And Theodora turned with her adorable smile and greeted him, so it
showed they had met before--greeted him with pleasure. Good God! How
much could happen in a week! Why had he stayed in Paris?
If Morella Winmarleigh had glanced round at his face, even her thick
perceptions must have grasped the disturbance which was marked there, as
he stood back in the shadow and gazed with angry eyes.
The moment she had seen him come into the box Mrs. Devlyn had said, "I
want you to notice a man over there, Mrs. Brown, in the box exactly
opposite; on the grand tier--do you see?"
"Yes," said Theodora, and she perceived him shaking hands with Miss
Winmarleigh before he caught sight of her, so she was forearmed and
turned to the stage.
"He is nice-looking, don't you think so?" continued Mrs. Devlyn, without
a pause. "He is going to marry that girl in the box; she is one of the
richest heiresses of the day--Miss Winmarleigh. I always point out
Hector Bracondale to strangers or foreigners; he is quite a show
Englishman."
"Bracondale? Lord Bracondale?" interrupted Josiah Brown. "We met him in
Paris, did we not, my love?" turning to Theodora. "He dined with us our
last evening. Where is he?"
"Oh, you know him, then!" said Mrs. Devlyn, disappointed. "I wanted to
be the first to point him out to you. They will make a handsome pair,
won't they--he and Miss Winmarleigh?"
"Very," said Theodora, listlessly, with an air of dragging her thoughts
from the music with difficulty, while she suddenly felt sick and cold.
"And are they to be married soon?"
"I don't know exactly; but it has been going on for years, and we all
look upon it as a settled thing. She is always about with his mother."
"Is that Lord Bracondale's mother--the lady with the coronet of plaits
and the huge white aigrette with the diamond drops in it?" Theodora
asked. Her voice was schooled, and had no special tones in it. But oh,
how she was thrilling with interest and excitement underneath!
"Yes, that is Lady Bracondale. She is quite a type; always dresses in
that old-fashioned way, and won't know a soul who is not of her own set.
She is a cousin of one of my husband's aunts. I must introduce you to
her."
"She looks pretty haughty," announced Josiah Brown. "I should not care
to tread on her toes much." And then he remembered he had seen her years
ago driving through the little town of Bracondale.