He went up the stairs, and was told that Mademoiselle Olga was not at home.
He was about to inquire after Anne, when the elder Princess, looking pale and anxious, appeared at the door of the drawing-room.
She beckoned him in and shut the door.
"Have you seen Olga?" she inquired.
"No, Princess.
Is she not with you?"
"She is not," wailed the woman, throwing herself on the couch. "Late last night she went out with Anne.
A summons came—some letter—and Anne had to go.
Olga insisted on accompanying her.
They said they would be back at midnight; but they have not reappeared.
I am distracted, Mr. Ware.
What shall I do?
Where are they?"
"Who was the letter from?"
"I don't know.
It was for Anne, and——"
"You call Miss Denham Anne," said Giles abruptly; "and you brought her here.
What do you know of her?"
"Everything," said the Princess, sitting up. "In spite of Olga I must tell you the truth.
Anne Denham is my daughter!" _____
CHAPTER XXI
A STORY OF THE PAST
This communication was so extraordinary and unexpected that Giles thought the Princess must be out of her mind.
But although overcome with emotion, she was sane enough, and seeing his astonishment repeated her statement that Anne Denham was her daughter.
The young man sat down to collect his thoughts.
"Do you mean to say that she is Mademoiselle Olga's sister?"
"Her half-sister," corrected the Princess, sobbing. "I never thought I should find her again, and like this.
It's too dreadful!" And in strange contrast to her usual indolent demeanor, she wrung her hands.
Giles was still bewildered.
"And you—were you the wife of Walter Franklin?" he stammered helplessly.
"There is no Walter Franklin," replied the woman, drying her eyes and sitting up. "George Franklin is Anne's father.
He was my husband."
"But you are the wife of Prince Karacsay."
"Certainly.
I eloped with him from Kingstown in Jamaica, and George divorced me.
I afterwards married the Prince."
"Then the man at the Priory is your first husband?"
"No!" cried she vigorously. "He is not George Franklin."
"He calls himself so," muttered Ware, quite puzzled.
"Only to keep hold of the money left by Mr. Powell," explained the Princess. "He is really Alfred Denham, who caused all the misery of my married life with George."
"Anne's father."
"No.
I tell you he is not Anne's father.
George was the father of Anne.
He is dead.
He died shortly after divorcing me."
Giles felt his heart swell with gratitude to learn that Anne was not connected with——Here he paused, more bewildered than ever.
"I don't quite understand, Princess," he said, trying to arrive in his own mind at some solution of this complicated mystery. "Had not your husband a brother called Walter?"
"No.
George was an only son."