The Red Cliffs (16 page)

She moved to release herself and he let her go at once.

“
All right now?
”
he asked.

“
Yes, thank you.
”

“
You still look very pale and shaken.
”

“
Perhaps it
’
s hunger,
”
she said.
“
I haven
’
t eaten for a long time.
”

“
Then eat now,
”
he said, offering her the plate of sandwiches.
“
Is this your dinner?
”
he asked.

“
Yes, but I ordinarily eat very well. Only I
’
d been working all the afternoon and couldn
’
t be bothered.
”
She put out a hand to take a sandwich, and they both saw how much it shook. Neil said:
“
That lout really frightened you.
”

“
Yes,
”
she said. There was a long pause.
“
Why don
’
t you say I told you so?
”
asked Alison.

“
There doesn
’
t seem any point.
”

“
I suppose it
’
s no use saying to you that he had
never been like that before. Today he had been
drinking.”

“
I know. I saw him in the Golden Hind. I told myself it was nothing to do with me. I told myself that you might not be the lady he was bragging about.
”
He saw Alison flinch at that.
“
I reminded myself that I had been told to keep out of your affairs. But I came all the same.
”

She raised beautiful blue eyes fringed with dark lashes and gave him a serious look.

“
I
’
m very glad you did,
”
she said.
“
I must thank you for your help.
”

“
Then while you
’
re still feeling a little kindly towards me, I
’
m going to dare to give you another warning. Don
’
t underrate Falcon. Alison. He
’
s a nasty customer. You speak as if it were exceptional for him to be drinking. The exception is when he doesn
’
t. Perhaps yo
u’ve
seen him at his best. Perhaps he thought it worth while to impress you. I can see that to get hold of Combe Russet Cottage would fulfil several of his ambitions. But, he
’
s no good. He has a bad reputation with women. Did you tell him he might use your house when you were in London?
”

“
No,
”
admitted Alison.
“
He was very persistent, about keeping an eye on it for me.
”

“
And. you didn
’
t know that he had a woman here
either
?
”

“
No,
”
cried Alison.

“
I thought not. I interfered, promising to make trouble for him if he didn
’
t send her packing. Have another sandwich.
”

She took one, looking out through the wide door at the green field leading the eye to the headland and the red cliffs and the sea. The evening sun sent long shadows across the grass and everything was tinged, with its golden light; even the air seemed charged with it.

“
It was such a wonderful day,
”
she said.

“
It still is.
”

She shook her head.

“
Because he came and spoiled it for you?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Is this what you were doing
all
day?
” h
e asked, touching the figure on the bench.

“
All afternoon. I had to go to the office this morning.
”

“
It
’
s very beautiful,
”
he said.

“
Yes, I think it
’
s good,
”
she answered simply.

“
W
hat is it for?
”

“
It isn
’
t a commission exactly. I send them to London to be sold.
”
She mentioned the world
-
famous store that sold them for her.

“
Will you sell this one to me?
”

Her first instinct was to say no. Then she thought that perhaps she owed him something.
“
Yes,
”
she said at last.

“
Thank you.
”

“
I wo
n
der if my coffee is quite cold,
”
she said, and found that it was.
“
I can re-heat it.
”

He looked at his watch.

“
I
’
m going out to dinner,
”
he said.
“
And I
’
m
going to be late. If I weren
’
t committed, I could take you up to the house for a good meal: or, as you can
’
t bear to set foot in it, we could make it the Golden Hind. As it is, I have to leave you.
”
But he didn
’
t like the idea.
“
I shouldn
’
t think Falcon would show up again,
”
he said thoughtfully.

“
I can shut myself up in the house,
”
she said.

“
But you can
’
t live shut up in the house. Why don
’
t you have somebody living with you?
”

“
Actually, I probably am having somebody. She is coming down next week to see me about it.
”

“
You
’
re too cut off—you should have the telephone.
”

“
That
’
s another thing that
’
s coming. I keep getting on to them about it, but it seems to take a long time.
”

“
I
’
ll see to it,
”
said Neil decisively, then hesitated:
“
If you will allow me to,
”
he added.

