The Second Honeymoon | Page 4

altered in manner in the least," Mrs. Wyatt laughed. "Fancy him remembering about your perfect man, Christine? We must ask him to dinner one night while we are in London. How funny, meeting him like this. I always liked him so much. I wonder he hasn't got married, though--a charming boy like that!" But her voice sounded as if she were rather pleased to find Challoner still a bachelor.
"I don't know why he should be married," Christine said. "He's not very old--only twenty-seven, mother."
"Is that all? Yes, I suppose he is--the time goes so quickly."
Challoner, meanwhile, had raced off to the back of the stage. He could not imagine how on earth he had even for one second forgotten his appointment. He was flushed with remorse and eagerness when he reached Cynthia's room.
A dresser was retouching her hair. Challoner waited impatiently till Cynthia sent her away. It occurred to him that she was deliberately detaining her. He bit his lip.
But at last she was dismissed, and the door had hardly closed before he stepped forward.
"Darling!" his eager arms were round her. "Are you angry with me? Did you think I had forgotten? I met some old friends--at least, they spotted me from the stalls and sent a note, and, of course, I had to go and speak to them."
She was standing rather stiffly within the circle of his arms.
"You're not wild with me?" he asked in a whisper. "I'm so sorry. If you knew how badly I wanted to see you."
He kissed her lips.
She was singularly unresponsive, though for a moment she let her head rest against his shoulder. Then she raised it and moved away.
"Jimmy, I want to talk to you. No, stay there," as he made a little eager movement to follow. "Stay there; I can't talk to you if you won't be sensible."
"I am sensible." Challoner dragged up a chair and sat straddled across it, his arms on the back, looking at her with ardent eyes. She kept her own averted. She seemed to find it hard to begin what it was she wanted to say. She stood beside the dressing-table absently fingering the trinkets lying there. Among them was a portrait of Challoner in a silver frame. The pictured eyes seemed to be watching her as she stood trying to avoid the human ones. With sudden exasperation she turned.
"Jimmy, you'll hate me--you'll--oh, why didn't you get my letter?" she broke out vehemently. "I explained so carefully, I----" she stopped.
There was a little silence. Challoner rose to his feet. He was rather white about the lips. There was a dawning apprehension in his eyes.
"Go on," he said. "What is it you--you can't--can't tell me?"
But he knew already, knew before she told him with desperate candour.
"I can't marry you, Jimmy, I'm sorry, but--but I can't--that's all."
The silence fell again. Behind the closed door in the crowded theatre the orchestra suddenly broke into a ragtime. Challoner found himself listening to it dully. Everything felt horribly unreal. It almost seemed like a scene in a play--this hot, crowded room; the figure of the woman opposite in her expensive stage gown, and--himself!
A long glass on the wall opposite reflected both their figures. Jimmy Challoner met his mirrored eyes, and a little wave of surprise filled him when he saw how white he was. He pulled himself together with a desperate effort. He tried to find his voice.
Suddenly he heard it, cracked, strained, asking a one-word question.
"Why?"
She did not answer at once. She had turned away again. She was aimlessly opening and shutting a little silver powder-box lying amongst the brushes and make-up. All his life Jimmy Challoner remembered the little clicking noise it made.
He could see nothing of her face. He made a sudden passionate movement towards her.
"Cynthia, in God's name why--why?"
He laid his hands on her shoulders. She wriggled free of his touch. For an instant she seemed to be deliberately weighing something in her mind. Then at last she spoke.
"Because--because my husband is still living."
"Still--living!" Jimmy Challoner echoed the words stupidly. He passed a hand over his eyes. He felt dazed. After a moment he laughed. He groped backwards for a chair and dropped into it.
"Still--living! Are you--are you sure?"
So it was not that she did not love him. His first thought was one of utter relief--thank God, it was not that!
She put the little silver box down with a sort of impatience. "Yes," she said. She spoke so softly he could hardly catch the monosyllable.
Challoner leaned his head in his hands. He was trying desperately to think, to straighten out this hopeless tangle in his brain, but everything was confused.
Of course, he knew that she had been married before--knew that years and years ago, before she had really known her own mind, she had married a man--a worthless