The Marriage Wheel (19 page)

“
Thank you,
”
she replied again, in the same tone as before.

He glanced at her for a moment as if exasperated, and then ran away from her down the steps to his car, which she had left standing on the drive.

“
Don
’
t forget!
”
He glanced up at her sharply.
“
If anything goes wrong, let me know!
”

She watched him as he entered the car. He had said nothing further about visiting either her or Lady Dillinger while she was at the manor, and a cold contemptuous curl of resentment altered purely temporarily the attractive shape of her lips.

He waved a hand as he drove away, but he had no further injunctions to lay upon her. She was quite sure he was seething inwardly because if she had been a man there would have been no question of her being left behind to keep Lady Dillinger company. Not that he objected to Lady Dillinger being supported in her hour of trouble, but he would have preferred it if the responsibility for the support had not fallen upon a useful employee of his—particularly at a time when he had other matters on hand.

Very important matters.

Fortunately Sir Adrian made a quick recovery, and by the afternoon of the following day he was even allowed out of bed, and the day after that he sat outside in the garden for an hour or two. Lady Dillinger had quite recovered her spirits and her optimism, and although it seemed to delight her having Frederica with her there was no real need for the girl to continue staying with her once Sir Adrian appeared to be clearly on the mend.

The butler
’
s wife was very able, and quite a support, and there was an excellent daily woman who came in from the village and was also much relied upon by Lady Dillinger. Frederica could think of no real reason why she should continue as a guest at Appleby Manor; but at the same time, having had plenty of opportunity to think the situation over, she had no intention whatsoever of returning to Farthing
Hall. After that little scene in the wood, when her employer had taken her completely by surprise
—
revealing a curious callous side to his nature she quite honestly had not suspected existed—she felt it would be intolerable to return to the manor and take her orders from Lestrode. If he wanted to marry her sister, well he could marry her
...
and Electra almost certainly would be delighted. In fact, she would be extremely disappointed if he didn
’
t marry Rosaleen.

But that was no reason why a girl like Frederica, who had never had to put up with anything of the kind before, should have to submit to humiliating treatment just because the man in question was about to become her brother-in-law.

If he ever did become her brother-in-law she could cope with him; but as her employer and her brother-in-law she could not
...
quite apart from her own secret knowledge that he attracted her in a way that covered her in humiliation, and when he had kissed her in the Appleby wood that afternoon she had actually clung to him in a kind of ecstasy for a short while
...

It was the memory of that that drove her to make up her mind.

Lestrode telephoned twice to find out how she was getting on, and how Sir Adrian was progressing, but he said nothing about collecting Frederica. She received the impression that he was far too busy, and probably the gardener was driving him about.

So, after she had been at Appleby Manor for nearly a week, she told Lady Dillinger that she was leaving, and she didn
’
t think it necessary to make it clear that she was not returning to Farthing Hall, where her mother and sister were still installed, and she certainly didn
’
t consider it necessary to reveal that she was returning to London, with the object of finding herself another job as quickly as possible. Lady Dillinger was by no means obtuse, however, and it did strike her that the girl seemed agitated, and her spirits had been declining gradually for the last day or two. Her somewhat agitated explanation that she didn
’
t think it necessary to trouble Mr. Lestrode and have herself collected from the Manor as had been arranged certainly puzzled Lady Dillinger, but she readily offered the use of her own car and her own chauffeur to take Frederica back to the Hall.

Frederica, however, declined. She felt she had got to know Lady Dillinger very well in the past few days, and she hated deceiving her; but Lady Dillinger was not to be trusted when it came to anything that affected her
“
dear Humphrey
”
, as she called him. If she had the least suspicion that Frederica was not returning to her employer she would have telephoned him immediately
...
Frederica was so sure of that, for the first time in her life, she behaved with an unnatural secretiveness, and was very much ashamed of herself by the time she had arranged for a taxi to pick her and her single suitcase up at the manor, and drive her into Greater Corsham and the railway station.

