Chapter VII
Softly the moonlight stole through the interlacing branches of the trees, like white-robed fairies who come earthward to kiss the sleeping flowers into fresh beauty for the morrow’s sun. Darkly against the silver sheen stood out the rugged, ivy-grown walls of the forest chapel. It was a spot sufficiently romantic for the youngest and tenderest of lovers, and yet not without its thrill of that gloom and foreboding which seems to haunt the land of Brittany, where such stern shadows seem indissolubly mingled with the wild beauties of poetry and romance.
But, for the moment at least, shadows had fled into the darkness of the surrounding forest, and romance reigned clear and beautiful as the Queen of Heaven, who shed her silver beams down so softly on the two lovers sitting there amongst the ruins which superstition had clad with such terror and awe.
It was the third night that Gwennola had successfully stolen out from her father’s château, leaving two faithful hearts to beat in anxious fear for her safety until her return. So little dreamt any of such an undertaking, that the task had been less difficult than she had supposed, and so, night after night Job had watched with gloomy fear the dark, hooded figure slip past him and vanish like some grim shadow into the grimmer blackness of the forest, and there, divided betwixt love and the overpowering fear of superstition, he had been fain to watch for her return, whilst the moments dragged by leaden-footed, till more than once love overcame fear, and he started from his post in search of his young mistress, only to come to a halt midway down the terrace path, whilst the beads of perspiration stood thickly on his brow as he muttered aves and paters, and finally with a groan of terror fled back to his place as he recalled the dread vision which had already looked at him, hollow-eyed and beseeching, from amongst the trees, till his knees knocked together in a perfect frenzy of terror.
But no such fears now troubled Gwennola, for love had bidden such phantom terrors a mocking adieu. Yes, they were lovers now, not bowing and curtsying to each other, with eyes more bold and eloquent than the stiff phrases of their tongues; there was no more speech of gratitude or duty, or the many foolish subterfuges by which love must first hide himself, but instead all the glamour and passion of first love, which exaggerates itself and its dreams of sentiment and finds in itself so sweet a delirium that it forgets all else and mocks gaily at staid middle age, which shakes its head so wisely at such quaint fantasies and preaches truisms against its tender madness which are listened to with deaf ears; for youth must have its way and dream its dreams of love and fair ideals, which clothe it in all its springtide of beauty, little recking of the winter that must perchance disperse all, or sober them down to greyer tints.
“Ah, sweet,” whispered d’Estrailles as he bent down to look into the blue eyes raised so happily to his; “what shall I say to prove to thee the devotion with which thou hast inspired me, or thank thee for the tender heroism which brings thee thus to me through such perils?”
“Nay,” she replied gaily, “speak not of thanks, my Henri, but rather of our love. What fear have I, my beloved, save for thy safety? Ah,” she cried, clasping her hands with a sudden gesture of pain, “every time my father rides forth my heart beats with terror for fear that by some unlucky chance he should discover thy hiding-place, for his heart is still bitter against thee, my Henri, for de Coray still distilleth his poisoned words into his ears; neither will he so much as look on me, his daughter; whilst for the poor Father Ambrose, he hath sworn to send him back to his monastery in disgrace so soon as his sickness is healed.”
“Nay, weep not, little one,” said d’Estrailles gently, as he drew her into his embrace, “but let us rather dream of the days when all this suffering and wrong be past, and when thou, sweet Gwennola, art my wife, and ridest with me to our château on the gay Loire, where I will give thee sunshine and mirth, beauty and laughter instead of these dreary forests and grey gloom, which seem fitting surroundings for traitor hearts and sad forebodings.”
“Nay,” she said with a sigh, “it is of my Brittany thou speakest, dear heart, and I would not that thou shouldst find it so ill a place, for I love it dearly, ay, so dearly!” she whispered, clinging to him, “though perchance in time thy château of sunshine shall be more dear, my Henri, because of thy presence; but I would have thee also to love in some measure the Château of Mereac, and in time, it may be, my father, who is good—ah! so good, so noble, so brave!—although now it would seem his ears are closed and his eyes blinded by a treacherous foe.”
“Nay,” said her lover tenderly, “I was wrong, sweet, to speak of gloom where I found such sunshine as hath before never lighted the fairest spot of fair Touraine. See then, it shall be that which thou lovest, I love, and what thou hatest——”
He broke off to turn swiftly in the direction of the forest, his hand on his sword, as though he had caught a sound other than the constant murmur of cries from bird and beast which arose in plaintive cadences around.
