Vintage Love (57 page)

“You have an actor’s imagination, sir. I know nothing about what you are saying. And now perhaps you will excuse me.”

She went over to Kemble to say goodbye. The actor turned to her and immediately remarked, “You look filled with ire! Has anyone said something to displease you?”

“No,” she replied. “The truth is, I’m weary. I debated whether I should come to the party or not. I didn’t wish to disappoint you, so I came. But now I really must leave.”

“We shall talk more later. Come to my flat for supper tomorrow evening. Jenny will fix us some fine fare.”

“Very well,” she agreed.

“You look as lovely as ever, dearest Enid. I have missed you greatly.”

“And I have missed you, too. Until tomorrow night, then.”

She quickly made her way to Gustav and Susie and the three of them moved toward the exit. Louis Esmond was still engrossed in a conversation with Kemble’s overweight brother, Stephen. Enid was sure he was trying to garner as much information about them as he could.

No sooner were they in the street than Gustav exclaimed, “He recognized us! He made that very clear!”

“I made no admission,” Enid said. “I’m certain he is suspicious, but how can he be certain?”

“He saw us together,” Gustav muttered unhappily. “And then together again tonight. He might have been confused about one of us, but seeing us together did it!”

As they walked toward the studio, Susie murmured, “I was going to stand outside the theater and warn you not to come in, but you arrived before I could do that.”

“Where did Kemble pick him up?” Gustav asked.

Susie sighed. “John told me a French actor introduced him as Vicomte Gerard, a noble refugee who had been on the stage in his youth.”

“Esmond often assumes different identities,” Gustav told her.

“Kemble should be warned about him,” Enid pointed out.

“I will do it,” Gustav promised. “I will wait until the party is over and then go to his flat and tell him.”

Susie gave them a troubled look. “What will happen now? Will Esmond come after us?”

“I doubt it,” her husband said. “This is London. But he may set spies to watch us and discover our contacts, the agents who work in France. In that way he could make excellent use of us without any violence.”

“He probably thinks we are of more use to him alive than dead,” Enid offered hopefully.

Susie shuddered. “I wish I could believe that. I won’t be able to close my eyes at night!”

When they arrived at their building, Enid went up to the studio to discuss the matter a little further, and then she walked down to her own flat. She had pretended to believe Gustav when he claimed that Esmond and his men wouldn’t try to harm them. But she wasn’t by any means convinced that this was true. Esmond knew that she and Gustav had rescued Armand and destroyed Esmond’s warehouse filled with firearms. That must have been a major setback for him, and he was not a man to ignore a thirst for revenge.

She carefully bolted her door and hoped for the best. It was comforting to know she had Susie and Gustav for neighbors, and because of her extreme weariness, she slept soundly through the night.

In the morning she was awakened by a knocking on her door. She put on a dressing gown and called out, “Who is there?”

“Me,” came the reassuringly familiar voice of Gustav.

She unbolted the door and let the fencing master in.

“I thought you should know the news,” he said, “so I have come to you early. Did I wake you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Let me hear what news you bring.”

Gustav looked grimly pleased. “You will be surprised to know that Louis Esmond left London last night.”

“What brought that about?”

“Troubles within the revolutionist group back in Paris. They needed him, and so presumably he had to forget about us and take care of more urgent business.”

“What luck for us!”

“Yes. My contacts inform me that the revolutionists are splitting into rival groups. It is hard to tell who will be the leader or who will lose his head as the days go by. Apparently no one trusts the other.”

“That is in our favor,” she said, very much relieved. “Did you warn Kemble about Esmond?”

“I did, and he was extremely upset. He vowed not to allow him in the theater again. He learned from his brother that Esmond had asked a number of questions about us. Happily, Stephen didn’t have much to tell.”

“It doesn’t matter now, if Esmond has returned to France.”

“He sailed at dawn. But he will be back, unless he is removed from power as head of the spy system. That’s when we’ll have to be extra careful. On his return, he may decide to deal with us.”

“Your own agents should warn you of his coming, shouldn’t they?”

