Reluctant Relation (13 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

As the sound of Laura’s car died away in the distance, Meg turned and went slowly back into the house.

She was glad for Laura, of course. Truly glad. But she thought of Felicity—at loose ends without Max, disillusioned over her latest admirer. And though she loved her charming, unpredictable employer, she thought of her now with apprehension.

“I mustn’t lose my sense of proportion,” Meg told herself.
“
It’s indecent to see everything solely as it affects oneself. The important thing is that Laura is finding happiness after all.”

But Meg was glad when Pearl came running in to the house. However, Pearl’s first query was, “Who was that who stopped at the gate? I didn’t recognize the car.”

“It was Laura Trenton.”

“Is she any relation of Max?”

“Yes, his cousin. I met her at that party I went to with your mother and Max.”

“Why didn’t she come in and have tea?” Pearl wanted to know.

“She was in a hurry. She was on her way to Newcastle to meet—” Meg stopped suddenly, realizing that the mention of Max would draw a spate of questions.

But Pearl was immediately curious.

“Who is she going to meet in Newcastle?” she inquired. Since there was no sense in making a mystery of it, Meg said, reluctantly, “Max.”

“Max?” Pearl’s face lit up. “Has he come home, then? Will Mommy be coming home too?”

“No, dear, not yet.” Meg sounded matter-of-fact.

“Oh—” Pearl looked disappointed. “Why has he come home and Mommy hasn’t?”

“I suppose he had some private matter to attend to,” said Meg.

“But, if the movie
is finished ... o
r that part of it’s finished ... you’d think she would come too.” Pearl frowned.

“I expect we’ll hear something soon,” Meg assured her. “It’s
even possible that she’s come back but has stopped in London for a day or two.”

Pearl cheered up and said, “Well, if Mommy didn’t bother to come home with Max, she’s certainly not going to marry him. So that’s all right.”

Pearl seemed cheerful after that and made no reference to the future until Meg came to tuck her in bed and kiss her goodnight. Then she said, with an air of having thought things over, “If I could think of any other way of Leigh staying, he wouldn’t necessarily have to marry Mommy.”

“I think he’ll stay around anyway.” Meg smiled down at her, and hoped she was speaking with accuracy,

“But he lives here in the north,” Pearl pointed out. “And our real home is in London.”

“He often goes to London, I’m sure,” Meg said consolingly. “So go to sleep now, and leave the future to look after itself.”

But Meg, as she went downstairs, caught her breath on a slight, involuntary sigh. Though she could give good counsel, it was more than she could do to follow it herself.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the telephone rang, and she hurried to answer it, with that half hopeful, half apprehensive eagerness inevitable when one is balanced on a knife-edge between happiness and despair.

Perhaps it was Leigh, back from London. But if so, what would his news be?

It was, however, Laura’s voice which hailed her, on a note of such jubilant happiness that words were almost unnecessary. “Oh, Meg, is that you? I had to phone and tell you—”

“You’re engaged,” said Meg.

“Yes! How did you know? It’s only happened.”

“It showed when you spoke to me this afternoon on the way to meet Max at the station.” Meg told her with friendly amusement.

“Oh, but you were guessing!” Laura declared. “You might have seen how I felt. You couldn’t know how Max felt. I didn’t know myself.”

“I suspected it,” Meg assured her, “when he mentioned the station in his telegram. He told Felicity and me on the way home from that party of yours how you always used to meet him there in the old days. And he looked like a man who had suddenly remembered something which mattered immensely.”

“Oh, Meg how nice!” Laura laughed happily. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Absolutely wonderful,” Meg
agreed heartily. “Dear Laura, I’m so happy for you. Did he come all the way from Spain to ask you to marry him?”

“Not exactly. He came home disillusioned with everything, really. Only he says that, on the way, he kept thinking of the lovely time we used to have together and how—his words, not mine, Meg—I always understood him and made him feel all right again when things went wrong.”

“A very nice compliment,” said Meg heartily.

“Did Felicity come back to England with him?”

“No. I think they had words, Meg. She’s really unreasonable, you know, and I’m sure she never realized how sensitive Max is in many ways.”

Meg interjected quickly, “Very likely. But do you know when Felicity is coming back?”

“I don’t. You see, she really hurt Max over something she said, and when someone’s hurt—”

“But I t
a
ke it the Spanish part of the movie was finished?” put in Meg, whose interest in Max was fading rapidly.

“Oh yes, certainly. Max wouldn’t have left in the middle of his work, however badly he felt about things. He’s immensely conscientious, you know. That’s why, when Felicity—”

“I’m sure he is,” said Meg kindly but firmly. “I expect Felicity will be coming back any day now. But I won’t keep you, Laura dear. You must be longing to get back to Max. Please give him my warmest congratulations, and tell him that he’s a very lucky man.”

Laura accepted these good wishes and finally hung up.

Meg went into the drawing room and turned on the radio. But she found she was paying no attention so she turned
it off again. As she did so, she heard a car pull up outside.

With a slight exclamation, she ran to the window. And there was Leigh, coming to the front door.

“Leigh!” She was not sure if she said his name aloud or just whispered it rapturously to herself while she ran out into the hall and opened the door.

“Hello!” He stood there, smiling down at her. “It’s a bit late to visit, I know, but I got back from London a few hours ago and thought I’d come out while I could. I may be busy tomorrow, and possibly the next day too. How are you both getting on?”

“We’re fine.” She smiled back at him, unable to hide her pleasure, as she stood aside for him to enter the house. “But Pearl’s in bed ... and fast asleep, I think.”

“Then we won’t disturb her.” He came into the living room and, at Meg’s invitation, helped himself to a drink.

“You won’t have anything?”

“No, thank you.” Meg had picked up her needlework, which was conveniently handy. “Did all your affairs go satisfactorily in London?”

