He was plainly mocking her, and Anthea bit her lip angrily. But Mrs. Clifford said, ‘That’s true, Rikki, and remember you promised to drive us to town. ’
‘As if I could forget, dear lady. A little bird has told me that rehearsals start next week, although the part of Sibylla has not yet been cast. ’
‘How thoughtful of you, Rikki,’ Mrs. Clifford gushed, ‘and it will give me a splendid opportunity to do a little shopping. ’
‘But, Mother, I’ll be perfectly well able to manage on my own,’ her daughter said coolly, ‘and you are inclined to fuss and make me nervous.’ She glanced across at Ginny. ‘I think perhaps it’s time Ginny had a little outing. After all, she must miss the bright lights. I expect you’re simply pining for the old days at Clarkson’s, aren’t you, Ginny?’
‘No, not really,’ Ginny said softly. ‘It was — well, let’s say
- just a second-rate boarding house. There was nothing glamorous about it.’
Anthea looked slightly taken aback by this admission. She laughed shortly. ‘What a devastatingly frank person you are!’
‘There should be nothing devastating about frankness,’ Luke said quietly, ‘though perhaps you’re right, it’s time
Ginny had a little change away from things. I think Mrs. Hingston has rather been taking advantage of your good nature, Ginny, and working you too hard in the kitchen. ’
‘Oh, no, really I enjoyed it,’ Ginny said, then flushed as she remembered the Christmas Day debacle.
‘Well, that’s arranged, then,’ Anthea said briskly. ‘Ginny will come to town with me, Mother. You could keep Mr. Nicholas company. I’m sure he must get bored at times.’
The eyes of mother and daughter met in a long slow look of understanding and Mrs. Clifford nodded.
‘Perhaps you’re right, dear, but you must do your very best. I shall be so disappointed if you don’t get the part.’
‘Don’t worry, Mother,’ said Anthea, ‘when I set my heart on anything I usually manage to secure it!’
Which was probably quite true, Ginny thought dolefully, and then quite suddenly she realized why Anthea had insisted she accompany her to London. She had no intention of leaving her with what Anthea would consider a clear field and she had the feeling that in the future Anthea would keep a close surveillance on her actions. Rikki’s careless words had awakened Anthea to the fact that in Ginny she had a potential rival, someone who until that time she had not regarded as the slightest challenge to her plans concerning Luke.
And it was all so untrue, Ginny thought as dinner drew to a close. The seemingly intimate scene Rikki had interrupted had been only Luke showing compassion for someone he considered without armour, the sort of person whom he normally regarded as spineless and worthy of contempt.
CHAPTER NINE
As the car swung through the gates of Falcon’s Keep and turned on to the road to London, Anthea, seated beside Rikki, made no attempt to please. She was enveloped in a brooding
silence, obviously completely engrossed in her own thoughts.
Rikki, after one or two attempts to draw her out, turned his attention to Ginny and they chatted in a desultory fashion until they reached the neighbourhood of the theatre which was the goal of Anthea’s journey, when he said casually, ‘I expect you two females, if you run true to form, are simply dying for a cup of tea, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll deposit you at Charwell’s and pick you up there this evening. Is that all right?’
Anthea nodded frigidly. ‘Don’t let us keep you, though personally I want a drink. After that I’m going straight on to the audition - and for your information, I hate tea - and I never run true to form. ’
Rikki grinned, ‘I stand corrected.’ He turned to Ginny. ‘Is this arrangement all right with you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Ginny returned. ‘I have one or two commissions for Mrs. Clifford. Afterwards I could come back here and wait for Anthea. ’
As they went through the giant revolving doors of the busy hotel with its crisp black and white decor, Anthea said, ‘Well, are you going to join me for a drink? I haven’t the slightest intention of drinking tea with a bevy of old ladies while we listen to selections from The Desert Song.’
Ginny nodded reluctantly and followed Anthea into the hotel lounge. Seated on a scarlet banquette before a small wickerwork table, Ginny surveyed her surroundings cautiously. Subdued lighting glimmered on a great expanse of chrome and she was fascinated by the array of bottles at the bar counter.
