The Man at Mulera (17 page)

She glanced at him obliquely.
“
Did my brother own
a
house?
”

“
No. He lived on this property.
”

“
But
...
but he wasn
’
t badly off? Neither he nor Dorothy were wasteful.
”

“
Actually, he left money and goods worth about three thousand. We cashed nearly everything and had it invested in Keith
’
s name.
”

“
And you draw on it for the child
’
s expenses?
”

Ross tapped away ash and said carelessly,
“
As a matter of fact, we don
’
t. He lives here and his needs are few. We
’
re hoping to present
him
with the three thousand plus accrued interest when he
’
s eighteen or twenty-one.
”

“
You mean you
’
ll bring
him
up at your own expense—you and Lou Prentice?
”

Before Lou could speak, Ross said suavely,
“
Financially, Louise isn
’
t committed. Dick worked for me and it
’
s right that I should do all I can for his son.
”

Elinor Weston inspected the tip of her cigarette, and the darkish eyelids made her look older and rather hopeless when they were lowered. She looked up, briefly at Lou and then for some seconds at Ross.

Badly she said,
“
I came here to beg you to let me have Keith. I haven
’
t anyone else—he
’
s my next of kin and I do have a sort of right to him. I couldn
’
t afford to give
him
as much as you can, but I bear the same name and I
’
m related. I
’
ve been hoping you
’
d give him up without argument. I want him very much.
”

Ross shot a silencing look at Lou, took a pull at his cigarette and asked evenly,
“
How long is it since you last saw your brother, Miss Weston?
”

She shrugged.
“
Eight years, but we corresponded.
”

“
Did you? All we found was a postcard sent to Dick six months ago.
”

“
That was how we kept in touch. He wrote me quite long letters. I still have several of them.
”
She squashed out her cigarette and sat back with her head against the chair.
“
I suppose you
’
ve heard that I was a little wild when I was young?
”

“
Yes, but so was I,
”
said Ross.

“
I don
’
t somehow think you
’
d have done what I did. It wasn
’
t nice
...
but I
’
ve paid for it. Now, I
’
m beginning to feel I need an anchor, I used to tell myself that I
’
d come here to Dick and make my home somewhere near him. I might have run farm accounts, perhaps I could have
belatedly
started some kind of social life. The way things are now, that
’
s out of the question. But there
’
s still Keith. I do need someone I can lose myself in.
”
Just faintly her voice trembled.
“
Surely you realize I have first claim on him?
”

Before Ross could stop her, Lou said impulsively,
“
You do have a claim, of course. I
’
m certain that if Dick and Dorothy had known you were willing they
’
d have named you as a guardian
...
but not the sole guardian.
”

‘‘
True enough,
”
admitted Elinor.
“I
haven
’
t shown much stability and Dick had all the integrity that could be expected of any man.
”

Surprisingly, Ross stood up. He flicked his cigarette into the garden and said pleasantly,
“
We can discuss this at our leisure, some other time. I suggest you have a restful afternoon, Miss Weston, and give up thinking about it for a while. I
’
m afraid I have to get back to the sheds; we
’
re making some alternations. Excuse me?
”

Resolutely, Lou kept her glance averted from his, thereby refusing to receive his warning. She would talk to Elinor Weston how she pleased! But Ross held a small card in his sleeve.

“
I brought some mail for you and left it in the car. You might come along and get it, Louise.
”

She had no choice. Elinor Weston reached for the box of cigarettes in her bag, and after a second
’
s hesitation Lou walked out with Ross into the veranda and down the steps to where the car was parked in the shade of a tree. He stopped with a hand on the door, took a letter from his pocket

“
What do you know,
”
he said politely.
“
I had your mail on me all the time.
”

She looked briefly at the writing, lifted her gaze to his.
“
What are you going to do about Dick
’
s sister?
”

“
Nothing at all, for a few days. And advise you to be cautious. She has a queer look, and I wouldn
’
t trust her.
”

“
That
’
s horrid. I
’
d say she
’
s had a beastly time since she left England.
”

“
Apparently she begged for it little one. On the whole, you do get what you ask for in this life. Do me a favor—don
’
t talk about Keith with her when I
’
m not there.
”

“
How can I refuse, if she wants to talk about
him?”

His eyes narrowed, took a merciless slant.
“
You
’
re pretty good at skating over thin ice with me; try it with Elinor Weston.
”
He nodded down at the letter in her hand.
“
Man
’
s writing. I expect he
’
s getting impatient
.

Perhaps it was Elinor
’
s unexpected arrival and the complications it presented which made Lou unwary.
“
You mean Arnold?
”
she said. And then colored hotly.

