The Man at Mulera (25 page)

“
You
’
re going to bed?
”
Mrs. Acland willingly leaned upon Lou
’
s arm.
“
It
’
s such a pity there
’
s so little excitement for you. A friend of mine in England has a daughter of your age and she
’
s always dancing and disappearing on camping holidays even in the worst weather! I
’
m sure you dance well, but here you don
’
t have a chance even to keep in practice. I shall tell Ross
...
”

He came into the corridor from the study, took his aunt
’
s other elbow.
“
Yes? What will you tell Ross?
”

“
That this child must have more fun. She came in tonight looking as if she
’
d been chastised, and all because she
’
d had to find a little excitement on her own in the car.
”

“
We
’
ll do something about it,
”
Ross said abruptly.
“
I don
’
t like this slow gait of yours, Maudie. It
’
s not like you.
”

“
I don
’
t like it myself, dear,
”
she replied equably,
“
but it
’
s so pleasant to have you two solicitous that I shall probably keep it up for as long as possible.
”
She stood in the centre of her room and disengaged her arms.
“
You may leave me now. Are you going out, Ross?
”

“
Out? No.
”

“
I thought you might be going to play cards with Martin.
”

“
You
’
re losing that light touch, darling,
”
he said, giving his aunt the benefit of his studied and relentless charm.
“
I have no date with the Craddocks.
”
H
e kissed her temple, lightly.
“
Goodnight, sleep well.
”

Lou and Mrs. Acland exchanged quiet goodnights and Lo
u
came out of the room, leaving the door ajar. She had taken only a pace or two towards her own room when Ross came behind her and took her arm in fingers that bruised.

“
Let
’
s go back into the living-room, young Louise,
”
he said in a cool undertone.
“
I believe we have something to discuss.
”

CHAPTER EIGHT

R
oss
went to the window and looked out, flicked a speckled lizard from the sill and briefly inspected a bright green praying mantis which clung to the edge of the curtain. Lou saw that his faint smile was taut as steel; if she could have thought of something to say she would have hurried it out But the silence grew, till he performed the familiar action of digging his hands into his pockets and leaning back against the wall.

He said,
“
Be nice if we could just be happy together, for a change, wouldn
’
t it? No
knife
-like
glances, no smart remarks, no searching around for emotions where they don
’
t exist. I can
’
t remember when this house was peaceful
.”

“
You can hardly blame me for that
”
she said in low tones.
“
I didn
’
t want to come here any more than you wanted me. I really don
’
t
think
we have anything to
talk
about
.
”

“
No? I
’
m your oldest friend in these parts. Wouldn
’
t you like to confide in me—tell me some of those magic details that led up to Greg
’
s eventual surrender? I thought every girl in love had to confide in someone.
”

“
That
’
s not shatteringly funny.
”

“
It
’
s not meant to be. I was merely inviting you to have first throw, but if you decline I
’
ll have it myself. Why did Greg ask you to marry him?
”

“
Not very flattering, are you?
”

“
Maybe I don
’
t feel that way. What I really meant was—why did he ask you this evening, particularly? Surely we should have noticed something in the air, some subtle warning from cupid?
”

‘
You
’
ve mentioned the possibility before.
”

“
But I wouldn
’
t have thought it was imminent I know Greg. In his way he
’
s as unsettled as Elinor Weston and just as keen on grabbing an anchor, but he
’
s a man, and a man has to be willing to take responsibility before he marries. Greg
’
s always stayed clear of ties.
”

“
So have you.
”

“
But I
’
m not afraid of them.
”
A pause, then in metallic tones:
“
He
’
s had plenty of practice at love-making. How do you like his style?
”

She looked away from him.
“
Your opinion of Greg is lower than he deserves. He was simply kind and gentle.
”

“
Then he means business. But you left it hanging fire, didn
’
t you?
”

“
You seem to know everything!
”

“
It was fairly obvious. Greg
’
s mulish fit was a damp squib because he wasn
’
t sure of your support.
”
A pause.
“
Why didn
’
t you tell him outright that you had no intention of marrying him?
”

Her lips quivered, as if stung by sudden pain.
“
Perhaps I was uncertain enough to want to think it over. One could do far worse than marry Greg Allwyn! He offered marriage because he thought it was a way out for me ... and Keith.
”

“
If you leave Keith out of it there
’
s no need for the marriage. Is that what you mean?
”

She smiled; it was a bright automatic movement of her mouth.
“
You can
’
t believe Greg is in
l
ove with me, can you?
”

“
Yes, I can believe it. You
’
d be a lot less difficult to love than some of the women he
’
s fallen for, and to him you have the advantage of being the dear little someone who sheltered him one night when he needed it. He
’
s gone trite and turned a new leaf. I may be a cynic, but I can
’
t quite take it from Greg.
”

“
Then why did you give him a chance here at Mulera?
”

He shrugged.
“
I had nothing to lose. I had no manager and I knew Greg could do a good job if he had no distractions. When I offered him the post there were no women here at Mulera, and I wasn
’
t expecting anyone but my aunt.
”

Her voice dipped sharply.
“
You always imply that Greg is the world
’
s most hardened philanderer, but I find it hard to believe. To me, he
’
s always been ordinary and friendly
.”