As Anthea ordered Ginny noticed that a bespectacled young man in a rather shiny suit was regarding her fixedly from a stool at the bar counter. She felt her heart give a shocked leap as she recognized the long lugubrious face and thick-lensed glasses of Lester Philips.
Anthea, following the direction of her gaze, said, ‘Who’s that rather dreadful young man? He seems to know you, and
from all appearances you seem to recognize him.’
‘It’s Lester Philips,’ Ginny told her.
‘Why don’t you ask him over?’ Anthea asked. ‘One never knows — he might be fun! ’
But Ginny knew that Anthea was simply bored and that in her efforts to fill in the time until she would have to go to the theatre she was quite capable of playing with Lester as a cat would play with a mouse.
Without waiting for Ginny’s permission, Anthea turned her head and beamed in Lester’s direction. Eagerly he got to his feet and crossed the floor towards them.
‘Ginny has been telling me all about you,’ Anthea said in her sweetest manner. ‘Won’t you join us for a drink?’
With awkward eagerness Lester pulled up a seat. His gaze returned to Ginny. ‘You don’t look a bit different,’ he said wonderingly.
‘Now why should Ginny look any different?’ Anthea asked, obviously rather piqued that she was not making more impact on one whom she regarded as a nonentity.
‘It seems a long time to me, Ginny,’ he said a little wistfully, ignoring Anthea’s interjection. ‘Things were different when you’d gone. I chucked my job and took a place in the office here at Charwell’s. It’s not exactly a dead-end, but certainly hasn’t the prospects of my last place.’
Ginny glanced down at her fingers, embarrassed by the unwavering intensity of his gaze and felt rather relieved when the waiter arrived with drinks and his attention was for the moment distracted. But though Anthea made several attempts to monopolize him, his gaze invariably returned to Ginny, and at length, after lapsing into a piqued silence, Anthea got to her feet, announcing that she would simply have to run off or she’d be late for her audition.
When she had gone Lester hitched his chair closer to Ginny’s. ‘You’ve changed, you know,’ he said earnestly.
Ginny laughed wryly. ‘These are exactly the same clothes I left in. ’
‘Oh, I don’t mean that,’ he said. ‘You look the same, but underneath, you’re different. You’re not the Ginny Lovelace I knew at Mrs. Clarkson’s.’
She gazed at him, a little puzzled at his intensity. ‘I suppose I am a little spoiled,’ she admitted. ‘The old life seems like a dream now.’
‘But that’s just the point,’ he said earnestly. ‘It wasn’t a dream, Ginny, and you may have to go back to it again. Have you ever thought of that?’
She felt a faint anger that he should bring to the forefront of her mind the idea that she had been trying to smother. She laughed protestingly. ‘Oh, don’t be so lugubrious, Lester! I don’t want to think of things like that now. Old Mr. Kendrick is a dear, and I’m beginning to fit in.’ Then, remembering Luke’s newfound gentleness, she said softly, ‘I’m beginning to feel I belong, at last. ’
His face grew prim, and immediately Ginny regretted her confidences. ‘I expect you imagine you’ve fallen in love with Luke Kendrick?’
The unexpectedness of the remark made the blood rush in a betraying tide to her cheeks. She had felt so certain that Lester would have had no idea of the ramifications of the Kendrick family!
‘Th
ey did a profile on him in one of the financial papers recently. It seems he’s by way of being something of a tycoon. You don’t really think you’d stand a chance with a man like that, do you, Ginny?’ he asked.
Under the table Ginny clenched her hands. His voice had been flat with disbelief, and mixed with anger was the feeling that he had spoken but the truth. To him it would be inconceivable that the Ginny Lovelace who had worked in the basement kitchens at Clarkson’s Private Hotel could possibly hold the love of a man of Luke Kendrick’s calibre.
‘You mustn’t say that,’ she whispered.
‘Well, it’s true. At least, when I proposed marriage, I was being honest and sincere with you. You flung me over, and now you’re setting your heart on a man who hasn’t the remotest idea of making you his wife. Men like Luke Kendrick don’t marry ex-household helps. You’re living in a dream, and it seems to me you’re in for a rude awakening.’
