He continued to study her with those keen blue eyes until she felt embarrassed. “I’ll be here for a while,” he said.
“I wondered why I didn’t hear from you.”
Miles gave her one of his familiar smiles. “Didn’t I send you a Christmas card?”
“Without a message or an address,” she said. “That was hardly enough.”
“I wasn’t sure it still mattered to you.”
“You know better than that! Several times I’ve wanted to write you and didn’t have any address.”
Miles said, “I’d like to talk to you.”
She glanced up toward the house, wondering if her mother was looking out.
“Perhaps we could meet later. After dinner.”
“Suits me,” he said. “I haven’t checked in at my motel yet. Suppose I come by around eight?”
Thinking quickly, she realized it wouldn’t be dark by then. So she said, “Why not make it around nine-fifteen?”
“If you like,” he agreed in a casual tone, so casual she had an idea he knew why she’d suggested a later time.
“My mother takes too much interest in my business,” she said by way of explanation. “It would be better if I came out to meet you rather than have you call for me.”
“Why not?” he asked in the same bantering tone.
She glanced at him anxiously. “Miles, please understand this is nothing personal. I have to cope with her this way all the time. Otherwise she worries and is miserable.”
Miles offered her a lopsided grin. “I’ll buy anything you say.”
“Don’t be like that!” she said more aware now of the new hardness in him, the cynicism and distrust that apparently extended even to her.
“I’ll be here as soon as it’s properly dark,” he said.
“In the meantime, I’ll be on my way before all the neighbors see me talking to you.”
“Miles!” she reproved him.
But he was already moving around to the other side of his car to get into it. He waved in a friendly fashion, but the smile he assumed was bitter. She watched with a sinking heart as he started the car and drove away. He had changed!
She entered the house, expecting her mother to pounce on her with a tirade because she’d been talking with Miles. But it turned out she was in luck. Millicent was still in her room, finishing an afternoon nap. Judith drew a deep sigh of relief and prepared to offer her mother a story to cover her going out with Miles later.
She waited until after dinner and then, pretending it had just occurred to her, said, “I forgot. I promised to go to the Yacht Club dance with Alan.”
Millicent smiled with pleasure. “Well, you’re certainly late thinking about it. What are you going to wear? Is it a formal?”
“No. The season hasn’t started yet. This is only an informal affair to bring the members together and discuss plans and enjoy some dancing. I’ll just wear something simple.”
“You don’t want to look out of place,” her mother worried.
“That’s why I’ll not wear anything dressy,” Judith said firmly. “I can put on my blue. It’s new and will be suitable.”
By nine o’clock she was ready. The rain hadn’t started, and so she made an excuse she wanted to enjoy some fresh air before Alan picked her up. Then she hurried down to the sidewalk to wait for Miles. She took a stand a short distance from the house and near a street lamp. He arrived at exactly nine-fifteen.
He gave her a teasing smile as she got in beside him. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting?”
“No. I just came down.”
“I trust you gave your mother a suitable story.”
“Don’t be difficult, Miles,” she begged. “It doesn’t become you.”
He glanced at her. “Any place special you want to go?”
“Not really,” she said. “Why don’t we drive to the Point? It’s only a few miles from town, and there’s a lot of parking space overlooking the beach and river. And on the way back we can stop at the Ranch House for a snack. We often used to do that.”
“Sounds good,” he said, heading the car down the hill to the bridge and the rotary leading to the Point road.
Judith sat back with a sigh of relief. “I can hardly believe you’re back,” she said.
He didn’t take his eyes from the wheel. “Did you think I wouldn’t dare?”
“Of course not! But I’d had no word from you.”
Miles eased the car into the heavy flow of traffic circling in front of the Holiday Inn and took the exit for the Point road. “I didn’t know until a short time ago I’d be coming here. I decided to keep it a surprise.”
“It has been one!”
He drove on without glancing at her. “A pleasant one, I hope.”
“Of course!” She sensed that he was still in a hostile humor and wanted to get him out of it. “You’re looking very well. I’ve been worried about you.”
“Thanks. But I’ve managed.”
“What are you doing?”
He gave a short laugh. “I think I’ve finally found my proper niche. You know I was never happy working here for North.”
“I know.”
“And I didn’t really care much for accountancy. So when I had my trouble, I decided I should investigate other fields.”
“And you found something you liked?”
“Yes. I’m with one of the big labor unions. Sort of a trouble-shooter and organizer.”
Judith turned to him. “That’s wonderful,” she said sincerely. “I’m sure you’ll do well.” And then it hit her! “Is that why you’re here?”
“That’s right,” he said with irony.
“Miles, you’ve not come about the bridge, have you? I understand they plan some kind of demand for new working conditions.”
“I’m here to look after the interests of the bridge workers,” he admitted. And giving her a side glance for the first time, he asked, “Does that make me any less welcome?”
“Not you as a person,” she said faintly. And then she admitted, “But you have arrived at the worst possible time. You must know that Alan Fraser is fighting a battle with Senator Lafferty to prevent the construction from being halted completely.”
