The Honourable Ferdy Fakenham, observing with intense interest the passionate embrace being exchanged by two persons who appeared to be wholly oblivious of their surroundings, descended from the curricle, and with great dignity bade the equally interested Jason lead the horses into the stable, and see them well rubbed down. By the time this order had been reluctantly obeyed, Sherry was drying his wife’s wet cheeks with his handkerchief, and Hero was smiling up into his softened face. “But, Sherry, how did you know?”
“Jason saw you. I thought — I was afraid it was because I had given you such a dislike of me that you could not bear even to speak to me! I felt like blowing my brains out!”
“Oh, Sherry, no! How could I dislike you? I have loved you all my life!”
“Kitten, Kitten!” he said, folding her in his arms again. “I wish I could say the same! But it wasn’t until after I had married you that I grew to love you so! What a fellow I am! But I found out when you ran away from me how dearly I loved you! You won’t get the chance to run from me again, I can tell you!”
She laid her cheek against his heart. “Oh, and I have been so troublesome! And now this shocking scrape! I thought you would utterly cast me off!”
“It was my fault! All my fault!” he said vehemently.
Ferdy coughed apologetically. “Told you it was a mistake, Sherry, dear old boy! No wish to disturb you, but there are a couple of postboys peeping at you round the corner of the stable door.”
“Let ’em peep!” said his lordship, but he tucked Hero’s hand in his arm, and walked slowly into the inn with her. “Where’s this fellow, Tarleton? You little fiend, nicely you must have gammoned him! Dashed if I’m not sorry for the poor devil! But what the deuce did he mean by running off with you like that?”
“Oh, Sherry, I am much afraid it may have been because of something very foolish which I once said to him!” confessed Hero guiltily.
He gave a shout of laughter. “I might have known it! Lord, it’s like seeing your last hope come first past the post to be pulling you out of a scrape again, brat!”
“Well, I am excessively relieved to hear you say so, Sherry, because, to tell you the truth, it is a worse scrape than you know. In fact, it is quite shocking, and the landlord says he will give us up to the constable; but perhaps if you will be so obliging as to pay the reckoning for poor Mr Tarleton he may relent. He had all his money stolen from him, you see — ”
“I know he had,” grinned Sherry. “Jason forked him! That’s how I managed to catch you.”
“Oh, how clever of Jason!” Hero cried. “We must give him a handsome present!”
They had by this time reached the end of the passage which led to the coffee-room. Mr Tarleton had succeeded in getting rid of the landlord, but to the Viscount the room seemed strangely full of people. His astonished gaze took in first Miss Milborne, then Sir Montagu Revesby, and lastly Pug, who, having been sleeping stertorously before the parlour fire throughout the late proceedings, had just waddled in to the coffee-room, and now greeted his lordship with a wheezy bark.
It was characteristic of the Viscount that his mind was instantly diverted from the stirring events which had occurred that day. An expression of foreboding entered his face; he stared with repulsion at Pug, and demanded: “Where did that come from?”
“Oh, I brought him!” replied Hero happily. “It’s Pug!”
“I knew it!” said Sherry. “No, dash it, Kitten! I don’t mind Gil’s canary — at least, I do, but I can bear it — but I’ll be hanged if I’ll have an overfed little brute like that in my house! If you want a dog, I’ll give you one, but I warn you, it won’t be a pug!”
“Oh, Sherry, will you?” said Hero. “Well, I do think I should like one. This isn’t mine, you know. He belongs to Lady Saltash, and he is quite odious!”
“Well, why the deuce did you bring him?” Sherry asked. “Can’t see what you can possibly have wanted with a dog when you were eloping!”
“No, and I did not in the least mean to bring him, but I was taking him for an airing when Mr Tarleton abducted me, and somehow he got into the chaise too. Oh, Sherry, this is Mr Tarleton!”
