"Oh--er--nothing, really, but--er--well, you're so beautiful, and
fascinating, and attractive, and all the rest of it, and I know there
are several men who are in love with you and would like to cut me out
if they could," explained Tony. "I say, dear, I don't mean that I
think you'd let me down and go back on your promise to marry me.
Er--you weren't in earnest, were you, darling, when you talked about
letting Don Carlos fall in love with you at Auchinleven, and making me
jealous? Please don't mind my asking, but I'm rather worried, to tell
the truth."
"Worried because you think I may be in love with Don Carlos?"
"No, Myra, not exactly, but because I know he is in love with you. He
told me so himself last night."
"He told you so himself!" exclaimed Myra, startled.
"Yes. Placed me in a rather difficult position. I suppose it was
really rather sporty of him. I don't know if I should tell you. He
called on me and said he was afraid he'd have to ask me to release him
from his promise to be my guest on the yachting tour. Naturally I
asked him why, and he told me frankly that he had fallen in love with
you."
Myra's heart beat a trifle faster as she listened.
"Said he thought it was only right I should know, and that he supposed
it wouldn't be playing the game according to English ideas if he made
love to you and tried to win you from me while he was my guest,"
continued Tony. "I didn't know quite what to say, except that I was
sorry."
He looked at Myra expectantly and a little anxiously as he paused, and
Myra laughed involuntarily. But her heart was still behaving rather
oddly and she felt her face flushing.
"How absurd, Tony!" she exclaimed. "Do you think he was in earnest?"
"Oh, yes, he seemed to be in deadly earnest," replied Tony. "Er--I
didn't quite know what to do about it, as I said before, but it
suddenly occurred to me that if I let Don Carlos withdraw his
acceptance of my invitation it might seem like an admission that I had
not complete faith in you and was afraid of losing you. You see what I
mean, Myra?"
"More or less," said Myra, rather bewildered. "But surely you don't
mean that you pressed him to come, knowing he would go on making love
to me?"