The Marriage Wheel (13 page)

“
Ah!
”
Lestrode exclaimed.

They were standing in the middle of the empty drawing-room, and the warm gold of afternoon was seeping gently through the windows and lying in molten splashes on the floor. There was a kind of desolation in the atmosphere, a gentle melancholy, but Frederica was hardly aware of it. She saw the room as it must once have been, with festoons of curtains at the graceful windows and a thick carpet on the floor—furniture gleaming with polish. She even saw it as it could be, after the expenditure of a great deal of money
...
and she knew that if she had the choice she would prefer to live here rather than at the Hall, which for all its charms would never be as homelike as the Dower House could be.

It was a house with possibilities
...
wonderful possibilities. She shut her eyes and then opened them to see the motes dancing in the beams of sunlight, and like a bright spectrum the room came to life. She sighed without quite realising what she was doing.

“
I
’
d like to live here,
”
she said.

“
Ah!
”
Humphrey Lestrode exclaimed again.

She turned and disappeared into the conservatory, and Lestrode followed her.

“
You know,
”
he confessed,
“
I
’
ve been bitten by a notion—I think
I’d
like to live here one of these days. But if I did that I
’
d have to find a tenant for the Hall, and that might be difficult ... or else I
’
d have to sell it.
”

“
Why should you sell it?
”
Frederica demanded, fingering the withered remains of a palm in a brass pot.

“
For no particular reason, except, as I say, that I
’
ve been attacked by a whim. And I
’
m the sort of person who occasionally yields to whims.
”

It seemed to Frederica that she could actually smell the scent of cigar smoke as the gentlemen returned to the drawing-room after dinner, and the ladies were grouped around the piano. Of course, there ought to be a piano. She returned to the drawing-room to decide exactly where it should stand.

Ah, yes
...
Her eyes narrowed again. Over there, by the big window
...
and in winter-time, velvet curtains. Velvet curtains would be an absolute necessity where firelight leapt on smooth white panelled walls.

Her employer came close to her and stood beside her.

“
Ghosts?
”
he enquired, with a tiny smile on his lips as he studied the way the hair bent inwards on the delicate nape of her neck.
“
Are you seeing them as well as me?
”

She turned to him eagerly.

“
Do
you
see them, Mr. Lestrode?
”
Her eyes were gleaming with excitement, and her lips were softly parted.
“
The men and the women who have lived their lives and come and gone in this house that is now so very lonely and neglected? One has a feeling of happiness here—of quiet contentment! It
could
be an enchanting house. And upstairs there are such a lot of rooms that are not too vast it would be adorable for children! Did you notice that old rocking-chair in the night-nursery? It must have been there for ages!
”

“
It has.
”

“
You mean it was there when you bought the place?
”

“
Long before I even saw the place
...
and I only saw it after I
’
d decided to buy the Hall.
”
There was an extraordinary—quite an unusual—expression in his eyes as he surveyed her.
“
So you
’
re fond of children, are you?
”

“
Aren
’
t you?
”

“
Up to a point, yes, but I don
’
t go about dreaming of them, or visualising nurseries full of them, as apparently you do.
”
It could have been by accident that his hand alighted on her shoulder.
“
One day you
’
re going to be a great little home-maker, Fred.
”
She stiffened.

“
It was agreed that you
’
d call me Wells.
”

“
Young ladies called Wells don
’
t strike me as ideal home-makers. However, if you
’
d prefer it, Wells
...
we
’
ll decide that we
’
ve seen enough of this place for one day and go home!
”

She felt as if she had come down to earth with a thud.

“
I
’
m glad you brought me here,
”
she said stiffly,
“
but I don
’
t think you can do much with it.
”

“
And you certainly don
’
t see the fair Rosaleen enacting the part of hostess here? Peeping in and out of the nurseries and receiving the gentlemen in the drawing-room after dinner?
”

She shook her head obstinately.

“
No.
”

“
A pity,
”
Lestrode murmured almost lazily, as he followed her from the room,
“
because I do. I think she
’
d fit in here even better than she
’
d fit in at the Hall, and I
’
m going to bring her over some time and see what she herself thinks. As for your mother, I agree this place is not exactly her cup of tea—but then she
’
s so young and attractive she
’
ll probably marry again one day, when she
’
s got you two girls off her hands, and it would be presumptuous to make plans for her. But Rosaleen is a different matter.
”

Frederica glanced at him quickly to discover whether or not he was being serious, and for the life of her she was unable to make up her mind. He was frowning a little, as if he was actually doing mental calculations, but the tiny smile was still clinging about his handsome masculine mouth. It was a somewhat baffling smile.

She felt a sudden, really quite extraordinary sensation like dismay
...
and then she hurried out of the house ahead of him. He closed the door and pocketed the key, and they walked down the drive side by side to the open pair of dilapidated white
-
painted gates.

