Gates of Dawn (25 page)

He shook his head.

“
Nothing wrong at all,
”
smiling reassuringly.
“
In fact, she
’
s made such strides that I
’
m a little amazed. But I
’
d like to have her up at the clinic just the same. I may then be able to decide the wisest future course for her.
”

“
I see,
”
she said.

She sounded suddenly very quiet and subdued, as if already she saw herself dismissed and sent home to England, and impulsively he took her hand and gave it a little comforting squeeze.

“
But, whatever happens, she
’
ll want you near her,
”
he assured her.
“
You
’
ve been her moral support for so long, and she owes a tremendous lot to you.
”

“
But now that she
’
s so much better she
could
be sent to school out here, couldn
’
t she? You
’
ve got that in mind, haven
’
t you?
”
trying to search his face.
“
And, after all, I can
’
t be with her always.
”

“
You mean that you have your own interests to study?
”
She made a faint, shrugging movement with her shoulders. It was rather a pathetic movement—to him a revealing movement, as if she was as uncertain about her own future as at that moment they were about Noel
’
s. Only, Noel was rapidly getting better, and definite plans would be laid for her. Her uncle would see to that. But Melanie had no one belonging to her who would lay plans for her, and unless she laid them herself she would become rather like a piece of driftwood at the mercy of the first strong current with the will to bear her along. And with no real interest in the future that current might bear her anywhere.

“
Listen, Mees Brooks—
”
when he was moved his accent became noticeably stronger—
“
is there any reason why you should return to England when the little Noel is no longer any need of you? You told me once that you have no parents—no relatives to speak of. Would you not—consider—remaining out here
...
?
”

He still held her hand, and now he covered it with his other one, so that it was held strongly between his two warm and comforting palms.

“
Mr. Trenchard has no claims upon you
...
?
”

It was not so much a statement as a question.

“
No,
”
she said sadly,
“
he has no claims.
”

His shrewd eyes searched her face, and his voice became very gentle.

“
And you will forget, him, you know—in time!
”
Melanie felt the slow color roll up over her face and neck, but her eyes did not waver beneath his look. He knew her secret—he must have guessed it almost immediately
!
But whether he was right or not about the capacity of human beings for forgetting the one other human being who attracted them for some strange reason more than all the rest of the world put together, only time would tell. She did not say that to him, but he realized that that was what she was thinking.

“
The so glamorous young lady we met last night—it is she who will become Mrs. Trenchard?
”

“
I don
’
t think there is very much doubt about that,
”
Melanie answered quietly.

He released her hands and took a turn or two about the room. When he came back to her his face was for the moment expressionless.

“
I have to go to Seltzburg,
”
he said,
“
and I shall be away perhaps even for a week, but when I return I shall be at your service
—always
I shall be at your service!
”
He looked at her keenly.
“
You and I together, Fraulein Brooks, might do quite a lot for our weaker fellow-creatures. We have many things in common, and I have observed you—your methods—you sacrifice yourself for those
you
serve
...”

He bent and seized her hands again, squeezing them so hard that he hurt her, and then he was gone, and she heard his car starting up outside.

Her second visitor that morning was Richard Trenchard, and he was accompanied by Miss Gaythorpe.

Sylvia actually condescended to smile at her when she entered, looking indescribably graceful and attractive in a flowered frock with an off-the-shoulder neckline, and carrying a drooping, shady hat. She had, she said, been very keen to see the chalet, because Richard had told her so much about it, and now that she saw it at last she was able to share his enthusiasm for his tiny Austrian home. As usual when she was with him she was hanging on to his arm, and when they entered the little pine wood adjoining, where Melanie spent so much of her time either quietly reading or looking out across the valley, she added her final word of approval.

“
Perfect! It really is quite perfect.
”
She cast her hat aside and sank down on the cool pine needles, whose aromatic perfume mingled with the perfume of flowers borne on the wind and looked up at Richard as if for the moment she had forgotten Melanie
’
s existence.
“
The ideal honeymoon spot, Richard! Why didn
’
t you tell me that one need look no farther than this absolute duck of a place? Admittedly it
’
s off the beaten track, but that wouldn
’
t matter in
t
he least.
”

She stretched herself out at full length on her luxuriously soft bed, and looked up at him with the green eyes of a dryad in a woodland setting. She was smiling for him alone, an inviting soft smile which sent her red lips curving upwards, and her eyelashes flickered a little languidly. Richard stood quietly regarding her with apparent interest but otherwise little or no expression on his face, and when Melanie made a little movement as if to turn away and leave them he did not move his eyes from the pleasing subject they were contemplating but shot out a hand to detain her.

