The Lady of Loyalty House: A Novel Page 19

  XVIII

  SERVING THE KING

  It was indeed Master Peter Rainham whom Tiffany now brought into thepresence of her mistress, and left there standing and staring. MasterPeter, eyed and appraised by the searching scrutiny of Halfman,resolved himself into a thick-set, boorish fellow, whose flyingforehead, little, angry eyes, and assertive, yellow teeth made him,to Halfman's mind, resemble nothing in the world so much as a boar'shead on an ale-house sign. Yet the fellow stood his ground sturdilyenough, and stared at Brilliana with no sense of distress at hisdirty homespun or his dirty hands.

  "You sent for me?" he challenged. "Have you changed your mood? I amever of the same mind, and will wed when you will."

  The wolf look leaped into Halfman's eyes, and the loutish squire'slife was, all unawares, in the greatest peril it had ever fringed.But Brilliana, intent only on her purposes, beamed on her bluntsuitor as if he had scattered flowers at her feet.

  "You are a wonderful wooer," she protested. "But whatever admirationof your person I may, without unbecoming effrontery, confess, I wouldhave you to know, plain and square, from this moment, that I willhearken to none but a King's man."

  The boor's little eyes glinted and the boor's rusty fingers rasped athis stubble chin as he answered emphatically:

  "Then I am a King's man, root and branch."

  But his face showed less loyal confidence at Brilliana's next words.

  "Then you must know his Majesty is in straits for ready money. Willyou, who are reputed rich, come to his aid with a round sum?"

  Master Peter showed his teeth in a snarl and flung up his hands.

  "Reputed rich! Oh, what a bitter thing is a bad reputation. I amJob-poor; both ends will not meet, I tell you. If I had forlending-money a guinea in one pocket, why, I should lend it to theother pocket."

  "Why do you woo me if you be so poor?" Brilliana asked, with a fineshow of heat, and Halfman nodded his head as much as to say, "Ay, ay,answer me that, if you can."

  Master Peter strove to answer, lamely enough.

  "Poor in pennies, lady, poorer in shillings, poorest in guineas. Imay own half the country-side and have no coin to clink against theother."

  Brilliana scoffed at his protest.

  "Why, 'tis not so long ago Master Paul Hungerford told me you were avery Croesus."

  Master Peter clinched and unclinched his horny hands as if he werecoming to grips with his traducer.

  "Master Hungerford told you that? I would I had my hands knottedabout his lying throat. He that is as rich as a Jew, that has atreasure of gold plate in his sideboard that would keep the King inarms and men for a month of Sundays, he so to slander my poverty."

  Brilliana heaved a sympathetic sigh.

  "I fear he is but a bad man. Do you think he cherishes the King'scause?"

  Master Peter flamed with virtuous indignation.

  "He, the black heart! Never think it. He is a rank Parliamentscoundrel and worships Mr. Pym."

  "Is it so?" cried Brilliana. "A rebel, a renegade. Why, now, MasterRainham, I see a pretty piece of loyal work for you."

  Master Peter glowered at her suspiciously.

  "Anything for you, anything for the King; except give what I havenone of--money."

  "In the King's name," said Brilliana, heroically, "go forth andransack this rebellious gentleman's house for arms."

  Master Peter snorted sceptically.

  "Arms! I think he hath none but an old rusty fire-lock and a breastand back that have seen better days."

  Brilliana beamed on him, a yielding sphinx.

  "But then, supposing you should pick up some plate on the way, somegold plate by chance--"

  Master Peter rubbed his grimy hands.

  "Why, it were fine," he admitted, gleefully; then added, withcunning, "Are you sure he is a Roundhead?"

  "I am very sure he is your enemy," Brilliana answered, sharply, "forhe makes you his daily jape."

  The ugly boar-head looked uglier as it growled:

  "Does he, the dog! I'd jape him if I gad my two hands upon him."

  "Why," Brilliana asserted, now in the full tide of make-believe, "ifyou are a King's man, he will be of the other side, he hates you so.I cannot think how you have earned his hatred, unless, indeed--" andshe broke off suddenly and looked aside. Halfman would have given ashilling for a lonely place to laugh his fill in.

