A Garland of Marigolds (14 page)

“
I? No, dear. How could I? I wasn
’
t even playing. And anyway, it
’
s a pony, not a horse.
”

Camilla cast her outraged glance on me.

“
But
he
tripped Gideon up!
”

“
It doesn
’
t matter, dear,
”
I said hastily.
“
Not now!
”

“
But—
”
she began.

“
But really there
’
s nothing to say,
”
I said firmly.
“
No one can make up Gideon
’
s mind for him. Not even you!
”

Mrs. Burnett looked sad and worried.

“
I
’
m sure my husband meant it for the best,
”
she said humbly.
“
He gets so worried about Julie, too. You do understand, don
’
t you?
”

I felt rather sickened by the whole affair.

“
It doesn
’
t matter,
”
I assured her in stifled tones.
“
Perhaps you will excuse us if we go back to Gideon now?
”

Her eyes narrowed and she gave me a look of hatred that was so like her daughter that I gasped.

“
I suppose you
’
re after him yourself!
”
she snapped.

I eyed her helplessly. But Camilla had none of my reservations.
“
Suki wouldn
’
t be so vulgar,
”
she remarked with touching dignity.
“
Would you, Suki?
”

I muttered something that could have been either yes or no, took one last despairing look around the too upholstered room, and fled down the passage to Gideon
’
s bedroom. I rushed into his room without knocking. I felt stifled and dirtied by the scented air of the Burnetts and the kind of life they were trying to keep alive.
“
Oh, Gideon!
”
I gulped.

He was very nice about it. He held both my hands reassuringly and the mocking look went out of his eyes.

“
Well, well,
”
he said.
“
How very flattering! I gather your reactions to our hostess are exactly the same as Camilla
’
s!
”

I bit my lip.
“
It isn
’
t that I don
’
t like them,
”
I hedged.
“
No?
”

“
And it isn
’
t Julie
’
s fault, is it?
”
I went on with determined objectivity.

Gideon lost his smile and became serious for a while.
“
That
’
s the way I look at it,
”
he said.
“
What chance has she had? Imagine being cooped up in this museum.
”

Considering that I agreed with him, I wondered why I should resent his interest in Julie so much. I pulled my hands free and sighed.

“
Does that mean you
’
re going to stay for a while?
”
I asked casually.

He gave me a lopsided grin.

“
Not exactly. I have a job to do and I reckon I shall be able to do most of it on crutches—somehow. No, I thought perhaps we could have Julie over more often. She might like to come and stay for a spell. She could share the same house as you and Camilla.
”

“
I suppose she could,
”
I agreed gloomily.

“
It wouldn
’
t be for long, necessarily,
”
he coaxed me.

I smiled deliberately and said with forced cheerfulness,
“
It won
’
t matter to me anyhow! I shall be far too busy building my dam!
”

“
Oh?
”
he asked cautiously.

“
It
’
s all settled,
”
I went on, the words tumbling over themselves.
“
I explained it all to the old men of the village and they were quite pleased!
”

“
Indeed?
”

I remembered belatedly that his permission was still required.
“
You do approve, don
’
t you?
”
I asked him anxiously.

“
I don
’
t know,
”
he replied dryly.
“
You
’
ll have to tell me about it.
”

“
Yes, I will,
”
I assured him.
“
It won
’
t cost very much at all. I really think you
’
ll like the idea.
”

“
Possibly,
”
he said with complete lack of interest.
“
But in the meantime I want nothing so much as to go home.
”

With compassion I noticed the worn look on his face. We were all so interested in our own affairs that we hardly had time to fully realize that he was the one who was badly hurt.

“
I
’
m sorry, Gideon.
”

He smiled.
“
I know you are. You
’
re a soft-hearted creature.
”
He began to struggle off the bed.

“
I think I
’
d better get some help,
”
I suggested.

He nodded, concentrating hard on the sheer physical effort of gaining his balance.