“That’s true, but there are times when they don’t always know everything. Just as the other side doesn’t always know.”

“How long will this awful state of affairs in France go on?” she asked, thinking of Armand and his danger-filled missions.

“Until there is no more France, it seems,” Gustav replied slowly.

“And what of Armand?” She voiced her worry aloud. “What can have happened to him?”

Gustav shook his head. “There has been no word.”

Enid studied his uneasy expression and then, in a different tone, she asked, “Are you keeping something from me, my friend?”

The fencing master crimsoned. “You know I would never keep any facts from you!”

She pressed him. “But rumors, perhaps? You might think it wise not to pass on any rumors to me. I beg you to tell me anything you may have heard, however fanciful.”

Gustav looked down at the floor. “There may be no truth in it …”

“What did you hear?”

“That they have him in prison. There is a rumor that Beaufaire was recently seized and imprisoned somewhere near Paris.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t want to cause you unnecessary pain. It may not be true, after all.”

Enid’s eyes blazed. “Don’t try to make it easier for me!” she protested. “We both know there has been scant word from him as it is. Something dire must have happened to him!”

“I will keep on trying to learn the truth,” he promised.

“If he has been imprisoned, he is likely to be dead by now. Today in France it is a short distance from prison cell to the guillotine!” Her voice cracked with the weight of her despair.

“You must not give up hope!” Gustav begged.

“I dare not,” she said dully.

Gustav was embarrassed that she had dragged this sorry news from him, and he left soon after.

When Enid had dressed and taken some breakfast, she went up to speak with Susie but found that the actress had gone out. Perhaps to an early rehearsal. So she decided to pay a visit to her father’s bank in order to establish herself for credit.

She went down to the street, hailed a carriage and made the short trip to the bank. After she had chatted with the manager and withdrawn some cash, she stopped by several of the better shops to select a few thing she needed. She especially wanted a beige Irish linen tablecloth and matching napkins.

As she emerged from the last of the shops, her purchases tucked under one arm, she came face to face with a dandy who sported long curls and an extravagant cerise greatcoat. It took her only a moment to realize the man was Vicomte Robert!

He graced her with a low bow. “Dear Lady Blair, I had no idea you were back in London!”

“Nor did I expect to meet
you
here.”

He made a foppish gesture with his left hand and declared airily, “I have left France. It is no longer safe for one of noble rank to remain there.”

“I see,” she said inanely, wishing she had never met him and wondering how she would get away from him.

He smiled mockingly. “I’m living with Andrew. He has been so lonesome without you.”

“I would expect the absence of some of his lads would disturb him more. But you must be a great consolation to him.” Her tone was grim.

“How kind you are to suggest that.” The vicomte paused. “Do you wish to send him any message? He will be interested to know you are here in London.”

“I have no message for Andrew other than that I wish my freedom.”

“I will tell him that,” the nobleman promised with a smile. Then he added, “I trust all goes well with your friend and my countryman Count Beaufaire?”

“I have nothing to tell you,” Enid said sharply. “And now, if you will excuse me.” She turned and hurried down the street.

The meeting upset her more than it should have. A little while later she took a carriage back to her flat, and all the while she had the feeling that she was being followed. She paused on her doorstep to look up and down the street, but saw no sign of anyone. Nevertheless, her fear was real enough.

In the flat she unwrapped the things she had bought and continued to feel nervous. She wondered if Gustav had been ill-informed about Esmond’s leaving London. Whether perhaps the master spy was still about and having her followed as a prelude to taking her prisoner. The possibility of this was chilling. Her depressing thoughts had started with her running into the hateful Vicomte Robert, and she could not seem to shake them.

The hour came for her to keep her supper engagement with John Philip Kemble. And still Susie and Gustav had not returned. She lingered in her flat after she’d changed into a suitable navy wool dress and worried about venturing out alone into the evening to find a carriage. However, her fears were put to rest when a driver appeared at her door and announced he had been sent by Kemble.

