CHAPTER VI.
DE LA ZOUCH INDULGES IN A LITTLE VILLANY.
If I can do it
By aught that I can speak in his dispraise,
She shall not long continue love to him.
SHAKESPEARE.
The Courtly hall of Haddon was never quiet for long together, and very soon both the death of the witch and the warning of the locksmith were forgotten amid the preparations which were being made for a grand ball. Sir Thomas Stanley, having wooed Margaret, had successfully petitioned the sanction and blessing of Sir George and Lady Vernon, and the event was to celebrate their betrothal.
The morning of the festive day had opened fair, and as the day sped on, the guests rapidly assembled. De Lacey was there, delighting the ladies, as usual, with his braggadocio. Manners and Crowleigh were both there too, by special invitation, and, of course, cousin Benedict à Woode, who made no scruple of inviting himself to Haddon Hall if by any means his invitation had not come; and also, to Dorothy's great disgust, Sir Henry de la Zouch was there.
The musicians struck up a lively tune, and very soon the steaming boar's head was placed upon the table. Father Philip pronounced a very long benediction, and the singing of an old Latin rhyme beginning—
"Caput apri defero,"
announced that the feast had commenced in earnest. The venison pasties of Margaret's make disappeared with a truly marvellous rapidity, while Dorothy's confections had a very short lease of life, and fared no better, either because they were nice or that Dorothy was the maker of them.
"Pass round the wine," hailed the baron, "and drink to the health of the ladies of Haddon Hall."
"Hurrah!" vociferously replied the guests, "to the health of the ladies of Haddon."
"But stay; what's the matter with Master Manners?" asked De la Zouch, whose eagle eye had discovered that HIS tankard was not upraised with the rest. "A discourteous guest, upon my troth."
"May I drink it in water?" asked Manners, as he felt the eyes of his host fixed sternly upon him.
"Nay, you must have the wine, sir," replied Sir George, "but whether it goes down your throat or your arm makes little matter," and as he spoke he pointed to the iron ring fastened in the door post ready for such contingencies.
"I suppose the arm must have it, then," he replied, "for I am sworn to taste no wine until I have performed a solemn vow."
"Waste good wine!" exclaimed De Lacey, as he gazed in blank astonishment at the speaker; "what a pity."
"Have you forsworn ale too?" asked Dorothy.
"No, only wine, sweet demoiselle," replied Manners, smiling as he caught the drift of the question.
"Then fill his glass with ale," commanded Doll, "and drink the toast without delay."
This happy suggestion was loudly applauded, and the healths were drunk off amid acclamation, the only one who did not heartily join in it being Sir Henry de la Zouch, who was annoyed to find that his petty attempt to spite his rival had failed, and that, too, by the intervention of Dorothy herself.
"Confound it all," he muttered, "he shall not escape me like this.
Eustace."
"Did you call?" asked the page, bending down.
"Yes," whispered De la Zouch. "Listen, you remember the Derby packman?"
"Aye, too well, I do."
"Nonsense," he replied, softly; "Master Manners killed him."
"Oh!" gasped the astounded page.
"Remember," added his master, "it was Manners."
"Yes, Master John Manners," repeated Eustace.
"Hush, that is all. A little more of that delicious jelly of yours, sweet Dorothy," he added in a louder tone as he turned round again to the table.
Whilst the feast was progressing, De la Zouch was pondering the fittest way of broaching the topic which lay so heavily upon his mind. Sir Thomas Stanley had won the elder sister, he argued, why should he not win the younger? He clearly saw that Dorothy was receding from his grasp, and that the longer he delayed, the fainter grew his chance of success. Lady Vernon daily grew less favourable too, he noticed, and so without delay he resolved to ask Dorothy for her hand. The present occasion was most propitious, and he determined to carry his plan into operation at once.
When the meal was ended—and that was not very soon—the company broke up into little parties and separated, to amuse themselves in whatever fashion they liked best. Margaret, as the heroine of the day, was surrounded by a number of knights and ladies, who contentedly watched her as she played at chess with Benedict. Sir John de Lacey racked his brains to the uttermost in order to sufficiently garnish the veracious little scraps of his own autobiography, and succeeded both in making the group around him open their eyes wide with surprise, and at the same time in making his listeners roar with laughter.
A marvellous hero was Sir John. He had been the ruling spirit in more than one Continental Court during his one brief sojourn in France. He had slain dragons, in different parts of the globe, in numbers enough to make St. George turn green with envy; and only his excessive modesty has prevented his name from being handed down to posterity.
Manners, naturally enough, joined Dorothy's party, and went out upon the lawn to take part in a game at bowls.
"Dear me, how careless I am to-day," she exclaimed; "there are six of us, and I have only brought four balls; I must fetch some more," and she started to go back.
"Let me go," said Manners.
"You," replied Doll, "you could never find them; I will go, and you must entertain the ladies while I am away," and she tripped across the green to the Hall.
"Ha, Doll, dearest," said a voice, as she turned the corner of the terrace, "I have been searching for thee."
