Then She Fled Me (30 page)

Authors: Sara Seale

BOOK: Then She Fled Me

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“
Goodnight,
”
she said.

By the end of the week the last of the snow had gone and only Slieve Rury still wore a cap of lacy white. The south road became passable again and Wil
lie
-the
-
Post delivered a mammoth mail for the household. It was mostly for Adrian and he spent the morning reading and answering letters and asked for a tray to be brought up at lunchtime. It was Mary
’
s half
day, so Sarah took up his lunch.

“
I
’
ll collect the tray when you
’
ve finished, then it will be out of your way,
”
she said.

“
Don
’
t bother,
”
he replied with a smile.
“I’ll
bring it down myself.
”

“
It
’
s no bother.
”
Her voice was polite but he saw the old light of battle in her green eyes.
“
And it eases my conscience. Is there any other service you can think of?
”

“
Not unless you
’
d like to clean my shoes and wash out a few shirts and press a suit or two.
”

“
If you give me the shirts I
’
ll take them down to Nonie. I
’
ll clean your shoes but I don
’
t think pressing suits is much in my line. They
’
d better go to the cleaners in Knockferry.
”

His eyebrows went up.

“
I was only pulling your leg,
”
he said mildly.
“
I
’
m quite capable of cleaning my own shoes. What
’
s the matter with you these days, Sarah? You seem to have lost your sense of humor.
”

“
Perhaps I never had one,
”
she replied and walked out of the room.

“
I may have to go to England for a few days,
”
he told her when she came back to fetch the tray.
“
I think I shall fly. It saves a lot of time.
”

She moved towards the fire, feeling suddenly cold.

“
Will you come back?
”
she asked bleakly.

He frowned.

“
Of course I shall come back, unless that was a polite hint that you
’
d prefer me not to. You
’
ve been in a very odd mood this last week.
”

“
Kathy will want you back,
”
she said, and he looked at her sharply.

“
Meaning that you don
’
t?
”
She was silent and he said, his voice suddenly gentle:
“
What
is
the matter, Sarah? Have I upset you in any way?
”

She looked into the fire. Yes, he had upset her, but not in any way she could speak about, not in any way she as yet completely understood.

“
No,
”
she said.
“
Have you told Kathy?
”

‘
Told Kathy what?
”

“
About going away.
”

“
Of course not. I
’
ve only just decided, Anyway, why should it matter to her?
”

She looked at him then, and her eyes were accusing.
“
You know why,
”
she said sternly.

“
My dear child, I haven
’
t the faintest idea what you
’
re talking about, and neither, I should think, have you,
”
he said impatiently.
“
In any case you seem to be making a
great to-do about a simple visit to England. I shan
’
t default on the rent, you know. It
’
s quite usual to pay a retainer for one
’
s rooms, so you won
’
t be out of pocket by my absence.
”

The color mounted slowly under her pale skin.
“
That,
”
she said,
“
was a perfectly beastly thing to say. I wasn
’
t just thinking of the money, and you know that perfectly well.
”

“
What were you thinking of, then?
”

“
Things you wouldn
’
t understand.
”

His eyes were unexpectedly tender.

“
Do you think I don
’
t. Perhaps I understand better than you do. I learnt quite a lot about you while we were snowbound, you know. By the same token, I thought we had agreed that I was going to try and look after you. You
’
re not making it very easy, are you?
”

“
I think,
”
she said stiffly,
“
you had better forget any misplaced remarks I may have made to you on certain occasions. I told you at the time I got you confused with my father. You shouldn
’
t take advantage.
”

He lost his temper.

“
There are only two ways of dealing with young persons like you,
”
he said, jumping to his feet and suddenly towering over her.
“
If I were a woma
n
beater, you
’
d have the spanking of your life. Alternatively, perhaps this will teach you a lesson.
”

He took her by the shoulders and kissed her hard on the mouth, and in the same instant she caught him a stinging slap across the cheek.

CHAPTER TWELVE

His eyes were cool and steady but she was aware of the anger in them
.

“
Were you never taught that it
’
s very vulgar to smack people in the face?
”

She was crying now with a mixture of rage and fright.
“
You
’
re no better!
”
she shouted at him.
“
You
’
re no better at all; in fact you
’
re worse! Kissing two girls at once and one of them trusting you.
”

His anger went in a rush of tenderness for her.

“
I wasn
’
t aware I was kissing two girls at once, but I
’
m glad to know you trust me, Sarah,
”
he said with his old raillery.

“
I was speaking of Kathy,
”
she said, the tears bright on her lashes.

