Читать книгу Winds of Fortune - John Jeffery Farnol - Страница 5
ОглавлениеTELLETH HOW I, A POOR FENCELESS LAMB, FELL AMONG WOLVES YET BORE MYSELF NOTHING LAMBLIKE
Beyond my park gates the road runneth broad and white, shaded on the one side by hedgerows and tall trees until it reacheth a narrow bye-lane; we were hard upon this lane when out upon us rode two horsemen, such evil-looking rogues they and of aspect so desperate bold and truly villainous that instinctively I reined up my horse, and what was my amaze and disgust to see these manifest rogues were leering at and saluting myself, for one of them, a great, long-limbed fellow, pulled off weather-beaten hat to bow and flourish, saying hoarsely:
"Your humble servant, madam!"
"Ay, ay, messmate,—myself also, ma'm," quoth his companion, in voice surprisingly musical, a lean, bony fellow whose peaked, bronzed face was puckered by a livid scar that ran from sunken eye to blue, shaven chin.
Now as I sat regarding this egregious pair disgustfully, as methought they deserved, Captain Bly's sleepy voice murmured beside me:
"Madam, you behold my very good friends, Barnabas Rokeby and Ezekiel Penryn." Here, looking from the speaker to these same hangdog friends of his, I was greatly minded to turn and ride back but, as if reading my thought, he seized my horse's rein, so on I rode again, will I, nill I.
On we went by hill and dale, till we were come to open country: wide, grassy levels where a myriad tiny flowers bloomed, with beyond these on the one hand the gentle grandeur of the soft, swelling Downs and upon the other a broad vale dotted here and there with tree-girt hamlet or village, the darkling mystery of far-flung woodland and afar a vague glamour that was the sea. It was as I viewed glad-eyed this so loved and right familiar prospect that the Captain person uttered these strange, very outlandish words:
"Stand by, messmates; I snuff foul weather down wind yonder."
Thus or some such said he and I, being in some small wonder, troubling myself to glance at him, saw how he eased the pistols in the holsters of his saddle and, looking where he looked, beheld afar a group of horsemen galloping in rolling dust cloud.
As they approached, I saw these were four and could hear them laughing and shouting gaily one to another; when they were come yet nearer, I recognized them for neighbours all four,—gentlemen of my acquaintance and persons of quality, to wit: Sir Harry Wilding, Mr. Brant, Mr. Welland and Lord Holmby, and the cause of their riotous hilarity was all too manifest in their flushed faces and extravagant gestures when, beholding me, they reined up across the road, hats aflourish and voices so loud in vociferous greeting that I frowned on them each and every, and disdainful bade them go back to their wine-bibbing; whereat they but laughed the louder.
"Nay, now," cried Sir Harry. "I do protest an' we be anyways fuddled, sweet Mistress Ursula, 'twas in pledging joy and long life to thy lovely self, so soon a bride, and abounding vigour to—"
"Be silent, sir!" cried I angrily.
"Aha—sweet coyness!" laughed Lord Holmby. "Howbeit we are come to bring Geoffrey his blushing bride. And zounds, madam, I protest we find you in dev-lish odd company, let me die! Be quit of 'em and entrust thy so tempting self to us thy so devoted humble servants and very slaves to command—"
But here, and before I might retort, the Captain person spoke in voice rudely harsh and words wholly unintelligible.
"Avast!" cried he fiercely. "Belay and veer, my bully boys; veer and stand away, lest we run ye aboard."
Lord Holmby blinked, swore and reached for his sword hilt, but even then the Captain's horse moved, leapt and cannoned into Lord Holmby's sleek animal so violently that his lordship was thrown and his mount, snorting affright, galloped furiously away. The Captain's hands flashed down and up and in either fist was a levelled pistol.
"Now, my pretty lads," quoth he, fiercely jovial, "d' ye give us room or do I make ye—which?"
Sir Harry Wilding snatched out a pistol ... but ere he might discharge it, Deborah screamed and I was deafened by sudden report, and through drifting smoke cloud saw Sir Harry staring pallidly at the broken weapon in his numbed and shaking hand; and whiles I soothed my frighted horse, myself well-nigh stunned by the suddenness of it all, quoth the Captain:
"And there spoke Castor; here's Pollux shall talk e'en more to the point, if need be. Messmates—their barkers!" roared this so violent wretch, whereupon his two companions riding near snatched away the pistols of these startled gentlemen whiles my lord Holmby, getting to his legs, to scowl and dust his rumpled finery, cursed so unrestrainedly that I would have cried shame, but ere I might do so the Captain's booted foot whirled from stirrup and thrust his lordship down into the dust again.
"There's dog of a lord for ye!" he growled; "a lewd cur to yap afore lady. Bark again and I'll brain ye. Forrard's the word, messmates." So forward we rode, the gentlemen giving us way and all of them with never a word.
And after a while, finding the Captain rode beside me, I shot him a glance askance and saw he was regarding me with his odious, leering quirk.
"Well, ma'm Ursula," saith he in his sleepy voice, "how think ye o' Japhet Bly? Doth he appeal the virgin soul o' thee to the instant slavish obedience so necessary for what is to be?"
"But what should ever possibly be 'twixt myself and such as yourself?" I demanded and looked at him and through him, and drooping my lashes in contempt beyond all words, capped all this with a shudder, then glared with sudden fury to his baleful sleepy voice and throaty chuckle.
