CHAPTER XLI
ROLLO USES A LITTLE PERSUASION
Five, six, seven, eight of the ten slow minutes passed away, and beyonda glance at the clock and a more absorbing interest in the furze on hischin, Senor Munoz had not moved. The seconds hand upon the clock on themantelshelf was crawling round its miniature dial for the ninth timewith vast apparent deliberation, when a noise was heard from thedirection of the Queen's apartments.
There was a rapid gabble of tongues, a scurry of footsteps, the hissingrustle of stiff silken skirts along narrow passages, and a voice whichexclaimed more and more shrilly, "The murderers! The cowards! Surelythey will never dare! Have they forgotten that I am a Queen?"
And with these words Maria Cristina of Naples burst like a whirlwindinto the room. Her long black hair streamed down her back. Her littledaughter followed, a comb still in the hand with which she had beenstruggling to take the place of the lost Dona Susana, who, as beforerelated, had gone to visit her relations.
After these two Concha followed, in appearance calm and placid as thewindless Mediterranean on a day of winter.
Upon his mistress's entrance the Duke threw himself upon one knee. Therest of the company bowed with grace or awkwardness according to theirseveral abilities, but the Queen-Regent did not heed them. She flewinstantly to her husband and raised him in her arms.
"Fernando," she cried, "what is this I hear? Did they threaten to killyou if I would not grant them an interview? Well, here I am. Let themslay me instead. What have you to say to me, gentlemen and cowards? WhatI have to say to you is that I hope you may not live to repent havingused such compulsion with a woman and a Queen."
Again Rollo bowed very low, and was about to speak when the Queeninterrupted.
"And as for this hussy," she cried, turning upon Concha, "if I had myway she should be indicted for witchcraft and burnt alive at the stakeas in the good times of the Holy Office. Yet you, Fernando, for whom Idaily risk my life, you defended her--yes, defended her to my veryface!"
"Beloved and most honoured," said the Duke, soothingly, "I did butsuggest that it would be better to convert the girl--to make a goodChristian of her----"
"Yes--yes," cried the Queen, stamping her foot, "but did you not addthat in that case you would like to be her Father-Confessor?"
"Certainly I did not, most gracious one," answered her husband,soothingly, "you wholly mistook my meaning. All that I said wasno more than that many might be anxious to obtain the office ofFather-Confessor, being, as it were, eager to take the credit for therestoration of so notable a penitent."
But Rollo had small patience with the bickerings of royal lovers at sucha time.
"I must crave your Majesty's strict and instant attention," he said,suddenly dropping all ceremony. "I will only detain you for a moment if,as I anticipate, I receive your consent to what I have the honour ofproposing to you."
At once the easily jealous woman froze into a Queen and fronted theyoung man with a haughty stare.
"Your Majesty," he began, "I do not dwell upon our services of the pastnight. They are known to you. Had it not been for my friends it isprobable that no one of your party would at this moment have been leftalive. Now the day is passing and you are no safer than you were lastnight. It is necessary, therefore, that you put yourselves unreservedlyunder the escort and protection of myself and my friends. We must leaveLa Granja at once."
"Never!" cried Maria Cristina, fiercely. "Am I, the Queen-Regent ofSpain, to be thus badgered and commandeered? I have never suffered itsince I left my father's house in Naples. A boy and a foreigner shallnot be the first. My royal guards will assuredly be here in an hour atthe latest. The roads will be cleared, and as for you, you shall be safein prison cells, where, for your insolences, you ought to be lying atthis moment."
"Then," said Rollo, gravely, "I deeply regret that I am obliged to usethe only means that are open to me to fulfil my orders, and to induceyour Highness to place yourself in safety."
"And pray," cried Maria Cristina, indignantly, "from whom can you haveorders to place a Queen of Spain in restraint?"
In a moment Rollo realised that it was impossible for him to reveal hisposition as an officer of the Carlist armies, but a fortunateremembrance of some words dropped by the Abbot of Montblanch instantlygave him his cue.
"I act," he said calmly, "under the immediate direction of the HolyFather himself, at whose feet, in the Vatican of Rome, you shall one daykneel to ask pardon of your sins."
This unexpected reply seemed to agitate the Queen-Regent, who, thoughforced to create herself a party out of the men of liberal opinions inher realm, was at heart, like all the Bourbons, a convinced and evenbigoted religionist. But Munoz, who had hitherto been silent, stoopedand whispered something in her ear.
"How am I to be convinced of that?" she cried, turning on him fiercely."I will not believe it even from you!"
