The Masqueraders

‘Another brother – another brother of Kate Merriot’s,’ she ventured. ‘You – it is the eyes – and the nose – and –’

‘I am not her brother,’ Robin said. ‘Try again, Letty. You come near the truth.’

She fell back a pace. ‘You are not – oh, you cannot be – no, no, how could you be?’

‘I am Kate Merriot,’ Robin said, and waited, his eyes on her face.

Letty was as pale now as she had been rosy. ‘You – you? A woman? You acted – But it can’t be! Kate was a woman!’

He shook his head; he was no longer smiling.

‘Oh!’ cried Letty. ‘Oh, the things I must have said –’ She broke off in distress.

‘I swear on my honour you said naught to Kate you would not have said to a man!’ he said quickly.

Letty was staring at him in amazement. ‘It was not fair!’ she said. ‘You might have told me!’

‘Will you let me explain?’ he asked. ‘Won’t you hear me?’

Letty came nearer. ‘Yes, please explain,’ she said in a small tearful voice. ‘But – but I wish you had trusted me!’

He held out his hand, and she put hers into it. ‘I wish I had, Letitia. But I had been schooled to tell no secrets. And this one had my life at stake.’

Her lips formed an O. ‘Tell me!’ she begged. ‘You know I forgive you anything. And I would never, never betray you.’

‘Beloved!’ He caught her to him. ‘I hardly dared to think that you could forgive so hateful a deception.’

She hung her head. ‘You forget – you are the Unknown hero,’ she confided shyly.

‘There’s very little of the hero about me, child; I’m an escaped Jacobite.’

Her head came up; her eyes sparkled. ‘And I thought it romantic to elope with that odious Markham!’ she cried. ‘Tell me all about it, please!’

At that Robin went off into a peal of laughter. She was surprised. ‘Why, you did not suppose I should mind, did you?’ she inquired.

‘I ought to have known,’ Robin said, and swept her off her feet. ‘My darling, my name is Robin, and I’m an adventurer! Will you still marry me?’

‘I like your name, and I should love to be an adventuress,’ said Letty. ‘May I be one?’

‘Alack, you are more like to be a Viscountess,’ Robin said, and sat down with her on his knee.

The tale took some time in the telling, and it left Letty wide-eyed and amazed. When she heard that Peter Merriot was Prudence Tremaine, she gasped, and gasped again. At the end for a while she could only bewail the fact that she had not known it all before.

‘And Tony knew? Tony? ’

‘My dear, it was Fanshawe rescued her from the hands of the Law,’ Robin said. ‘He carried her off to his sister, and I’m off to fetch her to-morrow.’

Letty stammered a little. ‘T-Tony tied up those m-men? T-Tony stopped the c-coach? Why-why-’

‘He’s not so stolid as you thought,’ teased Robin. ‘The truth is he has an ambition to marry her.’

‘Oh, and I thought he wanted to marry you!’ Letty cried. ‘And all the while he knew, and – oh, ’tis the most amazing thing I ever heard! It is wonderful, Robin! I am very glad, for I like Tony vastly. But your sister to play the man. – She must be monstrous brave and clever!’

‘Like her brother,’ bowed Robin. ‘For myself I have a weakness for a fairy-like creature with brown eyes, but I confess Sir Anthony is

fortunate. My Prue’s a dear creature.’

‘And – and you deceived me grossly!’ Letty said, but she did not sound angry. ‘Goodness, will your sister ever forgive me? ’Twas my fault she was taken by the Law for I told those odious men you had brown hair and were of medium height! But I never, never thought they would seize on Mr – I mean, on your sister. Robin, are you sure you are quite safe now?’