"Mighty fine, ma'm, and yet beside the mark! your ladyship's high airs and graces go by me, for I'm neither amorous, ogling fine gentleman, delicate coxcomb nor languishing beau—"
"The which is sufficiently evident!" quoth I.
"Then, ma'm, when you think on me, I—"
"Oh, sir," I retorted disdainfully, "you are presumptuous to suppose thing so impossible, for truly I do nowise trouble my thoughts with you."
"Why then, you will, ma'm; you will anon! I dare prophesy you shall come to think o' Japhet daily, hourly and by the minute. You shall watch his every look, hang upon his least word and gesture,—faith, ye shall dream of him waking and asleep."
"Ah, then now, sir, now," said I, turned on him and bitterly contemptuous, "I do think on you now and with a very perfect disgust."
"Nay," says he, shaking his detestable head, "disgust shall not serve. I must needs inspire thee with one or all o' these several passions, to wit:—ardent love, unreasoning faith or blind fear; choose thou!" Now at this I forgot rageful scorn in stark amazement for, seeing the wretch was nowise drunk, I deemed he must be mad and as I surveyed his lean, unlovely visage, his next words made me sure of this.
"For, ma'm Ursula, with your every look and gesture it becomes to me the more certain that for your own future good I must presently marry you!" Then, seeing me bereft of speech:
"Alas!" sighed he. "And I had thought to live and die a merry, care-free bachelor!" Though raging indignation had made me dumb 'twas but for a moment, and now I lashed him with every scornful epithet that leapt to my tongue (and these a-many, thank Heaven); I poured upon him a very torrent of bitter reproach and searing invective, and all with such look as should certainly have struck shame to any but this oafish wretch who, in the height of this tirade, fell chuckling so that I yearned to cuff and scratch the hateful, lean face of him; and now becoming breathless.
"Odious impertinent!" I gasped. "Vile, despicable, ill-bred wretch ... detestable monster ... rather than stoop to such infamy I—"
"Would see me dead—I know!" he nodded. "But, ma'm, am I of such abounding life and vigour I must needs live, it seems, an' live henceforth to your passionate grief, for wed you I shall—"
Here or ever he might prevent, I wheeled my eager mare and bounding from the road, set off at sudden furious gallop.
Before me the ground rose in a long ascent, a grassy slope becoming ever steeper, but my dainty mare Rosabell was fleet and took it bravely,—up and up, her sure hoofs pounding the velvet sward, her shapely body rhythmically aswing, she bore me nowise distressed until the going was easier; but then, hearing pursuit behind me, I sudden plied whip and spur so fiercely that my poor mare, all unused to such harsh treatment, snorted in painful affright, swerved violently in her stride, reeled and went down, throwing me headlong.... Then powerful arms were about me and a voice groaned:
"Now God forgive me!"
But these arms so strong were so reverent in their embrace, the voice so unexpectedly gentle, that I ventured a peep through my lashes and saw the face above me changed as his voice, indeed so transfigured that I scarce could believe it the same. And now, seeing in him the cause of my bruises (several) and reason of my downfall, I resolved he should not revive me too soon nor without sufficient pain and labour, and that his anxious dread lest he had wounded or killed me should grow to fear.
Thus when he presently set a silver flask to my lips, I shut my teeth against it, yet none the less I must needs swallow some of the fiery spirit, wherewith he deluged me so that I choked.... Yet I held my eyes resolutely shut and lay in his arm limp as poor dead thing, nor stirred even when with officious hand he must feel if my heart yet beat or no—(as indeed it did, to be sure). The which fact seemed to reassure him, for he sighed deeply and thereafter held me closer and very still, seeming to be looking down on me earnestly. Then the compelling arm lifted me higher, nearer to the face down-bent and for one long and most abominable minute (wherein I held my breath appalled) I thought he would have kissed me and braced myself to endure such shameful affliction; but my fears proved groundless (thank my stars) for he presently drew away and setting me down, waited for me to recover.
Thus after some while I sighed tremulously and opened swooning eyes to see him sitting over against me, cross-legged upon the sward, busied recharging the pistol he had fired; then glancing at me with his quirkish smile:
"Didst think I would ha' kissed thee?" he enquired.
At this I merely shivered and closed my eyes again.
But presently I heard him stir and, looking up, saw him leading back my mare, for the poor, dear creature for every affection had stayed near me and now, approaching, was nuzzling his grimly cheek, her graceful head above his shoulder.
"And now," says he, caressing my Rosabell like one that knew and loved horses, "we will proceed, ma'm, an' you be able to mount."
"I'm not!" I murmured, faint-voiced.
"Then I will lift you," says he, "for on we must."
"No need is for such haste," said I.
"Ay, but there is," he answered.
So having no mind he should touch me again, perforce I got me upon my legs and with his unasked assistance, back into the saddle.
But when I would have turned on the road, he stayed me. "Our way lieth yonder!" said he, gesturing where in the distance (though nearer and more plain from this eminence) gleamed the sea.
"But Shalmeston Manor lieth the other way!" said I, turning.
"I know it," he answered, swinging lightly astride his own horse, "but you are riding with me to watch poor Japhet pay debts long overdue."
"Never!" cried I, gathering up my reins purposefully.
"At once!" said he, seizing them also; whereupon I instantly struck at him with my whip only to have it seized, wrenched from me and tossed away.
"So now, most gentle lady, let us ride."
And thus, with his great brown fist fast upon my mare's reins, he led me whither he would.
"And what of my maid?" I demanded, raging.
"Shalt find her safe enough, I'll warrant me." After this, we rode on together side by side and never a word between us.
