Mistress of the House (11 page)

“Well, it was all right, wasn’t it?” she asked.

“It was lovely,” said Laurie, “and I thank you very much.”

“Most successful,” said Aunt Hilda.

Tired but elated with the success of their party, they drifted off towards their bedrooms. Max went up the dark staircase with Laurie, his hand under her elbow. At the door of her room she turned into his arms.

CHAPTER NINE

“Come on,”
called Neville, “you fellows are slow.”

Roger took no notice. Laurie grinned back nonchalantly. The haycart made its slow, even progress across the field towards the stack. The sun beat down mercilessly upon the group of people in the corner of the field, and upon the dry earth, and the hot air seemed to shimmer before their eyes. Jessica and George, who was Max’s carter, were on top of the stack, spreading the hay. They were both tanned, and both scorned protection from the sun, working bare-headed and bare-armed. Max and Neville were pitching up the hay. They, too, were brown, and were bare to the waist. Laurie, watching them as the cart jolted its way towards them, wondered which looked the more striking. Max was handsomer, but Neville with his golden head, and his sinewy length, was certainly attractive. She and Roger worked with one cart; Reg with the other. The horses plodded steadily to and from the stack, which grew amazingly fast.

Then Neville stopped pitching to wipe the back of his neck, and to mop his face, and his eyes strayed to where the cart with Laurie should be. It wasn’t there, but two other figures were; those of Mrs. Lorney and Aunt Hilda, bringing the tea.

“Tea,” he called. “Tea, everybody.”

A cheer went up from the family. Reg and George grinned companionably. Neville went towards the women to help carry the tea, and saw that the cart holding Roger and Laurie and a load of hay was returning again. He at once fastened his eyes on Laurie, and a sympathetic smile curved his mouth. She looked so young, and was enjoying this episode so much. And of course, her outfit looked ridiculous, although there was nothing really wrong with it. She wore dungarees, very new and neat dungarees, and sensible shoes; but the candy-striped red and white shirt was a woman’s idea of what the hayfield called for, as was also the rustic straw hat with the big brim. All the same, thought Neville, she looked lovely. He looked across at Max, and saw that the fact was not lost upon him. Neville grimaced a little, and deliberately turned his thoughts away from Laurie and Max. He looked about him and saw Jessica. She was standing up on top of the stack still and looking straight at him, Immediately he went and stood below her.

“Come on, Jess,” he called. “Tea. Come and sit with me. Jump and I’ll catch you.”

“It’s too high,” she said. “And I’m too heavy.”

“Nonsense. Come on.”

“I’ll jump into the cart.” She did so, and now could easily jump on to the ground. But as she landed, Neville caught her, and with his arm about her shoulders, led her up to the group, and stood looking down on them, seated in a straggling cluster. “Here’s the girl who’s been doing all the work,” he said. “And she wants some tea.”

“What about me?” protested Laurie.

“You. You’ve only been playing at it; and looking like a haymaker in cabaret,” said Neville impudently.

Laurie laughed. She was threading poppy stems through the straw hat, to make a wreath of the flowers round it, and was unperturbed by Neville. Max sat himself next to her, and they started on their tea.

Neville had seated himself with his back to the trunk of an elm growing in the hedge line. Jessica looked for a place to rest her back, but there was nothing else. Neville put out his arm and drew her against his shoulder.

“You can’t have my tree,” he said, “but you can have my shoulder. Comfortable?”

“Fine,” she said. She felt elated. Not only had he deliberately poked fun at Laurie, but had picked out herself from among them all. He had noticed how hard she had been working; he had been watching her, noticing things.

Neville, who liked things to be comfortable, and preferred Jessica in a good mood to a sullen one, would have been surprised at the influence he exerted on her. He felt that she liked his joking attentions, so he continued to give them to her, devoting himself to her for the rest of that busy evening; and when the haymaking was finished, and Reg, George and Max were fixing the tarpaulins over the stack for the night, and the rest of the family were returning to the farmhouse, he kept Jessica beside him. They walked slowly, wearily across the darkening fields.

“Am I staying for supper, Mrs. Lorney?” he asked, when they came, still linked together, into the kitchen.

“That you are. There’s a place set for you. Get washed up. Are the others coming?”