The brightness of the afternoon had passed, and it actually appeared to be threatening rain. As they passed beneath the spreading leaves of the trees they heard light drops of rain drumming against them.

Lestrode entered the car silently, and Frederica slid behind the wheel. The man
’
s voice directed curtly from behind her.

“
Second on the left, and then right, and we
’
ll be back on the main road. And after that home,
”
he said in a clipped and rather distant voice.

“
Yes, sir,
”
Frederica answered.

CHAPTER
SIX

It was t
he very next day that near-disaster overtook Frederica, and she felt afterwards that her employer
’
s attitude towards her was in no wise improved, and that the danger of her being given the sack at any moment had drawn appreciably nearer.

Following upon the incident she was quite certain that it was only the indisputable fact that her mother and sister would be affected if she had to pack her bags and depart from Farthing Hall that prevented the situation getting out of hand.

She was driving Lestrode along a secondary road en route for a nearby town when the car swerved violently, there was a loud explosion, she had some difficulty in keeping the car firmly adhered to the surface over which it was travelling, but succeeded nevertheless, and then realised that they had sustained a puncture. At first her relief was so great that they had not overturned, or at the very least skidded into the bank, that she sat gasping with it when they came to a standstill, but Lestrode was anything but thankful.

He barked furiously from close beside her ear.
“
And just because I
’
m in a hurry, too! I suppose you know how to change a wheel?
”

“
Yes, I—I can manage,
”
she said, scrambling out from her driving-seat. And she added,
“
I think!
”

Lestrode also alighted, but all he did was inspect the marks that had been caused by the skid on the slightly damp surface of the road.

“
Well, at least you managed to hold her,
”
he said.
“
We can be thankful you weren
’
t attempting one of your ambitious bursts of speeding!
”

Frederica glared at him resentfully. She hardly ever attempted any bursts of speeding—certainly not when she was driving her employer, who appeared to be unnerved by the thought of speed while she was in charge of one of his cars—and she knew that she drove both moderately and well while he was a passenger. And she did think he might help her to jack up the wheel instead of prowling like
an
agitated tiger.

She was down on her knees in the road when he withdrew his cigarette-case from his pocket and lighted a cigarette. He was frowning at the scenery and taking no notice of her, and she thought with rather unreasonable indignation considering she was paid to do the job that if it had been Rosaleen to whom this misfortune had occurred he would undoubtedly—whether he paid her or not—have lent a hand and prevented her smashing her nails in the process of doing a mechanic
’
s job.

But as it was he said nothing, only smoked impatiently and occasionally glanced at his watch. The minutes passed, and she seemed to be making little or no progress. She had the greatest possible difficulty unscrewing the cap of the wheel, and perhaps because she was nervous everything she attempted defied her to make a simple and neat job of it. She perspired freely, and her face felt hot and was probably scarlet, she thought, long before she had the first wheel off. She was off-loading the second one into the road and praying that no other traffic would come along and someone who might be interested witness her struggling while her employer lounged at the side of the road, and appeared quite unaware of her efforts, when a car did approach them from the direction of Farthing Hall, and, as if galvanised into action, Humphrey Lestrode cast his half-smoked cigarette into the hedge and swore very distinctly as he approached her.

“
Get up off your knees and stop laddering those stockings while I take over,
”
he ordered. He surveyed her almost venomously while he grabbed the wheel from her.
“
There
’
s a smut on your nose and another great smear of grease on your cheek. Get rid of them,
”
he added to his instructions in a furious undertone while the approaching car looked as if it intended to slow when it drew near to them, and the driver already had his head out of the window as if about to make some enquiry before deciding they were in no serious difficulty and proceeding on his way.

Frederica added to the decoration on her cheek by attempting to wipe it off with an oily rag before the other car drew level.

“
I can manage!
”
she insisted stubbornly.

“
Get into the car!
”

“
But it
’
s my job!
”

“
Get—into the car,
”
he repeated between his teeth, bent to his task, and the interested sightseer went on his way under the firm impression that the lady passenger had been simply offering her help, and the man in charge of the big, sleek Daimler had firmly and rightly rejected it.

Frederica had several minutes in which to repair the ravages to her complexion, and by the time her employer put his head in at her window and announced curtly that they were ready to proceed once more her still very flushed cheeks were smooth and powdered, and she had even managed to remove the marks of the road from her grey silk skirt. She looked trim but vulnerable, extremely feminine and very much afraid that the end of the world was near at hand. Lestrode, opening his mouth to say something further and very much to the point, closed it again as if it was a steel trap, and climbed into the back of the car, slamming the door behind him.

“
Well, now that we
’
ve wasted so much time see if you can get us to our destination without landing us in a ditch,
”
he said, his tone so ungracious that it was hardly a comfort
...
but at least the moment of acute danger seemed passed.

