Storm Music (1934) (5 page)

"We shouldn't last long. I didn't last long on Monday, when I put my head into your car. I don't think you liked my manner, and so you just— rode me down."

There was a little silence. Then:

"Go on," said Helena gravely. "I could listen to your— your theories all day."

"Are they wrong?"

"Of course. Never mind. After all, it's the effort that counts. I admit I quite like you both. You're simple and clean and honest, and— and I haven't got many friends."

Her words seemed to switch on some current— to set playing some emotion that I had not known before.

I sat up and looked at her.

She was sitting sideways, propping herself on an arm; and either because of her pose or because her hair was tumbled, she seemed no more the fine lady, but only a beautiful child.

Suddenly I wanted to protect her, to put my arms about her and hold her close, to tell her I would not leave her, to lift up her precious heart.

Yesterday I had done homage, called myself her servant and kissed the hand of a queen; but now I felt no reverence— only a wild desire to comfort a lonely child. But I must hold her, to do it; I could not say what I wanted, unless she was in my arms.

And then in one blinding flash I knew that I was in love.

I have tried to set down my feelings as plainly as ever I can; and if they seem crude and foolish, it cannot be helped. I think that I had loved her from the moment I left the cafe to take my seat in her car, but till now I had not known it, but had supposed my love admiration and the pleasure that I found in her presence such as one finds in the contemplation of some ideal.

Be that as it may, I know that my discovery shocked me, for it was, I knew, a presumption which she would never forgive. The bare thought of her finding me out made me feel weak and sick, for the moment she so much as suspected my state of heart, our friendship was bound to vanish as though it had never been. Pharaoh or no, John Spencer would be dismissed, her majesty having no further use for his services; for the beautiful child beside me was not what she seemed. She was the Countess Helena of Yorick, that threw her purse to a beggar or rode him down.

Now at this alarming juncture to betray any kind of emotion was the last thing I wanted to do; but as I sat there beside her, thrilled and appalled and insisting that she must never suspect me of such an offence, to my horror I felt the blood rising to flood my face. And while I was sitting before this new misfortune, as they say in the Bible, as the sheep before her shearers is dumb, Helena turned and saw me, and looked away.

I shut my eyes and I think that I prayed for death.

Then:

"Sabre," said Helena. "John's blushing. What have I said?"

THAT night was very dark, and I would have given a lot to have seen but once by daylight the roads that I was to patrol. Quite apart from picking my way, I could see no track or turning until I was actually there, and since it was these points which I wished most of all to locate, it was immediately apparent that what for two would have been easy, was going to be the devil for one.

Though I ran with the windscreen raised, I could only just see my way, and I dared not look round for an instant for fear of leaving the road; yet I had to pick up my bearings and to watch the speedometer, too, and to be on the constant look-out for another car. I had learned from the map the distances which I must cover from point to point; if, therefore, I watched my mileage, I could tell when I was approaching some turning I wished to survey. But I had forgotten that each time I glanced at the dash its light must blacken the darkness when my eyes returned to the road.

It follows that after ten minutes the only idea I had left was to get to where Sabre was waiting at the mouth of the castle drive; and this, after great tribulation, I found about half-past ten. I overran it, of course. However, I knew I was right, so I stopped the engine and listened and then stepped into the road.

I was hastening back in the shadows when I suddenly found that something was moving beside me. and then, before I could think, the Alsatian was licking my hand.

At once I turned, to make my way back to the car, but the dog did not turn with me, and when I put my hand on his collar he would not move. When I spoke to him he took no notice, except that he moved his tail, and when I sought to urge him he stood like a rock.

I leaned against the bank and smothered an oath.

I had not begun my patrol; the Rolls was out in the open; and Sabre refused to move. If he would not come ...

I perceived that the first thing to do was to get the Rolls off the road. If Rush and Bugle were out—

Far in the distance I heard the drone of a car.

For an instant I stood spellbound. Then I was out in the road and was whipping back to the Rolls ...

Before I started the engine I listened again, to hear on the road behind me the footfalls of somebody running, but lightly shod. Then—

"In you go, Sabre," said Helena, opening a door.

As the dog leaped in, she took the seat by my side.

"A hundred yards on." she panted. "As quick as you can. There's a track on the right. I'll show you."

There was no time to argue. The drone of the car was louder— some car on the road ahead. If this was straight, and the driver was using his headlights ...

As I left the road for the track, the drone of the car approaching turned into a snarl.

As the Rolls gathered speed—

"Now," said Helena, "steady!" I set a foot on the brake. "Put on your lights for an instant... There you are!"

I stopped the engine and flung myself out of the Rolls.

"Stay here," I cried, and darted back to the bushes that were edging the side of the road.

The car was close now and her headlights were on; but even as she passed me her driver lowered his lights and slackened his speed.

Feverishly I watched his tail-light. This seemed to be moving more slowly; and the engine sounded as though it were slowing down.

I started to run down the road with Sabre loping beside me, two inches away from my knee ...