“Yes. It’s all finished. Just putting on tarpaulins.”

“Then I’ll dish up. I expect you’re all starved.”

“Jess and I are, anyway, aren’t we, Jess?”

“Starved,” she agreed. They went together into the scullery and from the noise and laughter, it sounded as if they were sharing the same bowl.

Laurie came in next She carried her big straw hat, and her hair was untidy. She dropped into an armchair. “Ooh,” she groaned. “Oo-ooh.”

Mrs. Lorney smiled at her.

“It’s new work for you.”

“And I didn’t really do anything much.”

“Get washed. Supper’s ready. We’re only waiting for Roger and Max.”

Laurie went into the scullery. She was in time to see Neville drop a kiss on Jess’s cheek, which was damp and shining from its wash.

“Come right in,” said Neville. “Join the pilgrims after cleanliness.”

Laurie looked at him curiously, as she filled her bowl with cold water and reached for the soap. He was certainly not at all embarrassed at being caught kissing Jessica. She was surprised. She never thought of Jessica as being kissable; and certainly would never have suspected Neville of being attracted by her. Well, anything that would keep Jessica happy was a good thing.

Max and Roger were in soon after and the family settled down to its late supper. Everybody was weary, and nobody hurried. Conversation, as well as eating, was leisurely.

But at last Neville pushed back his chair and rose.

“I must make tracks,” he said, “I’m keeping you good people up.”

“Thanks for coming over,” said Max. “Great help.” Neville sketched a salute. He was completely at his ease, standing there leaning on the back of his chair, looking round at them all. He gave Jessica a friendly wink, and thanked Mrs. Lorney for providing him with supper. Max suddenly rose too.

“I’ll walk down the fields with you,” he said.

“Don’t bother. You’ve had a day of it.”

“It’s a lovely night. I’d enjoy it Coming Laurie?” Two pairs of eyes travelled swiftly to Max. Jessica, who had thought of accompanying them as soon as Max had spoken, sank back in acute disappointment. Laurie, who was wearier than she ever remembered being, and whose tired bones craved for her bed, was about to refuse, until something in Max’s eyes caused her to change her mind. She stood up and went to his side.

The three of them came into the farm lane and walked along it side by side to the gate into the cornfield. They came to the little wood, and Neville left them, rapidly disappearing among the shadows. Max and Laurie turned to go back.

Max, however, did not follow the usual course—a course round the oats field which was rapidly becoming a footpath—but led away to the left, to a different gate, leading to one of the fields from which the hay had just been taken. Laurie followed him unquestioningly. Through the gate, and over the field they went, but in the deep shadow under an enormous elm, round which the haycutter had made its detour only a few days ago, Max stopped Laurie with a hand on her arm.

“Let’s stay here a little, darling. We’ve been too busy to have a word to ourselves.”

She immediately turned towards him, into his arms. When Max had kissed her with a hungry thoroughness, he sat down on the grass at the foot of the tree. “Come along,” he said softly.

She sat down beside him, leaning against his shoulder, with his arm about her.

‘There’s always too much family about in the house,” he said. “And the family is very proper; it wouldn’t approve of my being in your room, or you in mine. I scarcely ever feel that I have you really alone.”

“You have now,” she said lazily.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?”

‘Terribly.”

“I love you, Laurie. And I want you. I wish we were married now.”

“Do you, Max? If you wanted to, we could be married right away.”

“Don’t you want to?”

“Yes and no. I’m loving every minute of this summer and being engaged; and thinking in a leisurely way of getting married. For the moment, it’s enough for me.”

“It isn’t enough for me, darling. I want you absolutely.”

She put her arms round his neck and he leaned over to kiss her. They lay without talking under the stars, and the wind whispered and rustled in the big elm tree.

After a while, chill crept into the summer night Max helped her to her feet, and they began to walk to the gate and the lane. Laurie was tired and rested her head on his shoulder. “Good thing for you, my girl, that haymaking’s finished,” said Max. “Better take it easy tomorrow.”

* * *

Next day, Neville rang up shortly before mid-day, and asked to speak to Laurie. Roger had answered, and he found Laurie lying in a deck chair in the garden. “’Phone,” he said, briefly, passing her to go to the stables. She went indoors, wondering who wanted her.

