The Desert Castle (32 page)

Marion was too tired to argue when Zein set about rubbing her hair dry. She wished they had
a
language
in common so that she could tell her about Petra, but Zein seemed to understand much of what she was saying all the same.
‘
Mr
.
Gregory,
’
she said at intervals, and giggled some more.
‘
I
n
ish
’
all
ah
!
’
she added piously.

‘
If God wills it.
’

She was setting the final touches to Marion
’
s hair when Lucasta came in and threw herself down on Marion
’
s bed.

‘
Phew! I didn
’
t think we
’
d ever get here! But we weren
’
t very far behind you.
’
She sat up,
grinning.
‘
Have you managed to avoid Denise? You can
’
t hear her down here, but from my room she sounds as
mad
as a hatter!
’

‘
What about?
’
Marion asked. As if she didn
’
t know
!

‘
I
didn
’
t stop to listen,
’
Lucasta admitted.
‘
You see, I wanted to speak to you before I say anything to Gregory. He wants you to stay on here, doesn
’
t he, to finish cleaning his frescoes? Well, you can, because I
’
m staying too. I
’
m not going back to school. I
’
m going to stay here until I
’
m eighteen and then I
’
m going to marry Gaston
!
’

M
arion swallowed.
‘
I see,
’
she said faintly.
‘
What will your parents say to that
?
’

Lucasta shrugged.
‘
Who cares? It
’
s what Gregory says that matters.
’
She traced a pattern on her knee with her forefinger and Marion realised she was not as sure of herself as she sounded.
‘
And what you say,
’
she added.
‘
You do like Gaston, don
’
t you
?
’

‘
Yes, of course I do,
’
Marion assured her.
‘
It
’
s only that you
’
re
s
till very young—
’

‘
And statistically speaking it can be proved again and again that marriages don
’
t work out for teenagers,
’
Lucasta sighed.
‘
I know that! But Gaston won
’
t stand for anything else. You may as well know that that was what we quarrelled about. I was sure that if I got him up to the High Place by himself I could make him make love to me, but he wouldn
’
t. He said Gregory would break his neck and quite right too. He says his family is every bit as sticky as Jean-Pierre
’
s, only much nicer, and he expects to find his wife a virgin on his wedding night. So I asked him if he was thinking of marrying me and he said yes, if I still felt the same way about him when I
’
m eighteen.
’

‘
And supposing you change your mind when you
’
re nineteen
?
’
Marion asked.

Lucasta looked younger and more vulnerable than she had ever seen her.
‘
I won
’
t,
’
she said.
‘
Anyway, there wouldn
’
t be anything I could do about it. They don
’
t have divorces in Gaston
’
s family. He says
I’ll
have to learn to behave myself and go to church on Sundays, and have lots of children like his parents did. Do you know he has
three
sisters and a brother, and they see each other all the time, although two of the girls are married. And I
’
ll see
th
em too
!
’
Her eyes glowed with happiness.
‘
They
’
ll be my family. Gaston Says it
’
s always like that in France. He says he
’
ll have to watch out that they don
’
t spoil me to death whenever his back is turned! Doesn
’
t it sound wonderful
?
’

‘
Marvellous
!
’
Marion agreed. She thought that none of them knew how lonely Lucasta must have been in the past. It would be good for her to be part of a large family, but it wasn
’
t a good enough reason for marrying Gaston. She hesitated, not knowing how to put it.
‘
Supposing Gaston had been an only child—
’

‘
Oh, Marion! We won
’
t always be in France! His work takes him all over the world and then there will only be the two of us. It isn
’
t only his family. You see, I love him very much.
’

‘
Do you
?
’
Marion
’
s face softened.
‘
It
’
s a wonderful feeling, isn
’
t it?
’
she said dreamily.
‘
I
’
m so glad for you, pet.
’

Lucasta, more practical in her approach to the
family battle ahead of her, sat up with a bounce.
‘
You
’
ll probably be the
o
nly one who is! And you will help me, won
’
t you
?
’

‘
What can I do
?
’
Marion asked her.

