The firstcomers made a pretence of making purchases of bonnets and laces, which Laure brought forward for Audrey to offer. But it was soon evident to the unlucky nominal head of the firm that her customers had other objects in view than these. There was a sort of freemasonry among them which irritated and alarmed her; and she caught an interchange of glances between them which sent the hot blood to her cheeks.
While preserving towards her that outward decorum which had always been carefully respected at “The Briars,” Audrey felt certain that she was connected by them all with the scenes which had taken place there, and that they believed her to be fully cognisant of what went on in the billiard-room when the guests were supposed to have gone away.
She understood again that Mr. Candover’s prediction had come true, and that they looked upon her departure from “The Briars” as caused by the disturbance of two nights before.
Probably, she thought fiercely, it was he himself who had put the idea into their heads.
She had answered a great many questions as to her hurried departure from Epsom, and requests that she would not be long in finding another house, when Mr. Candover himself, and a well-known baronet of sporting tastes, entered together.
Audrey’s patience was at an end. Her spirit was roused to the point of recklessness, she felt that she hated Mr. Candover, and that she must, no matter what the risk, make one bold effort to defy and denounce him.
When, therefore, Sir Barnaby Joyce began to rally her on her sudden loss of “pluck,” and to express the fear that it was the noise they had made two nights before which had frightened her away, Audrey, sombre, outwardly calm and dignified, but inwardly on fire with a sort of reckless indignation and despair, turned upon him fiercely.
“What noise do you mean, Sir Barnaby?” she asked, with subdued ferocity that made Mr. Candover move uneasily as he watched her.
“Oh, I think you know! There was some sort of disturbance, wasn’t there? Some one accused somebody else of not playing fairly, I believe,” said Sir Barnaby, evidently surprised by her fierce tone.
Audrey fixed upon him a pair of blazing eyes.