“
Where are you going, Miss Brooks?
”

“
To find Noel.
”
She sounded a little awkward.
“
You
’
ll
like to see her, and she—she
’
s somewhere about
—”

“
I shall see her before I leave. There
’
s no need to go and look for her.
”

Sylvia sat up, stretching her arms luxuriously.
“
Command performance!
”
she exclaimed, peering upwards at Melanie a little mockingly.
“
Do you always obey him so implicitly, Miss Brooks? There
’
s no reason at all why you shouldn
’
t go and look for Noel if you want to, and I for one don
’
t wish to detain you against your will.
”

Melanie hesitated, not quite knowing what to do, but Richard, ignoring for once the fair apparition now clasping her knees at his feet, turned to her and addressed her deliberately.

“
You left early last night, Miss Brooks. Was there anything wrong?
”

“
Nothing,
”
she answered, hoping he did not notice that she colored a little at the unexpectedness of the question.
“
Nothing at all, except that I was rather tired.
”

“
And your Dr. Muller offered to drive you home, wasn
’
t that it?
”
Sylvia put in, with a kind of smirk, from amongst the pine needles.

“
He did,
”
Melanie admitted.
“
But he also drove Noel home.
”

Richard was studying her with a look in his face she was quite sure she had never seen in it before. It was a searching look, without any suggestion of humor or mockery in it, and somehow she received the impression that behind it he had a genuine desire to find out why she had left the hotel at what he considered an early hour, and whether it had any connection with something that had gone wrong, and of which he was in ignorance. His eyes for once were serious to the point of gravity. There was no teasing at all in their depths, and his earnestness astounded her.

“
You did enjoy the evening?
”

“
Oh, quite,
”
she assured him untruthfully.

Sylvia gave vent to an exclamation.

“
For g
o
odness
’
sake, Richard, don
’
t be so untactful! If the girl wanted to leave early with that fascinating doctor man, why on earth shouldn
’
t she? It must be dull enough for her here otherwise, and it
’
s no business of yours to pry into her love-life. So long as she doesn
’
t neglect Noel—and Noel, I must say, doesn
’
t look in the least neglected.
”

Richard
’
s lips seemed to tighten a little, and a cold look overspread his features.

“
Of course I
’
m well aware that Miss Brooks
’
affairs are
her own, and if she finds Dr. Muller fascinating
—”
He
broke off. The cool glint in his eyes seemed to accuse Melanie of doubtful taste nevertheless, and there was even a vague hint of contempt which had suddenly crept into his manner and which aroused a feeling of resentment deep down inside her. For Sylvia was right in her statement that whatever she did so long as her duties were faithfully carried out was not even the slightest concern of his, particularly in view of the fact that he himself was obviously contemplating marriage in the near future, if he had progressed so far in his relationship with Miss Gaythorpe that the question of where they should spend their honeymoon had arisen and was plainly being dealt with.

For not even Sylvia would dare suggest the chalet as ideal for the purpose if she had had the slightest doubt of Richard
’
s intentions.

He gave Melanie a long look—an inexplicable look—and then turned away and ignored her altogether. He showed Sylvia over the rest of his tiny property and then they departed and left her alone, and Melanie sat for a long time on the balcony outside her room staring forlornly across the valley and listening to Trudi
’
s light-hearted singing in the kitchen below her.

If
only,
she thought, she could feel as carefree and heart-whole as Trudi plainly was at that moment. If only she could look upon Richard Trenchard as nothing more nor less than an employer whom it was pleasant to serve.

But the trouble was she never could look upon him as an employer only—not now! Not after he had paid her absurd compliments and even kissed her—without the smallest ingredient of passion, it was true—and looked at her with a kind of half-veiled tenderness in his eyes, and laughed at her in an
a
ffectionate kind of way she had cherished as much as his compliments.