“
Is that his name? Does he want to marry you?
”

Embarrassment made her defiant
.
“
As a matter of fact he does
!
”

“
That makes two of them, doesn
’
t it?
”
he said casually.
“
Is he anything like Greg?
”

“
Nothing at all!
”

“
All right, all right, there
’
s no need to snap. By the way, I wouldn
’
t encourage Greg too much if I were you. Unless,
”
with a tight anile,
“
you
’
re falling for the man.
”
A pause.
“
Could that be happening?
”

“
It could, but it isn
’
t!
”

“
But you do like him,
” he
supplied,
“
just as you like Martin Craddock and one or two others. You seem to be one of these people who have an infinite capacity for friendship.
”

“
There
’
s nothing to sneer at in that,
”
she returned quickly.
“
It
’
s much pleasanter to like people than to be conscious only of their faults!
”

“
But at your age,
”
he suggested with a trace of sharpness,
“
you should have learned discrimination. Greg knows forestry and the country but he
’
s sick to death of himself. You wouldn
’
t see that but it
’
s true. He kids himself that you don
’
t see
him
as a philandering type gone a little acid. He thinks you see him as the man he
’
d like to be.
”

“
That
’
s not a bad thing, surely?
”

“
For him, or for you?
”

She sighed vexedly.
“
You and I don
’
t even talk the same language. It
’
s too bad that we should be thrown together like this.
”

He studied her.
“
Do you hate living in my house?
”

“
Let
’
s say I
’
d much rather live elsewhere.
”
She looked down at the letter which was crumpled between her fingers.
“
Will you think over something if I ask you to?
”

“
I might,
”
was his guarded reply.

“
Well, will you consider letting me go with Elinor Weston and Keith to Zomba, for just a week or two? Don
’
t answer now,
”
hastily.
“
Think it over and let me know
.
”

His
li
p drew in; he opened the car door.
“
Very well, young Louise, I
’
ll think it over. Go indoors and rest. See you later.
”

He was a master of honeyed but abrupt dismissal, she reflected despondently as she returned to the living-room. Others seemed not to mind it but she, Lou Prentice, was finding it more and more difficult to take. From the depths of her heart she hoped he would consent to her taking Keith for a short break to Zomba.

Elinor Weston had not shifted from her position. Lying there, with her eyes half-closed, she looked almost frail, and as Lou examined the woman
’
s profile and saw the one or two grey hairs among the reddish strands at her temple, she knew a flash of pity. Elinor must have been a ravishingly pretty girl, but somehow she had wasted her prettiness and youth and now she was old at just over thirty, alone and, unwanted.

The woman lifted those dark heavy lids and Lou
’
s heart turned
.
Elinor Weston
’
s eyes were deep and liquid, they seemed to be all pupi
l.

“
If you
’
d like to lie down,
”
Lou said swiftly,
“
you may use my room. I
’
d like you to.
”

The older woman shook her head.
“
I
’
m used to heat. Sit down, Lou. I
’
ve been remembering. You lost your parents when you were young, didn
’
t you?
”

“
Yes, and then I lived with Dorothy
’
s people.
”

“
Do you remember anything about me?
”

“
Vaguely. Dorothy used to wish you
’
d come home.
”

Elinor moistened lips which had lost most of their lipstick.
“
My family would
n
’
t have it
.
Dick might have, but the others—Mother and Father, the aunt and uncle, never wanted to see me again. I was twenty-four, and they hoofed me out as the Victorians used to expel a son when he disgraced himself. I got a job in Italy, and then in Aden. Then I went to Singapore.
”
She gave a short unhappy laugh.
“
I almost got married in Singapore, but I decided to be honest
.
I told the man why I left England and he was shocked to the core. After that
,
”
with a gesture,
“
I took care never to get close enough to a man for even a goodnight kiss.
”

“
Was it long ago—your love affair?
”

“
About ten months.
”

“
And it was
...
very real?
”

“
Very real,
”
came the answer in flat dry tones.
“
I left Singapore at once, tried a job in a shipping agency in P
e
nang before ending up as manageress of a tiny hotel in H
o
ng Kong. Been around, you see.
”

“
But you never have been happy about it?
”

“
I
’
m afraid not, though I
’
ve learned a great deal—chiefly that love is a terrible risk.
”

“
Yet almost the first
thing
you told me was that a love
affair
gives a woman self-assurance.
”

“
So it does—so long as you don
’
t get too involved
...
or so long as you
’
re involved only in young love and a tender marriage.
”
She changed the topic.
“
Keith seems a nice child. Do you have any difficulties over him with Mr. Gilmore?
”

“
A few. Ross doesn
’
t believe in gentle reprimand and he scoffs at child psychology. We don
’
t clash in front of
Keith.
”

There was a silence. Then Elinor said,
“
You know, on the way here I was determined not to think too closely about anything. At the back of my mind though, there was the hope that no one here would know much about me, but the first person I met here at Mulera happened to be you, so once again I have to be fairly honest and perhaps lose something I need. So if I seem to dislike you rather as time goes by, you
’
ll know why.
”

“
But there
’
s no need for dislike!
”
Lou exclaimed.
“
I do understand how you
’
re placed, and I want to do the right
thing,
both for you and for Keith.
”

Elinor
’
s peculiar brown eyes had ived over.
“
Why should you do anything for me? All you know about me is bad.
”

“
I know nothing—only what you
’
ve told me yourself. I
think
you must be tired out with living in the East, and
that.
.
.”