The car stopped now, quite close to the entrance drive; I could hear that her engine was running, but I could see no movement against the glow of her lights.

Cautiously I made my way forward.

I WAS almost abreast of the tail-light when Bugle spoke.

"Two 'undred miles a day was what he said. And he took the speedometer reading before he went."

" 'E would," said Rush warmly.

" 'Cause he ain't no fool," said Bugle. "He's seen your shape before."

"Now look 'ere, Bugle," said Rush. "I'll work the — night through, if I'm doin' good. But we ain't goin' to find little Arthur by rakin' these — roads."

"Who's rakin' roads?" said Bugle. "Pharaoh says 'Watch that castle,' an' Pharaoh's right. That — livery's known. An' once he's found the lady, he'll find her good."

"Gimme the pumps," said Rush. "He's got to take in petrol, and 'ow many Rolls d'you see?"

"Pumps," said Bugle contemptuously. "An' when Pharaoh asks if we've got him, what do we say? 'Well, we ain't exactly got him, but ere's a list o' the petrol pumps he's used.' " He let out a bitter laugh. "You know, you'll buy it yet. Maybe you can open a door, but—"

"E's a nasty mind." said Rush. "That's Gawd's truth, an' you know it. Look at that voice. Off to Salzburg first-class, but no one else must let up. 'E's in some night-club now— you can lay to that. But we've got to work, we 'ave, combin' the — country, to pick up the squirt we missed."

" 'Ow far 'ave we done?" said Bugle. "Ninety-four," said Rush.

"Gawd 'elp," said Bugle. "An' he said two hundred a day."

"Well, we can't do both." said Rush. "If he said to watch the castle—"

"Figures is proof," said Bugle. "Anyways, young Arthur ain't here," and, with that, he let in his clutch,

I ran for the Rolls like a madman and, panting incoherence to Helena, started and backed the car on to the road. An instant later we were flying in pursuit of Bugle and Rush, but I dared not use my headlights, which threw a tremendous beam, and before we had covered a furlong I very nearly fouled the bend. Cost what it might, therefore, I had to reduce my speed; and this, of course, was fatal, for the rogues must have had a start of nearly a mile. After a frantic ten minutes I knew that my quarry was lost, but I went on in desperation for half an hour; then at last I threw in my hand, switched off the lights I was using, and stopped by the side of the road.

"Before you begin," said my lady. "tell me one thing. Do you still think this patrolling a one-man job?"

"I never did," said I. "I never—"

"You said you'd get on all right. If I hadn't been there this evening, Rush and his friend would have blundered into the Rolls."

"That's perfectly true," said I.

"Thank me nicely," said Helena.

"I won't," said I. "It's wicked your being here. Anything might have gone wrong. Supposing they'd parked their car and chosen our track."

"The point is they didn't." said Helena. "What did they say?"

"They're out to find me," I said, and told her what I had heard. But some I suppressed.

"Why did they stop at the mouth of the entrance drive?"

I swallowed.

"They seemed to think that I might be in touch with you."

"Ah," said Helena. "What were the words they used?"

"I don't remember," I lied. "But Pharaoh apparently guessed that the livery Florin was wearing would lead me to you. But they'll never get me," I added. "You see the way they were working. They never stopped their engine and they never put out their lights. That lazy blackguard Rush is fed to the teeth, and Bugle's one idea is somehow to satisfy Pharaoh that they've been doing their job. So they're going to make up their mileage and leave it at that."

"Well, you can't complain," said Helena. "Before you've been out an hour on your very first night—'

" 'Complain'?" I cried. " 'Complain'? I've lost a chance in a million— thrown it away. If only I'd left them talking and got the Rolls on to the road. Their lights would have shown us the way and we'd have had nothing to do but follow them home."

"John, they missed you by inches— remember that. If they'd met you full in the fairway you'd have been done. I tell you frankly I've learned quite a lot tonight. And if they come out tomorrow, I bet we follow them home."

" 'We'?" said I. "You're not coming out again."

"I certainly am," said Helena. "For one thing I simply love it, and you're not going to say after this that you can do it alone?"

"Give me a man," I said weakly. "I only want someone to watch while I'm driving the car."

"I'm coming myself," said Helena. "Every night. If you don't want me, John, I shall go out alone."

"My heavens," said I. A hideous thought came bounding into my mind. "Did you drive down alone tonight to the mouth of the entrance drive?"

"I did."

"Helena!" I caught her arm. "S— supposing you'd come down later— when Rush and Bugle were there."

Helena sat very still.

"Your imagination," she said. "is more vivid than your memory. Why won't you tell me what were the words they used?"

"I can't," I said. "They're not fit for you to hear."

"Then give me a paraphrase." "Helena, I beg of you—"

"Give me a paraphrase."

THE night seemed suddenly close; with the back of my hand I wiped the sweat from my brow.

Then—

"They were to watch the castle, because Pharaoh said once I'd found you, I'd— I'd find you so attractive that I'd— hang around."

Helena laughed.

