The Car of Destiny
“Everything else must depend on the girl,” he repeated. “I wonder what
would happen if anybody tried to prop up a hundred pound weight against a
lilybud?”
V
A MYSTERY CONCERNING A CHAUFFEUR
For many days after this the young King of Spain motored back and forth
between San Sebastian and Biarritz to visit the lady of his love; but at
last the two Princesses bade good-bye to the Villa Mouriscot, and went to
Paris. Lady Vale-Avon and Monica remained; but for the moment the girl was
safe from Carmona, for the Duke followed the King to Madrid.
Lovely as Monica was, is, and always will be, and genuinely in love with
her as I had no doubt Carmona was, still I began to believe that Dick
Waring was right, and that the Duke’s desire to win Princess Ena’s friend
was as much for Court favour as for the girl herself. Several weeks
passed, and Monica and her mother continued to be tenants of the Villa
Esmeralda. They went out little, except to visit the old Duchess of
Carmona, who evidently did all she could to advance her son’s interests
with invitations to luncheons and dinners; but try as I might I was never
able to obtain an interview.
Fortunately for me, Lady Vale-Avon had seen me only in fancy dress; the
costume of Romeo, with a ridiculous yellow-brown, wavy wig, upon which the
_costumier_ had insisted against my arguments. Now, I blessed him for his
obstinacy; for I was able to pass Lady Vale-Avon in the street without
being recognized, and once got near enough to slip into Monica’s hand a
note I had hastily scribbled on the leaf of a note-book.
“Are you willing that I should try my luck again with your mother?” I had
written. “If not, will you consent to a runaway marriage with a man who
loves you better than his life?”
Next day came an answer through Mademoiselle de la Mole.
Monica begged that I would not speak to her mother. “She fancies that you
have gone away,” the girl wrote. “If you came forward I think she would
wire the Duke of Carmona, for she writes to him nearly every day as it is;
and she would do everything she could to make me marry him at once. Don’t
hate me for being a coward. I’m not, except with mother. I can’t help it
with her. She’s different from everyone else. I heard the Duchess saying
to her yesterday, that if I were to marry a grandee of Spain, I would be
made a lady-in-waiting to the Queen instead of maid of honour; so I know
what they’re thinking of always. But while mother hopes you have given me
up, and that I’m quite good, they will perhaps let me alone.
“I wish I dared write to the Princess about you; only, you see, on account
of your father and that horrid accident which happened, in Barcelona, she
might misunderstand you, and things would be worse than before. But if I
find that mother means actually to try and force me, then I _will_ go away
with you. Otherwise, I would rather wait, for both our sakes.
“When I go back to England, there are some dear cousins of mine who might
help us, but it’s no use writing. I would have to see and talk to them
myself. Anyway, if I were there they’d manage not to let me be married to
a foreigner I hate; and you and I could go on being true to each other for
a little while, until everything could be arranged.
“The worst is, mother doesn’t mean to go back to England yet. That’s what
I’m afraid of, and that she has some plan about which she doesn’t mean to
talk till the last minute. But she hasn’t said anything lately about
visiting the Duchess of Carmona in Spain, and I hope she’s giving it up.
As soon as I hear anything definite I’ll somehow let you know. I think I
can promise that, though it may be difficult, as mother will never let
Angèle and me be alone together for a minute if she can help it. The day
after the ball we are having a talk in my room when my mother came, and
perhaps guessed I had been telling Angèle things. Since then I haven’t
been allowed to go to Angèle’s; and though Angèle comes to see me, mother
always makes some excuse for being with us.”
After this letter of Monica’s I had at least some idea of how matters
stood; and in the circumstances there seemed nothing to do but to be near
her, and to wait.
It was not until the latter part of March that the Duke of Carmona came
back to his mother’s villa at Biarritz.
His arrival was not announced in the local paper, nevertheless I heard of
it; and the day after, Mademoiselle de la Mole sent me another letter from
Monica, only a few lines, evidently written in great haste.
They were to pay the visit to the Duchess of Carmona in Seville, and were
to arrive there in time for the famous ceremonies of Holy Week; that was
all she knew. The time of starting was either not decided, or else it was
not considered best that she should know too long beforehand.
“I’m miserable about going,” wrote the girl; “but what can I do? I used to
think it would be glorious to see Spain, but now I’m frightened. I have a
horrible feeling that I shall never come back. I know it’s too much to
ask, and I don’t see how you can do it if I do ask, since I can tell you
nothing of our plans; but if only, _only_, you could keep near me, within
call, I should be safe. I suppose it’s useless to hope for that? Anyway,
whatever happens, I shall always love you.”
To this I wrote an answer, but Angèle feared she might fail in getting it
to her friend. The lease of Lady Vale-Avon’s Biarritz villa had just
expired, and the mother and daughter were moving to the Duchess of
Carmona’s for a few days. For some reason, the Duchess had not once
invited Angèle to come to her house since the ball. She might not be able
to see Monica; and it would be very unsafe to trust to the post.
It was on the evening of the day on which I had this news that my
chauffeur knocked at the door of our sitting-room at the hotel.
“I thought,” said he, “I’d better tell your lordship something which has
just happened. It may be of importance; it may be of none.”
