Beck Center English Dept. University Libraries Emory University
Emory Women Writers Resource Project Collections:
Women's Genre Fiction Project

An Adventuress, an electronic edition

by L.T. Meade [ Meade, L.T., 1854-1914]

date: 1899
source publisher: Chatto & Windus
collection: Genre Fiction

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CHAPTER XX

THE little party went up the next day to London. Their journey was without adventure. Marryat went to the station to see her mistress off, and Kate was glad when the train moved on and she knew that each instant she was putting a greater and greater distance between herself and Sir John Fenton-Douglas and also Rogers.

During the journey her spirits rose, and by the time she got to town she was so gay and bright and charming that Ethel and Ralph were quite at ease about her. Even Mary's watchful glances had now scarcely power to affect her. The very imminence of the danger had roused her mettle. She felt that she might defy Mary, who suspected much, yet knew nothing. The real danger lay in the fact that she must see one of the great doctors for consumption on the morrow. She knew well that he would pronounce her lungs absolutely sound, that he would say, further, that those lungs had never been affected. Perhaps never before in the world's history did a healthy young woman earnestly desire to have diseased lungs, but at that moment Kate in her extremity would have gladly welcomed some traces of tuberculosis, terrible as the disease is.

During the journey, however, an idea came to her, and she quickly resolved to adopt it. They reached town and drove to the "Metropole." Here they | | 197 engaged rooms, and immediately after dinner Kate pleaded fatigue and begged to be allowed to retire to her room and to go to bed. As she bade her husband good-night she spoke again of the great and overpowering weariness which had visited her. He kissed her and looked anxious.

"Would you like me to send for Dr. Martin Hewitt now?" he said. "I believe he is quite the greatest authority of the day on lung diseases."

"No, no," answered Kate. "What a goose you are, Ralph! my lungs are right enough."

"But you were very ill last spring."

"Last spring is not now, remember. I will see the doctor, as you insist on it, to-morrow, but do let me be in peace to-night."

"My room is exactly opposite to yours, Kate, at the other side of the passage. If you want me you will be sure to call me."

"I will."

"I wish you had brought up Marryat. You are sure you want for nothing?"

"Yes; I want my bed and a long, sound sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Ralph."

As his footsteps sounded down the passage Kate locked her door. She had now several hours in which to perfect her plan. She took her watch out and looked at it eagerly; it was a few minutes past nine--still comparatively early. Marryat being out of the way made matters all the better. The fewer who knew of Kate's present intention the better for her safety. She changed her dress, putting on an old dark blue serge, which she had worn long ago when she was an innocent girl. Over the dress she slipped a long waterproof cloak, put a nurse's bonnet on her | | 198 head, a thick veil over her face, and, opening her door, locked it on the outside; she then slipped the key into her pocket and ran downstairs.

Henley, Mary, and Ethel were amusing themselves as best they could in the drawing-room, but even if Henley had met Kate now he would scarcely have recognised her. She passed through the hall and stood for a moment on the front steps. A porter who was standing by asked if he might call a cab. Kate shook her head without replying. She walked up the street in the direction of Trafalgar Square, and hailing the first hansom she met, got in and gave the driver an address--"40 Mortimer Street," she said.

The man whipped up his horse, and in about a quarter of an hour Kate had reached her destination.

Before her marriage she had insisted on her uncle allowing her to have a separate banking account, and she had further made a special request that he should place to her credit in the bank the sum of six thousand pounds. Up to the present she had drawn very little upon this sum, but she knew the time had come when she must spend it freely. She laughed when she thought of the power this money gave to her.

The house in Mortimer Street was a quiet one. Kate got out of the hansom, paid the fare, and then rang the bell. A maid-servant answered her summons.

"Is Mrs. Johnson in?" asked Kate.

The woman replied in the affirmative.

"I wish to see her."

"Have you an appointment, madam?"

"No; but I wish to see her, and my business is urgent."

The woman stared at Kate, but finally admitted her into the hall.

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"I will see if my mistress can attend to you," she said. "What name shall I say?"

"Miss Pryce," answered Kate.

The woman left Kate standing in the hall. It was dimly lighted and the furniture was of the barest, but it was quite neat and clean. In a minute or two the servant returned and invited Mrs. Henley to follow her to a room on the first floor. This room was also furnished barely, and had something the appearance of an old-fashioned drawing-room. There was an ugly centre table, a few chairs of conventional pattern, the usual lodging-house sofa, and one fairly comfortable easy-chair, into which Kate sank. She kept her veil down. In spite of all her efforts her hands trembled--otherwise, she knew that she was calm and steady.

After waiting for about five minutes the room door was opened and a little middle-aged woman in rusty black entered. She went straight up to the gasalier in the centre of the room and turned all the lights on full.

Kate still remained with her veil down.

"Miss Pryce?" said Mrs. Johnson in an interrogative way.

"Yes," answered Kate; and she added, "You are Mrs. Johnson?"

"I am Mrs. Johnson; but you are not really Miss Pryce?"

"That is true; but I thought it safer to come to you under a feigned name. My errand is important and secret."

"I can do nothing for you unless you wholly confide in me. Before we proceed any further you must tell me who you really are."

Kate sat absolutely silent: her heart beat hard. After a moment's pause she raised her hand, lifted her | | 200 veil, flung it back, and turned her lovely face full on her hostess.

"What a beautiful creature! " murmured the woman under her breath. She gazed at Kate as if she could not remove her eyes. Kate slowly unfastened one of her gloves, slipped it off, and exposed her hand with its wedding ring and magnificent diamond keeper to full view.

"I thought you were a married lady," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I am. I have made up my mind to trust you. It is dangerous, but not so dangerous as my present position. My name is Kate Henley. I am in trouble, and I want you to help me."