He was visiting his solicitor in Greater Corsham, and she managed to deliver him at the door of the legal chambers without becoming involved in any further incidents, and afterwards parked the car in the local car-park, and then did a small amount of shopping on her own behalf. She had already earmarked a small, attractive-looking cafe as a place where she might buy herself some lunch when the moment arrived, as they were not returning to Farthing Hall until the afternoon, but in the meantime she had arranged to meet her employer outside the George at twelve-thirty. Why he had arranged to meet her there she had no idea, and it certainly never entered her head that he proposed to stand her lunch. But that was precisely what he did intend, and when she stood gaping up at him in open surprise he actually smiled unwillingly.

“
What in the world do you take me for?
”
he demanded.
“
And what sort of category have you placed yourself in simply because you work for me? If I can take your mother and sister to lunch surely I can take you?
”

And although it didn
’
t sound exactly complimentary she followed him gratefully into the dim interior of the hostelry, and because it was a very warm day was glad of a long drink with some ice in it before he suggested that she went and washed her hands before joining him again in the famous centuries-old dining-room, where he had already reserved a table for two.

When she emerged from the ladies
’
wash-room her nails were clean and her hair was softly combed and her deep blue eyes rather large with a mixture of awe and anticipation. Awe because she had never yet lunched alone with her employer, and anticipation because she was hungry and the hotel had a reputation for excellent food and service.

Lestrode was still in the bar when she crossed the entrance hall, but he slipped off a stool and joined her almost immediately. He looked her up and down with undisguised approval, and then nodded his head to give emphasis to that approval.

“
You know,
”
he said,
“
there are moments when you remind me a little of your sister.
”
She realised that this was intended to be a high compliment.
“
But only very occasionally!
”
he added, immediately arousing in her a curious, numb form of resentment.

“
Well, what is it to be?
”
he enquired, when they took their seats in the dining-room.
“
Apples first and chocolate afterwards, or vice versa?
”

She flushed slightly.

“
I know you
’
re not entirely convinced that I didn
’
t sneak off and have lunch at the inn that day
you lunched with Sir Adrian and Lady Dillinger,
”
she said.
“
But the truth is that when I
’
m on my own I don
’
t always bother myself about lunch.
”

“
Which is one reason why you
’
re so slim,
”
he returned, some of the approval vanishing from his expression.
“
A little too slim for a young woman who has to earn her own living!
”

She realised that this was his method of reproving her.

“
You mean too slim to be a really useful mechanic?
”
the flush deepening in her cheeks.
“
Well, I
’
m awfully sorry about this morning, Mr. Lestrode ... I really am!
”
she assured him earnestly.
“
But I
’
m afraid I was rather nervous—
”

“
You mean I made you nervous?
”

“
Well
...”

For an instant he actually looked wry.

“
I have a habit of making people nervous,
”
he admitted.
“
Lucille used to be half terrified of me, and as she was my secretary in those days she unfortunately saw quite a lot of me. But with the years she has discovered that although I
’
m occasionally terrifying my bite is not always as bad as my bark! Lucille isn
’
t a bit frightened of me nowadays, and if she was she wouldn
’
t continue to work for me. Lucille has an independent spirit, but she also attaches herself like a limpet once her loyalty is aroused.
”

Frederica regarded him thoughtfully as the soup plates were removed.

“
Lucille does appear to be—rather devoted to you,
”
she murmured.

“
Does that really astonish you?
”
he enquired.
“
Am I such an ogre in your opinion that you cannot envisage a situation arising that would provide me with the support of loyal employees?
”

His hard eyes—the exact colour of which was not always easy to define—struck her as being somewhat concerned; and, indeed, the tone of his voice was concerned.

“
Of—of course not,
”
she answered hurriedly.
“
It was just that Lucille—well, it seems strange to me that she should start off by being your secretary and then become your housekeeper. I—I mean, she
’
s very attractive!
”

The hard eyes seemed to grow a trifle cold.

“
I am well aware that she is attractive,
”
he said.

She crumbled bread on her plate.

“
I—I just wondered why she changed her job—
”

“
You think housekeeping is rather nearer to taking over the role of mistress of the house?
”

“
Of—of course not! That is to say, I—well—!
”

“
You keep repeating the word
‘
well
’
! I am not planning to marry Lucille one of these days, if that is what you think!
”

“
I wasn
’
t thinking anything of the kind!
”
she gasped.

“
In that case I am more than satisfied.
”
But his mouth was hard again as he consulted the menu to decide upon the sweet that should follow his main course.
“
Perhaps it is important I should make it clear to you that Lucille is the sister of a very old friend of mine, and I employed her for the first time when she was in some sort of trouble. I suppose, as a result of that, and various other little things I have done for her, she became grateful. But there is no need for her gratitude, and no real reason for it. I have occasionally given her lunch—as I am giving you lunch today!—and even taken her out to dinner, and the odd theatre. But I repeat, I am not planning to marry her!
”

She looked down confusedly at her Neapolitan ice-cream.

“
I shall not make that mistake again,
”
she murmured.