“Oh yes, thank you.” He sounded slightly amused by the question.

“Did you
meet ...
anyone?”

“Anyone? Many business associates and a few friends. I didn’t have time to see Claire and your father, if that’s what you mean.”

“No, I didn’t mean them. I wondered if you’d met Felicity.”

“Felicity?” There was real surprise in his voice. “No. Is she home?”

“I’m not quite sure. But Max Trenton came home today, and I understand work on the film is finished.”

“Indeed?” This was evidently news to him. “Did Dick tell you this?”

“Oh no. I haven’t been
in touch with Dick. Laura Trenton told me. In fact—” Meg put down her work and made herself look at him calmly “—she phoned not half an hour ago, to tell me that she and Max are engaged.”

“Laura Trenton and Max?” He sounded surprised, but she could not detect any other emotion in his voice. “But I thought—” he stopped, then altered what he had been going to say. “Was it a surprise to you?”

“Not entirely. I had guessed she was keen on him, and I suspected he was fonder of her than he knew.”

“Very perspicacious of you! I thought he was supposed to be mad about Felicity.”

“I never took that very seriously, did you?” Meg’s tone was admirably cool.

“To be frank, I did,” he replied dryly, and she saw he was not especially pleased to realize that he had given himself anxiety over Max Trenton. “But now—” again he stopped, and seemed to be considering something which had just occurred to him. “You say you don’t know if Felicity has returned to England yet?”

“No. That’s why I was anx ... interested to know if you had run across her in London.”

“I wouldn’t have, anyway. The friends I was with are in a different circle. But I’m returning in a couple of days and—”

“Oh, are you?” She was disappointed and couldn’t completely hide the fact.

“Yes. That’s why I made a point of coming out to Purworth tonight.”

“It was very kind of you,” said Meg, trying not to sound chilled.

“Was there something you wanted me to handle, Meg?”

“No, thank you. Everything’s all right. It was just—” what could she say? “—it was just that I thought Pearl might be disappointed not to have seen you, if you’re going away again so soon.”

“I’ll be back before she goes to school,” he promised easily. “I do spend a good deal of time in London, you know. Almost half my professional interests are there.”

“I see.”

“And when I go there later this week I’ll make a point of looking up Dick Manners and finding out about Felicity.”

“Yes ... do.” She wished she could stop sounding so stiff and reserved all at once. “And you’ll let me know?”

“Of course. But you’ll have heard from Dick yourself by then, won’t you?”

“I ...
might not. I’d appreciate it if you would phone some evening and let me know.”

“Why, certainly.” But he looked faintly surprised, and she wondered uneasily if she had sounded too pressing.

Very soon after that he got up and said he must go, which made her even more miserably anxious lest she should have sounded too eager to trespass on his time. But he smiled down at her in his old teasing manner as he said goodnight, and added,

“Shall I give Dick any message from you?”

“Dick? No, thank you. I don’t think so.” She pulled her hand away rather quickly.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He laughed, but contritely. “Shouldn’t I tease you about it?”

“About Dick? There’s nothing to tease me about where Dick is concerned.” She was so emphatic about that that her tone sounded formal and almost offended.

“This time I really apologize!” He looked serious now. “It was stupid of me ... and rather tasteless. I’m sorry, Meg. Forget it. I sometimes think I have the wrong sense of humor where you are concerned.”

He gave her a friendly pat on the cheek and went out.

But as she stared after him, the most horrible suspicion suddenly crystallized.

“Leigh!’
^!
She jumped up and ran after him, catching up with him at the gate just as he was getting into his car. “Leigh!”

He turned immediately and said, “What is it?”

“I must ask you—” she was breathless, but the words tumbled out “—the other evening ... did you think I was upset because you’d seen me kissing Dick?”

“Well ...
yes. What else?”

“What else? You didn’t hear me saying anything
that ...
that I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to hear?”

“I don’t think so.” He shook his head, faintly puzzled. “I don’t really remember hearing you say anything at all.”

“Oh ... Leigh!” She was divided between relief and the utmost disappointment.

“Should I have heard something?”

“No, no ... of course not! I thought you did, that’s all. And, all the time ... it was just that you thought I minded your seeing Dick kiss me.”

“You kiss Dick,” he corrected.

“Well, one way or the other. It doesn’t matter which. If you didn’t hear, it’s ... it’s all right.”

“You know—” he took hold of her lightly by her upper arms “—you said that exactly as though you really meant ‘If you didn’t hear, it’s all wrong.’ ”

“Nonsense!”

“Come on, Meg,” he said, half coaxingly, half teasingly, “what did you say that I ought
not ... or ought ...
to have heard?”

“There was nothing.”

“I’m shamelessly curious by now,” he declared, his eyes glinting with amusement. “I’ll start guessing.”

“No, you won’t! And please let me go.”

“Very well. But there’s something first that I do want to ask you about that evening. When you and Dick—”

“No! I’m not going to answer any questions at all.” Suddenly she was frightened and agitated.

“Meg—”

“Not anything at all!” she reiterated passionately. And, wrenching herself away from his hold, she ran up the path and into the house.

She didn’t actually slam the door behind her, but she shut it firmly. Almost immediately she heard the sound of his car driving away.

Then she experienced the most dreadful reaction.

She told herself over and over again how relieved she was to know that he had not, after all, overheard her foolish admission that she loved him. To this extent at least her pride and her self-respect were safe.

He just thought she had been embarrassed, possibly even apprehensive, because he had seen her flirting with Dick.

It’s all
reduced to something so
...
so petty,
Meg
thought sadly.
I didn’t behave cleverly or even gracefully just now. Simply panicked and ran away. He must think me so childish and tiresome. If he thinks of me at all.