The Dark Stranger (24 page)

“
Have you been upsetting her again?
”
he asked Belle when they were alone.

Belle laughed, stuffing candied fruit into her mouth with greedy pleasure.

“
I assure you I really don
’
t go round trying to upset your ewe-lamb,
”
she said.
“
What makes you
think
you
’
re out of favor?
”

“
I thought her manner was a little unnatural. Probably my imagination.
”

“
Well
—”
Belle made a careful selection from the box.
“
If you really want to know I think she was a wee bit disappointed with your present.
”

“
My present?
”
He had taken a great deal of trouble to find the right thing for Tina.
“
I thought it was rather charming.
”

“
Oh, darling, of course, and so suitable, but you know what young girls are. I think she thought that seed pearls were rather a stingy choice. She didn
’
t actually say so, of course, but she wasn
’
t exactly cordial with her
than
k you
was she?
”

“
I see,
”
he said, his jaw tightening, and went out of the room.

II

Tina did not much enjoy the party. Aware of the watchful eyes of the women following her every movement, she was shy and self-conscious, and Craig introducing her a dozen times over seemed un
a
ware of her little bids for his approval. Only when the tree was lighted and the children forgot their own awkwardness to exclaim with pleasure, could she relax in enjoyment, and like a
c
hild
herself, cry out with delight, and linking hands with the children, sing the carols of long
familiarity.

E
ating and drinking loosened everyone
’
s tongues and Tina, as she waited on them all, forgot to be shy and did not know that they looked on her with approval and thought her a proper little maid with pretty ways and modest, too, for a foreigner. She stood beside Craig to wish them good-bye while the foreman made a speech of thanks and a roar of laughter went up when a little man with a crippled leg pointed above their heads and shouted:
“
Look where
’
n standing!
”

Tina looked up. Over their heads hung a great bunch of mistletoe suspended from a chandelier that was never used, and the cry went up at once:

“
Kiss
‘
er, sir
...
kiss
‘
er, maister
...”

Tina was aware of Craig
’
s hostility beside her. All the afternoon she had been conscious of change in him, a polite remoteness which now had become something more and she knew in one agonized moment that he did not want to kiss her. It was only an infinitesimal pause, but just that much too long, and she was conscious of all their eyes, watching, criticizing, waiting for the moment of her humiliation. And in that moment, Craig put a conventional arm about her shoulders and kissed her briefly on the lips.

Aware of her flaming cheeks, Tina shook hands, kissed children, avoiding Craig
’
s eyes and trying hard to push her humiliation away. They must all know now that he did not care for her, that this was just another Pentreath marriage planned for reasons which had little to do with affection. Would they say, as no doubt they had said of Craig
’
s father:
“
Thinks to better himself, doubtless,
”
or would they simply say he had been saddled with the Linden women and it was best to marry one of them and have done with it?

At last they were all gone. Craig was still at the gates talking to the stragglers, Belle had gone upstairs to have a bath before dinner, and Tina turned to Brownie already picking up paper hats and cracker cases from the floor.

“
Brownie, it was awful,
”
she said tragically.
“
They didn
’
t like me, did they?
”

Brownie straightened her bent back and looked at the girl sharply.

“
What nonsense are
you
talking?
”
she asked with a smile.
“
They liked you fine, and I
’
ll say this for you, Tina, you
’
re a good little worker, and modest and natural with no side to you. You
’
ll do all right at Tremawvan.
”
She put up a hand and touched the flushed face gently.
“
You
’
re tired,
”
she said.
“
Go and rest in the living-room. There
’
s no one there.
”

“
No, I
’
ll help you,
”
Tina said, stooping to pick up a discarded rattle, but Brownie knocked it out of her hand.

“
You
’
ll do as you
’
re told for once, miss,
”
she said crossly.
“
The maids will clear this in the morning, anyway. Now be off with you.
”

Craig came back into the house as Tina obeyed, and Brownie looked him over sourly.

“
Better take that young lady of yours a glass of sherry,
”
she advised.
“
She
’
s nigh on tears if I
’
m not much mistaken.
”

Tina did not want to see him. Brownie would probably have told her that she was exaggerating his reluctance under the mistletoe, but Brownie had not seen her making a fool of him on the stairs, putting him in a position for Belle to jeer at, or for the servants and anyone else to see.

He came into the room carrying a silver tray with decanter and glasses and set it on a table near the fire.

“
Brownie says you
’
re in need of this,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m afraid you
’
ve found the day rather tiring.
”

He gave her a glass of sherry and poured one for himself.