‘
It depends how fond of me you are,
’
Lucasta began.
‘
If Denise ever shuts up, Gaston is hoping to have a word with Gregory before going back to the site. If you were to come along too and speak for us, Gregory would be as nice as pie. He wouldn
’
t want to risk putting you out, would he? And he has to be glad that you
’
ll be able to stay on without any trouble to finish his rotten frescoes. I know he meant to send for your mother, but he wasn
’
t half as sure as he pretended he was that she would come. He has dogs and things at his home in Devon and she wouldn
’
t want to leave them, would she
?’

Marion really didn
’
t know. It came as a shock to her that even Lucasta seemed to know more about her mother than she did herself. She had never seen her mother surrounded by
animals and running
a large country house. Her father had been allergic to fur and feathers and a great many other things besides, and her mother had defended
him
from them all with ruthless efficiency. It was hard to
think
of her now drooling over one of the enemy.

She sighed, feeling a little sorry for herself.
‘
I
’
m not the only person in the world who can clean his frescoes for him! I don
’
t know that I want to stay! I have my career to think about.
’

‘
Rubbish,
’
said Lucasta.
‘
Of course you want to stay! I agree Denise is a pain in the neck, but you can always keep out of her way. It
’
s poor Gregory who has to put up with her
!
’

Marion
’
s mouth tightened into a disapproving line. Poor Gregory indeed! She had never met anyone who was more capable of looking after
himself
than Gregory Randall.

‘
Couldn
’
t Gaston speak to him next week-end
?
’
she said out loud.
‘
He must be terribly tired.
’

‘
Oh, don
’
t be such a mother hen
!
’
Lucasta castigated her.
‘
Gregory is as strong as a horse
!
’

She eased herself off the bed and cast a critical eye over Marion
’
s appearance, nodding enthusiastically at the waiting Zein.
‘
Gernil
!
Beautiful!
’
she complimented her.
‘Y
ou look really nice, Marion. Denise will have to look to her laurels if you
’
re going to wear that kaftan for dinner. It
’
s super
!
’

Marion fingered the embroidery on the front with diffident fingers.
‘
It
’
s really my dressing-gown, but it does for way-out occasions too. Do you really think I should wear it
?
’

‘
I think it gives you a touch of the exotics,
’
Lucasta enthused.
‘
You couldn
’
t wear anything better than that if you want to stir up Gregory. I
’
ve seen him looking at you as it is, but in that—! You look a million dollars
!
’

Marion made no move to change.
‘
I
’
m glad you like it,
’
she said, and tried to ignore the knowing look in Lucasta
’
s eyes,
‘
but I
’
m not trying to compete with Denise or anyone else
!
’

‘
Not half
!
’
Lucasta retorted.

She hurried Marion out of the room, dragging her firmly down the corridor towards the drawing-room. The sound of Denise
’
s voice came clearly from the room ahead of them.

‘
It wasn
’
t only me.
Everybody
noticed! Papa was simply furious. If you were going to behave like that, why did you come at all?
’
She laughed harshly.
‘
You ought to consider sometimes which side Felicity
’
s bread is buttered. Papa always listens to everything I tell him
’

Gregory
’
s answer was too quiet for them to hear. The two girls exchanged glances and swept into the drawing-room, Marion with her best
s
choolmistress expression firmly in place.

‘
Have you dried out yet
?
’
she demanded of Gregory, eyeing his damp clothing with disapproval.

‘
Not yet.
’

‘
Then you
’
d better get changed now before we have you in bed with pneumonia,
’
she snapped, ignoring the light that was dawning in his eyes. Lucasta pulled at her sleeve.
‘
Oh
’
yes,
’
she added,
‘
Gaston wants to see you before he goes, but
not
until you
’
ve changed out of those wet things.
’

‘
Mon dieu
!’
Denise exclaimed.
‘
She is your
nanny
now too! Tell her to go away, Gregory
!
We have no need of her
!
’