Now I may as well explain that Peter Ropes is no common chauffeur. He is
the son of the old coachman who served my father for many years in
England; was groom to my first pony; went abroad with me as handy man; was
with me through most of my adventures; when I took up motoring,
volunteered to go into a factory and thoroughly learn the gentle art of
chauffeuring; and at this time understood an automobile, and loved it, as
he understood and loved a horse; he is of my age almost to the day; and I
suppose will be with me in some capacity or other till one of us dies. He
has a brown face, which might have been carved from a piece of oak; the
eyes of a soldier; and never utters a word more than he must.
“You said I could go to the _pelota_ this afternoon,” he continued. “When
I came back I went to the garage, and found a strange chauffeur examining
your Gloria. I stood at a distance, behind the King of England’s car, and
watched what he would do. M. Levavasseur, the proprietor of the garage,
came in just then, and I inquired in a low voice who the fellow was. He
didn’t know; but the man had asked for Mr. Trevenna’s chauffeur, saying,
when he heard I was out, that he was a friend of mine. I gave Levavasseur
the hint to keep quiet, and got out of the way myself. Presently the
chauffeur walked over to Levavasseur, and said, in French, that he
wouldn’t wait any longer.”
“Well, what then, Ropes?” I asked.
“He went away, and I went after him. He didn’t see me, and I don’t believe
he would have known me from Adam if he had. He stopped at another garage,
and I thought best not to go in there. But I waited, and after a while a
very dark, tall gentleman, who looked Spanish, walked into the garage.
Five minutes later he and the chauffeur came out together. They parted at
the entrance, and it was the gentleman I followed this time. He went to a
large, handsome villa; and a person I met told me it was the Duchess of
Carmona’s house. That is the reason I thought the thing important.”
“But why, exactly?” I persisted, guessing what Ropes would say.
“Because I think the gentleman was the Duke of Carmona.”
“And if he were?”
“I’ve heard gossip that he’s anxious to stand well with the King of Spain.
It occurred to me he might have some political interest in trying to learn
the real name of Mr. Trevenna, if you pardon my having such a thought. He
might have sent his chauffeur to look at your car, and make a report; and
if he did, whatever the reason was, it would mean no good to your
lordship. I thought you ought to know, and be upon your guard, in case of
anything happening.”
“Thank you,” I said. “You’re right to speak, and it may be you’ve done me
an invaluable service.”
Ropes beamed; but having said all he had to say, another word would have
been a waste of good material, which he was not the man to squander.
VI
PUZZLE: FIND THE CAR
“What do you think it means?” asked Dick, when the chauffeur had gone.
“It’s just struck me, it may mean that Carmona intends to slip away with
his guests in his new automobile, and that he wanted to find out something
about my car, what it was like, and so on, in case I got wind of the idea,
and followed.”
“The identical thing struck me. He wouldn’t go spying himself, but sent
his chauffeur, a new importation, probably, to have a look at the Gloria
and describe it. I wonder how he heard you had one.”
“Easy enough to do that. Of course he’s found out somehow, perhaps through
employing a detective, that Chris Trevenna and Casa Triana are one man. He
can’t make much use of the knowledge to bother me on this side the
frontier, but—”
“Yes; a big but.”
“It seems pretty certain that his own car must have come, or be coming
here, and that he means to use it going into Spain, or he wouldn’t have
developed this sudden interest in mine.”
“It looks like it. Now he knows, if a dark blue Gloria crosses his path,
it’s the car of the pursuing lover, and—”
“I was just thinking that a dark blue Gloria will not cross his path.”
“You don’t mean—”
“I mean that it won’t be prudent for either Casa Triana’s or Chris
Trevenna’s car to follow his, wherever he means to go.”
“What, you’ll give up—”
“Is it likely?”
“You’re getting beyond me.”
“What I want is to stay with you, in your car.”
“Wish I had one!” said Dick.
“You’re going to have the loan of one. Would a grey or a red car suit you
best?”
“I see. Red, please. They say red paint dries quickest.”
We both laughed.
“Your red car must have new lamps,” I went on, “and a new number, and any
other little things that can be put on in a hurry. And you’d better get a
passport if you haven’t one. Gentlemen touring in foreign lands are
sometimes subjected to cross-questionings which might be inconvenient
unless they’ve plenty of red tape up their sleeves.”
“I’ll lay in a stock. How would you like me to be the accredited
correspondent, for the Spanish wedding festivities, of a newspaper or
two?”
“Rattling good idea. Could you work it?”
“Easy as falling off a log, or puncturing a tyre. I’ll arrange by
telegraph, London and New York.”
“Grand old chap.”
“Thanks. Better wait till I’ve done something. What about your part in the
show?”
“A humble friend, accompanying the important newspaper correspondent in
his travels.”
“That’s all right. But the Trevenna business is played out.”
“A new travelling name’s as easy to fit as a travelling-coat.”
“Not quite, unless you can match it with a new travelling face.”
“Luckily Carmona knows Romeo’s face better than mine. And, anyhow, a
motoring get-up can be next door to a disguise.”
“That’s true. Behind goggles Apollo hasn’t much advantage over Apollyon,