He found himself waiting impatiently for the music to stop. She was engrossed in the steps, except every once in a while she would look up at de Bouille and smile at something he had said. When the music ended, de Bouille released her hand reluctantly; her head was tipped back and she was saying something to him. Barney walked toward her fast, coming up to interiupt a sentence. She turned to see him beside her.
"I would have returned madam to you, sir," de Bouille murmured, one black eyebrow raised with a smile.
"I'm sure you would, m'lord," Barney said.
His eyes met Barney's and his smile widened, whereupon he turned away. Douglass said, "Why you didn't give me time to say goodbye?"
"No," said Barney.
"I liked him," she said.
He said abruptly, "I hired a carriage, Douglass. Later, Lucie will join you."
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They were near a huge four-shelved sideboard laden with sweetmeats from four continents. Douglass studied it.
"Did you hear me?" Barney asked.
"Yes," she said. "I was wondering if I wanted to walk around the garden."
He looked into her eyes. "Do you?"
"Barney," she said. "I don't know."
He took her arm. She walked at his side. He was conscious of the other men's eyes on her; it seemed to take more than a long minute to walk the sixty feet across the ballroom into the wide deserted hall. But once in the hall, she stopped, dropping her hand from his arm.
He made a move to recapture it. She stood back against the wall; gradually she raised her eyes. "Barney," she whispered.
He didn't answer; he waited for her to go on.
"I wanted to tell you something."
"Yes."
She spoke fast then. "When I came to take the codebooks that night," she made a gesture, "I never thought it might deprive you of aid in danger! It was Joshua who said it. I—" She reminded herself thus that it had been that headlong act which had brought her here to him.
"I knew that." He waited a moment. "Is that all?"
She nodded.
"Then come, darling," he muttered, taking her hand. The doors were open, and he took her down the two shallow steps.
Down the line of carriages one swung out and started toward them. She said, low, "Is it far?"
"Scarcely a quarter of a mile."
The carriage was coming closer. ^
"Is it on the sea?"
"On the top of White Cliffs," he said.
The carriage door flew open. She got in, sitting straight. Barney sat down beside her and they started down the drive.
For a moment he studied her. The time before she would belong to him could be reckoned in minutes. Because he was only too well aware of his passion for her, he said, almost curtly:
"There is a maid at the house. Will you want her services?"
They had turned out of the grounds and were rolling rapidly down the high road across the top of the island. The carriage lamps swung. In their dimness, her grey eyes looked back at him.
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If she answered he never heard her. He took her in a close embrace, locking her in his arms against him. When the carriage rolled to a stop, he lifted her from it.
A long flight of stone steps was cut into the rocks. The wind cried a little. Far below, the sea pounded and the restless water stretched. In his arms he bore her easily up the steep steps to the house on the rocks.
Chapter 25
"M'SIEUR!" LUCIE JUMPED TO HER FEET. I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS you, sir! You didn't speak and so I didn't recognize your voice."
Joshua nodded and shut the door. "I knocked," he said, looking around past the bed and a table with a lot of bottles on it and silver backed brushes.
His first feeling was vague relief that Douglass was not here. Guilt had nagged him considerably lately. He looked at Lucie.
She was wearing a gay blouse and matching ruffled skirt. Her hair, instead of being braided, was massed in waves on top of her head. She had stood rapidly at his entrance, and the filmy material on which she had been sewing had slipped to the floor in a pool of color at her feet. Joshua leaned down and retrieved it, looking at it critically as it dangled from his hand.
"What on earth is it, Lucie?" he inquired.
"A peignoir, m'sieur," she said; her eyes shone deep blue.
"It looks like a curtain," Joshua said, holding it out. "You can see through it," he added, and looked at the swell of her breast and the tiny waist. "Enchanting idea," he commented, and smiled a little. "You've changed your hair. Did you miss me?"
She looked across to his tall figure; he was very tanned. "I assure you," she began, "vastly."
Joshua grinned. "You're sounding just like a lady of fashion, Lucie." He imitated her. "Oh, but vastly!"
"You puzzle me," she said gravely. "Should I not?"
Joshua deliberately misunderstood. "Should I not puzzle you, Lucie?"
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Her delicate brows drew together. "No, sir. I meant should I not—" She stopped. She smiled enchantingly. "You jest."
"Out," said Joshua. "But if you are going to be so damned fashionable, you might ask me to sit down."
"Oh," she said. "I beg your pardon! Please sit down."
"You sit first," Joshua said, smiling down at her,
"Oh," she repeated. She sighed and sat, then looked over to him. She said, "I missed you vastly."
He laughed. "I'm glad you had kind thoughts. I imagine madam did not think thus." He regarded the tips of his shoes. "One thing a man should learn, Lucie, is never to take what a woman does seriously. I should have bounced her over my knee and whacked the hell out of her." Having thus delivered this, he felt better. "I suppose she told you, didn't she?"
"Oui," said Lucie.
"The trouble was that I lost my temper completely."
"Oui, I know," said Lucie very soberly.
"Well, Lucie, where is madam?"
Lucie hesitated.
"Well?" Joshua said.
Lucie took the wrong stitch. "Madam is with Captain Barney."
Joshua pondered this. "I gather from the tone of your voice that your sentence is supposed to have deep import. It's almost noon. Out with it, Lucie. I gather you mean madam did not return from the ball last night."
"Oui, m'sieur."
Joshua got to his feet and went over to the long French windows. He swung around. "Has madam communicated with you?"
"No, sir." Then she said, "She loves him, sir! So much!"
She could not tell what he was thinking. Finally he said, "I came for two women, and have only one." He came back to her. "Some disposition will have to be made of you, Lucie." Then he added, "I have your gold for you. But I can't leave you here. Impossible." He glanced around the luxurious bedroom. "God Almighty," he said to himself, then he looked at Lucie again.
She said, "Madam will let me know, sir."
"I'm aware of that, Lucie. It's whether you should be permitted to follow madam, and—" He broke off.
Lucie tried in vain to keep her mind on the sewing. She said, "Oh, sir, what are you thinking?"
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She was surprised by the vehemence of his answer. "God knows! I can't be developing morals at my age. I'm thirty, you know. Plow old are you, Lucie?"
"Eighteen. I'm old enough."
He laughed. "I'm sure you are. But I thought you were seventeen."
"I've had a birthday, m'sieiir."
"You did?" Joshua smiled. "When?"
"On Christmas day."
"That settles it," he said. "You're a Christmas present."
She stood up. "Please tell me what you're thinking."
He said, "If I did, you'd slap me. If you did, I'd toss you on that bed there. Does that answer your question?" He looked down at her. "Red-haired women have such white skin. Now listen to me, Lucie. I'm no man for you. You're too damned sweet; my intentions are not honorable. I'm going to send you back to the States and you can marry George."