“Hello, beautiful,” said Neville’s voice. “How do you feel today?”

“Oh, it’s Neville. I’m quite recovered today, thank you. Rather more sunburned than is comfortable.”

“But no stiffness?”

“Nothing to mention.”

“Good. Because I’m dying of boredom, here by myself, and I want you to come over and play tennis this afternoon.”

“Oh,” doubtfully. “I’m not sure—”

“And bring Jess over, too; and I’ll rope in Tommy and we’ll have doubles. Too hot for singles; and too strenuous after haymaking. What about it?”

A foursome, thought Laurie, was quite in order.

“I’d like to,” she said “Perhaps you’d like to speak to Jessica?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’d rather talk to you.”

“I’m afraid these pretty speeches come too glibly to you.”

“Take no notice of them if they offend you. You can put Jess on if you like.”

“Well, I think she’d rather you asked her yourself. Hold on and I’ll get her.”

Jessica was in the kitchen, helping to prepare dinner. She glowered at Laurie, but brightened a little at being told Neville wanted her, and returned to the kitchen almost smiling. Laurie thought: ‘She’ll give me a darned good beating, I expect, and that will please her. Oh, well, anything for a quiet life.’

The fact that Jessica did give her a good beating, even with the carefree Tommy to partner her and the redoubtable Neville against her, did not, however, please Jessica much. Too many other things annoyed her. Laurie, small and slim, attired herself for tennis in a pair of well-cut shorts and a halter, while Jessica felt staid and old-fashioned in her linen dress. The fact that Tommy whistled appreciation of Laurie’s lovely legs, roused disproportionate disgust and anger in Jessica; and the manner in which both men obviously admired Laurie’s nonchalant way of losing, infuriated her. And when Laurie, with all sincerity, congratulated Jessica on her powerful drive and accurate service, Jessica chose to think her tone was patronising.

Tea restored her a little. Neville asked her to pour out, and sat next to her, teasing her back into a good humor. Although he already had a shrewd idea of the jealousy that tormented Jessica, and pitied her genuinely for it, he chose to pretend that it was he who had, in some way, caused her displeasure. “Now come,” he said persuasively, “tell me what I’ve done to make you cross. You are a little bit cross this afternoon, aren’t you?”

Jess glanced at the others. Tommy was doing his best to start a little flirtation with Laurie, and neither of them was paying any attention to Neville and herself. She looked back at Neville.

“Oh well, a little,” she confessed.

“Now what have I done?” he asked abjectly.

“Nothing, of course,” she said, smiling in spite of herself. “You know you haven’t done anything.”

“Well, that’s good. Perhaps I imagined you were disapproving of me. Then what’s making you cross?”

“Nothing. Well, nothing now. Let’s talk of something else.”

“We will. You must play a singles with me, Jess. I’m terrified of your drive, and want to see if I can beat it.”

She was pleased, and began to lose her ill-humor. She did not mind if Tommy concentrated on Laurie. Tommy was a fool and a bore, thought Jessica, who could not appreciate his sense of fun and his light-heartedness. She was glad that Laurie was too tired later on to want to play tennis again, and that Tommy decided to stay and talk to her; so that Neville and she could have their singles match undisturbed. She was glad when Neville asked them all to stay to dinner; and hoped, when Laurie said she needed something extra to wear, that Laurie might go back to the farm. But Neville instantly settled that by taking Laurie into Diana’s room to choose something to supplement her brief shorts and halter.

When it was almost dark, and they had long since dined and had danced in the hall to music from the radio, and had smoked on the verandah to their own lazy conversation, Neville suggested taking them home through the wood.

“Don’t disturb yourselves,” said Laurie. “We can manage alone.”

“We’d like to come,” said Tommy, who had fallen a little in love with Laurie. So the four of them set off, down the field towards the little wood, Tommy and Laurie leading, Neville and Jessica behind. Neville sauntered slowly, so that the distance between the two couples gradually lengthened. Going through the little wood, he refused to drop behind on the footpath, and there was scarcely room for two abreast, so that he took Jessica’s arm and drew her closer to him. She breathed lightly, feeling strangely excited. Yet Neville had always been like this. He had always paid her these flippant attentions; had often kissed her at dances or bringing her home from tennis parties. Why was she feeling excited about him now? Why, at one stage in their long knowledge of each other, she had had to repress Neville severely. She had accepted his attentions, but always kept him at arm’s length if he tried to be serious. Nowadays, he was never serious, and she had felt relief about it until recently.