"I regret," said Rollo, "that your Highness must be compelled to believeit. Pray do me the honour of following my argument. The Holy Fatherjudges it necessary for the peace of this realm, and your own soul'sprofit, that you should be placed in a situation where you may be ableto act more in accordance with what he knows to be your secret desiresfor the welfare of the Church of which he is God's vicegerent on earth."
Rollo was glad to reflect that, in uttering these words, he was onlyrepeating the sonorous phrases of Don Baltazar Varela when the Abbotdelivered him his commission in his own chamber at Montblanch. He addedof his own accord a little prayer to the recording angel that he mightbe guilty of no blasphemy in thus acting at second hand as an emissaryof Holy Church. After all, it was entirely the Abbot's affair, and Rollowas anxious that it should so be understood above.
But the lady chiefly concerned continued obdurate. She would not budgean inch. She professed an absolute certainty that her guard would appearin a few hours, and with them her Father-Confessor, who would inform herhow to reply to any genuine and authentic message from his HolinessGregory the Sixteenth. Further than that she could not be moved.
"In that case," said the young man, "I will not conceal it from yourHighness that considerable discretion has been granted to me. Yourcompany and that of your daughter we must have upon our journey. It isour intention to place you and her in a place of safety----"
"To steal us--to kidnap us, you mean!" cried the Queen, with the utmostindignation.
"Your Majesty," continued Rollo, "I am not disputing about words. Ouractions of last night will best explain our intentions of this morning.But with respect to this gentleman"--he turned to Senor Munoz as hespoke--"I have no directions either to permit or compel him to accompanyus. Yet since we must act with the greatest speed and secrecy, it isclearly impossible to leave him behind. I am compelled, therefore, toput an alternative before you, which, having had an opportunity toremark the Senor's courage, I am pained to declare. If your Majesty willconsent to accompany us at once and without parley, Don Fernando may doso also. But if not, since we have not force sufficient to deal withadditional prisoners on such a journey, it will be my unhappy duty toorder the gentleman's instant execution."
A shriek from the Queen punctuated the close of this speech--one of thelongest that Rollo had ever made. But the Queen, hardly yet believingin the reality of their threats, still held out. As for Munoz, he saidno word until Rollo abruptly ordered him to kneel and prepare for death.
"In that case," said the ex-guardsman, "permit me to put on a decentcoat. A man ought not to die in a dressing-gown. It is not soldierly!"
Rollo bade the valet bring his master what he wanted, and presently theDuke of Rianzares, in his best uniform coat, found himself in a positionto die with credit and self-respect.
But so unexpected was the nerve and resolution of the Queen that it wasonly when the Duke had been bidden kneel down between the halves of aFrench window which opened out upon a balcony that Cristina, flingingdignity finally to the winds, fell upon his neck and cried to hercaptors, "Take me where you wish. Do with me
what you will. Onlypreserve to me my beloved Fernando."
Rollo turned away with a sudden easing of his heart and no littleadmiration. He was glad that the strain was over, and besides, he wouldrather have led the forlornest of hopes than have played twice upon awoman's fears for her lover. But at his back he heard the Sergeantwhisper across to El Sarria, who, entirely unmoved, was uncocking hispiece with much deliberation, "'Tis a deal more than she would have donefor her _first_ well-beloved Fernando!"
* * * * *
In less than an hour the whole party was well on its way. TheQueen-Regent was mounted on a white mule, which had been brought in fromthe hill pastures above El Mar. Behind came Piebald Pedro's donkey, witha basket-chair strapped upon its back for the little Princess, who wasin high glee, holding Concha's hand and singing for gladness to be donewith La Granja. The Sergeant and El Sarria walked one on either side ofSenor Munoz, who, by suggestion of Rollo, had assumed a coat lessdecorative than that in which he had proposed to make his exit fromlife.
In addition to the Queen's mule and the donkey, the Sergeant led a horsewhich was presently to be mounted by Munoz, so soon, that is, as therest of the party should regain the steeds they had left behind at thedeserted farmhouse on the hill. But till that time it was judged mostsafe that the Queen's consort should walk between Ramon Garcia and theSergeant. Rollo, with a wandering eye towards Concha and the Queen,walked and talked with Etienne and John Mortimer, whom of late the jointcompulsions of love and war had compelled him somewhat to neglect.
But these good fellows bore no malice, though certainly Etienne grew alittle red when Rollo, with the frankness that distinguished his everyword and action, launched into enthusiastic praise of the nobility,courage, fidelity, and every other virtue characteristic of La SenoritaConcha.
"In addition to which she is very pretty!" added Etienne, significantly.
Rollo stopped with the semi-indignant air of a horse pulled up short infull career. But in a moment he had recovered himself.
"Yes," he said doggedly, "she _is_ very pretty!"
