“there may always be a Fern de Lisle in your life, Pierre, but if I’m to marry you—and it seems I have no choice!—I should prefer it if I didn’t have to be brought into close contact with such a person. You mentioned David to me, but that was unnecessary, because as a married woman I hope I would know how to behave. But you have been brought up in France—you are half French.. . She floundered a little. “Your ideas are probably quite different from those of an Englishman on—on some subjects ... ”
Pierre looked at her most peculiarly.
“What a relief to know that you understand so much, and that you will enter into marriage—our sort of marriage!—with the right ideas,” he returned, with great dryness. “I would hardly have expected it from a vicar’s daughter, but no doubt even vicars’ daughters are emancipated nowadays.”
Chloe felt a slow flush dyeing her cheeks.
“I was only trying to—to be as practical as possible ...”
“Which is, of course, the one thing we must be—practical,” he agreed, that touch of out-of-character gravity returning to his tones. “We know that we are marrying for sternly practical reasons, and under such circumstances it would be absurd not to be—practical!” He weighed the word, as if he was not quite certain it was entirely applicable. “You shouldn’t find that so difficult, little Chloe! You strike me as having a very practical streak, and at least you are not wildly in love with Pentland. Or are you?” more abruptly.
“I have never been—in love with any man,” she admitted, trying hard to meet his eyes as if the necessity for having to make such an admission didn’t fill her with a strange feeling of confusion. “And I have already told you that there is nothing more than friendship between David and myself. In spite of his limp, he’s very attractive, and very rich, and almost any girl would be glad to have him if he showed enough interest. It’s absurd to suggest he would ever think seriously about me!”
“You are too modest, Chloe,” Pierre told her, and she couldn’t be sure whether he was mocking her or not. “But once married to me you will be a woman of means—don’t forget that! You will no longer be a paid companion and the knowledge will give you poise. I have no doubt at all that once you come out of your shell many men will find you attractive, but you will have to remember also that you are married to me! There will be a closed door between you and anything in the nature of romance, for even allowing for the fact that I am half French I will not permit my wife to have affairs! It will not be a case of you going your way, and I going mine, do you understand? You will be the Vicomtesse de Ramballe, and you will have to keep it always in the forefront of your mind.”
She tried to protest indignantly:
“I have told you I shall know how to behave!”
“It isn’t a question of behaviour, Chloe. Or not only that. It will be a life sentence, for I do not believe in divorce, and if you are toying with the idea of approaching me about an annulment once you have handed over to me my share of the money, then there will be no point in your doing so! Once married we stay married, do you understand ? It was what I meant when I said I must talk to you tonight.”
She felt her throat go tight, and her mouth felt drier than ever. He was taking her future into his hands, and it was no longer hers ... unless she backed out now. She could back out! ... It wasn’t too late!
“Well, Chloe?” he said, with no expression at all in his voice. “I am suggesting that you forget Trelas, and my aunt's money, and myself ... and that you think only of yourself. You can say ‘No; I can’t do this thing!’ and we'll forget it. You’ll have your thousand pounds, and I shan’t starve. I never have, and I never will. And we can go right away out of each other’s lives...!”
Chloe suddenly felt breathless, tremulous, frightened ... But
Pierre looked at her most peculiarly.
“What a relief to know that you understand so much, and that you will enter into marriage—our sort of marriage!—with the right ideas,” he returned, with great dryness. “I would hardly have expected it from a vicar’s daughter, but no doubt even vicars’ daughters are emancipated nowadays.”
Chloe felt a slow flush dyeing her cheeks.
“I was only trying to—to be as practical as possible ...”
“Which is, of course, the one thing we must be—practical,” he agreed, that touch of out-of-character gravity returning to his tones. “We know that we are marrying for sternly practical reasons, and under such circumstances it would be absurd not to be—practical!” He weighed the word, as if he was not quite certain it was entirely applicable. “You shouldn’t find that so difficult, little Chloe! You strike me as having a very practical streak, and at least you are not wildly in love with Pentland. Or are you?” more abruptly.
“I have never been—in love with any man,” she admitted, trying hard to meet his eyes as if the necessity for having to make such an admission didn’t fill her with a strange feeling of confusion. “And I have already told you that there is nothing more than friendship between David and myself. In spite of his limp, he’s very attractive, and very rich, and almost any girl would be glad to have him if he showed enough interest. It’s absurd to suggest he would ever think seriously about me!”
“You are too modest, Chloe,” Pierre told her, and she couldn’t be sure whether he was mocking her or not. “But once married to me you will be a woman of means—don’t forget that! You will no longer be a paid companion and the knowledge will give you poise. I have no doubt at all that once you come out of your shell many men will find you attractive, but you will have to remember also that you are married to me! There will be a closed door between you and anything in the nature of romance, for even allowing for the fact that I am half French I will not permit my wife to have affairs! It will not be a case of you going your way, and I going mine, do you understand? You will be the Vicomtesse de Ramballe, and you will have to keep it always in the forefront of your mind.”
She tried to protest indignantly:
“I have told you I shall know how to behave!”
“It isn’t a question of behaviour, Chloe. Or not only that. It will be a life sentence, for I do not believe in divorce, and if you are toying with the idea of approaching me about an annulment once you have handed over to me my share of the money, then there will be no point in your doing so! Once married we stay married, do you understand ? It was what I meant when I said I must talk to you tonight.”
She felt her throat go tight, and her mouth felt drier than ever. He was taking her future into his hands, and it was no longer hers ... unless she backed out now. She could back out! ... It wasn’t too late!
“Well, Chloe?” he said, with no expression at all in his voice. “I am suggesting that you forget Trelas, and my aunt's money, and myself ... and that you think only of yourself. You can say ‘No; I can’t do this thing!’ and we'll forget it. You’ll have your thousand pounds, and I shan’t starve. I never have, and I never will. And we can go right away out of each other’s lives...!”
Chloe suddenly felt breathless, tremulous, frightened ... But
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