The Weight of the Crown
Page 47
CHAPTER XLVII
THE SITUATION IS SAVED
There was no reason to say any more. Both listeners felt that thesituation was saved; they felt, too, that Jessie was absolutely right.Her logic lacked no force, because it was so clear and simple. The queenpaused in her agitated walk and crossed towards the door.
"That is settled, then," she said. "My dear friend here has solved theproblem. But there is yet much to be done before we are safe and Asturiais preserved from the grip of the wolf. I should like to see the king."
Maxgregor had no objection to make. Perhaps on the whole it would bebetter for the queen to be quite sure that he told no more than thetruth. It was a sufficiently sad hour that followed before the queenreturned to her hotel again. She was hardly back before Lord Merehavenwas announced. His easy air vanished as he entered the room, he lookedvery old and agitated. There was just a wild gleam in his eyes as hisgaze fell on Jessie.
"I have been hearing strange things, madame," he said. "My niece hasbeen confessing the truth. So it was this young lady who was responsiblefor so many of the startling events of the other night. Not that Ipropose to recognise that I am in anyway----"
"For Heaven's sake, forget that you are a diplomat and a minister foronce, my lord," the queen said. "This is a matter that closely touchesyour personal honour and mine. I beg you to believe that I did not knowof the change of identity till this young lady accompanied me here fromyour house. Surely you must recognise her bravery and courage, that sheran all these risks merely to help one whom she had never seen before.It was a strange position for a lady----"
"An impossible position for a lady," Merehaven said drily.
"I think not," the queen said, just a little coldly. "It was done on thespur of the moment. If your niece has told you everything, surely youmust be aware of that."
"My niece has told me everything, madame," Merehaven went on. "She hadplanned a desperate enterprise to save the man she loved and she wantedto so place it that she could leave the house all the while her friendscould testify that she had not gone beyond the front door. And Vera camevery near to success----"
"Very near to success!" the queen cried. "She _did_ succeed. Sheobtained possession of those missing papers. It is true that she lostthem again, but they passed out of the possession of Countess Saens andthus deprived her of one of her most powerful weapons. The bold attemptto free Mr. Maxwell from blame----"
"Mr. Maxwell was not in the least to blame, as matters turned out,"Merehaven explained. "Captain Lancing was the culprit all through. Mr.Maxwell was foolish in his little flirtation with the Countess--which bythe way she forced upon him--gave colour to his guilt. It was Maxwell'swild endeavour to save Lancing that brought suspicion on him, but Ishall be able to satisfy Maxwell's chiefs that he has nothing to askforgiveness for when the time comes. As a matter of fact a letterwritten by Captain Lancing before he committed suicide has come to handand he takes all the blame."
"But this need not become public property," the queen said.
"It is not going to become public property," Merehaven said. "We shalllet the rumour die. We shall assume that the whole thing was merely afoolish newspaper canard. All the same there were papers stolen and they_did_ pass into Countess Saens's hands. And Count Gleikstein is actingas if he knew the contents and as if he had possession of the papers.Probably it is only bluff, but it is giving me a deal of anxiety."
"You mean that you cannot feel quite certain whether or not those papersare in the hands of the Count or not?" Jessie asked. "He is acting as ifhe possessed them?"
"You are an exceedingly clever young lady," Merehaven smiled. "That isexactly the point. I have a wonderfully shrewd man to deal with and heis puzzling me utterly. If he has not the papers and I can prove it,then I can afford to laugh and affect ignorance. Whereas----"
"Perhaps I had better tell you exactly how things stand," the queenremarked. "You need not know anything of this officially as yet, but themore fully you are posted the better for your fight with CountGleikstein. I am going to tell you a story that will astonish you,diplomat as you are."
The queen did not boast. Merehaven was unaffectedly astonished andshowed it. He walked up and down the room muttering to himself as hewalked.
"Did ever anybody ever hear anything so amazing," he said. "If I couldonly be sure now what has become of those stolen papers. Does anybodyguess where they are?"
"I can't go as far as that," Jessie said. "But I can guess who doesknow. I fully believe that lost secret will be found in the possessionof Mr. Lechmere."
Merehaven gave a grunt of delight. The moody frown passed away from hisface. "You really are a very clever young lady," he said. "I supposewhen the time comes to smooth out things I shall have to forgive you forthe part you have played. But your suggestion as to Lechmere isbrilliant, distinctly brilliant. I'll go to him at once."
The early edition of the evening papers was once more full of theaffairs of Asturia, and the newsboys were proclaiming the fact as theyran along before Merehaven. It was quite clear from the rumoursemanating from the Asturian capital that the enemy had no real grip asyet of the true position of things. King Erno was back again in hiscapital once more, he had met his disaffected ministers frankly andopenly for once in his life, and he was prepared to place himselfentirely in the hands of his advisers. He admitted that he had not beena model monarch in his time, but then, physically and intellectually, hewas not fit for so exalted a position. If there was any question of hissuccessor, he should like to name Prince Alix, whom he had every reasonto believe was close at hand.
Merehaven chuckled as he walked along reading all this from a_Telephone_. Once Prince Alix accepted the successor, Russia would bebeaten. And that they should be so innocent as to stand by when, hadthey known it, all the cards were in their hands was a piece ofdiplomatic success that pleased Merehaven exceedingly. He even forgothis troubles over those evening papers and the battle with Gleikstein.
Lechmere was not at home, but he had left directions that if anybodydesired to see him particularly he was to be found for the next hour orso at the Orient Club, and thither Merehaven made his way. He foundLechmere reading an evening paper and smoking a long black cigar as ifhe were one of the most idle and purposeless men in the world. But as heglanced up at Merehaven's face he saw that the latter knew everything.He laid his paper aside and drew Merehaven into a corner.
"I suppose you have heard the amazing story, my lord?" he asked.
Merehaven replied that he had nothing to acquire in that direction. Heplunged immediately into his subject. He could be very direct and to thepoint if he chose.
"That is why I came to you," he said in conclusion. "Is it not possiblethat you can give me a real helping hand in the direction of recoveringthose confounded papers?"
"I think that I can be of material assistance to you and that beforevery long," Lechmere smiled. "I have laid the match to a carefullyprepared mine and the explosion may take place at any moment. You see Itake a considerable interest in the career of international adventurers,and the careers of both Prince Mazaroff and Countess Saens interest meexceedingly. I hinted to you that if the continental police liked tofollow certain things up it would be awkward for the lady. As to thegentleman, I gave such information about him as led to his arrest andsubsequent detention in Paris. Unless I am greatly mistaken, he will nottrouble the world much for the next few years. Now it so happens that Ialso desire to have the Countess Saens out of the way for a space. Thereare certain possessions of hers that I desire to examine. So I havefound the means."
"Will that bring those papers into sight, though?" Merehaven asked.
Lechmere rather thought that it would. He was proceeding to explain whenan excited man rushed into the smoking-room evidently primed andbursting with some fine piece of scandal. He pounced upon the twoacquaintances in the window as proper recipients of the news.
"The latest, the very latest," he cried. "Who on earth would havethought it? A fine woman lik
e that with a good position and any amountof money. Who do I mean? Why, Countess Saens. Arrested by the police asshe was getting into her carriage and taken to Bow Street like a commonthief. Charged with forgery or something of that kind. What?"
Lechmere rose very quietly from his seat and pitched his cigar into thegrate.
"Come along," he whispered. "There is no time to be lost. Unless I amgrievously out in my calculations, those papers will be in your handsbefore the hour is up."