“Their political battles don’t concern me,” Miles said bluntly. “I’m only concerned with getting the best possible conditions for our men when they are working.”
“I can understand that,” she said. “But your coming here with a strike threat at this particular moment will make it more difficult for Alan!”
Miles eyed her sardonically. “You sound very worried about Fraser!”
“I’m his secretary now,” she explained. “I’ve worked with him closely all through this. He’s put an awful lot of effort into the bridge.”
“The privileged son of a privileged father,” Miles said coldly. “I’m sorry I can’t work up much enthusiasm for the Port Winter gentry.”
“Because Charles North played a rotten trick on you is no reason you should condemn everyone in town,” she protested.
“I don’t care about the precious town,” he told her. “It doesn’t happen to be my town any more. I’ve been sent here to do a job, and that’s what I’m taking care of no matter who gets hurt.”
“You’re playing into S.C. North’s hands,” Judith warned him. “He’s out to remove Alan from the bridge authority and hold up construction until he can have his own men placed in charge and the steel contract shifted to him. Senator Lafferty is merely fronting for the North interests.”
They had reached the Point, and Miles brought the car to a halt facing the beach. The canteen was open, and there was a scattering of cars, but the dark threatening night had made the number smaller than would have been present on a moonlit night.
Miles turned off the ignition and stared up at the dark sky. “I’d say that rain wasn’t far away.”
She stared at him with troubled eyes. “Are you deliberately trying to hurt Alan?”
He turned. “I’m not in
terested in Alan. Get that? And I’m not interested in any of these local squabbles. I’m here to represent the workers. That’s it!”
“Miles, you’ve changed terribly!”
“Meaning I’m no longer an easy mark?”
“Meaning you’ve become hard and mean. You mustn’t go on this way! It’s as if you were a different person, someone I don’t know!”
“I am a different person! Do you think I had an easy time getting started again? Do you think anyone worried about me? The Norths taught me a lesson that I’m not apt ever to forget. I hope I can go on putting it to good advantage.”
“You’ve come back here hoping to cause trouble.”
“If you’re saying I don’t mind if someone gets hurt, you’re right I was hurt, and I know what happened. The people of this town turned their backs on me. I thought I had friends until North told them I was a thief!”
“I never believed it,” she said in a tense whisper. “You know that!”
“Maybe you didn’t,” he said. “But you were still nervous talking to me today where the neighbors might see you. And you had to lie to your mother to come out with me tonight! I don’t call that taking a strong stand in the accused’s defense.”
“You’re twisting everything to suit your own point of view,” she protested. “I told you I always have trouble with Mother.”
“Don’t try to spare my feelings,” Miles said sharply. “And don’t go on pleading for Alan Fraser. I’m doing my job, regardless of how much it embarrasses him. I take it you and he are going together again, now that you’re his secretary. He used to be your boy friend, as I remember.”
“Do I have to answer that?” she asked with a hint of scorn.
“Forgive me if I’ve broken a code,” Miles mocked her. “I know how strongly you Port Winter gentry adhere to your codes. But I believe in saying what I think.”
She looked out at the river. “I told you I was glad you’d come back. That was a mistake. Now I’m sorry that you have. And I’m sorry for you.”
“Thanks!”
“I mean it,” she said, turning to him.
“I can take care of myself.”
“I hope so,” she said quietly.
Miles studied her in silence for a moment. Then he said, “No more pleading for your boy friend? You disappoint me.”
“That wasn’t why I came out with you tonight: to plead for Alan.”
“I thought it was.”
“I didn’t even know you were working for the union when I asked you to pick me up.”
He smiled bleakly. “I thought maybe somebody had given you a hint.”
“They hadn’t.”
“In which case I offer an apology. So you wanted to see me tonight because you are still my good friend, because you still care for me.”
“That’s true in a way.”
“Don’t talk nonsense you don’t mean. We were finished as soon as I was branded a thief.”
“Perhaps it would have been impossible for us to go on in this town,” she admitted. “But we could have gone some place else and made a fresh start together. You preferred to leave without telling me.”
“I did what I considered best for both of us.”
“You might have been wrong.”
Miles lost his harshness for the first time. Very quietly he said, “It is cruel of you to say a thing like that unless you mean it.”
“I do mean it.”
Miles took her in his arms. “I shouldn’t believe you,” he said. “But I want to.” And pressing her tightly to him, he kissed her hard. In a moment he let her go. “It’s no use, Judith. We can’t go back to what we had.”
She said, “You seem very certain of that.”
“Too many obstacles,” he said with a wry smile. “For one thing, you’re right. I have changed.”
“Not that much.”
“Enough,” he said firmly. “I’m not even interested in being the kind of person I was before. I’ve found the meaning of power. And I’ve learned how to use it. With a little luck, I can go to the top in this game.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I think so. I see our leaders as about as honest as S.C. North; maybe a little more so.”
“Good luck, then.”