Ginny clapped her hands to her ears. ‘I don’t want to hear any more. You’ve no right to say things like that to me!’
But in his face was a determination that had not been there before. ‘Oh yes, I have. I have the right of a man who would have made you a good husband. Oh, I know I’m not handsome or rich or romantic, but I could have given you something genuine and lasting. ’
His words had held a quiet dignity that was impressive, and Ginny, gazing at him, realized that beneath his slightly ludicrous appearance there was a soundness and honesty that could not be ignored. Then, to her alarm, he said,
‘Now that we’ve met, Ginny, we mustn’t drift apart again. I’d like to see you some weekend. There must be some small hotel or house in the district where I could put up.’ Then, as he saw the look of alarm in Ginny’s face, he added with dignity, ‘You needn’t be alarmed, I shan’t call at the house or interfere in any way. After all, I don’t see why we shouldn’t remain friends. I’d like to keep an eye on you, then if things go wrong for you at Falcon’s Keep you’ll have someone to turn to.’
He seemed quite determined and she realized there was no use in trying to dissuade him. It was clear he harboured hopes that she would at some time in the future accept his proposal Later on, as they drove back towards Falcon’s Keep, Ginny sat huddled in the back of the car, wishing passionately that she had never agreed to accompany Anthea. She put very little reliance on Lester’s assurance that he wouldn’t interfere. He was insensitive and tactless and would be completely unaware that his blundering efforts to champion her might prove to be offensive. Apart from that she realized that Lester would be rather a figure of fun to Rikki, and Rikki, unlike his brother, took a deep interest in local affairs and gossip. It would not be long before Lester’s advent would be known to everyone in Netley. She pictured Lester, his spectacles gleaming, blunderingly questioning the Netley folk concerning the inhabitants of Falcon’s Keep. It would be only a matter of time before the news came to Luke’s ears, and the very idea made her squirm with embarrassment.
Anthea, too, appeared to be wrapped in her own thoughts. Her beautiful face was stormy as she stared ahead.
Rikki, on the other hand, seemed in the best of spirits. ‘I can’t say either of you are trying to woo me with gay feminine chatter,’ he complained. ‘Ginny looks as if she’s trying to solve the riddle of the universe and you, Anthea, look as if you were auditioning for Lady Macbeth. Or is it that that’s the matter - did things not go well for you?’
‘How should I know?’ Anthea snapped. ‘They gave me the old routine about getting in touch. ’
Rikki whistled incredulously. ‘And I felt so sure that the part was as good as yours. It is true,’ he added slyly, ‘you are one of our up-and-coming young actresses, aren’t you? Come to think of it,’ he said thoughtfully, his eyes following the pathway of the headlamps on the dark road, ‘it must have been quite a blow to the old ego not to have been received with cries of rapture.’
‘You’re being ridiculous,’ Anthea said coldly. Then as though to divert his attention, she said, ‘I think I can explain Ginny’s pensiveness. She ran into an old flame of hers from the Clarkson’s Private Hotel days, a simply fascinating Romeo with thick-lensed glasses and a lugubrious expression.’
Still keeping his eyes on the road, Rikki tilted his head towards Ginny. ‘Not the Lester Philips you were telling me about, your heart-throb from a misspent youth?’
‘I never said he was my heart-throb,’ Ginny answered, almost in tears, aware that even if Rikki should weary of the subject, Anthea would introduce it at the earliest possible opportunity when they had returned to the Keep.
As soon as they entered the hall, however, Ginny realized that something was seriously wrong. Mrs. Clifford hurried to meet them, her cheeks hectic, her eyes wide with alarm, while Mrs. Hingston came forward more slowly, her face drawn and grey.
‘Oh dear, we thought you’d never get back,’ Mrs. Clifford wailed frantically. ‘Old Mr. Nicholas took suddenly ill. Mrs. Hingston rang for the doctor, but he’s out on a case and they don’t know when he’ll be back.’
‘But what happened?’ Rikki asked anxiously.
‘How should I know?’ wailed Mrs. Clifford. ‘We’d had such a nice chat and I was just leaving the room when there was a frightful crash and there was Nicholas on the floor. He’d knocked over the small table and all the medicine bottles were in bits. He was unconscious and his face was the most dreadful colour.’ She shuddered and burst into sobs.