The man was known to her, and so she accompanied him with no misgivings. Within a short time she reached the familiar surroundings of the actor’s flat. But things had changed. It was Jenny who now resided in Kemble’s bed and in his apartment. The red-haired girl greeted Enid warmly and took her in to Kemble, who was seated by the fireplace reading the manuscript of a play.

He rose immediately and gave her a warm kiss. “Sit down, my dear.” And then he told Jenny, “Wine for all of us. Bring glasses and a decanter.”

“It was good of you to send your carriage for me,” Enid said.

“I could do no less.”

“I’ve been nervous ever since I met that French agent Esmond at your party.”

The melancholy-faced actor sighed. “I must apologize for that. He took me in completely, though it’s easy to understand why. I hear he is a master spy.”

“He’s head of the revolutionists’ spy service.”

Jenny returned with the wine and served Enid and Kemble first, then took a glass for herself. She sat down meekly on a stool near them, listening to their talk but adding little to the conversation. Enid smiled at her often and was again impressed by her beauty. A pity the girl doesn’t have more intelligence to go with that face, she thought.

Kemble sipped his wine. “The conditions in France are growing much more serious,” he said, frowning. “Now that the king and queen are bound to be captives, I am told that the British government is very uneasy. Better to have a Bourbon still on the throne than a tribunal of extremists. Diplomatic relations with the French have been brittle enough when their government was stable, but now there is little or no contact.”

“And small hope it will change,” Enid added.

“The French leaders are also enraged that we have given haven to so many émigrés,” the actor continued. “The underground, of which Gustav and your Count Beaufaire are members, has done a fine and courageous job, but its success has maddened its opposition.”

“Only a small percentage of the nobility has actually been saved, and men like Armand and Gustav have risked their lives to accomplish even that.”

Kemble sighed. “It is only a matter of time until King Louis and Marie Antoinette will be guillotined, and then Heaven help both France and England!”

Enid thought bleakly of Armand. What are his chances? she wondered for the hundredth time.

“Well, it’s a sorry business,” Kemble said. “What is the news from the count?”

“There has been no recent word.” She did not mention Gustav’s report that Armand might be in prison.

“Are you concerned?”

“Very.”

Kemble gave her a knowing look. “I offer my sympathy. But perhaps I would be able to offer you more if anything should happen to him.”

She gazed at him with fear in her eyes. “Please do not consider that possibility!”

“It is always there,” he said gently.

“Yes, I know.”

Kemble hesitated. He didn’t wish to give Jenny any hint of the meaning behind his and Enid’s conversation. He didn’t want to upset his lovely protégée. He cleared his throat and said, “We both realize he changed things when he arrived in London.”

“He will always have the same place in my heart,” Enid vowed.

Kemble raised his eyebrows. “And what about your husband? What about dear Andrew?”

“He continues to try to hold me despite the fact that my father’s lawyers have proved he is not fit to be a husband.”

“I’m sure Lord Andrew has some friendly ears among those who preside over the courts. His is an old title that carries a great deal of influence.”

“I met Vicomte Robert today,” Enid said with a shudder of disgust. “The man we visited in Paris on our honeymoon.”

Kemble smiled grimly. “When they capped the ceremony with an orgy?”

“I shall never forget it! How I despise them both!”

Jenny rose from her seat. “Perhaps we should have our meal now. I have it warm and ready.”

Kemble stood up and placed an arm around her, exclaiming jovially, “Is she not a paragon? She let us talk without once interfering!”

“How could I?” the young actress murmured. “I didn’t understand what you were talking about.”

“It’s just as well,” the actor laughed.

They went to the oak table and sat down to a pleasant supper. And to make Jenny happy, Kemble had her declaim some lines from the role of Katherine in
The Taming of the Shrew.
He carelessly fed her cues, and Jenny responded well enough. It was evident that Susie had been right, Enid thought—Jenny was best in comedy.

After this entertainment and some more talk, Kemble called the driver to take Enid home. He kissed her tenderly in farewell, and she knew that he would not linger long over discarding Jenny if she, Enid, showed a willingness to be his mistress again. But she would never do that. Not while there was any hope that Armand was alive. And even if her beloved count were dead, she doubted that she would be faithless to his memory.