Mr Tarleton had risen rather unsteadily to his feet, and now said with as much dignity as could be expected of a man half-in and half-out of his coat: “Sheringham, if I may have only one word with you alone, I fancy I can explain everything to your satisfaction!”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that!” Sherry responded cheerfully, shaking hands with him. “I don’t blame you for running off with my wife: did the same thing myself! Come to think of it, you owed me one, for it was my Tiger forked your wallet and purse. Meant to have brought ’em along with me, but what with one thing and another I forgot ’em. Hallo, you’re hurt! How is this?”
Ferdy, who had been staring fixedly at the bowl of reddened water on the table, with the bloodstained napkin beside it, now nudged his cousin. “Know what I think, Sherry? Been a regular turn-up. Someone’s had his cork drawn. Claret flowing copiously. If it was Monty’s cork, good thing! Don’t like him. Never have.”
Sherry turned to look at Revesby, his face hardening. “I was forgetting that damned scoundrel was here!” he said. “By Jove, you’re right, Ferdy! Someone’s landed him a facer at last! Take a look at his jaw!”
“Very wisty castor,” agreed Ferdy, nodding his head approvingly. “Dashed if this fellow, Tarleton, ain’t a regular right one! Very obedient servant, sir! Happy to have met you!”
“Yes, but wait a bit!” Sherry said, his gaze taking in the unsheathed sword, and Mr Tarleton’s arm. “Something devilish queer about this! What’s that sword-stick doing there? You don’t mean to say — ”
“Ask Sir Montagu!” said Miss Milborne, who had been leaning her chin in her hand, and staring into the fire, quite divorced from these proceedings. “Ask him to tell you how he drew steel upon an unarmed man!”
“He did?” said Ferdy. “Well, of all things! You hear that, Sherry? Told you he was a Bad Man.”
“Lord, I’ve known that any time these past three months! What I want to know is why he drew steel, and what he got that facer for! And another thing I may as well know, while about it — not that I care much, but it’ll save trouble. I dare say — is what the pair of you are doing here at this hour of night!”
Miss Milborne promptly favoured him with an exact account of her share in the evening’s adventures. The Viscount remained unmoved. “Well. I warned you not to go off with him, Bella,” he said. “Might have guessed he would be up to some mischief. Dashed if it doesn’t serve you right! A rare dust you have kicked up, and all to spite George, if I know anything of the matter! But that don’t tell me how he came to have a set-to with Tarleton!”
“Oh, Mr Tarleton very kindly knocked him down, because he said such horrid things to me!” explained Hero blithely.
“Oh, that was it, was it?” said his lordship, a martial light in his eye. “I’m much in your debt, Tarleton! And what, my buck, did you say to Lady Sheringham, before I choke it out of your lying throat?”
Sir Montagu, retreating, said hoarsely: “You will regret it if you touch me, Sheringham! If the events of this night were to become known — ”
“No, Sherry!” exclaimed Ferdy, seizing his cousin’s arm, and clinging to it desperately. “Promised you wouldn’t get into a miff! Won’t do a bit of good! Got to stop the fellow’s mouth!”
“I’ll stop his mouth so that he’ll never open it again!” said Sherry savagely. “Damn you, Ferdy, let go! I’m going to tear that ugly customer limb from limb, and if there’s anything left of him by the time I’ve done with him — ”
“Not in front of ladies, dear boy! Shocking bad ton! Besides, it ain’t necessary: George wants his blood, and dash it, why shouldn’t he have it? Do him good, poor fellow! Put a bit of heart into him!”
“If there is to be any more fighting, I shall have the vapours, and so I warn you!” declared Miss Milborne. “I am sure I have had more to bear at Sir Montagu’s hands than Hero, and if I am satisfied I do not know why you should not be, Sherry! And if, sir, you should be so unwise as to open your lips on the subject of this night’s adventures, I shall have something to tell the world also! I imagine you would not care to have it generally known that you drew your sword upon an unarmed man!”