His reasons for this were twofold. If Adrien married Constance, Ada
Lester would--whether with or without cause--hold him responsible, and
was more than capable of carrying out her threat to unmask him to his
patron. Moreover, Jasper looked upon Lady Constance with an appreciative
and covetous eye, and felt that if he could ever ingratiate himself with
her sufficiently for her to promise to become his wife, the summit of
his ambition would be reached.
Adrien was easily deceived; for, with all his faults, he was not
conceited. He did not guess that Constance's very openly expressed
pleasure in the company of Lord Standon was to prevent the discovery of
her real and passionate longing for that of her cousin.
Henceforth, he told himself, he must do his best to hide the pain that
was gnawing at his heart. Henceforward, the pleasure of life would be as
Dead Sea fruit to him. His hand fell on the balustrade in his
unconscious despair; and at that moment, another window farther down the
long balcony opened, and the figure of Lord Barminster stepped out into
the moonlight.
Adrien was in no humour to meet even his father; he was too weary in
spirit to confront the old man's satire with his usual calm; so he
shrank back into the shadow of the buttress against which he leaned. But
Lord Barminster's eyes were quick to perceive him; and, striding
forward, he laid his hand on his son's shoulder.
"Well, Adrien," he commenced, "what is wrong? Can't you sleep, or are
you given to spending the small hours in star-gazing?"
"I might retort in kind, sir," returned Adrien, pulling his scattered
thoughts together, and smiling faintly.
"Ah! I am old," said his father. "Age has its penalties as well as its
privileges; and the freedom to speak plainly is one of the latter. Come,
my boy, what is wrong? At your age I was happy enough; but you seem to
have taken the troubles of the world on your shoulders. Are you ill?"
"No, sir, I am well enough," returned Adrien quietly.
"Then are you worrying over your debts through that unlucky horse?
Because, although, as you know, I do not interfere with your money
matters as a rule, you are quite at liberty to draw on my bank if you
care to do so."
His son turned to him affectionately.
"No, no, sir," he said gratefully. "I don't suppose they are as bad as
all that. Jasper will see to them."
The words were scarcely out of his mouth when he regretted them. His
father's face darkened; his eyes grew fierce.