Bardelys the Magnificent; being an account of the strange wooing pursued by the Sieur Marcel de Saint-Pol, marquis of Bardelys... by Rafael Sabatini
page 47 of 301 (15%)
page 47 of 301 (15%)
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otherwise been evil; it was instinct with good-humour. But I had
small leisure to observe him then, for simultaneously with his turning there had been another movement at my bedside, which drew my eyes elsewhere. A gentleman, richly dressed, and of an imposing height, approached me. "You are awake, monsieur?" he said in a half interrogative tone. "Will you do me the favour to tell me where I am, monsieur?" quoth I. "You do not know? You are at Lavedan. I am the Vicomte de Lavedan --at your service." Although it was no more than I might have expected, yet a dull wonder filled me, to which presently I gave expression by asking stupidly-- "At Lavedan? But how came I hither?" "How you came is more than I can tell," he laughed. "But I'll swear the King's dragoons were not far behind you. We found you in the courtyard last night; in a swoon of exhaustion, wounded in the shoulder, and with a sprained foot. It was my daughter who gave the alarm and called us to your assistance. You were lying under her widow." Then, seeing the growing wonder in my eyes and misconstruing it into alarm: "Nay, have no fear, monsieur," he cried. "You were very well advised in coming to us. You have fallen among friends. We are Orleanists too, - at Lavedan, for all that I was not in the fight at Castelnaudary. That was no fault of mine. His Grace's messenger reached me overlate, and for all that I set out with a company of my men, I put back when I had reached Lautrec upon hearing |
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