“
A happy Christmas,
”
he said, raising his glass to her.
“
A little late, perhaps, but the morning seemed occupied with other things.
”

Over the rim of his glass he watched her sitting on a low stool by the fire. The color still stained her cheeks, but whether, as Brownie had suggested, tears were not far away, he was unable to judge for she kept her face averted and her eyes cast down.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
he said after a silence,
“
if you were upset by that ridiculous affair of the mistletoe. Had I realized the obvious foolery it must lead to we would have moved out of range.
”

She looked at him then and her eyes were bright with the tears he had not been able to see before but her hurt had chang
e
d to anger since that unhappy moment of humiliation.

“
Why should I be upset?
”
she asked.
“
It was you who made such a—such a business of it.
”

“
Is that what you thought?
”

“
As if,
”
said Tina, disrega
r
ding him,
“
there was anything unusual about a kiss under the mistletoe. Everybody does it. It doesn
’
t mean a thing.
”

“
Exactly,
”
he replied gravely.
“
It doesn
’
t mean a thing.
”

She drank her sherry too fast and choked.

“
It wasn
’
t as though,
”
she said, her eyes watering,
“
anybody knew you hadn
’
t kissed me before.
”

He took the empty glass from her and put it down then took out his handkerchief to wipe her lashes.

“
Do you feel that was remiss?
”
he asked and she shook her head.

“
No. Our engagement isn
’
t like other people
’
s.
”

“
No, it isn
’
t, is it?
”
he said rather wearily and his eyes fell on the necklace he had given her that morning. Against her fair skin it lay lightly, delicately like a cobweb of lace.

“
I
’
m afraid my present disappointed you,
”
he said bleakly.
“
Had I known you wanted something more dashing I wouldn
’
t have bought it.
”

Her fingers touched the pearls with loving jealousy, and her earlier hurt was forgotten in this puzzling misconception.

“
But I love it,
”
she said, surprised.
“
I
’
m afraid my
thanks were rather inadequate at the time, but
—”

“
But you thought, for all that, I might have found something a little more handsome.
”

“
Do you mean the price?
”
she asked, remembering the Pentreaths
’
commercial standards.

“
Oh, the price wasn
’
t so meagre, though you might not think so to look at it. I didn
’
t think you
’
d learnt to value gifts by what they cost.
”

She sprang to her feet, all pleasure in her necklace gone.
“
You
’
re very alike, you and Belle, after all,
”
she said.
“
Perhaps it
’
s a Pentreath habit to hurt and taunt, but I don
’
t like it. If you want to know, I would have been just as pleased with a sixpenny string from Woolworths because you gave it to me, but I don
’
t suppose you
’
ll believe that because you
’
ve never been poor.
”

Before he could speak she had darted out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

It was almost a quarrel, thought Tina afterwards, the first she had ever had with Craig and no criterion of anything that mattered, for only lovers quarrelled, lovers and of course the Pentreaths, who took pleasure in wounding each other because to none of them did it amount to importance.

After dinner Craig went to his study.

“
Will you come and say good night to me on your way to bed?
”
he asked Tina.

She did not want to see him alone again today but in Belle
’
s and Brownie
’
s hearing she could scarcely refuse. The evening seemed long and depressing. Brownie was inclined to snap and Belle yawned on the sofa and declined to waste her time in small talk. At a quarter to ten, Tina said good night and went to Craig
’
s study without enthusiasm.

He was sitting by the fire reading and when he saw her he shut his book and put out an inviting hand.

“
Hullo!
”
he said.
“
I wasn
’
t sure if you
’
d sneak up to bed without coming, after all.
”

She crossed the room slowly and stood by his chair looking down at him. She thought he looked tired and he unexpectedly felt for her hand since she did not take the one he offered her.

“
Are you still angry with me?
”
he asked.
“
You always surprise me, you know, when you stand up in your wrath and smite me. You
’
re such a gentle person.
”

The charming smile was there, transforming his face, and she could only remember him as she loved him, easy to talk to, the dark stranger of her fortune.

She smiled a little uncertainly and his face was suddenly grave.

“
I believe I owe you an apology,
”
he said.
“
I was ungracious over the matter of my present. I should have known better than to throw the cost of anything at someone like you.
”

“
Why did you?
”
she asked.

“
Something Belle said. She had the impression that you were disappointed.
”

“
Belle!
”
She laughed with relief.
“
You must have misunderstood her. Why, it was Belle herself who said seed pearls made her think of aged aunts and cameos and antimacassars. Brownie could have told you. She was there.
”

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
he said,
“
I should have known. Am I forgiven, Tina?
”

“
Of course. I still haven
’
t thanked you properly because with Belle watching I felt kind of awkward. But, Craig, I do think it
’
s a most lovely piece of work and I—I
’
m very flattered that you thought it would suit me.
”