“I’ll need it,” he said frankly. “They know about my record, and they’ve been willing to give me a chance. But I’ll be watched for a while.” He paused. “So Alan is the top man in your life again?”
She gave a rueful laugh. “I like the way you say again. I’m very fond of Alan. He’s engaged to someone else at the moment.”
Miles showed surprise. “I didn’t expect that.”
“I’ll be honest,” she said. “I think he’s going to break his engagement. And I feel he should, both for his sake and the girl’s. Also, he’s asked me to marry him.”
“That sounds more like it.”
“I haven’t promised that I would.”
“Why?” Miles asked with one of his hard smiles. “Are you waiting to be sure he’s a winner? Afraid he’ll fall down on this bridge project? Holding off for a better prospect?”
“You have become cynical,” she said quietly. “No. I didn’t put him off for any of those reasons. I did it because of a lingering fondness for you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I wasn’t certain I’d gotten over you. I’m not sure yet.”
Miles said nothing for a moment. It was his turn to stare out across the river silently. Then he said, “It’s beginning to rain. I see drops on the windshield. We’d better start back and have our snack. I don’t want to keep you out too late.”
“Whatever you think,” she said listlessly. She turned to look out the side window and kept her head averted for a good part of the drive into the city.
The Ranch House was a log cabin restaurant on the outskirts of the city. Most of the time it featured folk singers as entertainment, and the menu consisted chiefly of various cuts of charcoal broiled steaks and lobster. It drew a mixed patronage, and when they entered on this Saturday night, it was well-filled and the show was under way. A waiter led them down an aisle of the nearly dark restaurant to the background accompaniment of twanging guitars and a sad-voiced male and female duo.
Miles glanced across the table with its flickering candle in a bottle covered with wax drippings and, smiling, said, “Seems like old times!”
She nodded. “We used to come here a lot.”
They ordered and then listened to the folk singers, each lost in his own thoughts. Judith was almost glad the evening was coming to an end. The tension between herself and the young man to whom she’d once been engaged had been so great she knew they’d made each other unhappy.
When the show ended and the lights were turned on, Miles glanced around at the occupants of the adjacent stalls. “I don’t see any familiar faces,” he said.
“It’s been a little while,” she reminded him. “It doesn’t take long for the crowd to change.”
“You’re right,” he agreed.
They quickly finished their food, and Miles drove her back home. When the moment came for them to part, he showed his first sign of genuine regret.
“I suppose you’ll not want to see me again,” he said.
“Why do you say that?”
“This evening wasn’t much of a success. And you don’t approve of my reason for coming back to Port Winter.”
“Let’s not argue,” she suggested with a smile. “I think we should see each other again.”
“All right,” he said. “I’ll be in touch.” And with another of his wry smiles: “I’ll probably see you in your office. I’ll be calling on Fraser.”
“I’ll be expecting you,” she said.
He nodded and sighed. “Maybe we can talk it all out another time,” he said. And leaning across, he kissed her briefly. Then he got out of the car and saw her to the steps.
She waited until he drove away, then, with a strangely depressed feeling, slowly starte
d up the concrete steps.
Tonight her mother was waiting in the darkness of the living room. She saw the thin figure in the faded wrapper lift herself from an easy chair and come out to greet her. Her mother’s pale face was expressionless.
“You’re home from the dance early,” she said.
“Alan didn’t want to stay late,” Judith told her. “We were both tired after last night.”
Millicent stared at her bleakly. “Yes. I expect you would be.”
“Are you feeling well?” Judith asked her mother anxiously. “You look so pale. You should go to bed and not wait up for me.”
“You think not?”
“I think it’s a lot of nonsense.”
Millicent Barnes sighed. “You would. By the way, you had a phone call a little while after you left.
Judith was mildly surprised. “Oh? I wasn’t expecting any.”
“I realize that,” her mother said with a touch of anger. “It was Alan Fraser who called. He asked that you call him back tomorrow.”
Judith stood motionless and silent.
Finally she said, “I’m sorry, Mother.”
“Well, you might be!” Millicent Barnes raged. “Going off with someone and telling me the first story that came into your head. Do you know what I’ve gone through since that call came?”
“There was no need to worry!” Judith protested.
“What would you expect me to do? And why did you lie to me in the first place?”
Judith wanted no more evasions. She had gotten herself in enough trouble as it was. She said, “I lied to save you from worry, Mother. I don’t normally do it, but this was a special instance.”
“Indeed!” Millicent said bitingly.
“Miles Estey is back in town,” Judith went on. “He asked me to go out with him so we could have a talk. I know you’d be upset, so I told you I was meeting Alan.”
“Miles Estey!” Her mother’s tone indicated how she felt about the young man.
“You needn’t say his name that way,” Judith told her angrily.
“You’re going to start running around with him again just when Alan Fraser is getting interested in you!”
“You’re being silly!”
“That’s what you always say! But I guess I know who the silly one is this time! Turning your back on a nice boy like Alan to run after a thief!”
Vintage Love Page 208