The Marriage Wheel (8 page)

“
Thank you, but I should refuse even if he asked me,
”
Frederica replied inflexibly.

Her mother elevated one eyebrow.

“
Ah, well, dear, it
’
s up to you. Naturally I do see that it might be a
w
kward for you. You have to take your orders from Mr. Lestrode, but most fortunately we don
’
t.
”
She glanced almost quizzically at her other daughter.
“
It
’
s a very happy position to be in at the moment, isn
’
t it, Ros? We get all the
plums, and poor Frederica has to do all the work. But at least you
’
re getting a good salary, darling,
”
she reminded Frederica,
“
with the cottage and the Black Bull thrown in!
”

“
If you allow Mr. Lestrode to pay for you to stay at the Black Bull, Mother,
”
Frederica retorted with sudden furious indignation,
“
I
’
m not at all sure I shall stay on at Farthing Hall! I
’
ll hand in my notice to Mr. Lestrode!
”

Her mother shrugged and smiled at her, plainly not taking her seriously.

“
Remember that you have to be at the George at four o
’
clock, darling,
”
she reminded her.
“
And I should think—although, of course, I
’
m not absolutely certain in the circumstances—that Mr. Lestrode would object very strongly to being kept waiting by his chauffeuse!
”

CHAPTER FOUR

Lucille w
as the only one at Farthing Hall to whom Frederica felt she could talk naturally and uninhibitedly.

Lucille was amused by the arrival of Frederica
’
s relatives in such an unheralded but decisive fashion, and she liked Frederica enough to realise that their arrival had nothing to do with her. Frederica was so obviously horrified by, and slightly ashamed of, Mrs. Wells
’
and Rosaleen
’
s attitude that they would be welcome almost anywhere, and at Farthing Hall they were surely entitled to a welcome.

But even Lucille seemed to think it odd that the hard-headed businessman who had been her employer for several years should be willing to pay their hotel bill until the old lodge-keeper
’
s cottage was in a condition to receive them, and issue them invitations to dine at the Hall.

For one thing, Lucille would have to do the cooking
...
and Frederica received the distinct impression that she might be inclined to jib at that.

“
I haven
’
t seen your sister yet,
”
she remarked,
“
and I haven
’
t seen your mother. But between them they must have something—something that you and I haven
’
t got, and which makes a massive impression!
”

Frederica agreed with her not altogether happily.

“
Oh, yes, they
’
ve got something
...
and I
’
ve seen it work rather well before,
”
she admitted.

But what she was secretly thinking was that, if she herself was included in the dinner invitation, and she was not allowed to turn it down, how would Lucille react to that? Lucille was by no means an ordinary housekeeper. She was charming and attractive, and had been Lestrode
’
s secretary not so long ago. Frederica suspected that she would be prepared to work for him for nothing if he hadn
’
t any money, and that in itself suggested an attitude of mind
...
and might one day pose a serious problem if Humphrey Lestrode thought of getting married.

For while she would serve him willingly enough while he remained unmarried, as a married man Lucille might look upon him rather differently!

But that was a problem for the future, and not hers in any case, so Frederica dismissed it from her mind.

The next day Lestrode got on to a local decorator and requested him to make an inspection of the cottage, and report what could be done to improve it. The report was not very favourable, and Lestrode recollected that on his property there was a small dower house which was also in a bad condition of repair, but which might be more worthwhile spending money on than the cottage. Done up it would be an asset, and if he ever wanted to dispose of it he could get a much better price than if it was left in its present condition.

“
Your mother and sister could move in,
”
he suggested to Frederica, facing him in front of his desk in the half-furnished library after he had sent for her to discuss the matter,
“
and I
’
m sure we could make them sufficiently comfortable while the workmen get busy around them. If not, they
’
ll probably have to spend some time at the Bull, and I don
’
t think Rosaleen will like that. It
’
s not the ideal setting for a girl of her age.
”

Frederica stared back at him.