“
Are you sure? Can you truthfully say that he
’
s never held your hand or given you a chaste kiss on the forehead?
”
His lips thinned suddenly into a smile that held a hint of cruelty.
“
Ah, I thought not
.
His routine is far more stale than it was when Beau Brummell used it. What do you suppose comes next? I
’
ll tell you. He keeps assuring you that he only wants to make you happy. He strokes your hair..
.”

“
Oh, stop it!
”
Lou gripped her hands tightly on the back of a chair.
“
You
’
re doing your best to cheapen everything Greg does, and I won
’t
listen. What if he has known lots of women? I
’
m certain you
’
ve known a good number! Maybe he hasn
’
t been so masterful with them but that
’
s not a bad thing. You can
’
t brand a
man
for life because he
’
s flirted a bit before wanting to settle down.
”

He said savagely,
‘I
don
’
t want to, but I
’
ll darned well see that he doesn
’
t hitch up with someone innocent as a babe! What do you know about marriage at all, let alone with someone like Greg? When you live close to a
man
the flaws are apt to show through. Believe me, basically, Greg is a number of flaws patched together. He
’
s a bo
rn
philanderer, fundamentally selfish and fundamentally juvenile. This
...
reformation began the night you took him in from the rain. He knows enough about women to realize you
’
re not the type he usually attracts, so he became what he hoped you wanted. For a while he may be able to keep it up, but if you were to marry
him
the mask would gradually fall. You
’
d find yourself tied to a dilettante at forestry and fa
rm
ing
...
and women!
”

“
Would the sort of man you
’
re describing ever take on a wife, let alone a boy of five as well?
”

Ross came away from the wall, moved slowly towards the cabinet
“
He might honey,
”
he said, his voice sardonic and unpleasant
.
“
Keith has a little money and you could be depended on to be thrifty and even to take a job if it became necessary. There are not many women who
’
ll do that in this country. In any case, if things got tough he could rat on you, just as he walked out on his first assignment in Nyasaland.
”

There was no answer to this. Lou stood there, her knees trembling. She remembered how frank Greg had been about his own shortcomings, and in spite of herself she wondered whether he weren
’
t creating an alibi in advance.

And then all conjecture and argument seemed futile. She wouldn
’
t marry Greg or anyone else. She was just using Greg Allwyn as a weapon against Ross; it was the only one she had.

She heard clinking, felt a glass placed in her hand, took a sip of gin and orange and placed the glass on the table. Ross drank half his whisky, rocked the amber liquid for a moment before asking, with deceptive casualness,

“
Why did you go out in the car at that hour, Louise?
”
She had expected it to be his first question and had been half prepared with an answer. Now, though, it caught her off-balance. She tried the d
rink
again, said as coolly as she could,

“
I felt a bit low and I hadn
’
t driven a car for some time.
”

“
Those scratches cm the wing—what was it, a thorn tree?
”

“
I can
’
t tell you how sorry I am. I know you take a pride in keeping the vehicles free of that kind of thing.
”

“
I
’
m not angry over the marks themselves; they can be obliterated. I merely want to know exactly how they were caused. You see,
”
he said slowly,
“
I put the car away and took a look at them by torchlight I
’
ve yet to meet thorn branches that won
’
t bend and make curved scratches. Those on the wing of the car are absolutely straight and parallel and there
’
s a slight dent in the middle of them.
”
He paused and asked softly, heavily,
“
A thorn tree?
”

She looked down at her fingers.
“
No, I caught the side of the jeep.
”

“
How?
”
he shot at her.

“
I
’
m not quite sure. I wasn
’
t thinking very clearly. It was my fault, not Greg
’
s. My fault entirely.
”

“
That car packs forty horse-power,
”
he said grimly,
“
and you were mad enough to drive it and think about something else. Where did you go?
”

She took a dry breath past the ridge in her throat "Not far. Only ten or twelve miles. Ross, I
’
ve said I
’
m sorry..
.”

Her voice caught, and Ross clamped down on whatever he had been about to say. He shoved his glass down on the table with a slight thud.

“
You
’
d better go to bed,
”
he said.
“
I
’
ll deal with Greg in the morning.
”

“
Need you? I
’
d rather talk to him myself.
”

“
Why?
”
he asked sourly.

“
Because he hasn
’
t hurt me, and I don
’
t want to hurt him. His proposal is my business—not yours.
”

“
You
’
re too soft-hearted and fearful,
”
he told her impatiently.
“
I never knew anyone so much in need of a man
!
”

A little color came into her cheeks, and a swift throbbing was visible in the hollow of her throat. She put a hand to the gold-brown hair and the action helped her past the moment of stress. She managed to move sensitive
li
ps in a smile, and as she stood there, slender and sweet in the simple frock, there was something untouched about her, a
qua
li
ty
that almost any man would recognize as rare.

“
Go to bed, Louise,
”
he said abruptly.

“
You won
’
t act
hastily
with Greg?
”
she pleaded.

“
I’ll think
about it
”