She got up quickly, a vague idea of flight in her mind. He, too, rose, and before she could stop him, put his arms round her. “Eustacie!” he said. “From the moment of first laying eyes on you I have loved you!”
An uncontrollable shudder ran through her. She wrenched herself out of his embrace, and cast him such a glance of repulsion that he stepped back, the smile wiped suddenly from his face.
He looked at her with narrowed eyes, but after a slight pause the ugly gleam vanished, and he was smiling again. He moved away to the other side of the fireplace, and drawled: “It seems that you do not find me so sympathetic as you would have had me believe, cousin. Now, I wonder why you wanted to come here today?”
“I thought you would advise me. I did not suppose that you would try to make love to me. That is quite another thing!”
He lifted an eyebrow at her. “Is it? But I think—yes, I think I have once or twice before informed you of my very earnest desire to marry you.”
“Yes, but I have said already that I will not. It is finished.”
“Perfectly,” he bowed. “Let us talk of something else. There was something I had in mind to ask you, as I remember. What can it have been? Something that intrigued me.” He half closed his eyes, as though in an effort of memory. “Something to do with your flight from the Court ... ah yes, I have it! The mysterious groom! Who was the mysterious groom, Eustacie?”
The question came as a shock to her; her heart seemed to leap in her chest. To gain time she repeated: “The mysterious groom?”
“Yes,” he smiled. “The groom who did not exist. Do tell me!”
“Oh!” she said, with a rather artificial laugh, “that is my very own adventure, and quite a romantic history! I assure you. How did you know of it?”