“Remember,” he said, retaining her hand and looking up, his face quite close to hers. “Remember, we have made a compact, and you must make the offer worthy of my acceptance—or it may mean fresh and heavier imposts for your favourites in place of lighter ones,” and with that smiling, half-jesting menace he went away, calling the Baron de Proballe to attend him.
Gabrielle stood gazing after him sorely bewildered by what had passed, distracted by doubts and striving earnestly to fathom the meaning of the question he had pressed with such insistence.
When he had gone she went to an inner room, accompanied by Lucette who had been present at the interview but out of earshot, and had followed the strange proceedings, watching the Duke intently and reading there something of the purpose which was hidden from Gabrielle’s unsuspecting nature.
Lucette was skilled in reading love in the eyes of men, and with quaking heart and fearsome curiosity she waited now to hear what words the Duke had spoken to Gabrielle to inspire the looks which she had seen him cast upon her. And when she heard them, Lucette felt her cheeks alternately flame with rage and chill with deadly fear for Gabrielle’s sake.
CHAPTER V
THE TIGER’S CLAWS
LUCETTE had had her own troubles as well. Never before had such a mischance occurred as that of the previous evening in the pine-walk; and the fact that she was merely tricking Dauban in order to wheedle the truth out of him had not helped her with her lover in the least.
The thrashing administered to Dauban had relieved some of Denys’ wrath; but the hard blows for him had been followed by some equally hard words for Lucette, with many hot and bitter reproaches: none the less stinging because for once undeserved. And she had not been able to make peace with him.
Worst of all, he had ridden away that morning without so much as a word to her; and she was angry at his obduracy and wounded by his neglect, and still more angry with herself for caring so much.
Gabrielle, quick to notice the troubles of those about her, had seen Lucette’s woe-begone, doleful looks and questioned her before the Duke’s visit; but now for the moment she was wholly engrossed by the perplexity in which that visit had left her.
“What can he want of me, Lucette?” she asked again and again, until Lucette had a suggestion to make, born of her own belief of the Duke’s purpose and intended as a warning for Gabrielle.