Dorothy turned round and met the gaze of Sir Henry de la Zouch.
"For me!" she exclaimed, without pausing.
"Nay, prithee, now don't hurry so," he replied, catching hold of her arm, "I would ask thee a weighty question."
"But I am in a great hurry," she replied.
"Then I shall not keep thee long, but thou canst stay a little while, surely?"
"Indeed, I cannot, Sir Henry," she replied. "There are some visitors awaiting my return."
"John Manners for one," sneered the knight.
Dorothy blushed deeply, and bit her lip to repress the sharp retort which came readily to her tongue. Sir Henry saw that he had committed an error, and he endeavoured to recover his position.
"Sir Thomas has wooed thy sister Margaret," he exclaimed, "and I have long been wooing thee, and now the time has come when I am to offer you my hand."
Dorothy struggled to get away, but her suitor held her fast.
"Nay, cruel one," he continued, "I must have an answer. I shall be an earl in good time, perchance, and if you will but say 'aye' to my proposal you may be a countess—think of it, Dorothy, a countess—and the hostess of Ashby Castle."
He let go his hold of her, and dropping down upon his knee, he raised his clasped hand in the most approved fashion of the time, and continued his suit.
"Dorothy," he went on, "will you—?"
"Never," she replied, cutting him short in the middle of his speech, and, finding herself at liberty, she rushed precipitately into the Hall.
De la Zouch gazed after her in mute astonishment, and, staggered as he was, he remained in the same position until he was startled by a voice behind him.
"At prayers, sir knight?" asked the baron. "Father Phillip's grace at the table was long enough to serve me through the day."
"No, Sir George," replied the crestfallen lover, "I have been pleading my suit with Dorothy."
"And what said she?"
"She is bashful."
"What! My Doll bashful? That were hardly polite to thee, methinks."
"Perchance I should have more success with thee?" pleaded Sir Henry, as pathetically as he could.
"Let us withdraw into the bower, then," replied Sir George, "we can talk it over there, and we shall not be disturbed. Ha! here comes Lady Vernon, she will know what to do."
Lady Vernon came up at the bidding of her lord. The lover would fain have seen Sir George alone, but there was no help for it, and he had to brave the circumstances with the best grace possible.
"Maude, we must take your counsel," began the baron. "Sir Henry de la Zouch would take advantage of to-day's festivity to ask for the hand of Doll. What think you; can we spare her too, as well as Margaret? We should lose them both together then. What dost thou advise?"
"That depends upon many things," replied the stately dame, as she seated herself. "Dorothy would be a splendid match for anybody. What has Sir Henry to say?"
"I hope to be an earl soon," he replied, "and she would be a countess as you will. My father is infirm, he cannot live much longer, and I expect news of his death from Florence every day. And as for the estates, though they may not be equal to those of Haddon, yet they are by no means insignificant."
Dame Vernon knew all this, and the knowledge of it had influenced her before; but lately she had heard ill tidings of Sir Henry, and she was by no means so enthusiastic on his behalf. And, besides, a fresh competitor had entered the lists.
"Humph," growled the old knight, "we don't want to sell the girl."
"Be quiet, Sir George," interrupted his worthy spouse. "The thing must be done properly. Does Ashby Castle fall to your share, sir knight?" she asked.
"Certainly. To whom else should it go?"
"Have you spoken to Doll about it?" continued the dame.
"She is too dutiful a daughter to commit herself without the consent of her parents," answered De la Zouch. "But I doubt not, that when once again you have spoken to her, I shall speedily be rewarded with success."
"Ay," exclaimed Sir George, "Doll was ever a dutiful child."
"She would bow to our will, anyway," replied Lady Vernon, "but I think she has another suitor. We must think the matter well over ere we settle anything."
"Another suitor," laughed the baron; "why there are scores of them."
"Ah, you see, Sir Henry, the baron has not the quick, discerning eye of a mother—or a love either," she added shyly. "Bless his innocence, he knows naught of it yet. Sir George, I trust Master Manners is a trusty young man?"
"John Manners is goodly enough, forsooth, for aught I trow," returned the King of the Peak, reflectively. "Aye, and a likely enough young man, too!"
"But Manners cannot seek the hand of so guileless a maiden as sweet Dorothy," interrupted the dismayed lover. "His hands are stained with blood."
"A soldier should do his duty," quickly returned Sir George."
"But he is a murderer!"
"That is a bold statement, De la Zouch, to make against a guest of mine," exclaimed the baron quickly, "and I fear an thou persist in it that it will prove awkward for thee if thou canst not prove it, and worse still for him if it be true."
"Are you certain of it?" asked Lady Maude.
"I have a witness," was the calm reply.
"Then by my halidame," quoth the irate knight, "as I'm a justice o' the peace, he shall be faced with the offence. When was it perpetrated?"
"At the hawking party."
"What, here at Haddon?"
"You don't mean the pedlar, surely?" inquired Lady Vernon.
"Aye, but I do; he was murdered in the wood."