"Which shows," she said, "that Pharaoh can make mistakes. And now let's get on, John. You drive and I'll watch and listen; and if we hear a car coming do as I say."

We saw no more of Bugle and Rush that night, but it worried me greatly to let her drive back alone from the mouth of the entrance drive, and since she was set upon coming with me the next night, I made her promise to start with me from Plumage and to let me ride up and fetch her at half-past nine. This I accordingly did, taking a spare horse with me for her to ride.

I DID not ride up to the castle, but waited at the edge of the forest a furlong away, and I think she left by a postern, so that no one knew she was with me but Axel, the groom. I had no side-saddle for her, and she never wore riding things, but she was a beautiful rider and, once she was up in her seat, I do not think that she gave the matter a thought.

To my horrid disappointment we kept a fruitless vigil the next two nights and I came to the bitter conclusion that Rush had corrupted Bugle and that all that the two were doing was to cover the requisite mileage and make up a budget of lies against Pharaoh's return.

By now, of course, I had come to know the roads, and the two of us, working together, were continually ready to cope with whatever befell. But, as I have said, we were given no chance of proving what we could do, and though more than once the sound of an oncoming car was to raise our hopes, its tail-light always told me that it was not the car we sought. And there, I confess, we were lucky, for but for this distinction we certainly must have followed some other car; there was no mistaking, however, the car by which I had stood, for the beam of its tail-lamp did not illuminate the plate, but fell instead on a reflector which was fixed to a bumper-bar.

So two days and two nights went by, and nothing happened, and I had no news to report to Geoffrey, and, to judge from the wires which he despatched, he had none for me.

Our third patrol was over, and my lady and I were riding back from Plumage as the dawn was peering over the eastern woods.

Helena turned to me.

"Will you come and dine this evening? I'm not going to dress, so you needn't change."

"I'd love to, Helena."

"Then you ride up by yourself at a quarter to eight and tell Axel to bring up the roan and be at the edge of the forest at half-past nine."

I hesitated. Then—

"I wish," I said, "you'd give it a miss to-night."

"Aren't you going out?"

"Oh, yes. But I've found my feet now. I'm terribly glad to have you, but it's all out of order, you know. It's not really fit work for you, and being up night after night—"

"It won't be for ever, and I'm going to sleep till midday."

"I don't care," said I. "It's all wrong. If it got about that the Lady Helena Yorick—"

"Old Florin knows and Axel— and nobody else. And what am I doing that's wrong? I'm trying to find the brutes that murdered my man."

"Oh, it sounds all right," said I. "But if we had a smash or something, what of your name?"

Helena sighed.

"D'you want me to bring Madame Olave?"

I could not but laugh at the picture her words conjured up. The thought of Madame Olave riding astride to Plumage and lying in wait until dawn for Bugle and Rush was enough to make a mute grin on a snowy day.

"Well, then," said my lady, "why argue? I don't do this as a rule, but it isn't every day I fall foul of people like Pharaoh and Pharaoh's crowd. The time's out of joint, my dear John; and if I'm to help to reduce it, I've got to step out of my beat. And here we are. Don't look. I'm going to get off."

As she gave me the reins ready to dismount I had the maddest impulse to throw myself off my horse and take her into my arms, for her charm was so natural and eager that our fellowship seemed that of playmates, and my clumsy efforts to patrol some great adventure which she and I were pursuing hand in hand.

As I pulled myself together—

"You're trembling, John. Are you cold?"

"No," said I. "I'm dreaming. You know how dogs shake and quiver when they're dreaming some curious dream."

"What are you dreaming?" said Helena.

"That you and I have ridden up through the forest to the castle to which you belong; that the dawn's coming up, like the frost on a glass of cold water, to wake the workaday world; that you're standing there with Sabre, looking at me and smiling, with the long grass soaking your stockings with one of your hands in a pocket and the other one up to your hair."

Her smile deepened into a laugh. "Am I so unreal?"

"Oh, no. You're wonderfully real. But all the rest is fantastic— the hour, the setting, our having the world to ourselves. And you've done it all, Helena. You've made the magic, created the atmosphere. When you go, it's going to go, too ... It's terribly hard to explain," I concluded feebly enough; "but I think you've a power you don't know of, and that's the truth."

"I shall have to be careful," said Helena. "And now I think you've talked enough in your sleep. Shall I wire to your cousin as usual?"

"If you please."

"Till a quarter to eight, then. Goodbye."

I watched till the shadows veiled her and then rode back to the farm.

It was twelve hours later that I opened a door of the Rolls and regarded the petrol gauge. This was disconcerting. There was fuel enough for us to do our patrol, but if our quarry appeared there was not enough fuel for pursuit. There was nothing for it. Before we did anything else, we must drive to some petrol-pump. For a long time I hesitated, considering whether or no I should not go out forthwith and fetch it alone. But in the end I decided that, though it was most inconvenient, I had not sufficient warrant for breaking my promise not to leave Plumage by day. Helena, too, would know to which of the petrol stations it would be wisest to go, and she could wait somewhere with Sabre while I drew up to the pump.