She had thought it would be easy, when the moment finally arrived, but it was not. Lady Dillinger was so sorry to part with her, Sir Adrian actually asked her to kiss him goodbye, and she promised both of them that she would return to the Manor some day—as soon as it was at all possible.

She was so conscious of black depression when the taxi drew up at the door and Lady Dillinger also kissed her goodbye that she could have cried there and then, on Lady Dillinger
’
s shoulder. All her things were at Farthing Hall, and all she had in the world now was her solitary suitcase and a few pounds in the bank to keep her until she found another job. And as her mother had parted with the London flat it would mean staying at a hostel.

Lady Dillinger stood on the steps and waved a thin white hand ere the taxi took her round a bend in the drive, and then she was outside the gates and the taxi-man was looking slightly confused because of a conflicting set of instructions he had received.

“
The old lady said I was to take you to Farthing Hall, in Little Corsham, but you said on the telephone I was to take you to the station
...”

“
You are to take me to the station.
”
Frederica was quite firm about it, but she felt like a felon, and slightly hunted, as they turned left, instead of right, outside the main gates. There was a car parked under a spreading chestnut tree at one side of the road, and she recognised it instantly—and felt a sense of wild panic, and her pulses leapt in a terrifying manner, as Humphrey Lestrode left the driving-seat and stepped into the road right in the path of her taxi, at the same time signalling to her driver to stop.

He put his head in through the car window, and addressed the taxi-man.

“
I
’
ll take over your fare,
”
he said.
“
But I wouldn
’
t like you to be out of pocket, so grab hold of this!
”
And he thrust a note into his hand.

The taxi-man protested:

“
But it wouldn
’
t have been all that, sir!
”

“
Never mind.
”
Lestrode was looking more grimly at Frederica, and he held open the car door for her.

“
Get out,
”
he ordered curtly,
“
and get into my car. And you needn
’
t think you
’
re driving, because you
’
re not. I
’
m taking over in a big way, and the sooner you realise it the better! This all the luggage you
’
ve got?
”
seizing upon her suitcase.

“
You know it is,
”
she returned huskily, as she followed him across the tree-lined road.

“
You
’
d have found yourself rather short of clothes when you got to London, wouldn
’
t you,
”
he said affably, as he held open the door of the passenger seat beside the wheel of his car.

“
I
’
d have managed,
”
she declared in the same husky voice. And then her dark green, bewildered eyes gazed at him a little resentfully—but only a very little resentfully.
“
I suppose Lady Dillinger phoned you about my leaving?
”
she said.

He nodded, slamming the car door on his side and subsiding into the seat near her.

“
I warned her to keep me posted if you behaved oddly,
”
he told her casually.

Frederica yielded blissfully to the feel of the comfortable seat. He was taking her back to Farthing Hall, and she found that she didn
’
t mind. She was even, deep at the heart of her being, conscious of profound relief, and a quite extraordinary sensation like contentment
...
and as a result of it her eyes misted over with the acuteness of her relief, and she even sniffed a little.

Lestrode put a handkerchief into her hand.

“
Have a good blow!
”
he advised.
“
And if you feel like a good cry get it out of your system. I don
’
t mind.
”

“
Dear Lady Dillinger,
”
she gulped.

“
Dear idiot!
”
Abruptly he stopped the car, and although they were still on the main road, and one or two cars had already passed them, he reached over and pulled her into his arms and advised her to rest her head on his shoulder.

“
There are black smudges under your eyes as if you haven
’
t slept well lately,
”
he told her,
“
and although I find them infinitely touching they do indicate that you
’
ve been under some sort of stress recently. Did you think I
’
d forgotten you because
I
didn
’
t come and see how you were getting on at the Manor? Or did you think I was too busy advancing my plans for marrying your sister to have any time or thought to spare for you?
”

She glanced up at him sharply, as if the suggestion had revived some of her most miserable moments; but he put his fingers under her chin, tilted her face into the open, and shook his head over the anxiety that frankly peeped at him from under her long eyelashes.

