A Pearl for Love (12 page)

‘
Too late? It
’
s early!
’

‘
I know, but Aunt Lucille will wonder where we are. And Elizabeth.
’

‘
All right, we
’
ll go when we
’
ve had coffee, though the Sheridans won
’
t be missing us. John probably won
’
t even notice the time.
’

‘
Why?
’
she asked curiously.

‘
You may find out, if you
’
re early enough
.’
Again it was warm and cosy in the lounge, and Michael began to ask Catherine about freshwater pearls, and to admire the beautiful brooch she always wore, and which was now pinned to her suit.

Animated, she told him all she knew, and he leaned forward, full of interest. The time flew past, and at length she jumped up, startled.

‘
Michael! We
’
ve been here for hours
.’

‘
Don
’
t exaggerate. All right, Cinderella, we
’
ll go now. Haven
’
t you enjoyed my company at all
?’

She felt tongue-tied. Part of her had been almost helplessly attracted by his company, like a moth to the light. And part of her was still repelled.

Would she feel the same way if he were free of Elizabeth? she wondered. But it was difficult to be objective, when Elizabeth was so much part of their lives.

‘
You
’
re ta
k
ing your time about answering.
’

‘I
know. I
’
m sorry. Thank you for bringing me,
’
she said politely.
‘
I enjoyed it all very much.
’

He had again taken her arm as he escorted her back to the car, then as he slid in beside her and shut the door, he turned to look at her and suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her till she struggled.

‘
That
’
s not fair!
’
she cried.
‘
It
’
s not fair to Elizabeth—or to me.
’

‘
Maybe not, though it
’
s fair to me. I
’
ve wanted to do that ever since I set eyes on you, and now I have. You bring out the protective instincts in me. And anyway, Elizabeth and I are in limbo
...’

‘
But I
’
m not.
’

‘
Aren
’
t you?
’

‘
You aren
’
t free to talk to me like this.
’

‘
If I were free, Catherine
...
would that make any difference?
’

‘
I doubt it,
’
she said.
‘
I
’
m tired, Michael. I want to go home.
’

‘
Home
!’
he repeated, then laughed a little.
‘
All right, I
’
m sorry. I suppose if you weren
’
t such a hedgehog, you wouldn
’
t be you. You
’
ve got standards and that
’
s good. I had standards, too, once. I had them knocked out of me, and I
’
ve acquired some all my own.
’

He laughed lightly, and she relaxed a little.

‘
I think you pull my leg, Michael.
’

‘
Perhaps I do.
’

They drove the rest of the way in silence, then he pulled up in front of Balgower.

‘
Here
’
s your case, my dear. Mind if I don
’
t come in? I don
’
t feel like facing the family tonight.
’

‘
Well, of course not. Won
’
t they expect it, though?
’

‘
Why should I have to do what they expect? See you in the morning, Kate. Goodnight.
’

‘
Goodnight,
’
she echoed, and went up to the front door, letting herself in with her own key.

John met her in the hall, and she turned to smile at him, then saw that he was furiously angry.

‘
Where have you been, Catherine
?’
he demanded.
‘
Your train got in hours ago. Michael promised to bring you straight home.
’

Elizabeth was bringing up the rear, looking beyond her to the door.

‘
Where is he
?’
she asked.

‘
He went on home,
’
said Catherine uncertainly, looking from one to the other.
‘
We ... we had something to eat in town.
’

‘
And it
’
s taken you all this time!
’
cried John.
‘
Didn
’
t it occur to you we might be worried?
’

‘
Surely I
’
m old enough to look after myself?
’
she cried, suddenly ang
r
y.

She wasn
’
t used to a family inquisition, and something in Elizabeth
’
s eyes was making her feel
uncomfortable.

‘
Michael said you had friends here,
’
she said defensively.

‘
The Cravens left hours ago,
’
said John,
‘
and Mother and Father have gone to bed.
’

‘
I should like to go to bed, too,
’
said Catherine shakily.

It had been an upsetting day in many ways. Saying goodbye to the Neills had really felt like goodbye, now that they were selling the house and moving to a small one. Catherine had felt as though her retreat had been cut off. Now it was as though her future was also far from smooth.

John
’
s anger was beginning to cool.

‘
I should
h
ave known Mike Rodgers would be behind it,
’
he said, and Elizabeth
’
s eyes began to sparkle with anger.

‘
That
’
s right, blame Michael!
’
she cried.
‘
He probably saw she was tired after the journey, and gave her a break. And she
’
d be telling him one of her great long rambling tales of how good it was in Scotland when she was a wee girl.
’

Catherine coloured furiously, feeling that Elizabeth was sneering at her, then she saw that Elizabeth was fighting tears, and she nodded rather wearily.

‘
Got it first time, Elizabeth. That
’
s exactly what happened. Goodnight, both of you. I
’
d like to go straight to bed.
’

She mounted the stairs, then went into her bedroom and closed the door, mechanically going
through her toilet before crawling in between the sheets.