Her hands locked tightly together in her lap, she derided herself for her weakness in taking any notice at all of anything he had ever said, or done, or introduced into one of his long-lashed smokey-grey glances. For she had been useful to him, and he had realized at once that he could depend upon her, even as his sister had depended upon her, and she had been just the right kind of companion for Noel—the right age, the right kind of healthy outlook on life (until she met a man who obscured every future prospect for her!) and with the right amount of enthusiasm for any job she undertook. At least she had given him value for the salary he had paid her!

And in a few weeks he would need her no longer, for even Dr. Muller was surprised by Noel
’
s progress, and was no doubt considering suggesting to her guardian some well-run scholastic establishment where she could be happy in the right atmosphere, and where she would be able to settle down at last, at least for a year or so. For she was only just sixteen.

And in a few weeks Richard himself would probably be honeymooning at the chalet, and he and Sylvia were very possibly laying their final plans at this moment, and therefore it beh
o
oved Melanie to think about her own plans
...

She felt she would like to be flying away over the mountains to England without any further delay. She made up her mind that that was what she would have to do, and soon—very soon now!

In the next few days nothing happened to cause her to change her mind. Richard did not come near the chalet, and neither did Sylvia, but Noel was invited to accompany them on a couple of outings in Richard
’
s car, and once to lunch at the hotel.

When she returned from the luncheon party she looked at Melanie oddly.

“
Why weren
’
t you invited too?
”
she demanded. She was wearing a gay dirndl skirt and an embroidered muslin blouse which became her very well indeed, and her eyes were blue and challenging and vaguely anxious as well.
“
Melanie! It
’
s that beastly Sylvia, isn
’
t it?
”

“
What do you mean?
”
Melanie asked quietly, looking surprised.

“
Oh, you know what I mean!
”
Noel threw herself into a chair on the balcony and scowled up at her constant companion of so many weeks.
“
She
’
s planning to marry Uncle Richard, isn
’
t she?
And
I
’
ve got a horrid feeling right down inside me that she
’
s going to pull it off, too, this time! She
’
s softer, more coaxing—less demanding! I don
’
t think she
’
ll leave here until he announces their engagement.
”

Melanie was engaged on a piece of very fine needlework, and as this involved looking into the stitches very closely there was some excuse for her not looking up.

“
Well, Noel, my dear, there
’
s nothing you can do about it,
”
she said, as if she was not even particularly interested.
“
And you may get on with her very well once she
’
s married to your uncle.
”

“
But I wanted him to marry
you
,”
Noel almost wailed.
“
And he
’
s been so nice and kind of attentive to you lately that I was really beginning to hope—especially when I thought he was jealous of Dr. Muller!
”
She studied Melanie in silence for a moment.
“
Didn
’
t you think he was a little bit rude to Dr. Muller that first night when he called in to see us here, and Uncle stayed to dinner? And especially after you climbed the mountain with Dr. Muller!
”
She smiled faintly, reminiscently.
“
He looked daggers at you both when you rolled up that afternoon, you with your arms full of flowers, and after you
’
d obviously had a nice day
...
”

“
That was because he thought I was neglecting my duty,
”
Melanie said quite quietly.

But Noel shook her head.

“
It wasn
’
t. He was positively
furious.
And he looked angry when he arrived and found that you weren
’
t here to give him an official welcome. He wasn
’
t a bit interested in me and my progress.
”

Melanie, however, was not to be drawn.

Noel persisted.

“
You
do
like him a little bit, don
’
t you, Melanie?
”

Melanie once more appeared surprised.

“
Of course I like him—he
’
s my employer.
”

Noel endeavored not to allow her exasperation to get a hold of her.

“
But even if he wasn
’
t your employer—as a man—as Richard Trenchard, playwright, novelist—whatever he is.
”
Melanie had to re-thread her needle, and despite herself her fingers shook a little. Noel rose quickly and went over to her and sat on the arm of her chair, sliding a coaxing slim brown arm about her neck.

“
Oh, Melanie, darling, I did so want to have you for an aunt, and I know Mrs. Abbie wanted you for a mistress at the Wold House. We
’
re both going to be so deadly disappointed if he marries Sylvi
a—”