“
Thank you,
”
she said.
“
It would be so useful.
”

“
I had it put in for Evelyn. It was cut off because they didn
’
t pay the bill—with catastrophic results,
”
said Neil.

There was a pause that had suddenly and curiously become unfriendly; became fraught with bitter memories, Alison
’
s of Torn, Neil
’
s of Evelyn. Neil looked from the golden evening to the girl at his side and shook off the memories.

“
But
all
that was nothing to do with you,
”
he said.
“
What is past is past, and there
’
s nothing we can do about it. Are you sure you
’
re all right now?
”

“
Yes, quite sure.
”

“
Then I must be off. I
’
m already very late. Goodbye,
”

“
Goodbye, Mr
.
Edgerton,
”
she said,
“
and thank you.
”

He smiled at her and went out to
h
is car, and
Alison sank back on to her stool, thankful to be alone, her mind a turmoil of thoughts that had to be sorted out. But she was too shaken to think straight, and for the moment the workshop was not a pleasant place to her, so she took her cold coffee and curling sandwiches back to the house
and
threw them away. She suddenly revolted against such a spinsterish meal and decided to cook herself a better one. She was slowly stocking Evelyn
’
s deep-freeze, partly against the emergency of unexpected, visitors, so that she had plenty of ingredients from which to choose.

She carried her meal into the sunroom which was still warm and from which she could see the beautiful sunset fading from gold and flame to crimson and amethyst; and, much calmer now, she did a little honest soul-searching and admitted that she had been wrong. Wrong on several counts. Wrong in her estimation of Roger, and therefore wrong to neglect Neil
’
s warning, her own qualms, and the evidences of occupation she had found on her arrival from London. Roger might well have been Tom
’
s friend, but now she saw that he was a bad friend, a bad influence.

Her thoughts turned to Neil. She did not know what would have happened if he had not arrived. She still did not know just how much of a bounder Roger was—if this evening was a lapse due to his weakness of drinking too much, for which he would be sincerely and heartily sorry tomorrow, or if it was something much worse. Certainly he had frightened her. She had felt that this was the real Roger coming out: that he did indeed scoff at her work as
‘
little wooden toys
’
, that he had been working for her only for his reward, and that there had been no genuine friendliness at all.

But Neil had come. He had told himself to stay out of her affairs, but his sense of duty had been too great. And he had been extraordinarily decent about the incident. No
‘
I told you so
’
. No recriminations, but a concern for her well-being. Had it been a real concern for Evelyn
’
s well-being, and perhaps Tom
’
s too, that had led him to interfere in their affairs? Somewhat belatedly, Alison reminded herself that there were two sides to every question. She had heard Tom
’
s side, complemented by Roger
’
s, but what was Neil
’
s?

Chastened and more than a little subdued, she went into the kitchen to wash her dishes and then into the living room to read. It was eleven o
’
clock when she was startled by the sound of a car
’
s horn, for she had not heard the car itself. A few seconds afterwards, there was a knock at her door. She went to it but did not open it.

“
Who is it?
”
she called.

“
Edgerton.
”

She opened at once, and looked at him questioningly, wondering what had brought him back. He stood in the light from the hall, his fair hair shining, immaculate in his dinner jacket, not nearly
s
o unapproachable as he had always seemed to her.

“
I saw your light was still on,
”
he said,
“
and wanted to assure myself that everything was all right.
”

“
Oh. Perfectly, thank you.
”

“
No more trouble?
”

“
No.
”

“
I didn
’
t think he would show up again, though I do think that he will bear a grudge.
”

“
Will you come in?
”
asked Alison.

“
No, thank you, too late. Well, it isn
’
t very late: I
’
ve been a bad guest tonight on your account, arriving late and leaving early. But still, I won
’
t come in.
”
There was a pause before he added:
“
I would like to think that if I could be of help to you at any time, you would call on me.
”