She trusted to be put out of suspense as to her worst fear—that of a premature return from London on the part of the Tancreds—in half an hour from the present moment. The return journey could not take more than fifteen or twenty minutes.
Her worst fear! Wasn’t there yet a worse than the worst?—the fear that Charlie might this time carry his point, and insist on escorting her back? Since the motor was a brougham, of what possible use or protection could the chauffeur be? Should she beg Harrington to come too? But it was a single brougham!
The sound of steps approaching roused her. Well, this was a bit of luck! She would get off sooner than she had thought possible; for here was a footman coming to tell her that the ark of her salvation was at the door. But the owner of the nearing footfall did not wear Flora’s livery.
“I was sent to look for you!” observed a young and manly, but not very gracious voice.
The heart of the fille à marier gave a jump up from her boots, to which it had latterly been sinking. Late, but not quite too late, here was the Toby for whom she had sacrificed, suffered, and imperilled so much!
“Oh, how glad I am!”
This was perfectly true, but that was not at all the reason why she uttered it! A rapid calculation resulted in the conclusion that in the very short time allotted to her, if she ever wished to make an effect—and oh, didn’t she wish it?—the stroke of her brush must be broad. This was neither the place, the time, nor the object for caution. The impulsive pleasure of one too young and inexperienced to hide a keen pleasure that had taken her by surprise, the outbreak of an emotion too glad and strong to be kept in the leading-strings of convention,—this was the appearance to be aimed at, and which the full look which she allowed her large fawn eyes to take of his fresh-coloured stolid face told her was achieved.
Toby, who, despite his stodgy shyness, was possessed of quite enough conceit to keep him in a competence, if not affluence, of self-esteem, saw no reason why he should doubt that this effusive young stranger was excessively glad to see him.
The young stranger, on her part, was pleased to have made her meaning plain; but, having done so, gave maiden modesty at having been surprised into such an admission its turn.
“You must forgive my saying what seems silly and exaggerated, considering how little I know you; but——” Then a sudden inspiration came to the prettily embarrassed, and yet really harassed, young creature. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Give herself an interest in the eyes of this block of a Toby, if he was stupid enough not to have already conceived one, by enlisting his sympathy and help; and in so doing also baffle the abhorred Charlie? No sooner thought than uttered, with no apparent hitch or hindrance in the smooth run of her sentence: “But the moment I saw you the thought struck me how much—how enormously you might help me if you would.”