“
Kathy?
”
He frowned.
“
Why does Kathy keep coming into this conversation? You surely don
’
t imagine I
’
ve been making love to her?
”

“
You have so. She told me.
”

“
My dear child!
”

“
Didn
’
t you kiss her and tell her she would melt a statue?
”

“
Dear me! Did I make such a trite remark as that? As to kissing, I did that under the mistletoe in front of your own eyes.
”

She stood there, blinking back the tears, the anger slowly dying within her.

“
But she thinks—oh, Adrian, don
’
t you love her at all?
”

He shook his head and her anger blazed up again.
“
Then why did you pay her compliments? Why did you lead her to suppose
...
Don
’
t you realize she threw Joe over for you? Poor Joe, who
’
s loved her for years. They were happy until you came here turning her head, quoting poetry, letting her think you admired her. You make me sick!
”

He observed her shrewdly.

“
Now let
’
s take this point by point,
”
he said quietly.
“
I
’
ve done nothing to lead your sister to suppose I had anything but a perfectly ordinary interest in her. I paid her the
sort of compliments any pretty girl would expect fro
m
any normal man. If she were a little more experienced she would never have read anything more into it than that. As for Joe, if she doesn
’
t love him there
’
s nothing he or I or anyone else can do about it. She
’
s free to make her own choice. She
’
s going through a phase, my dear, and it isn
’
t the first time a young girl has imagined herself infatuated with an older man. Even had I known what was in Kathy
’
s mind, which I assure you I did not, I don
’
t see that I could have acted any differently, short of being rude to her, and even then it probably wouldn
’
t have made much odds. Kathy is full of make-believe ideals and romantic notions. She sees herself as the heroine of a novel and she
’
s not quite real.
”

Sarah searched wildly in the pockets of her slacks fo
r
a missing handkerchief, and he offered her his own. She s
n
atched it from him and sat down suddenly in Nonie
’
s old rocking chair. He propped himself against the table beside her and folded his arms.

“
Listen, Sarah,
”
he said gently.
“
You mustn
’
t take Kathy too seriously. Half her trouble has been that she thought nobody appreciated her artistic leanings, and
b
ecause I
’
m able to cap a few quotations and discuss a piece of music intelligently she
’
s magnified that out of all proportion. She
’
ll get over it. She
’
s not really in love with me, you know.
”

“
Just infatuated, like Joe said. But Joe thought—I mean Joe said—that a present of jewellery was significant.
”

“
Did he indeed? Well, I seem to remember you had a present, too, Sarah, though I
’
d hardly describe my gifts as very valuable.
”

“
Joe said that was a cover up.
”

“
And Joe was right. Didn
’
t you realize it was you I wanted to please? I felt it would be too obvious if I left out Kathy, besides hurting her feelings.
”

‘
Her eyes widened.

“
I didn
’
t know. The way Joe put
it
—
”
She broke off and he said briskly:

“
The way Joe put it! Do you realize that lately all this talk of Joe has given me very odd ideas?
”

“
Why odd?
”

“
Your aunt seemed to think you might be fond of him.
”

“
So I am. We
’
re all fond of Joe.
”

His eyes narrowed momentarily.

“
Let
’
s at least get this point clear. Would you marry him if he asked you?
”

“
He did ask me,
”
she said defiantly.
“
At the dance on New Year
’
s Eve.
”

“
Oh, he did, did he?
”

“
Yes, he did. Does it seem so extraordinary to you that a man should want to marry me?
”

The corners of his mouth quivered.

“
Not at all,
”
he said.
“
I
only want to get straight your own feelings in the matter. Did you turn h
i
m down or give him hope?
”

The defiance went out of her eyes.

“
Of course I didn
’
t give him hope. He was only feeling sore. He
’
ll never love anyone else but Kathy.
”

“
And you don
’
t feel that s
o
rt of affection for him?
”

“
Of course not. Adrian, how queer you
’
re being. You
didn
’
t think that Joe and I
—”

“
You, my fine lady, thought that Kathy and I
—”

She lowered her lashes.

“
That
’
s different.
“

“
Is it, indeed? It
’
s high time certain little matters
w
ere cleared up all round and I think it
’
s a very good thing I have to go away for a few days. When I come back we
’
ll start things on a different footing, and that applies to you, too.
”

Her tears had dried and she blew her nose vigorously.
“
Why me?
”

His eyes were tender.

“
Don
’
t you know?
”

She shook her head but lowered her lashes at the same time.

“
Well, you can think it over while I
’
m gone. At least I
’
m glad to know the cause of your prickly behavior this last week. I was beginning to feel discouraged.
”

“
Discouraged? You?
”

“
Yes, me.
”
He sounded amused.
“
I
’
m quite human really, you know,
I
’
m not
immune to hurt feelings.
”