“What is it?” breathed Gwennola, with a little gasp of fear, as she bent forward to gaze in the same direction as that in which his eyes were still turned.
“Methinks ’twas but a fancy,” he replied softly; “and yet—see, sweet, what is that which moves yonder? Nay, ’tis naught, but some animal, or——”
But Gwennola’s face had grown white with terror, as with horror-stricken eyes she gazed across the open space towards where, in a bright patch of moonlight, sat a small, wizened creature perched on its haunches, the very impersonation of some imp of darkness, which, after pausing one brief instant to mouth at them in seeming mockery, fled nimbly back into the forest with a shrill cry.
“Bah,” murmured d’Estrailles, devoutly crossing himself, “’tis verily a spirit of evil, little one, that fled at the glance of thy sweet eyes.”
“Nay, rather,” faltered Gwennola tremulously, “’twas the ape of Pierre the fool, and verily the spirit of evil was doubtless lurking unseen in the shadows behind,” and in a few brief words she told her lover of Marie’s tale and the devotion of the fool to Guillaume de Coray.
“Fly, Henri, fly!” she pleaded. “Surely there is yet time; thy wound heals well, and methinks even at some pain ’twere better to fly before discovery overtakes us. Alas, alas, how evil grows our case when it seemed to promise so fairly!”
“Nay,” laughed d’Estrailles undauntedly, “’twere better first to strive to teach fools their foolishness,” and without awaiting her reply he plunged into the forest, only to emerge some moments later crestfallen and indignant. “Truly the knave is in league with de Coray’s own master,” he said with a grimace of discomfiture. “Not a trace of him is to be seen. But come, sweet, wear not so troubled a brow; methinks the danger is as little pressing as heretofore, seeing that none know of yon snug chamber, where I may well mock their vigilance for many days.”
“Nay, Henri,” entreated Gwennola, as she clung afresh to him. “Go, I beseech thee, whilst there is yet time. Oh, what agony shall I endure till thou art in safety!”
But for all her pleading he refused to be turned from his purpose of lingering another day, yet less, perchance, from selfish motives as from fear of what might befall her did the fool’s tale move her father’s anger more mightily upon her.
“To-morrow eve,” he cried, laughing at her fears, as he held her two white hands in his, and kissed her on her quivering lips. “Courage, little one, ’tis but a terror that will pass with the dawn, and if thou fearest the malice of this crooked fool, why, smile upon him with thy sweet eyes, and thou must needs make him thy slave for ever.”
So, perforce, seeing he was a man and wilful, she was fain to yield, though her blue eyes still looked into his with wistful foreboding as she entreated him to be careful, and remain in the safe shelter of his hiding-place. So back through the forest they went together till they caught sight of Job Alloadec’s broad figure standing stiff and straight by the outer postern of the wall, when they bade each other once more a tender adieu.
“Farewell, little one,” whispered d’Estrailles, the more gaily as he felt his cheek wet with a stray teardrop which had fallen from her soft lashes. “Fear not yon impish fool, who dared thus insolently to look within the gates of Paradise; seal his tongue with sweet looks, and perchance a silver piece, and to-morrow——”
“Ah, to-morrow,” she sighed. “Alas! to-morrow.”
“Ay, alas indeed,” he murmured, “since I must needs, it seems, bid farewell to my sweet lady, and yet not farewell, but only au revoir, dear love, for if thy father relents not, nor opens his eyes to treachery and falsehood, I shall very speedily return to steal thee away, since till thy coming there will be no sunshine in the Château d’Estrailles, and the hours will go slowly for the very weariness of the waiting.”
She smiled sadly back into his face.
“Ah, my Henri,” she murmured, “what lies between those days and these? Verily my heart groweth heavy in wondering whether they will ever be.”
“Nay,” he cried boldly, with all a man’s insistence and scorn of danger’s shadows, “they must needs be, sweet one, since love demands it.”
“Our Lady grant it,” said she, and passed on her way towards the gloomy château, leaving him to ponder on what lay so dimly and mysteriously before them on the path of life; for verily it seemed that the course of true love was little likely to run smoothly for Breton maid and French noble in those days of bitter enmity and danger.