Heart Specialist (15 page)

“
You flew?
”

“
Of course. We experienced travelers would never dream of doing anything else!
”

They both laughed. And then Jane, who had been concerned to see that ready moisture brimming in Valentine
’
s rather over
-
bright eyes, peered more intently into her face and decided that the suggestion of unusual tension had gone out of it. She felt relieved.

“
Well, how does it feel to be a rich woman, darling? You
’
ve got to tell me
all
about it, you know!
”

“
Of course.
”
But Valentine was examining the tray Martine had left on an occasional table.
“
Sandwiches and coffee! How sweet of Martine! Was she surprised to see you when you arrived? Did she get you a meal?
”

“
Yes, the most exquisitely perfect meal I
’
ve had for a long time. A tou
rn
edos I
’
m not likely to forget for a
very
long time, a
soufflé
that seemed to me to be composed of feathers and cream and some wonderful flavoring, and, of course, coffee.
How
lucky you are to have someone like her to look after you!
”

“
Yes, she
’
s a marvelous cook, and Miss Constantia was very fond of her. She left her a very generous legacy—in fact, Miss Constantia was almost unbelievably generous.
”

“
I
’
ve rather gathered that, my dear,
”
Jane smiled at her.
“
You, for instance!
”

“
Yes.
”
Valentine looked down at her hands.
“
It was almost a shock, you know—discovering that I was a beneficiary under the terms of her will. You don
’
t know all about those terms yet, but you will soon. But I
’
d rather not talk about them tonight, if you don
’
t mind.
”

“
Of course not, if that
’
s the way you feel.
”
Jane was pouring out the coffee and behaving rather more as if she was the hostess and the younger girl the guest, for no sooner had the subject of her legacy started to be discussed than that queer look of distress had stolen back into Valentine
’
s face, and the much more experienced Jane was certain the evening had been an unusual one for her.
“
You look a bit tired, and I think you ought to go to bed. Tomorrow we can have a really woman-to
-
woman natter!
”

Valentine smiled rather wanly.

“
You
telling me that
I
look a bit tired, when
you
’
re
the one who
’
s had the long journey! Even if you do fly, there are always trains and taxis and things that wear you out. I
’
ve merely been to a very well organized dinner party.
”

“
Well, let
’
s say it was so very well organized that the efficiency of the hostess overpowered you a little! And possibly some of the guests wore you down, too!
”

“
The hostess was very nice, but I
’
m not yet used to very smart dinner parties. And
...
Jane!
”

“
Yes, darling?
”
She was hunting through the pockets of her dressing gown for cigarettes, and when Valentine indicated that there were some on the table, admitted that she was becoming far too heavy a smoker, and would have to cut down.

“
As you know, I
’
ve never been a very smart person myself, and I
’
ve never been in a position to mingle with smart friends, but on the whole I think
I
prefer the other variety.
Fashionable
people think differently and react differently from us common folk. They have a different set of values altogether, and their lives are spent in such a rarefied atmosphere that I think I
’
d find it difficult to breathe there all the time.
”

“
Would you, poppet?
”
Jane
’
s eyes dwelt on her thoughtfully.
“
One has to get acclimatized, you know, and in Rome it
’
s customary to do as the Romans do. In
Paris
I
imagine life can be very gay, and one has to become attuned to gaiety.
”

“
I wasn
’
t thinking of gaiety so much as
...
just a general way of life.
”

“
And one particular person? The way she—or he— seems to exist on an entirely different plane?
”

“
Yes, that
’
s it. At least, I
...
no, I wasn
’
t thinking of one particular person!
”
And to disprove this she blushed almost painfully.
“
Oh, Jane, I do wish I
’
d been here when you arrived. Why did
I
have to be out tonight of all nights?
”

“
Never mind, darling.
”
Jane stood up with the intention of seeing her to bed personally if necessary.
“
I
’
ve arrived, and that, to me, is the important thing. We
’
ve heaps of time to talk, and there
’
s heaps of time for you to make up for the lack of an official welcome. Now
...!
Off
to bed!
”

The following morning
they started to talk in earnest, and sharing a breakfast tray in Jane
’
s room, Valentine imparted full information about the somewhat peculiar terms of Miss Constantia
’
s will.

