The Black Benedicts (14 page)

They sped across the park with only the faint purring of the engine making any sound at all in the otherwise almost uneasy hush of the night, and a faint breeze stirred up by their passage coming in at the open window lifted Mallory
’
s soft fair hair off her brow. She was aware that there were suit-cases piled up on the seat behind her, that there was a faint masculine aroma of shaving cream and pipe tobacco floating in the
enclosed space around her, and that the man beside her was concentrating on the road ahead with so much frowning concentration that his thick black brows, she was certain, were actually meeting above the somewhat arrogant bridge of his nose, and his thin lips appeared to be clamped together, obviously because he was filled with displeasure.

And then all at once she felt him relax a little on the seat beside her, and to her further amazement he suddenly gave vent to rather an amused laugh, and one of his hands deserted the wheel for an instant and lightly—very lightly—patted
her knee.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
he said,
“
if my burst of annoyance has petrified you, but I was quite genuinely horrified when I picked you up in my head-lights just now, and I really do mean it when I say that you are never to repeat this sort of thing again. But I appreciate that you
’
ve been cooped up at Morven for some time, and that you must have some kind of an outing sometimes
...
”

“
It was a very harmless outing,
”
Mallory returned quietly,
“
and the first I
’
ve made sin
c
e
you
’
ve been away.
”

“
Really?
”
He sounded surprised, and then his voice softened still more.
“
In that case you must have been finding life a little—well, dull! But it
’
s a pity Jill Harding didn
’
t have the sense to keep you for the night if her father couldn
’
t drive you home.
”
He looked as if he was ready to frown again, but they were nearing the house by this time, and he asked, rather more abruptly:
“
How
’
s
Serena?
”

“
Oh, she
’
s very well, thank you.
”
Her voice was a little formal, because she was not sure that she approved of being treated like a housemaid who had made too much of her off-duty, and was in any case a little irresponsible herself.
“
In fact, she
’
s completely well.
”

“
And she likes the new pony?
”

“
Yes; very much.
”

“
Then you can both ride with me to-morrow morning before breakfast, if it
’
s a good morning, and we
’
ll see how well you manage Shamrock.
”
He brought the car to the smoothest of halts before the great front door, and Mallory spared a moment of sympathy for Mrs. Carpenter when she discovered that her employer had returned and that there had been no warning of his return, although his rooms were—as always—quite ready for him. But it was the least little bit inconsiderate, Mallory thought, not to give warning—even if he was not accompanied this time by Sonia Martingale!

But when he descended and held open her door for her to alight, and she caught him looking down at her from his superior height with something queerly searching, and at the same time slightly quizzical, in his regard, that curious, breathless sensation that had attacked her before when she had first realized that it was he, and recognized his big grey car, caught, like a human hand, at her throat again, and she forgot to be critical. And deep down inside her something was even glad that he was back.

“
Don
’
t forget,
”
he called, as he watched her turn away rather hurriedly towards the steps,
“
that you
’
ve an early appointment for to-morrow! And Serena, too, if she can be persuaded to wake up in time.
”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

S
erena
, when awakened the following morning, thought it the nicest thing that had happened to her for a long time that her uncle should want to ride with her
—and
Mallory, which was perhaps a little more surprising, in her childish opinion.

“
For he
’
s never seen you on a horse, has he?
”
she said, as she scrambled out of bed and allowed Mallory to assist her with her dressing.
“
And he doesn
’
t know how beautifully you
m
anage Shamrock. I do believe you could even ride Saladin if he
’
d let you, but he wouldn
’
t, of course.
”

“
No, and I
’
ve no intention of ever asking his permission to ride Saladin,
”
Mallory answered
“
And now do hurry, because it will never do to keep Mr. Benedict waiting.
”

Serena sent her a somewhat arch glance as she tugged on a small brown riding-boot.

“
Why do you always say Mr. Benedict,
”
she asked,
“
when Sonia calls him Raife? It would be easier to say Raife, wouldn
’
t it? But perhaps he wouldn
’
t like it.
”

“
Perhaps not,
”
Mallory agreed, and turned quickly away.