“
I said you were stupid the last time I saw you,
”
he murmured softly,
“
and I
’
m bound to confess you do strike me as very stupid indeed! For a young woman with such an infinitely attractive pair of large green eyes that sometimes make me think of rock-pools, to say nothing of your soft gold hair and most determined little chin that is as round and soft as a baby doe
’
s nose, your confidence in yourself and your ability to charm appears to be strictly limited. In fact, you have no confidence in yourself, and I believe you actually go out of your way to make the very least of your appearance sometimes because the knowledge that, on those occasions, no one can mistake you for a glamour-girl, gives you a kind of perverted satisfaction. Your mother has frequently complained that you cover yourself in grease when you
’
re performing a simple job on a car, and it has often seemed to me that you
enjoy
covering yourself with grease!
”

She wriggled her chin out of the palm of his hand, and shook her head resentfully.

“
You seem to forget that grubbing about in the interior of a car is a greasy job,
”
she protested.
“
Naturally I don
’
t enjoy looking a mess!
”

“
Then why did you ever decide to become a chauffeur?
”

“
It was the only thing I could do, and Lady Allerdale was always so kind to me that it didn
’
t seem a hard job.
”

“
But I have never been kind to you
...
?
”

“
I wouldn
’
t say that!
”

He caught hold of her chin again, and thrust her face into the hollow of his shoulder.

“
Silly child,
”
he accused her. He rubbed a finger against the satin softness of her skin, which seemed to fascinate him, and resulted in him looking slightly bemused.
“
Silly baby!
...”
He sighed.
“
And what an infant you are! Not fit to be let loose in an adult world. Did you really and truly believe I wanted to marry your sister?
”

“
You said so—
”

“
I said nothing of the kind! I flattered her to the skies, and I think I indicated on one or two occasions that she had more sense than you, because she is so truly feminine, and knows perfectly well that in the marriage market she has one very important asset— her looks! You heard me talking to her one night about marriage, honeymoons, and so forth. You possibly even heard her mention South America and returning to England to live in a house which you instantly decided must be the Dower House. The truth is that Rosaleen would look quite horrified if I suggested she should live in the Dower House, because Farthing Hall is much more up her street than a simple and rather derelict house which might one day be turned into something very habitable, because even if it was rendered habitable it wouldn
’
t have the same cachet as living at Farthing Hall. For Rosaleen, I mean
...
and fortunately for her she has a young man friend whom I don
’
t think you
’
ve yet met—or else you
’
ve forgotten all about him—who has a house in Sussex that is very much more impressive than Farthing Hall, although at the moment it isn
’
t legally his. But his uncle has said that if and when he marries he can live there until he actually becomes its owner, on the death of that particular uncle; and in the meantime he
’
s found himself a job in South America. He
’
s an enterprising youth, and in my opinion he might well do very well for himself!
”

“
Roger Maitland,
”
Frederica exclaimed in an amazed tone.

“
Yes, Roger Maitland. So you have heard of him? But your mother unfortunately doesn
’
t approve, or she didn
’
t approve until I had a good talk to her last night. And now she is quite willing to take on Roger as a son-in-law, and I
’
m afraid you
’
ll have to accept him as a brother-in-law instead of me!
”

Waves of blissful relief and wonder were welling over Frederica, but under the amused scrutiny of his
eyes she felt foolish in the extreme. Her cheeks turned fierily scarlet, and his caressing fingers felt the warmth of them.

“
Of course I remember Roger
...”
Her green eyes were shy and abashed before the extraordinary revelation of increasing ardour in his.
“
Rosaleen met him in Switzerland at least two years ago, and I thought she had forgotten all about him.
”

“
Well, she hasn
’
t
...
and with your mother
’
s consent and blessing she
’
s going to marry him!
”

“
Because you intervened on Rosaleen
’
s behalf?
”

“
You can put it that way.
”

“
But my mother
’
s heart was so set on—
”