The Red Cliffs (13 page)

“
It
’
s Miss Conway, isn
’
t it?
”
asked Neil, winding his window down to smile at her.

“
Good morning,
”
she smiled back.
“
I suppose I
’
m trespassing, but I was curious to see what your house looked like.
”

“
We are just going out,
”
said Neil,
“
or I would take you on a tour. You don
’
t know my cousin Richard Berber,
”
this was the man seated beside him, who nodded pleasantly at her.
“
And his wife, and Miss Bonnie Taylor. Miss Conway. You haven
’
t brought very pleasant Easter weather with you.
”

“
No, unfortunately. Alison keeps telling us how lovely it ought to be.
”

The
“
us
”
did not escape him. He wondered who Alison
’
s other guests were. He said:

“
Why not all come up and have cocktails with us this evening?
”

“
Love to,
”
said Lucy promptly.

“
But we
’
re going to dinner with the Plummers, Neil, and that means an early start,
”
said one of the women on the back seat.

“
So it does. Come up to tea instead,
”
said Neil.
“
If you
’
re sure that
’
s all right,
”
laughed Lucy.

“
Yes, that
’
s all right. We
’
ll look forward to seeing you all.
”
They all smiled or waved at her, and the car started along the drive, leaving Lucy to look at the house.
“
Quite a noble pile,
”
she thought.
“
Big but not too big: and nicely compact. Nice long windows and plenty of them, and what a gorgeous terrace—facing south, I suppose. Yes, that would do me very well, especially with the man that goes with it a
l
l
.
”
Smiling
at her own conceit, she went on with her walk.

Alison was not too pleased when she heard of the arrangement that Lucy had made.

“
Oh, darling, I don
’
t want to get involved with that man,
”
she protested.
“
You
’
ll have to go up there to tea by yourself.
”

“
Don
’
t be unsociable. He asked us all.
”

‘
Then you shouldn
’
t accept invitations for other people.
”

“
Aren
’
t you curious to see inside the house? You haven
’
t been there, have you?
”

“
I haven
’
t and I don
’
t want to.
”

“
I confess to being curious,
”
said Ralph.
“
Not about the house, but about the man who can make Alison feel like this.
”
He privately thought that if Alison accepted Roger so cheerfu
ll
y, the other man must be a complete bounder for her to keep him beyond the pale.

“
You
’
re outnumbered, Alison,
”
said Lucy triumphantly.
“
Anyway, going to tea there once isn
’
t going to get you involved.
”

“
Next thing,
”
she said,
“
he
’
ll be asking me to one of his dinner parties. Perhaps not, though. I can
’
t honestly say that he likes my company any more than I like his. It must be Lucy he has fallen for.
”

“
Let
’
s hope so,
”
said Lucy devoutly.

They took the car up on to the moors that afternoon after an early lunch, and went for a walk on the uplands. It was brisk and invigorating, and Alison, for one, loved it. They went straight from there to Neil
’
s house, the girls repairing their make-up in the car and all of them changing into clean shoes they had brought with them.

They were shown into a large drawing room, which was pleasant and comfortable, with spring flowers in profuse arrangements and a fire blazing on the wide hearth. They were introduced to the people Lucy had met in the morning, and the general conversation was
cordial, but Alison and
Neil, although they joined in it, did not speak directly to each other. Alison could not overcome a feeling that she was in the camp of the enemy, and that by coming to tea here she was betraying Tom. Neil, finding her cool and disinclined even to look at him, left her alone.

She found herself, however, rather against her will, liking his friends and curious about his house. It was larger, older, more beautiful and more prosperous than she had expected or that Tom had ever indicated. Tea was already laid on a large, low round table, and Neil explained that they
w
ere waiting for his aunt to appear from her afternoon rest. As soon as she came into the room, and the visitors had been presented to her, she sat down before the tray and the tea was brought in by a smiling, middle-aged maid.

She was the mother of Neil
’
s cousin Richard Berber, and she was soft, gentle, old-fashioned and somewhat vague. She made a ritual of tea-pouring, fussing with hot water, lemon slices and sugar, and talking in a gentle, unhurried way to whoever was nearest. Alison took care to sit next to Ralph, as if, by allying herself to him, she was not involving herself with the enemy. Ralph fitted in well here, she noticed. He was usually well-liked and could contribute something of interest to almost any conversation, and Alison felt that their hosts were warming both to him and to Lucy, who was enjoying herself immensely.