Outside, it was a perfect early summer morning, with mist clinging to the tops of the trees, and a brilliant sunrise sending streaks of flame across an
o
therwise perfectly clear sky. There was already a feeling of heat in the air, promising much greater heat as the day advanced, and Mallory had dressed herself suitably in a thin silk blouse the colour of a blaze of blue larkspur, and her hair looked pale and neat as a primrose in
the early light. She found her employer waiting at the foot of the steps once they had crossed the silent, echoing hall and passed through the great entrance doorway, and he was sitting astride Saladin while a groom, who also acted the part of a gardener when he was not looking after the horses, held Shamrock and Felicity, Serena
’
s pony.

Mallory was aware that when she first met Raife Benedict
’
s eyes they were appraising her quite coolly, but in a way that instantly brought a faint blush to her cheeks. She was not sure what it was in his look that caused her to behave for an instant like a susceptible schoolgirl, but as they all three rode away down the drive, and the mellowed beauty of the old house was left farther and farther behind them, she was conscious of the fact that as she was a little ahead of him he still found it possible to study her, and he was doing so.

Her impressions of that morning ride, after it was all over, were on the whole extremely pleasant, however, and the pleasure was not entirely derived from the sparkling beauty of the morning, and the fact that her little mare was such a beauty, and carried her superbly. The gauzy loveliness that lay over this enchanting corner of England was enough to make one feel lyrical at that hour, it was true, and there was something alluring and provocative about the occasional glimpses of the distant Welsh hills. And Serena, gay and abandoned, in a canary yellow blouse, and with her dark elfin locks streaming out behind her like a silken dark cloak as she dug hard little heels into her pony
’
s flanks, flying always ahead of her, created an illusion of carefree and effortless speed which was infectious.

But behind her her employer rode Saladin almost sedately, as if he had no wish to give vent to any wild enthusiasms, and Mallory suited her pace to his, and when they were picking their way daintily along narrow woodland paths, or plunging into a tunnel-like lane
w
hich made it impossible to ride abreast, her mount was usually a length ahead of his, and
w
henever he addressed her deliberately she had to turn her head over her shoulder and look at him.

“
You ride well,
”
he told her once, in his blunt fashion.
“
In fact, you ride far better than a good many young women I know. You sit well, and you look well on a horse.
”

Once again, as she met his eyes, she felt herself inclined to flush a little, and a faint glimmer of amusement appeared in those black-lashed eyes.

“
Another thing to add to the testimonial I shall be able to write for you one of these days,
”
he said,
“
when you feel the desire to leave us. Have you any idea when that will be? Have you started to grow tired of Morven yet? If you have, I wouldn
’
t
altogether blame you, because unless you
’
re used to this type of country it can be very lonely sometimes.
”

“
I don
’
t find it in the least lonely,
”
Mallory answered, not altogether truthfully—for there had been moments in the past few weeks when, in spite of the beauty and the luxury surrounding her, she had felt as if she was a little redundant sometimes, and could very easily be dispensed with without any single feature of the fair landscape on to which she looked so often being blighted in any way by her departure.
“
And nobody could ever grow tired of Morven,
”
she added, because she meant it.

“
Couldn
’
t they? That
’
s what Adrian says, and he scarcely ever leaves it, and I like it myself— particularly after I
’
ve been away from it for a while. But that applies to so many things, doesn
’
t it? You appreciate them so much more when you
’
ve been deprived of them for a time?
”

His eyes were on her face as he spoke, and there was something thoughtful and speculative in his look which, together with a strangely quiet note in his voice, caused her to look down rather wildly at the reins in her hands, and unconsciously she tightened them so that her mount threw up its head and became mildly obstreperous for a moment.

“
Obviously Shamrock doesn
’
t agree with me,
”
he remarked, a dry note of amusement in his voice.
“
Or, possibly, you don
’
t either, Miss Gower
?
”

“
I
”
—Mallory had once again gained complete control of her mount, but her colour was high, and for some reason she could not meet his eyes—
“
I
’
ve told you I don
’
t think anyone could ever grow tired of Morven, and so far as I
’
m concerned once I like a thing I don
’
t have to be deprived of it to continue to appreciate it. But perhaps that
’
s because I
’
ve never had a great many things to claim my interest and divide my allegiance,
”
she added, somewhat hurriedly lest he should think she sounded a little prim and condemning.