"Not that you are a man to care for beauty. You never were!" persistedEtienne, with a side look at Mortimer. "You have always said soyourself, you know!"
"No! I never did care!" Rollo agreed a little hastily. "But yonder isthe farmhouse. I wonder if we shall find our horses as we left them."
Here Etienne laughed sardonically for no reason at all.
"I am in hopes that they will be fed and refreshed," continued Rollo,imperturbably; "we must let them have a feed of corn, too, before theystart."
La Giralda, who had been leading the Queen's white mule, at that momentgave up her post to Concha, and fell back in order to whisper somethingto the Sergeant.
"Ah," said he aloud, as soon as he had listened to her, "that is wellthought on. La Giralda and I have a little business of our own to attendto which may occupy us a few minutes. With your leave, Colonel, we willgo on ahead and arrange matters for the Queen's reception. From what LaGiralda tells me, it may be as well to avoid entering the house."
So when the Queen-Regent, with Concha in attendance and the littleIsabel riding demurely alongside on her diminutive donkey, delighting inthe unexpected excursion, arrived at the farm, they found that a largebarn and granary, cool, airy, and with a roof of stone arched like thevaults of a fortress, had been prepared for them. The horses of theparty had been fed and watered. Cloaks had been unstrapped and laid onpiles of straw for the ladies to rest upon--that is, for her Majesty theQueen Maria Cristina--Concha being one of the comity, and little Isabeldancing everywhere after her as her inseparable tyrant and slave. Forwith the easy and fortunate memory of childhood, Isabel had ceased evento mention the nurse who had been with her ever since her birth, or atmost remembered her only when she happened to be tired or hurt orsleepy. Indeed, she learned in a wondrously short space to run to Conchawith all her troubles. So constant was the companionship of these twothat it was with the utmost difficulty, and after several failures, thatRollo managed to exchange even a word with his sweetheart.
"You have been very brave," he whispered. "I should have failed but foryou!"
Concha blushed hot with swift pleasure, but on this occasion her usualreadiness of speech seemed to have deserted her, and she stood silentlike a tongue-tied maid, greedy for the first time in her life of herown praise.
Before either could speak again, the Sergeant was back to report that LaGiralda and he had dinner ready for the party.
"You must not expect much," he said; "there is little available for thepot which may with safety be cooked."
But indeed in such weather there was need for nothing better than the_arroz con pollo_--the chicken with rice, together with the abundant_gazpacho_, for the first of which he had found the materials in thestore-chamber and barn-yard of the deserted farmhouse.
"Also there is an abundance of vegetables in the garden--when you getthem separated from the weeds, that is," he explained; "the clear air ofthese heights has enabled them to keep their flavour to perfection."
He did not add that he had also seen in that same garden a mound ofnewly-dug earth, under which lay, beside her little daughter, a motheras loving and more faithful than that Queen-Mother for whose sake theywere risking their lives.
The Sergeant's hurriedly prepared lunch was a prodigious success.
The great folk partook as heartily as any, and (perhaps owing to theirextreme youth) the _pollos_ tasted much more tender than could have beenexpected, considering the fact that the Sergeant had found themindustriously pecking and scratching in the dust of the farmyard uponhis arrival, and that, while he dug the grave, he had sent La Giralda todrive them into a wood-shed, where presently they were captured _enmasse_.
Rollo ate but little, for he was intensely excited. He had succeededbeyond expectation so far, and now he was beginning to see his way pastall entanglements to the successful accomplishment of his mission. Hisplan was to proceed by unfrequented paths, such as were, however,perfectly familiar to his adjutant Sergeant Cardono, along the northernslopes of the Guadarrama till he should be able to look out across thefertile plain of the Duero towards the mural front of the Sierra deMoncayo.
Thence by forced marches across the valley, undertaken at night, hemight hope in two stages at most to put his charges under the care ofGeneral Elio, the immediate representative of Don Carlos, who hadestablished his headquarters there. Small wonder that Rollo grewexcited. The worst seemed over--the myriad adventures, the perilouspasses, the thousand enemies. Now the plains lay before him, and--Conchaloved him.
If only this weight of responsibility were once off his mind--ah, then!
Poor Rollo! And indeed poor humankind in general! How often the windfalls to a breeze, heat-tempering, grateful, which comes in fits andstarts, not severe enough to chill, yet long enough to cool the bodyweary of the summer heats, with a sense of grateful relief.
And it is precisely in the teeth of such a gentle-breathing,cheek-fanning earth-wind that the thunderstorm comes riding up overhead,its flanks black and ragged with rain and fierce spurts of hail, and inthe midst of all the white desolating lightnings zigzagging to theground.
The Firebrand Page 41
