The Marriage Wheel (10 page)

“
Tonight is the night when I
’
m required to have half a dozen pairs of hands,
”
she said.

As an evening devoted to light entertainment it was a complete failure from Frederica
’
s point of view. The hospitality was excellent, and Lucille
’
s chickens were deliciously tender and beautifully browned when they left the oven; the wines were first-class and the coffee had the quality of French coffee and gave off a delicious aroma when Electra poured it out in the drawing-room after dinner, and for those who appreciated Napoleon brandy there was Napoleon brandy.

The dining-room managed to look completely furnished following upon Lucille
’
s efforts, and the dining-table was decked with a tasteful arrangement of flowers. The drawing-room, where already the best pieces of furniture had been assembled, and the Chinese carpet aroused admiration amongst the visitors, was bright with firelight and the mellow light from tall standard lamps when they returned to it after dinner, and Rosaleen seemed to float rather than walk as she crossed the Chinese carpet in a long narrow satin dress heavily encrusted with silver or pearl embroidery, and with her dimpled shoulders bare to the flattering attention of the lights.

Electra wore black, as became the mother of two daughters—one of whom she hoped would marry in a reasonable space of time. But it was such costly black—even Frederica had no real idea how her mother managed to dress so extravagantly on her limited basic income—and cut on such youthful lines that Mrs. Wells might easily have been mistaken for the elder sister of her two daughters instead of their mother.

She was skilled in the art of conversation, and she managed to keep it scintillating all through dinner. The prosperous-looking stockbroker whose wife was distinctly dowdy could hardly keep his eyes off her while the soup was circulating; and by the time they reached the savoury he was, she felt, her slave for life.

Rosaleen was clever enough to play second fiddle to her mother, but she leapt into the conversation in a bright and disarming manner whenever Electra showed signs of flagging, and whenever her host made a point of drawing her into it.

Frederica, who knew her place and was determined not to venture a foot outside it, said hardly anything at all while the meal lasted. And when they all returned to the drawing-room she attached herself to the dowdy wife of the stockbroker, who appeared quite grateful to be noticed by her, and was finally rescued by the middle-aged doctor who wanted to know whether it was true that she was driving Mr. Lestrode. The district, he assured her, had it that she was
...
but he seemed to think that for once the local grapevine might have got its facts wrong as he gazed at her with very evident admiration on his face.

“
Both you and your siste
r
are so extremely decorative,
”
he remarked.
“
Indeed, you are one of a very decorative family,
”
glancing whimsically at Electra, who was flirting outrageously with the stockbroker under the submissive eyes of his wife.
“
But if I had a young woman like you to drive me about I don
’
t think I could concentrate on my job.
”

“
Then, since your profession is so very important, it
’
s a good thing I
’
m not driving you about,
”
Frederica replied a trifle absently, for Rosaleen was at the far end of the room with the host, and he was showing her his collection of snuff-boxes that were displayed in a Buhl-fronted cabinet.

Rosaleen was not in the least knowledgeable about snuffboxes, but she was exclaiming rapturously over them. The host, in a beautifully fitting dinner-jacket, seemed to be standing very close to her, and his shoulder actually brushed against her slim bare arm.

“
Some people have all the luck,
”
the doctor remarked a trifle enviously.
“
Lestrode has got you to drive his cars for him—and, by the way, aren
’
t they rather on the powerful side for a little thing like you?—and it is only too obvious that your charming sister is exercising a kind of spell. But then I
’
m not surprised. She really is an exceptionally beautiful girl. And it
’
s high time Humphrey married,
”
he concluded thoughtfully, as if he was following a line of reasoning that had only one logical conclusion.

Frederica felt mildly startled, although she knew perfectly well that Rosaleen already looked upon her employer as absolutely fair game.

She managed to look sceptical.

“
My sister has many admirers,
”
she remarked,
“
and I
’
m afraid it rather amuses her to add to the list. But I should think Mr. Lestrode is fairly hardheaded
...
and when a man reaches his time of life without being caught by some scheming female it surely indicates that he values his freedom and is clever at preserving it.
”

Dr. Wilmslow smiled at her in an amused but reflective manner.

“
You think that is the reason why he is still a bachelor?
”
he asked.
“
Well, you could be right. But the cleverest men get caught sometimes, you know. And now that he
’
s bought this house and appears to be settling down it
’
s only reasonable to suppose that his thoughts will eventually turn to matrimony.
”
Frederica decided to change the subject.