"Tut," angrily exclaimed Sir George, "'tis all a tale, and I for one don't believe a word of it. The witch killed him, and was punished for it too."
"But I saw it," stubbornly returned Sir Henry, "and I have a witness; one who saw it done."
"We tried Dame Durden by the ordeal, an she was found guilty and hanged," persisted the baron. "And, beshrew me, that's enough for any man"; and the Lord of Haddon reverently crossed himself to show that the trial had had the approval of his conscience.
"But," urged De le Zouch, "I tell you I saw it done myself, and I am ready to prove it any way you choose."
"Come now, Sir George," interrupted Lady Vernon, "the trial may for once have led us astray, as it did in the case of Thomas Bayford sixteen years ago. Doubtless Mary Durden got no more than she deserved, and mayhap she was punished for deeds we wot not of. Perchance Master Manners would not deny the charge if he were here, and faith! I remember me now that Margaret did say he was left behind with Dorothy, and then Doll left him and galloped on."
"Yes, that was it," Sir Henry said, "and Eustace, who was left behind, saw them quarrelling and fetched me back to stay the strife."
"Well, prithee now, go on," exclaimed the knight. "You saw him killed, and said naught?"
"No."
"And let me hang another for it. Truly, 'tis a right noble way to treat a host."
"Nay, you are too hard upon me. I thought he was but thrashing the knave, and as that was no affair of mine I left him to it, but afterwards his body was found in exactly the same spot. I was away when the ordeal was performed, else I had told thee what I had seen. Eustace will bear me out in all I have told you; question him for yourselves. But now, if you still think well enough of Master Manners to mate him with the peerless Dorothy, I am sorry alike for her and your vows of knighthood."
"Come that is right enough," exclaimed the dame, "and Master Manners has not denied the accusation yet."
"Then he shall soon have the opportunity," said the baron, "for hither he comes; he could not have come at a readier moment."
John Manners had waited a long time for Dorothy's return, and now, half fearing that some accident had befallen her, he had willingly acceded to the request of the ladies and had set forth to find her. Hearing voices in the house, he approached it to pursue his inquiries, when the watchful eye of Sir George Vernon immediately espied him.
"Pardon my intrusion," exclaimed Manners, "but I am in search of Mistress Dorothy. She left us to fetch some balls and has not returned."
"Hie, man," interrupted Sir George, "we have a serious charge preferred against thee; thou art just come right to answer it."
"Have I been stealing some fair maiden's heart?" he laughingly inquired.
"Nay, listen! 'tis a charge of murder; but I tell thee frankly, I don't believe a word of it."
"A charge of murder," echoed Manners blankly, "a charge of murder, and against me! This is past endurance, 'tis monstrous! Whom have I slain, I pray thee tell me?"
"The Derby packman," promptly returned De la Zouch, "and thou knowest
I saw thee do it."
"You lie. I never saw the man until he was dead. Thou shalt prove thy words, Sir Henry de la Zouch," returned the esquire, "or I shall have thee branded as a knave. There is some cause for this, Sir George," he added, turning to the baron, "of which I am in ignorance. I am the victim of some plot."
"Like enough, like enough," returned the baron, sympathetically. "Then you deny the charge? I knew De la Zouch was wrong. The ordeal—"
"But I saw him myself, and so did Eustace," stuck out the disappointed lover; "and Margaret remembers that Master Manners was left behind."
"And for the matter of that, so were you," said Sir George sharply.
"And Eustace is but a page who must, perforce, obey his master's will in everything," continued Manners. "Crowleigh was with me all the day, save when I went back to Mistress Dorothy. How tallies that with your account, eh?"
"That was precisely the time it occurred, and bears me out in all that I have said," glibly responded the scion of the house of Zouch. "It all but proves his guilt, Sir George."
"Nay, not so much as that," quoth Lady Maude; "but since it cannot be agreed upon, I should advise you to let the matter drop."
"Stop," exclaimed Manners. "If De la Zouch has a spark of honour left within him he will step out and measure swords with me, for by my troth I swear he will have to render me the satisfaction my honour demands."
This was by no means to the taste of the knight of Ashby. He had not calculated for such a course as this; but, fortunately for him, Lady Vernon spoke, and unwittingly released him from his difficulty.
"Nay, not before me," she said, "and on so festal a day as this."
"As you will it," said De la Zouch, assuming an air of injured dignity.
"They must settle it in true old knightly fashion at the tourney," exclaimed Sir George decisively.
"Since you command it I suppose I must obey," replied Sir Henry; "but I had rather not have stained my weapons with the blood of so foul a caitiff."
"You will be good enough to leave me to decide that matter," said the baron testily.
"Then, by St. George, I shall be ready," replied Manners. "I am as well born as he, and can give him a lesson or two in good breeding, besides showing him a trick or two with the sword that I learned in the Netherlands. In the meantime I disdain him as a dog;" and boiling over with rage the maligned esquire left the little group and stalked across the terrace to rejoin the ladies on the green.