him to take all and set me free."

"My own darling cousin," whispered Mary, sinking upon her knees, to draw Claude's face to her breast. "No, no, no; all that is impossible. This fit will pa.s.s off, and you must be brave and strong. Try and think, dear, of what you said. It was poor uncle's wish."

"Yes, yes, yes," said Claude wearily; and she struggled to her feet, to throw herself into one of the lounges and sit wringing her hands involuntarily, dragging at one finger until the little golden circle, lately placed there, pa.s.sed over the joint, and at last flew off, to fall trinkling in the fender.

Claude uttered a faint cry, and covered her face with her hands, while Woodham and Mary stood gazing at each other till the former crossed softly and picked up the ring from where it lay.

"Claude, darling," said Mary, as, after a little hesitation, she took the ring from Woodham, and gently drawing her cousins hand from her face, began to slip the little token back into its place.

There was no resistance, only a helpless, dazed expression in Claude's face, as she dropped her hand into her lap, and sat back gazing down at her cousin's act, shuddering slightly, and then closing her eyes.

They drew back, watching her for some time, and at last Woodham crept cautiously forward, peering anxiously into her mistress's face, watching the regular rise and fall of her breast, and then gave Mary a satisfied nod, as they stole very softly away to the far end of the room, and sat down to watch.

"Exhausted, Miss Mary, asleep," whispered Woodham. "Oh, my dear, what can we do?"

"Nothing," whispered back Mary bitterly; "only wait."

The wind increased, setting in more and more for one of the western gales. The rain beat at the windows and the storm came in fierce squalls, as if to tear down the unhappy house; but hours went by, and Claude had not moved, remaining plunged in a kind of stupor more than sleep.

And so the weary hours went on, broken only by the sound of an opening or closing-door, and faintly heard voices which made the watchers start and glance anxiously towards the door in antic.i.p.ation of Glyddyr's coming; but he did not leave the dining-room, and Trevithick remained still in the library, where, through Woodham's forethought, refreshments had been taken to him twice.

As the night closed in, a lamp was lit, and a screen drawn before the table where it stood so as to leave the spot where Claude lay back in darkness, and once more the watchers sat waiting.

It was about eight o'clock, when, after for the twentieth time stealing across to her cousin's side, and returning, Mary placed her lips to Woodham's ear.

"I am getting frightened at her state," she whispered; "surely we ought to send over for the doctor."

"No, my dear," said Woodham sadly. "Let her rest. It will be better than anything the doctor can do."

"Woodham," whispered Mary again, "it seems horrible to say, but I feel as if I could poison that man and set her free."

Sarah Woodham's jaw dropped, and as she sank back, Mary could see that her eyes were wide and staring.

"Sarah, you foolish woman, don't take what I say like that."

The woman struggled to recover herself, and she gasped--

"It was so horrible, Miss Mary; for thoughts like that came to me."

"But, Sarah," whispered Mary, "I did not think of it before; when she wakes, if she is wild like that again, there is some of poor uncle's medicine in the library--there is a bottle of that chloral that had not been opened. Would it be wise to give her some of it to make her calm?"

"Miss Mary!" gasped Woodham, as she pressed her hand to her side.

"Hus.h.!.+ Don't! You--oh, pray, pray, don't talk of that!"

Mary looked at her wonderingly, the woman's excitement seemed so wild and strange.

"No, it would not be wise," she said.

At that moment there was the sound of the dining-room door being opened, and Claude sprang to her feet.

"Mary! Woodham!" she panted. "He is coming."

"Claude! Claude, darling!" cried Mary, with a sob, as she flew to her cousin's arms.

"Keep Woodham here too. He's coming! Do you hear?"

"But, Claude, dearest, he is master here. You made him so. You are his wife."

"Yes, Mary. I was blind and mad. I forced myself to it, thinking it must be my father's will--my duty to the dead. But it is too horrible.

Chris could not have done this thing."

"No, no, my poor darling; he could not have been so vile."

And as the cousins clung together, Mary felt the heart that beat against hers fluttering like that of some prisoner bird. There was the sound of an angry voice in the hall, and then a door was opened.

"Oh, you're there, are you?"

"Yes, Mr Glyddyr, I am here."

"Then why didn't you come into the dining-room like a man, not stop hiding there. What the h.e.l.l do you mean?"

"Don't go on like that, old fellow," said another voice. "Here, come back into the dining-room. Mr Trevithick will join us, perhaps."

"Hold your tongue, curse you! Here, you--you can go back into your hole; and as to you, Gellow, I know what I'm about. Come along."