Happy With Either

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by Ruth Clemence


  Bobbie laughed. 'You'll have me blushing with embarrassment if you go on like that, Mabel,' she said. 'Now come off it, you know as often as not I come down here with a face as long as a fiddle. I never am at my best first thing in the morning.'

  Feeling it would be safe now to return to the drawing-room, she slipped quietly away, and seeing Harry standing on his own by the window went across to join him. There was no sign of Liz Willoughby, nor of Nils for that matter, but when she walked up to Harry she could see that something seemed to be amusing him.

  Bobbie raised her eyebrows and looked questioningly up at him. 'Something seems to be tickling your sense of humour.'

  'I wouldn't say I was exactly amused,' Harry replied, 'more surprised than anything else. And I'm not sure I wasn't the only one who was surprised.'

  'What do you mean?' Bobbie asked.

  'Well, just before we came in here after dinner Nils said there was something he wanted to talk over with me, and asked if I would join him in the library when I'd had my coffee. I went along there about twenty minutes later and the place was in darkness, so thinking he hadn't put in an appearance after all I switched on the lights and to my embarrassment he was sitting on the couch at the other end of the room in a clinch with that girl whom Sean usually brings here—you know the one I mean, Liz something or other.'

  'Yes, I know the one you mean,' said Bobbie. 'Liz Willoughby. I invited her here myself this evening.'

  Harry raised his eyebrows, but he made no comment other than to continue with his story. 'Well, as I was saying, there they were locked in each other's arms, and when I put the light on Liz looked up and smiled politely in my direction, but my dear brother looked as if he'd found a fly in his soup or something like that. You've never seen a man look so astonished.'

  'Now I wonder why that could have been?' Bobbie enquired in an innocent voice.

  There was silence for a moment and then something made her look up into her husband's face. 'I can't imagine,' Harry said solemnly, and from the tone of his voice she was undecided whether to take his remark at face value. His expression, however, as usual revealed nothing, and he went on, 'To continue. At that particular moment, when we all looked as if we were playing statues or something, the telephone rang and who should it be but Sean. Your friend Liz was the first to pull herself together and she walked for-ward and answered it. When she told Sean that Nils was there with her he didn't seem too pleased at all. Oh, I couldn't hear his actual words, but the line fairly crackled, so I bowed myself out and came back here to have a drink. Perhaps my young brothers are growing up at last.'

  'What do you mean by that?' Bobbie asked.

  'Well, at one time Sean would have been quite complacent about Nils taking over one of his girls, but he didn't sound very happy about it tonight. I don't think I'd miss my mark if I say that at this precise moment they're having the father and mother of a row over the telephone,' and he smiled sardonically. And then he remarked without a pause, 'You say you asked Liz Willoughby here tonight. I didn't know you two were all that friendly.'

  'I don't know her all that well really, but we ran into one another.' Bobbie decided it would be unwise to admit to Harry that she had actually rung up and suggested a meeting. 'But I find I like her very well indeed. She's really an exceptionally nice girl, and I think she's had a pretty raw deal from Sean.'

  'I can quite believe it,' Harry agreed, 'most girls do who come in contact with Nils and Sean,' and he glanced down at Bobbie.

  Would this be her moment for setting the account straight? It was worth a try. 'Oh, they can be very nice,' she said evenly. 'After all, look at Sean the night I was taken ill. I ran into him in the dark in the passage and in my muddled state thought it was you. And yet he was very kind and brotherly until you happened along.'

  She looked up to discover that Harry was looking at her even more sardonically than before. 'Was that it?' he asked. 'At first glance it didn't seem to me a very brotherly embrace, but if you say so, my dear,' and taking her hand he kissed the tips of her fingers.

  Bobbie blushed and looked around. They might be married, but she was still a bit shy about demonstrations of affection in public; however, a quick glance . showed her that everyone was taken up with their own conversations and nobody seemed to have noticed. At that moment she saw Liz Willoughby had reappeared in the doorway and Bobbie beckoned to her.

  Liz walked slowly across to join Bobbie and Harry and immediately Harry asked her if she would like a drink. 'Oh yes, please,' she said brightly, 'something long and cool,' and as soon as he had gone to fetch it she turned and smiled at Bobbie.

  'It worked! Talk about the biter bit! And oh boy! was he furious,' Liz went on. 'It served him right. I turned off all the lights in the library, and when he came in I just got up and walked forward. In the half light from the electric fire he immediately thought it was you, and he came straight up and made a grab. Of course I didn't resist and a few seconds later, right on cue, Harry came in. Oh, if you could have seen Nils' face! It would have done your heart good. And then as if retribution had descended on the pair of them at one go, Sean rang up and before the other two could answer I went across and picked up the telephone. I can't think why, but something just told me who was on the line. And when I said I was sitting in the library with Nils I thought he'd hit the roof. It certainly compensated a tiny bit for all the nights I've cried myself to sleep over him.'

  Bobbie liked Liz more than ever at this frank confession, and leaning forward she took hold of the other girl's hand. 'I can't thank you enough for doing this, Liz.'

  'Don't thank me,' Liz said bracingly, 'it's been a pleasure to pay them back in their own coin. The funny thing is, Bobbie, I think Sean was really genuinely angry about me being there with Nils. He's told me I'm not to go out with anybody else while he's away, and that he's coming straight back to camp as soon as the course is over. So it will be interesting to see what transpires.'