“
And does that apply to people, also?
”
he asked, rather curiously.
“
You
’
ve never met a large number of people?
”

“
Not outside my own family circle and old school friends, no,
”
she admitted, and thought how dull she must strike him by comparison with someone like Sonia Martingale, for instance, who,
although she was still young, had already a large portion of the world at her feet. And not only was she used to people, she was used to dealing with
them and comporting herself amongst them in such a way that her poise was the one thing about her apart from her exotic beauty which struck anyone meeting her for the first time as worthy of the greatest admiration.

“
I think that
’
s rather an intriguing confession to be able to make,
”
Raife Benedict observed, and, daring to dart a small sideways look at him, Mallory was a little astonished to detect that the smile on his lips was oddly gentle.
“
It means that there
’
s so much in store for you in the future, and so many experiences which you
’
ll probably find quite exciting. Life may have all sorts of things to offer you, and at the moment you don
’
t know anything at all about th
em
...
!
”
His eyes, that seemed to be much darker than sherry-brown to-day, with the little golden gleams floating in them almost lazily, dwelt with a kind of pleased contemplation on the whole slender outline of her as she rode beside him, and for an instant his voice was almost caressing.
“
I could almost wish we had a crystal ball and could peer into it together, Miss Gower, and see just what the future has in store for you!
”

She tried to laugh lightly, as if the suggestion genuinely amused her.

“
It would probably reveal a whole succession of jobs somewhat similar to the one I
’
m holding at the moment, and a great many new and difficult children all waiting for me to break them in. And no one could say
that
would be very exciting,
”
she concluded, wondering why her heart was beating in a kind of bumpy fashion rather in keeping with the hollow trotting of their
horses
’
hooves, and why once again she felt a little breathless as she spoke.

But he shook his head quite vigorously.

“
That
is a future I do not envisage for you,
”
he told her.
“
However good you are at gover
n
essing, you were not meant to keep it up—I can tell you that much!
”

He sounded so emphatic about it that for a moment she did not know quite how to respond to his mood, and in order to change the subject she asked quickly:

“
Did—did it take you long to recover completely from that nasty toss I caused Saladin to involve you in?
”

He seemed to relax and to smile with amusement both at the same time, and then he shook his head.

“
I felt sore for a fortnight after that little episode, and I haven
’
t made up my mind yet whether Saladin is suitably ashamed of himself.
”
He glanced down at the handsome black, and at the same time he touched it almost caressingly on its arched and glossy neck.
“
However, time will tell
w
hether he
’
s worth hanging on to.
”
They heard Serena crashing noisily ahead of them through the
dim,
cool shade of a little beech wood, and before they entered it, and he had to fall back into single file behind Mallory once more, Benedict remarked with a sudden complete change of tone:

“
By the way, Miss Gower, I shall probably want your assistance again, but not with secretarial work—or not exactly. Miss Martingale is going abroad in the autumn—a tour of the Continent with her ballet company—and before she leaves she
’
ll be coming down here for a few weeks,
and she
’
d very much like me to give a costume dance at Morven.
”
As Mallory could no longer make any attempt to see his face she could obtain no clue as to whether he also thought it was a good idea, and he continued.
“
I suppose Morven is just the right setting for that sort of thing, and in my mother
’
s day we were not so inhospitable as
w
e are now, and on the whole things were much gayer at Morven. But getting out of touch with things—being away so much, amongst other reasons—I
’
ve rather lost trace of the various families and people who would be likely to wish to receive invitations to a dance of that sort, and I thought perhaps you might make it one of your duties to unearth a few details about the local
hoi polloi
who would definitely be interested. Is that too much to ask of you?
”
They had emerged from the wood, and could see Serena galloping madly and heedlessly away in front of them, and Mallory answered with once again that little breathless tremble in her voice:
“
Of course not. And of course I
’
ll do anything to help
...
”

“
Good girl!
”
he exclaimed, but he was looking over her head at Serena, and his eyes were once more inscrutable.
“
That
’
s splendid, especially if you don
’
t mind taking a bit of trouble. Get on to Carpie, and ask her to help you—she
’
s a mine of information about this part of the world, and in any case she
’
ll have to be consulted about all the arrangements. And Phipps will be in his element—Phipps loves formal parties, and that sort of thing.
”