Jane looked slightly dumbfounded.

“
You mean to tell me that if you
don’t
marry before a year is up you lose everything? But that doesn
’
t sound reasonable to me!
”

“
I still get the contents of Miss Constantia
’
s jewel box.
And of course, Fifi!
”
She lifted the poodle onto her lap and allowed it to polish off a
corner
of buttered croissant.

Jane surveyed Fifi as if she considered her a dubious asset and then lit her second cigarette of the day with the butt end of her first.

“
Let
’
s have a look at the jewel box,
”
she said.
“
Or don
’
t you keep it handy? Is it in the bank?
”

“
It should be,
”
Valentine admitted.
“
And as a matter of fact, Dr. Daudet particularly mentioned it the other day and asked whether it was in the bank.
”

“
And who is Dr. Daudet?
”

Valentine freed Fifi
⁷
s elegant front left paw of a small deposit of marmalade, and without looking up she answered,
“
He was Miss Constantia
’
s doctor.
”

“
Fussy and dark, with a pointed beard and a flow of French that would be quite impossible to reply to if your French was as limited as mine?
”
Jane asked.

But Valentine shook her head.

“
He
’
s dark,
”
she said. And that was all she permitted herself to say about the doctor
’
s appearance.
“
Miss Constantia remembered him in her will, and as a matter of fact, it is he who will benefit and collect the remains of my legacy if I don
’
t marry—as of course I won
’
t—before the year is out.
”

Jane looked as if all this was considerably beyond her, and at the same time there was an odd expression on Valentine
’
s face as she kept her eyes determinedly lowered that intrigued her.

“
Let
’
s have another cup of that dreamlike coffee,
”
she requested, holding out her cup,
“
and then let
’
s have a look at the jewel box!
”

It was the first time Valentine had really examined the contents of the velvet-lined jewel box. There were a number of other cases inside the main container, and when opened in turn they drew forth gasps from the two girls. All the settings were out of date, and some of the stones needed polishing, even recutting, but there could be no doubt of the quality of these various items of truly feminine adornment.

Jane put away a watch surrounded by brilliants and intended to be fastened to the front of a dress, and Valentine closed down the lids of each of the smaller cases before she finally restored them to the jewel box. A
n
d then Jane said with much meaning in her voice,
“
Well, that
’
s certainly something. Even if you don
’
t fulfill the terms of the legacy, that little lot will prevent you from starving for quite a time! How in the world did you manage to pick such an employer?
”

Valentine answered seriously,
“
I don
’
t know. But
I
do know that
I
would have liked to have kept her for a little longer.
”

Jane smiled at her and patted her hand.

“
You
’
re sweet, Val, and I
’
m quite sure Miss Constantia thought you were
very
sweet, and that
’
s why she left you so much. But what have you done since you came into all this money? Have you spent any of it?
”

“
On food and things, and on running the apartment, of course.
”

“
But no riotous spending as yet?
”

Valentine looked at her with rather grave eyes.

“
I don
’
t think I want to do any riotous spending.
”
She couldn
’
t tell Jane that she had promised to hand over her legacy in as undepleted a condition as possible when the time came, so she added by way of explanation,
“
I was never very keen on wild bursts of spending and I
’
ve plenty of clothes.
”

“
Rubbish!
”
Jane exclaimed.
“
Absolute rubbish!
”
She slipped out of bed and slid into her dressing gown.
“
It
’
s a good thing for you your Auntie Jane arrived when she did, because you
’
re taking all this in far too composed a manner for a young woman of your age. Now, I
’
ll tell you what we
’
re going to do. I didn
’
t have a holiday this year, so I saved the money instead and I plan to blow it in the Paris shops. Oh, I don
’
t suppose I
’
ll get much for my money—at least I
’
ll get value, but I won
’
t get quantity—but we
’
ll have a wonderful time seeing how far we can make it go, and you, my poppet
,
will spend some of your money. Quite a bit! To begin with we
’
ll each have a striking new hairdo and a facial—or you can cut out the facial if you like, because you don
’
t really need it. But
I
most certainly need it!
”
She gazed at herself in the mirror, disliking the look of what she saw.
“
If you
’
d ever spent long hours beneath the lights in an accountant
’
s office, you
’
d know why I look as I do.
”