At the farm lane, the men decided to go back. Neville kissed Jessica lightly in goodbye, but when he would have done the same to Laurie, she turned her shoulder on him in definite refusal. He straightened himself and patted her shoulder instead.

“Good night, beautiful,” he said, “and thanks for coming.”

Laurie and Jessica went into the farmhouse. The kitchen was dark, save for a faint light from the dying fire. The family was gathered in the sitting room in the warm glow of the lamplight, drinking their individual “nightcap” drinks. Jessica sat down beside Roger. Laurie, refusing coffee, said she would just say goodnight to them and go to bed. Max rose and went out into the passage with her.

“Had a good day?” he asked, putting his arm round her as they went up the stairs.

“Well—it was all right,” she said. “I was really rather bored. I wanted to get back to you all the time.”

He laughed softly.

“True,” she said. “I talked most of the time to Tommy, and thought how I was wasting my time. And when we came through the wood and round the oats field, I wished I was under our elm tree with you.”

They came to the door of her room. Max opened it, and they went inside, his arm still about her. He closed the door, and they stood in the darkness, with the window showing as a pale square in one wall.

“Matches on the tallboy,” whispered Laurie.

He let her go and she slipped off her coat, waiting for him to light the candles; but he made no move for the matches. He walked to the window, and she went to his side.

“This is the first time you’ve been in my room with me,” she said.

“It’s all right. I’m going in a minute. But I had to come up and say goodnight to you.”

“Oh, don’t go yet.”

“Then come and sit down.”

“Not there, darling. It’s not comfortable for two. Come here.”

He sat beside her. Laurie relaxed with a long sigh. “This is lovely,” she said.

Several minutes passed. Max said: “I have to go, sweetheart.”

“Yes.”

He stood up and stretched himself. His voice came to her softly in the darkness. “What seems strange to me, is the sudden change that has come into my life. Early in the spring, everything was as usual; I got through the daily work, I went to market, I milked, I ploughed, and I thought I was contented. Now everything is different. The whole house is different, the whole farm is different. Because you’re here. You’ve brought color and richness and excitement to me, Laurie.”

“Darling,” she said.

“Isn’t it strange what things we can say in the darkness? Things we’re too tongue-tied to say in the light of day. I’m trying to tell you, Laurie, what you mean to me, and I can’t find the words. But it’s a hell of a lot.”

She laughed softly at the anti-climax of his last words. ‘I must go,” he said. “Have the others come up yet?”

“I’ve no idea. I don’t remember hearing them.”

“Good night, love. Where are you?” He felt for her, kissed her lips. “Sleep well.”

“Goodnight, Max.”

He went to the door, opened it quietly, but without stealth, and stepped outside, closing it again behind him. In the passage, Jessica stood with her candle alight, and her eyes wide and startled.

“Hallo, Jess,” said Max pleasantly. “Just off to bed? Sleep tight.”

“What were you doing in there?” she asked in a fierce whisper.

He looked at her in surprise.

“Saying good night to Laurie,” he said. “And why not? Run along, Jess. Off to bed with you. Goodnight.”

Jessica, in her room, walked up and down, up and down. She was in the grip of her furious jealousy. She had honestly tried to keep calm, and had told herself that sooner or later Max might marry somebody; but her calmness had soon deserted her. She insisted to herself, wrongly, that she would not mind anybody but Laurie, anybody who would leave her, Jessica, her own place in the house. But this one, Laurie, was determined to be mistress here; she would leave no room for anybody but herself and Max. She wanted all of Max—and she was not the right kind for Max. Jessica did not realize that nobody would have been the right kind for Max, in her eyes. She knew that Laurie was not. Laurie was frivolous. She flirted with everybody. She liked to dance, to be gay. She was always bright and merry, ready to laugh. She did not know how to keep house, how to work, how to look after a man. She was not the person for a farm, not suitable for a farmer’s wife. Anybody but Laurie ... anybody but Laurie.