It was difficult to decide whether Michael had been more upsetting with his quick kiss, or whether it was Elizabeth with tears sparkling on her lashes.

Or was it John, who looked so different in his anger, his pleasant good-natured face grim and white? The Cravens had left hours ago, he had told her, and the name had stayed in her mind. Rosalie Craven his ex-
fiancée
. Had she been here, too, and had John
’
s anger and upset stemmed more from seeing her than from her own late arrival?

Or was he merely angry for Elizabeth
’
s sake? Perhaps she was bringing an upsetting influence to the house, thought Catherine, as she lay shivering between the cool smooth sheets. Perhaps she would really have to think again about moving on, hard though it might be.

But to where? And what about money? There would be precious little to tide her over.

Catherine began to feel frightened for her future, and to feel ashamed that she had not a great deal more courage and enterprise. It didn
’
t occur to her that this could have been the result of the accident which changed her life, and that it would take some time before she was her old self again.

She lay, staring at nothing for a long time, then fell into a rather troubled sleep.

CHAPTER VI

Now that Catherine was quite capable of looking after all the pearls, James Sheridan had increased his stock of silverware, fine porcelain and gift items in gold. Elizabeth and Miss Pryce handled all this between them.

Catherine admired the lovely wine goblets, fruit dishes and candelabra, then picked up a small gold pillbox and a cigar cutter, both of which were beautifully made.

‘
I doubt if I could even afford the swizzle-stick,
’
she confided to Elizabeth, with a small laugh.

‘
You
’
ll have to look for a rich husband, then,
’
said Elizabeth, rather tartly, and Catherine
’
s smile wavered. There was now a small barrier between them, ever since the night Michael had taken her out for dinner.

Catherine wondered, sometimes, whether she ought to clear the air between them, but didn
’
t quite know what to say. Michael was inclined to seek her out whenever he had a free moment, but he was offering to coach her for her F.G.A. examination, and because he was giving her very helpful instructions, Catherine accepted this with gratitude.

Uncle James heartily approved of this, but John viewed it all silently, and Catherine looked at him worried now and again. She found that she was
beginning to feel anxious in case she lost John
’
s friendship.

She realised now that he had helped to dispel a lot of her fears and loneliness when she first came, and now they were all tending to crowd back.

‘
What is the hardness of a ruby on Moe
’
s scale
?’
Michael asked her.

‘
Nine.
’

‘
And a sapphire?
’

Catherine hesitated, trying to remember.

‘
Seven ... I think.
’

‘
No, Catherine. Ruby and sapphire are both corundum. So they are both nine. Do try to remember, and get a bit more homework done. What
’
s the specific gravity of amethyst?
’

Catherine did not know, and had to shake her head, her cheeks scarlet, while Elizabeth looked on, speculation in her eyes.

‘
I
...
I
’
ll have to study a bit more,
’
she confessed.
‘
I find it difficult to remember things in my head.
’

Michael smiled and gave her hand a warm squeeze.

‘
All right, my dear. But you need someone behind you to work for, and if the others haven
’
t time, it had better be me. So just remember I
’
ll be asking you about how to test the refr
a
ctive indices of stones, and I hope you can distinguish between a white zircon and a white spinel, if I suddenly show them both to you one of these days.
’

Catherine nodded. She had made good progress at first because she was interested, but now she was finding it all rather difficult, and something seemed to have gone out of the absorbing interest which she had felt for the jewellery in Sheridan and Rodgers. It was probably due to her unsettled stage of mind.

During the morning, after Catherine had carefully polished a pair of diamond and cultured pearl earrings and put them into the display case, she looked up to see the loveliest girl she had seen in years walking into the shop. She looked around carefully, then walked over to John with a gay smile.

‘
John darling, here you are! I did say I might drop in, didn
’
t I?
’

Miss Pryce came over to Catherine, and said almost under her breath:

‘
So she
’
s trying to get her
cl
aws into John again, is she? He
’
ll be a fool if he falls for it again.
’

Catherine had no need to ask who it was, but she couldn
’
t help it.

‘
Rosalie Craven?
’

‘
Dear Rosalie! She looks as sweet as pie, but she
’
s been spoiled, that
’
s what. But John got pole
-
axed the first time he laid eyes on her, and I couldn
’
t possibly guess if it
’
s still the same or not. You can never tell with John. He
’
s very deep.
’

Catherine withdrew a little. She did not like to discuss anyone with Miss Pryce, feeling that the older woman was very much inclined to be a gossip. It was almost lunchtime for John, and sometimes he
preferred to have coffee and a sandwich in the rooms behind the shop, but today he walked over to have a word with his father and Michael, then he and Rosalie left the shop together, her arm linked companionably in his.

Catherine felt a dullness inside her, and another emotion, which she soon realised was jealousy. She sat down for a moment, taking hold of herself. Surely she couldn
’
t be jealous of this girl who meant so much to John?

Elizabeth had already gone to lunch, and was due back any time. She and Michael sometimes shared lunch break, but Elizabeth had said she had some shopping to do, and Michael had spent part of his lunch break in coaching Catherine.