“
This is a lovely house,
”
she observed, after assuring him that she was perfectly competent to drive Mr. Lestrode
’
s two cars.
“
And it will be still lovelier when all the furnishing is completed and the grounds restored to their former beauty. At the moment I
’
ll admit they
’
re a bit of a wilderness.
”

“
All things take time,
”
the doctor agreed, his eyes still on the pair at the far end of the room.
“
Unfortunately I never married, so I
’
ve almost certainly missed a lot. But with a house like this, and a very personable human being into the bargain, Humphrey ought to have more sense!
”

Whether Humphrey Lestrode felt his eyes upon him Frederica was unable to tell, but he turned suddenly and came towards them. Rosaleen followed hard on his heels, still declaring herself completely fascinated by the snuffboxes.

“
Hello, young woman,
”
he said to Frederica.
“
Did I overhear you saying something derogatory about my gardens just now?
”

Frederica denied anything of the kind.

“
I said they were a bit of overgrown, but when Jason has worked on them a bit more they
’
re going to look marvellous.
”

“
Poor Jason would have a monumental task if I intended to leave the restoration of the gardens to him,
”
her employer remarked.
“
As a matter of fact, I
’
m doing nothing of the kind. I
’
m having a firm of landscape gardeners move in next week, and I think after they
’
ve toiled for a short while you will see something. Something very worth while, I hope!
”

Rosaleen cooed delightedly at his elbow.

“
Oh, that
’
s wonderful! A house like this should have a perfect setting.
”

The host turned swiftly to smile at her.

“
A perfect jewel in a perfect setting?
”
Then he turned back to her sister.
“
Since you
’
ve drawn my attention to my private wilderness I
’
d like to show you a corner of it when it
’
s softened by moonlight. And there is a very bright moon tonight! Come along with me, and I promise you shan
’
t snag your stockings in a briar patch.
”

He was looking her up and down with something that could have been admiration, and could have been largely compounded of mockery. But his eyes did undoubtedly dwell on her slim and shapely legs, encased in her best pair of sheer stockings.

“
Oh, can
’
t we all come along!
...”
Rosaleen began; but Lestrode had an answer that left her without the option of pressing the matter.

“
Not tonight, my dear. For one thing I wouldn
’
t like to risk ruination for that dress, and for another Dr. Wilmslow is simply longing to get to know you, and I
’
d be a brute if I snatched you away just as he
’
s about to sink his tentacles into you!
”

Rosaleen laughed, but in a faintly annoyed manner
...
and the doctor seized an opportunity that had unexpectedly come his way.

On the terrace outside the french window Frederica spoke a little peevishly to the man who employed her.

“
I suppose you think it doesn
’
t matter if I ruin my frock!
”

She saw his excellent white teeth as he smiled at her under cover of the darkness, for as yet the moon was only slipping into the sky.

“
Didn
’
t I promise to protect your stockings?
”
he responded.
“
And I give you my word that I will, even if I have to carry you through the denser parts of the undergrowth!
”

She stood at the edge of the terrace and shivered in the sharpness of the night air.

“
It
’
s cold,
”
she protested.
“
Can
’
t we inspect your favourite
corner
of the grounds on a rather warmer night?
”

He put his hand beneath her elbow and forced her to walk the length of the terrace at his side.

“
As a matter of fact, I
’
m not going to subject you to any such ordeal,
”
he admitted.
“
I wanted to get you away to the library where we could talk for a few minutes, and as Lucille lit a fire in there after tea there
’
s little or no danger that you
’
ll freeze to death in there.
”

He held open the french window of the library as he spoke, and she passed inside. He followed her, pressed the switch of the electric light and pulled the curtains across the window.

“
There!
”
he said.
“
This is better than fighting brambles, isn
’
t it? And I must say in that dress it would have been more than inconsiderate of me to expect you to do anything of the kind.
”

He stood looking her up and down, and she received the impression that he was still deliberately amusing himself at her expense. The library was certainly very cosy with the curtains drawn and a bright fire leaping on the wide stone hearth, but she felt vaguely uneasy that they were shut away from the rest of his guests, and if he wanted to talk to her as employer and employee he could still have done so in the presence of the others. He did, after all, pay her her salary, and chauffeurs were accustomed to taking orders in front of other people.

But it became increasingly obvious he had no orders to give her. He simply wanted to talk to her.

“
You are a very attractive young woman,
”
he remarked.
“
Almost, but not quite, as attractive as your sister.
”

“
Thank you—
sir
!”
she replied, with a somewhat bleak upwards glance at him that showed him the way the firelight danced on her long eyelashes.

“
I mean it.
”

Her voice this time was thick with sarcasm.
“
It is always a great comfort to a girl when a man thinks she is attractive—and when he mentions her in the same breath as her beautiful sister she begins to feel she owes him something!
”