“
It
’
s so nice,
”
Neil
’
s aunt commented placidly,
“
to see so many young people in this house. It always strikes me as such a pity—such a waste—that Neil should live here by himself. It
’
s really high time you married, Neil.
”

“
No doubt I shall,
”
said Neil,
“
when I meet the
right person.”

Alison
’
s eyes turned to the girl the-
’
called Bonnie, to see how she would take that. She w
o
ndered how well Bonnie knew him and whether she hoped to become mistress of this house. She was young and chic and extremely self-possessed and betrayed nothing of her feelings.

“
Don
’
t wait too long,
”
said Mrs. Berber.
“
I
’
d like to see you settled down here with a wife and children. I remember such lovely times in this house when you and Evelyn were growing up, and we came to stay here with Richard and Muriel.
”

“
Picnics on the beach,
”
said Richard.

“
And pony treks on the moors,
”
added Neil.
“
All kinds of adventures,
”
said Mrs. Berber, smiling.
“
And now Muriel is living in the States and we see her so rarely; and poor Evelyn, is
...
poor, dear Evelyn. What a pity she ever met that dreadful little man she married.
”

There was a shocked silence, and a gasp from Alison. Colour flooded into her cheeks, and Neil rose swiftly to his feet, but Mrs. Berber was quite unconscious of her gaffe. She added, still placidly and a little regretfully:

“
He was a fortune-hunter, pure and simple. In fact, I sometimes wonder if he wasn
’
t worse than that; if Evelyn might be alive today if
...”

“
Aunt Hilda,
”
cut in Neil,
“
everybody is waiting for more tea.
”

She looked a little surprised by the interruption, but immediately apologised.

“
When one begins to talk about the past
...”
she said.

Alison was on her feet, pale now and coldly furious.

“
I didn
’
t want to come,
”
she said, looking levelly into Neil
’
s grey eyes.
“
Lucy persuaded me. Now I certainly wish I hadn
’
t.
”
She turned to Lucy.
“
I
’
ll walk home—you and Ralph can bring the car.
”
She turned to the others.
“
Please excuse me,
”
she said, and walked out of the room before anybody could stop her. Before she was out of earshot, she heard Mrs. Berber
’
s anxious voice:
“
But what did
I
say?
”
and Neil
’
s voice, low and intense:
“
Aunt Hilda, that was Tom Springett
’
s sister.
”

Alison walked along the drive at a furious pace. She was shaken and trembling, and she hated herself for being persuaded to set foot in that house. A great rush of loyalty and a
ff
ection for Tom seized her, and a correspondingly great resentment against the people who could say such things about him, or think them if they did not put them into words.
T
hat they should think him a fortune-hunter was incredible, when it was obvious for everybody to see how Evelyn had adored him, and he her. That they should call him a dreadful little man seemed unthinkable: everybody had liked Tom, found him charming. They
’
re snobs, she thought angrily, they have nothing against him but that he was poor. They have never known insecurity, so they sit there complacent in their security, arrogant to others. She could do without these people.

T
he car swept up to her and stopped.

“
Alison darling,
”
said Lucy
’
s voice.

Alison did not answer, but walked on.

“
Alison do get in,
”
said Lucy
’
s pleading voice.

“
I
want to walk,
”
she
said.

The car started again and crept slowly forward with her.

“
Alison, everybody was terribly sorry,
”
went on Lucy.
“
They were very upset, particularly Mrs.
B
erber. She wants to apologise to you: she doesn
’
t catch names and she had quite forgotten that Tom
’
s sister was to be there.
”
She stopped since Alison would not look at her and Lucy did not even know if she was listening. At the house, Lucy detained Alison with a hand on her arm.

“
Alison, I
’
m sorry. It was my fault that you went, and now you
’
re angry with me as well
as with them. Really, darling, they
’
re all terribly sorry.
”

“
I don
’
t care what they are,
”
said Alison.
“
I
’
m furious with myself, not with you; furious because I went although I didn
’
t want anything to do with
N
eil Edgerton.
”