His heart throbbing, he smiled a greeting. To their right, in the great salon, the band had just struck up for the first dance. To cover his confusion Roger bowed to Josephine again, then gave Zanthe his arm and led her into the ballroom. For a few moments they were both tongue-tied, then he said:
' How wonderful it is to see you again.'
'I am glad you feel that,' she murmured. '1 was somewhat doubtful if you would be.'
' That is not surprising, seeing the way I left you.'
'1 learned that you had sailed with General Bonaparte, but I took it hard that you lacked the courage to say goodbye to me or even leave a message.'
' When I rode away that night I had no knowledge of the General's intentions, and it had occurred to him to take me with him only at the last moment. When I got aboard the anchor was already weighed.'
At that moment, Murat called to Roger, 'Come, Breuc! You and the lovely lady you have with you are just what we need to make up a set.'
Roger could hardly refuse, so he led Zanthe out and they took their corner for a minuet. The dance that ensued had little resemblance to those trodden by Marie Antoinette, her ladies and their gallants in the royal palaces of France. Zanthe was not alone in never having before danced such a measure. Fewer than half the dancers knew the figures, but they gaily clumped round, twirled the women about and—shades of Versailles—two of the men committed the impropriety of embracing and kissing their partners when they met at corners.
Almost unconscious of the barn-dance behaviour that was going on round him, Roger bowed and twirled with the others. At the first sight of Zanthe he had been chilled by the realization that the European clohes she was wearing robbed her of much of her glamour; but her face and figure were as lovely as he remembered them and within a few minutes he was again under her spell.
When the dance was over he led her into one of the long, broad corridors that were furnished with settees for sitting out. As soon as they had settled themselves he decided that this was no case for half-measures. Since he was to marry her, she must not be allowed even to suspect that he had ever had second thoughts about doing so. Taking her hand, he said:
' As I was telling you, Bonaparte gave me no chance to decline to go with him. Otherwise I would have done so and returned to you so that we could be married.'
Her big eyes opened wide in surprise and she stammered, 'But . . . but you said yourself that if you ever got another chance to leave Egypt you would take it, and that nothing would ever induce you to come back.'
' No, surely! ' he protested. '1 have no memory of ever having said anything like that.'
' You did. It was on the occasion when you were nearly stung by a scorpion.'
' Why, yes. I do remember now. But when I spoke of a chance to leave Egypt, I meant one that would have enabled me to take you with me. As things were, my voyage back occupied near two months, and for the past six weeks everything here has been in a state of great uncertainty. Now that Paris has settled down I intended to write to M. Sarodopulous and ask him to arrange for you to travel, with as much safety as he could devise, to France.'
' What! ' she exclaimed, her lip trembling. ' You meant to send for me? '
' Of course. But, brave girl that you are, you took it on yourself to make the voyage. So you have rejoined me three months or more before I could have hoped you would. All we have to do
now is find a priest of the Orthodox Church to marry us.'
Zanthe swayed towards him. For a moment he thought that she was about to faint, but she recovered herself and gasped, ' Marry! But I am already married.'
' What say you! ' Roger exclaimed. 'To ... to whom? '
' Achilles . . . Achilles Sarodopulous,' she stammered. ' Did not Madame Bonaparte tell you? *
He shook his head. Still too astonished to be certain if he was pleased or sorry, he muttered, ' Then you did not come to Paris on my account? '
' No. The relations which were opened by you between M. Sarodopulous and the French Army have proved so profitable that Achilles has been sent here to open a branch of the Sarodopulous bank.'
Roger's work often made it necessary for him to lie, but he was no hypocrite. Realizing now how much having regained his freedom meant to him, he could not bring himself to reproach her; but it would have been unkind to her not to appear distressed, so he asked in a low voice, ' How did this come about? '
For a moment she was silent, then she said, ' From the way in which Achilles was always so eager to please me you surely must have realized that he had fallen in love with me. But he attempted nothing dishonourable against you. When . . . when you had gone, neither of us thought you would ever come back and he did his best to console me. He is a fine man, kind, generous and of the East—so in some ways better suited as a husband for me than you would have been.'
'1 understand,' said Roger gently, ' and, if the fault for our separation lies with anyone, it is with me rather than with you.'
' It was the Will of Allah—blessed be the name of His Prophet. But . . . but there was another reason. I mean why I decided to accept Achilles soon after you had gone, instead of waiting in case some message came from you.'
Roger gave her a quick look of enquiry.
She nodded. ' Yes, I am enceinte. While we were in Acre old Gezubb, who was wise in such things, looked after me. But during that last fortnight at the Sarodopulouses' ... it was then. Your son ... I know it will be a son . . . will be born in May.'
' Does Achilles . . .? ' Roger hesitated.
' No. I hate deceit, but he adores me and has made me truly fond of him. It is much kinder to him that he should believe himself the father and that it is a seven-month child.'
All that had to be said between them had been said. Roger was quick to realize that for them to prolong their talk now must lead to embarrassment for both of them. If they remained there discussing the affair further he could not, in decency, do less than pretend acute distress at having lost her. Then if she loved him still, as he believed she did, she might break down and avow it. Inwardly wincing at his own words, he said:
'1 must try to accept my misfortune with courage. Let us find Achilles, so that I can congratulate him.'
Ten minutes later they came upon the handsome young Greek in the card-room. The game he was about to join had not yet started. On seeing Roger approach he gave him an uneasy smile; but Roger, lightly touching Zanthe's hand, which rested on his left arm, said:
' Since it was fated that this pearl among women was not to become my wife, I could wish for her no better husband than yourself.' They then cordially shook hands and talked for a few minutes about the future. The Sarodopulouses were to take a house in Paris and live there permanently. Roger said that he would shortly be leaving for the south of France, but on his return in the spring would look forward to calling on them. As the game was by then about to start Roger asked Zanthe if she would like to dance again, but she tactfully replied:
' No, I thank you. Achilles says that I always bring him luck, so I will remain here and watch him play.'
Roger took a last look into the magnificent tawny eyes of the woman who had twice saved his life and said she was going to bear him a son. Tears sprang involuntarily to his own. He made her a deep bow, then quickly turned away.