“
Get Camilla,
”
he bade me.
“
And if you can, get the jeep around to the nearest door.
”

Camilla came running when I called her. She helped her brother across the room and toward the door that I had first come in by.

“
I thought Julie was with you,
”
she half-accused him. He leaned a little more heavily on her shoulder.

“
To tell the truth I was in pain and wanted to be alone for a while,
”
he told her.
“
She
’
ll be along to say good-bye.
”

Mrs. Burnett came, too, to wave good-bye to her parting guests. She put a possessive arm around her daughter
’
s shoulders and hugged her close.

“
It
’
s been such fun having your friends for the day,
”
she said brightly.
“
I do hope that poor boy is going to be all right, jolting over these rough roads. You must drive extra carefully, Miss King!
”

It was quite a business getting Gideon installed in the jeep. Fortunately the front seat gave him plenty of room for his leg to stick out in front of him and there were a number of cushions that could be used as props. I looked at his ashen face with some anxiety, noticing afresh the lines of pain and his shadowed eyes that his determined smile was not really covering up.

“
The sooner we go the better,
”
I said to Camilla. She got into the back after shaking hands prettily with Mrs. Burnett. Julie she just ignored, and I was in two minds as to whether I ought to press her to at least say good-bye. But I need not have worried because
Julie
was not thinking of Camilla at all. Just as I was on the point of letting in the clutch, she made a rush at Gideon, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him warmly.

“
I
’
ll be over first thing in the morning,
”
she whispered to him.
“
It won
’
t be so very long to wait, will it?
”

I couldn
’
t help noticing that he kissed her back.

“
I
’
ll be waiting for you, chicken,
”
he said.

Julie flushed with pleasure and triumph and graciously nodded her head to me.

“
Be very careful with him, Susan. He means a great deal to me!
”
As if we hadn
’
t all been made aware of that! I didn
’
t say a word.

“
Did you hear that?
”
Camilla demanded in exasperated tones.

Gideon sat well back in his seat and closed his eyes.

“
My, my,
”
he said,
“
how you girls do carry on!
”
And I wondered if he meant Camilla and me or Julie Burnett. But somehow it seemed too much to hope that he meant the latter.

Gideon remained unbearable for the rest of the day. He lay in his bed and demanded that everybody pay him a visit at frequent intervals throughout the evening. My turn came just as I was putting the finishing touches to my latest drawing of the dam I was going to build. I threw down my pencil, feeling thoroughly cross, and went across to the main house and his bedroom.

“
I think you
’
re having far too many visitors!
”
I greeted him.

He scowled at me through the gloom from the inadequate lamp.
“
Is that possible? For heaven
’
s sake, woman, stop staring at me and do something to make me a little more comfortable!
”

I humped up his pillows and tried to straighten out the worst of the creases in his sheets.

“
Why don
’
t you give in and try to get some sleep?
”

He snorted impatiently.
“
Does that mean you
’
re ready for bed?
”
he demanded.

I smothered a yawn.
“
Not at all,
”
I said very politely.
“
If you like, I
’
m quite prepared to entertain you for the greater part of the night.
”

He gave me a suspicious look and was only partly mollified by the innocent expression on my face.

“
I suppose you
’
d better tell me about this dam of yours,
”
he bribed me. I fell for the suggestion, hook, line and sinker. He grinned at me amiably.
“
Suppose you show me the drawings,
”
he suggested.

I eyed the black smudges under his eyes with some misgiving, but I went and got the drawings all the same. My enthusiasm for the project bubbled up inside me and I was doubly annoyed that I hadn
’
t been able to finish the drawings properly.

Gideon snatched the sheaf of papers from me and spread them out on the bed. I tried to explain the main points to him, but he brushed away my explanations preferring to see the thing as a whole for himself.

“
Are you planning to line the reservoirs?
”
he asked.

I hesitated.
“
I
’
m not sure. Some of the surrounding soil is clay.
”

“
But it will lead to seepage?
”