“Is this your friend, Madame?” he said, in no pleased tone.
“You know each other?” asked Carola.
“We have a slight acquaintance,” answered the Duke grandly.
“One I shall not presume on, Monsieur,” said Luc, burning to think that perhaps M. de Richelieu thought he wished to solicit the benefits he had once refused.
“You did not expect to see me nor I you,” replied M. de Richelieu, absolutely composed and courteous, “but our previous knowledge of each other need not interfere with the matter on hand now.”
Luc bowed, not at all satisfied. He did not desire any favour, direct or indirect, from M. de Richelieu; he did not like to see him on these terms of intimacy with the Countess; he did not wish such a man introduced into his life.
The only thing that kept him from proudly taking his leave was the conviction that both Carola and the Duke had been quite innocent of planning the situation, she being ignorant that M. de Richelieu and he had met before, and the Duke being unaware that her protégé was M. de Vauvenargues.
Therefore Luc felt that his refusal to listen to their proposals would be ungrateful to Carola, and put him in a foolish position towards the Duke, who had already gracefully carried off the encounter.
The Countess on her part appeared confused; she obviously wondered when these two had met, and why Luc had not mentioned his acquaintance with the Duke.
“You know M. le Maréchal!” she exclaimed. “Then my task—to bring you to an understanding of each other—is the lighter.”