“
But, Mr. Lestrode,
”
she protested—and she meant to make her protest quite strong and forceful,
“
my mother and sister don
’
t have to live down here, and they can always return to London. As a matter of fact, their landlady hasn
’
t yet let their flat. I telephoned her about it only yesterday!
”

“
Oh!
”
Lestrode exclaimed, and he sounded rather cold and bleak.
“
You want to get rid of your mother and sister, do you?
”

“
Oh, n-no, of course not.
”
She was aghast that he should think so—although it was of course partially true. But she was really alarmed by the thought of Electra and Rosaleen, with their strange set of values, staying on in Little Corsham.
“
It
’
s just that—
”

“
You begrudge them a little comfort.
”
His voice was crisp.
“
Lucille has fitted you up very comfortably here, but you don
’
t want your family to have the same standard of comfort.
”

“
Oh, but that isn
’
t true!
”
she protested. And then, while his strange eyes studied her with a kind of open contempt and the coolest criticism she had ever encountered in her life, she decided to make her true reasons abundantly clear.
“
As a matter of fact,
”
she told him, in a voice that was suddenly very firm and determined, while her small chin jutted in the air,
“
I don
’
t think either my mother or sister fully realise that they have absolutely no right here
...
and you are putting yourself out to spare their feelings and settle them down somewhere. They
’
ve fastened on you—battened on you—and you
’
re even encouraging them to believe that you
’
ll pay for them to stay at the Bull.
”

“
So I will,
”
he replied impatiently.
“
As a matter of fact, I
’
ve already arranged matters with the landlord.
”

“
Then in that case, I shall refuse to accept any salary from you, Mr. Lestrode,
”
she told him, drawing herself up to her full but inadequate height as she stood in front of him.
“
I won
’
t accept any salary so long as they stay at the Bull.
”

Humphrey Lestrode helped himself to a cigarette from a silver box on the desk in front of him, tapped it on the back of his hand and smiled at her unexpectedly, and rather whimsically.

“
Have you any idea what the Bull charges for full board and residence?
”
he enquired, lighting his cigarette.

She shook her head.

“
I don
’
t stay in hotels,
”
she told him huskily.
“
I simply can
’
t afford them!
”

He directed a puff of smoke in her direction, and smiled quizzically through it at her and her concerned face.

“
By comparison with most hotels the Black Bull
’
s charges are fairly reasonable,
”
he told her,
“
but even so they are not all that reasonable. If you
’
re going to decline to accept anything in the nature of a wage from me so long as Mrs. Wells and the fair Rosaleen remain there on a diet of three meals a day, with private bath thrown in, you
’
d better agree with me that the Dower House is an ideal place for them, and show some sort of eagerness to help get the place ready for them
...
otherwise you
’
re going to be rather sadly out of pocket. And I don
’
t like being driven about by a resentful chauffeuse who is getting nothing at all for the pleasure of driving me.
”
Frederica felt cornered, but she still had plenty of arguments left. She also decided to be quite truthful.

“
My mother and sister have no right to expect anything from you, Mr. Lestrode, but they will take everything you
’
re willing to provide them with
...
if you
’
ll let them!
”
Her face had flushed painfully.
“
It
’
s not that they
’
re immoral, or anything like that, but my mother has always had money, and now that she hasn
’
t got any she can
’
t do without it.
”
It was a trifle involved, but she gathered that he followed her reasoning.
“
As for Rosaleen, she ought to have had a job long ago, but my mother spoils her. She just won
’
t hear of it!
”

He was smoking his cigarette in a very placid manner, and leaning back in his chair. His eyes twinkled.

“
And why should she?
”
he demanded.
“
Your sister Rosaleen is the most beautiful thing I
’
ve seen for a long time, and your mother plans to marry her off—well, and as soon as she can! You can
’
t blame her if she doesn
’
t want her principal asset at the moment spoiled by rough usage.
”

“
You mean work?
”
Frederica enquired briefly.

“
Yes, Fred.
”
He leaned towards her across the desk, and unnoticed by him she winced—there was such a vast deal of difference between being known simply as
“
Fred
”
and
“
Fair Rosaleen
”
. Apart from that she hadn
’
t any real objection to being called Fred.
“
Now, you
’
re a very different cup of tea altogether. I
’
ll admit that when I first saw you I thought you were the most ridiculously inadequate person I
’
d ever seen, and I simply couldn
’
t imagine you being of very much use to anyone. You look fragile, and you lack inches, but I
’
ve discovered that you
’
re pretty tenacious, and that
’
s a good thing. No doubt your mother found that she could depend on you to be the breadwinner—or a partial breadwinner—and she wouldn
’
t want to lose you in the matrimonial stakes. For one thing, you probably wouldn
’
t carry off the sort of prize that Rosaleen almost certainly can and will—
”