Now Elizabeth swung through the door, and came straight up to Miss Pryce.

‘
So Rosalie is on the prowl again,
’
she remarked.
‘
She and John have just crossed the street in front of me, and neither of them even noticed me.
’

‘
She hasn
’
t wasted much time,
’
Miss Pryce remarked.

For a moment Elizabeth stood deliberating, then slowly she hung up her coat.

‘
Ah, well, back to work, Prycey. I
’
ve still got to write out price tickets for those Dresden ornaments, and the Royal Copenhagen.
’

‘
I like this Capo-di-Monte dog,
’
said Miss Pryce, and for a moment all three women admired the new selection of ornaments, some of them so valuable
that Catherine did not feel inclined to handle them.

She turned her attention to tidying up her own items, checking that they were all gently polished and had price tickets, then trying to learn a few facts and figures about diamonds and emeralds before Michael pounced on her again.

She noticed, however, that John and Rosalie were very late back from lunch, and that both looked rather pale. The girl
’
s mouth pouted a little, and she threw a haughty glance in Catherine
’
s direction, then John brought her over to be introduced, his eyes rather intense as they looked at her.

‘
This is Catherine Lyall, a very old friend and now a member of the family. Catherine, dear
...
Miss Rosalie Craven, also an old friend.
’

‘
How do you do,
’
Catherine said politely, holding out her hand, which Rosalie barely touched with her slender gloved fingers.

‘
I rather thought you
’
d release John from your date with him on Saturday,
’
she said haughtily.
‘
We haven
’
t seen each other for ages, and we always go to the Badminton Dance together.
’
She turned to John, while Catherine began to feel bewildered.
‘
You know I would love to go again this year, John darling.
’

‘
But it
’
s Catherine
’
s first dance here since she came,
’
he said smoothly, his eyes meeting hers pleadingly.
‘
I couldn
’
t possibly ask her to change the arrangements. She
’
s had her new dress for weeks.
’

Catherine gathered her wits together, hoping she was correctly interpreting the looks he was casting at her.

‘
Well, yes, I
’
m afraid I did buy something new for the occasion, Miss Craven,
’
she lied nobly.
‘
Of course, we had no idea you would be able to go.
’

Rosalie ignored her.

‘
Oh, well, John, I do understand. You won
’
t want to let Miss ... er ... the young lady down.
’

She smiled sweetly, and went over for a word with Elizabeth, while the smile faded from Catherine
’
s face and she turned rather angrily to John.

‘
What was all that about?
’

‘
I
’
ll tell you later,
’
he said, in a low voice.

After he had seen Rosalie out, he came back over
to Catherine.

‘
Thanks, Kate. I don
’
t want to talk about it now, but we can discuss the dance tonight, after we come home. I had intended to ask you, only Rosalie nearly spoiled it. Elizabeth and Michael are going, too.
’

‘
Oh,
’
she said, and a moment later she was busy with customers who had just come in. But her head was still whirling a little. Had John been making use of her because he did not want to go out with Rosalie Craven for some reason? Or was it true that he had intended to ask her all the time?

Catherine
’
s chin lifted. She wasn
’
t going to be used as an excuse. She would make that very clear to John.

Nevertheless, when John again asked her that evening to go to the dance with him, she agreed rather weakly, and with a sudden surge of excitement again. She really
would
have to buy a new dress as it was ages since she had been to a dance.

‘
It should be fun. I
’
d love to come,
’
she told John, and his eyes lit up.

‘
That
’
s wonderful, Catherine. I knew you wouldn
’
t let me down.
’

Are you sure you were going to ask me?
...
before Miss Craven came, I mean?
’
she asked levelly.

‘
Absolutely sure,
’
he told her.
‘
I
...
I
’
ll tell you all about it some time, Kate. It isn
’
t something I want to talk about just yet.
’

‘
All right,
’
she agreed, and looked at him thoughtfully. Whatever had happened between John and Rosalie Craven had obviously hurt him very much, and was probably still hurting.

Catherine decided to ask Elizabeth to help her choose a dress, but when she sought her out later to ask her advice, she overheard her still talking shop to John.

‘
Have you seen this new shop called Newclox, John?
’

‘
No, I can
’
t say I have. Why, Liz? What
’s on your mind?’

Elizabeth deliberated, then sighed deeply.

‘
I don
’
t know. But something about it worries me, John. And I
’
m sure they get a lot of our trade.
’

‘
Perhaps they sell cheaper clocks with a bigger turnover. Anyway, it
’
s fair competition, surely.
’

‘
So long as it
is
fair.
’

‘
How could it not be?
’

She turned away as Catherine walked forward.

‘
I don
’
t know. Maybe it
’
s just me. Sorry, my dear, forget it. Hello, Catherine. All out to enjoy yourself on Saturday?
’

‘
I hope so. I ... I was wondering if you could help me
...
choose a dress, I mean. You
’
ve got such good taste, Elizabeth.
’