  By this time Harry had returned with their drinks and confidential conversation had to end. Later when the guests had all left, Harry and Bobbie walked slowly up to their rooms. He put his hand under her elbow as they turned into the corridor. 'I've been meaning to tell you,' he said, 'I had made all the arrangements for our trip, but I'm afraid I'll have to postpone it. We shan't be going for about ten days.'

  'Why is that?' Bobbie asked, her heart missing a beat. Surely nothing else was going to happen, nothing else was going to come between her and Harry. Down there in the drawing-room there had seemed a chance of getting back to their old footing.

  'It's just that I've been asked to appear on television. They want me to talk about my new book.'

  'Oh, that's wonderful, darling!' The word had popped out before Bobbie was aware of what she had said. To cover up she went on hurriedly, 'When is it to be? Will I be able to come to the television studios and watch?'

  'I'd rather you didn't.' Harry was removing his jacket as he spoke. 'I shall be as nervous as a cat so stay home and watch it here. In any case there are usually a heap of boring preliminaries before the actual broadcast. It wouldn't be much fun for you.'

  'Just as you like.' Bobbie's voice was subdued as she turned away to switch on the electric fire. Suddenly she felt cold and despondent and she rubbed her hands together as the fire began to glow.

  Harry was loosening his tie and removing his cuff-links. 'We'll get away the first flight after the T.V. stunt is over. I hope you'll approve of my choice of locality. We're booked in for a month in the Seychelles. Think you'll like it?' and he cocked a questioning eye to where Bobbie was sitting huddled over the fire.

  She turned her head. 'I don't even know where the Seychelles are. Is it somewhere in the Indian Ocean?' 'Clever girl, right first time. One used to have a rather gruesome journey to get there, but now they've put on a weekly flight direct from here, so one is spared the trip to East Africa followed by a boat journey. A month in the sun should put you on your feet again. You've been looking a bit peaky since
you had the chickenpox.'

  'Plain and uninteresting, don't you mean?' Bobbie asked disconsolately.

  'Now don't put words into my mouth, young woman. What I mean is that you've lost the lovely bloom you once had,' Harry replied. 'I mean to put it back as soon as possible. And my heavens,' he continued, 'am I glad to get those books finished and off my back. A change will do us both good. I can't wait to get out there on a pleasant beach soaking up all the sunshine we can get!'

  He had loosened his shirt and he came and stood over her as she sat beside the fire. 'And perhaps there with no interference from those two brothers of mine you may get an opportunity to come to terms with yourself. No, wait a minute,' he commanded as Bobbie looked up aghast at the mixture of anger and contempt in his deep voice. 'I haven't been completely blind as to what the boys have been up to, but you must know that your constant championship of the twins' behaviour wouldn't be exactly welcomed by a man deeply in love. Then only a fortnight after our marriage I find you in Sean's arms. You know that he told me that thinking I was out of the way you two were going to make a night of it?'

  At Bobbie's gasp of horror his face softened and he went on more gently, 'So you didn't know, but I think you must have suspected he would exaggerate the situation. Why, my dear girl, didn't you tell me the truth at once instead of letting me go on imagining you were regretting your marriage? I began to hope my fears were groundless when you went about the last two weeks looking so dejected, and then you and the Willoughby girl killed my final doubts tonight. Nils' assignation was with you, wasn't it? That was quite a neat little trick the two of you played on him, and I fear he's more to come when Sean returns. It will do them good to have a set-to. They've always worked in collusion, thinking the world their oyster until now. Perhaps it's all our faults, Sven's, Mother's, even mine. We've all spoiled them, then suddenly I snap up one of their girl-friends and then to top it off, tick them off about having a party. I should have gone a bit easier remembering they've been brought up to think everyone's here for their sole benefit.'

  He pulled Bobbie out of her chair and into his arms. 'However, things are going to be different from now on. For a start, you and I are going to forget about everybody's existence except our own for a few weeks. You've no need to pack anything except light summer clothing. No worries, no worldly pressures of any sort for us for a while, Roberta my love. What do you say to that?'

  Bobbie leaned against him, the warmth from his bare chest finally dispelling her last lingering shivers. Boldly she linked her hands behind his head. 'What do I say?' she repeated, and her voice was dreamy. 'I say Hallelujah!' and she kissed him quickly on the chin. 'I was beginning to think the boys were going to drive a wedge between us we'd never remove. I'm sorry about the misunderstandings. I so wanted to try and explain, but I thought if I said too much I might make matters worse. And you were so…' even in this present loverlike mood she could not tell Harry how much his aloofness had hurt.

  But he seemed to sense instinctively what she could not say. 'No need to say any more, dear girl,' he comforted her. 'I get the message. And this,' he broke off to kiss her quickly on the lips, 'is going to be the best "end of a book" holiday I've ever had,' and he laughed down into Bobbie's smiling eyes. 'It's going to beat the last time with my "Miss World", it's going to beat the Fiona Pemberton episode, it's going to beat the holiday with…'

  He got no further. 'Harry Redmayne,' Bobbie interrupted him firmly, 'one more word about your former conquests and I won't come with you at all!' but all her unrepentant husband did was to take her yet more securely into his arms and render her quite incapable of further reproof. Bobbie had found her own private, particular dear charmer at last.

 

 

 


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