"If in my power," said Mrs. Johnson.

"It is quite in your power."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You are a doctor, are you not?"

"I am. But how did you hear of me?"

"I have known of your existence for some time. I have made myself acquainted with many strange characters; it has been necessary in my life."

"Then you are not what you seem?"

"I am quite what I seem. I am Mrs. Henley, the wife of a rich man. I am a very rich woman myself, too, independent of my husband. I can pay you well for what I want you to do."

"What is that?"

"Before we come to that question we must arrange terms."

"Certainly," replied Mrs. Johnson. "I quite agree." She now drew her chair close to Kate's. "Just excuse me a moment," she said suddenly. She got up, crossed the room, locked the door, put the | | 201 key in her pocket, and then returned once more to her seat opposite her beautiful visitor.

"Now," she said, "I am at your service."

"Are you a fully qualified medical practitioner?" asked Kate.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I wish to know."

Mrs. Johnson was silent.

"There must be no concealment between us," continued Kate emphatically. "If I tell you my secret, you must tell me yours. There! I will tell it to you; it will save trouble. You are not fully qualified. You cure people, but you have no right to cure them. In other words, you are what the profession would call a quack."

Mrs. Johnson's face grew very red.

"I don't care that for the profession! " she said, in an emphatic voice. "Curse every one of 'em! Yes, you may call me a quack if you like. I have performed more wonderful cures than any other doctor in London."

"I am delighted to hear you say so. I am also glad that you are what the profession call a quack. If you were not the character you evidently are you would not be of the slightest use to me."

"Why so?"

"Because what I want you to do is--shady."

"Ah!" Mrs. Johnson did not again change colour, but on her hardened face the lines grew deeper, the lips became more compressed, the dark, closely-set eyes more watchful. It was a thoroughly evil face which now looked full into Kate's.

"It is all right," said Kate, but she trembled as she spoke. Bad as she was herself, wicked as all her | | 202 actions had been since the death of the real Kate Bouverie, she had never before come face to face with evil in others. As she looked into the face of the woman before her she knew that she was close to evil. She watched it, and then, as in a vision, she saw another face--the high-minded, proud, honourable face of her husband. Could there in all the world be a greater contrast than the face of Ralph and the face of Mrs. Johnson? And yet, because she wanted to keep the one always by her side, she must use the skill and power which was manifest with all its sin on the face of the other.

She gave a shudder, and just for a moment it rushed through her mind that she had chosen badly; but she pushed the thought out of sight; she meant to carry on her scheme now to the bitter end. To do anything else would part her from Ralph--to part from Ralph would be the straw too much. She might stand a good deal, but not that.

"Well?" said Mrs. Johnson.

Kate looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, the minutes were flying. She might be discovered if she went back too late to the "Metropole."

"I want you to help me," she said. "But, first of all--terms."

"What do you require?"

"Absolute and complete secrecy."

"If that is all, you shall have it. It would be against my own interests to betray you."

"I think so; I have thought over that," said Kate, with a sigh of relief. "Well, I am prepared to pay you."

"Naturally," said Mrs. Johnson, with an unpleasant laugh.

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"A large sum," continued Kate.

"I should not dream of taking anything else."

"I have now in my pocket a cheque-book. I will fill in, after I have explained matters, and you have assured me that you will do what I want, a cheque for two hundred pounds."

"Not enough--nothing like enough."

"You shall have that cheque to-night."

"Not enough," repeated Mrs. Johnson.

"Listen. That is not all that I mean to do. I want to go to Australia."

"Ah!"

"I want to start in a week."

"Yes."

"You can help me to go there."

"How?"

"I will explain in a moment--our terms are not settled yet."

The woman in the shabby black dress waited, suspense now visible on her face and in the lines round her cruel mouth.

"Yes," she repeated.

"The day I sail you shall have a further cheque for eight hundred pounds. You see, therefore, that for what you do for me you will be paid one thousand pounds."

"By cheque? How do I know the cheque will be honoured?"

"It will be on my private bank, where I now have a sum to my credit of six thousand pounds."

"Have you? Then I shall want more out of that sum. I cannot do what you want for a thousand pounds."

"I will not pay you another farthing."

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Mrs. Johnson looked hard at her visitor. She had been paid heavily before now for work she had done; but she thought that Kate was desperate, and she knew she was rich. With all her recklessness and misery. however, Kate Henley was practical.

"Make your decision quickly," she said; "there is another woman to whom I can go."

"I will accept your terms," said Mrs. Johnson. "Two hundred pounds now and eight hundred on the day you sail for Australia? Will you write those terms down on a piece of paper?"

"No; you must trust me. There must be no writing between us," answered Kate.

"Very well; I think I can trust you. I could make it too hot for you if you didn't pay up."

"I believe so."

"Remember, I am cruel and without mercy to those who cheat me," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I believe all that. You would not be the woman for my present need if you were not cruel, heartless, and without mercy."

Mrs. Johnson winced.

"You say very plain and frank things, Mrs. Henley."

"This is no moment to mince matters. Now I will tell you what I want."

The woman bent forward, and Kate began to talk in a low tone. In about an hour's time she left the house, and Mrs. Johnson herself called a hansom for her. She drove back to within a few doors of the "Metropole." She then dismissed the cab and walked to the hotel. No one noticed her as she glided upstairs, unlocked her bedroom door and entered. She shut the door, locked it, and un | | 205 dressing, got into bed. During that night Kate did not sleep. The end was in view, however, and the thought of that supported her. In one week she would be safe. She had taken, under the circumstances, the best possible steps to ensure her safety, but the ordeal was not yet over. Should she succeed, or should she fail?

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