Without waiting to hear more, Rikki ran upstairs.
Mrs. Hingston drew Ginny aside. ‘I think the master is having a heart attack,’ she said sombrely. ‘I don’t know much about it, but that’s what it looks like to me, and that silly woman is no help,’ she finished, casting a malignant glance in Mrs. Clifford’s direction. ‘She only made things worse by getting hysterics and taking my attention off the master.’ The old housekeeper’s face crumpled. ‘If only Master Luke were here, he’d know what to do. I rang his office and he’s on the way home now.’
As she spoke the heavy bell clanged through the hall and Mrs. Hingston’s face brightened. ‘This will be the doctor now,’ she said.
She scuttled towards the door, and Ginny, realizing there was nothing she could do to help, slowly wandered into the library. She reached up and absently selected a book, more for the beauty of its binding than because she wanted to read. Indeed she didn’t feel at all in the mood for reading and anxiously kept her ears attuned for the sound of the doctor’s departure. Slipping into a low leather chair, she curled her legs up under her and opened the book. The fire had sunk into a warm flameless glow, and switching on the table light she began to let her eyes wander over the page. Suddenly her attention was arrested as words seemed to spring into prominence:
‘But och! I backward cast my e’e On prospects drear!
An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear! ’
She shuddered with superstitious dread. The words were ominous. Suppose, she thought almost guiltily, old Nicholas should die? Suppose she were to be bereft of his warm friendliness, nothing then would tie her to Falcon’s Keep. Perhaps then, brusquely, Luke would give her her dismissal when he was no longer obliged to accede to his grandfather’s whims.
She pushed the book aside and, standing up, wandered to the window, restlessly drumming her fingers on the window pane.
Mrs. Hingston entered the room. She seemed calmer as though reassured by the doctor’s arrival. ‘Dr. McKay would like to see you for a few minutes,’ she said, her manner unusually deferential.
‘To see me?’ Ginny echoed, surprised. ‘But why?’
‘That I don’t know,’ the housekeeper replied, her manner puzzled as though surprised that the doctor wanted to consult such a nonentity as Ginny.
Dr. McKay, Ginny found, was a small stout man with rather fierce blue eyes and a determined expression.
He looked her up and down in critical silence, then said, in a strong Scottish accent, as though coming to a decision, ‘Mr. Kendrick
has had a bad heart attack, but in my opinion he’ll pull through. He’s a tough old bird, but he’ll need nursing. He refuses to let me bring in professionals and says that you’re quite capable of taking over. Well, are you?’ he barked suddenly as Ginny gazed at him in bewilderment.
‘Yes, yes, of course,’ she stammered, ‘if he’d like me to.’
The doctor clasped his hands behind his back and stamped up and down the room like a portly Napoleon. ‘Those other two relations of his seem to be completely useless, and he’s wise enough not to want them near his room. According to him you’re the only one with enough guts and stamina to take on the job.’ He halted suddenly his impatient march. ‘But now that I’ve seen you,’ he said slowly, ‘I’m not altogether sure that it would be such a good idea. I visualized you as much older and much brawnier. Instead of that you’re a wee slip of a
girl.’
Ginny smiled. ‘But I’m used to hard work and I’m really quite strong.’
‘So you’re definitely willing to take on the job?’
She nodded. ‘It would make me feel I was repaying in some way all the kindness he has shown me since I came to Falcon’s Keep.’
He looked at his watch. ‘A very pretty sentiment, I’m sure,’ he said gruffly, ‘but there’s more to nursing than running round with hot drinks and cooling cloths. You’ll have to be on your toes, twenty-four hours in the day, and whatever you do keep that Clifford menace out of his room or I don’t guarantee he won’t get another attack.’ He pushed a pair of steel-rimmed spectacles on to his nose with a businesslike air. ‘And now, here are your instructions.’
For the next few minutes Ginny listened, trying to memorize the minute instructions she was being given concerning the care of old Mr. Nicholas, and when Rikki, looking unusually subdued, had driven off for the various medicaments prescribed, she stole upstairs to old Mr. Nicholas’s room.
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