  "Well, madam, well?" Master Rainham questioned, eagerly.

  Brilliana faltered her answer.

  "--unless he believes you stand higher in the graces of a certainlady than he can ever hope to stand."

  Master Rainham's smile gave Halfman the feel of goose-flesh.Brilliana's face was, happily, averted.

  "Madam, assure me 'tis so," grunted boar's-head.

  "I must not say much," Brilliana protested, "no more than this, thatin this enterprise, if you but achieve it, you will win great creditwith the King at no cost to yourself, you spoil a rival, and--butthis is very private--you will give great pleasure to that samenameless lady."

  Master Peter shouted, "Why, then, all's well. I will pick him asclean as a whistle." Again caution overcrowded cheer. "But I mustpick my time, look you."

  On this, Brilliana became emphatic.

  "No time like the present. It is to my certain knowledge that MasterPaul is away from home to-day." Again she looked to Halfman forsupport, and again Halfman yielded it blithely.

  "Ay, he has gone hawking," he declared; "he will not be home thisgreat while."

  Halfman's confirmation decided Master Peter.

  "Why, I go at once. When the cat's away--! I will be back within thehour."

  "Then," said Brilliana, "pray you go to the house and gather in myname from the servants' hall such men as you may need for yourenterprise. Use despatch, for indeed I long for your return."

  Master Peter paid her what he believed to be a courtly bow.

  "That same nameless lady shall praise me," he chuckled, and, turning,made for the house with all speed. When they were alone, Brillianaand Halfman looked at each other with the mirth of children who havesuccessfully raided an orchard.

  "I have netted them," Brilliana said. "If it do but happen pat, weshall have served the King and punished two cozening faint-hearts.For the best of it is that neither can complain. Each is neck-high inthe mire of lies, each has plundered the other, and must be dumb forshame of his knavery."

  "It will be brave to spy their faces," Halfman commented, "when theysmell out the snare."

  "Look to it," Brilliana suggested, "that they be kept apart when theycome here. The jest must not spoil. How these old hawks will fly ateach other when we unhood them."

  "Trust me, lady," said Halfman. "I have been a play-actor and knowhow to stage a pair of gabies to the show."

  He saluted her and made to depart. She had learned to like hiscompany through the long days of siege, and this dull day of quietshe felt lonely. Moreover, she was grateful to him for having helpedher so well in her plot against the niggards.

  "Come again when you have taken order for this," she said. "There isstill much to do, much to think for."

  The man saluted anew, intoxicated with pleasure. He knew that sheliked his company, and whatever was well in him burgeoned at theknowledge. His play-actor passion had bettered him, if it had notaccomplished the impossible and transmuted the pirate of body intothe pure of soul. It would not be true to say that he never thoughtlewdly of her; he would have thought lewdly of an angel or a vestalmaid; that was ingrain in the composition of the man; but he thoughtwell of her as he had never thought well of women before since hefirst scorched his stripling's fingers, and he would have killedtwenty men to keep her from hearing a foul word. Sometimes when hetalked with her, ever in his chastened part of the rough old soldier,he laughed in his sleeve at the difference between part and true man.The nut-hook humor of it was that both were realities, or, perhaps,that neither were realities.

  As he quitted the pleasaunce he countered Mistress Tiffany, and sawat a distance,
standing by the laurels, a foppish, many-colored,portly personage negligently twirling a long staff. Halfman guessedthe name, grinned, and went on his business. Tiffany burst wellnighbreathless into her lady's presence.

  "My lady," she gasped, "here is Sir Blaise Mickleton, who entreatsthe honor to speak with you."

  Brilliana's face darkened for a moment, for she bore no kindness justthen to the laggard in war. Then her face cleared again.

  "Admit him," she said. "He will divert me for want of a better."

  Back ran Tiffany to where the visitor lingered, bade him enter thepleasaunce, where he would find her mistress, and having deliveredher errand, ran again to the house, leaving him to his adventure.