A Garland of Marigolds by Isobel Chace Page A

a spring mattress here? ”
    But Julie Burnett was not so easily put off.
    “ My family all have proper beds. We wouldn ’ t have anything else. ”
    Camilla and I exchanged glances. Nothing could have reconciled us to our string beds more quickly. It was with difficulty I refrained from laughing. Poor Gideon! Whatever he felt about Julie Burnett himself, his family were all going to hate her! She was not at all their style. I thought back to the house in Putney and his sister ’ s family and the children and, frankly, I couldn ’ t see Julie there at all!
    But Gideon couldn ’ t leave well alone.
    “ Why ever not? ” he demanded.
    Julie looked decidedly sulky. “ Someone has to keep up the standards, ” she muttered. “ None of you make any attempt to do so here! Poor Daddy thinks it ’ s dreadful the way you dress and ... and everything. He doesn ’ t really approve of my coming here at all, so there! ”
    Gideon immediately looked contrite.
    “ I know, ” he said heavily. “ It ’ s difficult for you living here, without many friends of your own kind. ”
    Julie patted her hair with a certain sensual pleasure.
    “ Now, now, Gideon, darling, you needn ’ t look so down in the dumps! I shan ’ t stop coming, no matter what anybody says! As I keep telling myself, someone has to keep you up to the mark, and I don ’ t suppose you would eat properly or anything unless I saw that you did! ”
    I couldn ’ t bring myself to look at either of them in case I discovered that they were both as embarrassed as I was. But Gideon, when he spoke, sounded nonchalant and almost indecently cheerful.
    “ Good for you! Let ’ s eat, shall we? ”
    We sat at a long table, on handmade cane seats that were cooler than anything else would have been. Camilla was annoyed because, while her brother sat at the top of the table, Julie had placed herself firmly at the foot with her usual giggle.
    “ I always act as hostess for Gideon whenever I ’ m here, ” she explained to us all at large.
    It didn ’ t worry me a great deal, because I was sitting next to Joseph and he was a much easier companion than the others.
    A moth, larger than any I had seen before, swooped over the table toward Julie. She screamed very daintily and Gideon leapt to his feet and flicked his napkin at the winged creature. The attraction of Julie ’ s hair was too much for it, though, and it settled on the top of her head.
    “ Keep quite still! ” Gideon commanded.
    But Julie was beyond doing anything of the sort. With frenzied movements she tore at her hair, unable to dislodge the moth and sobbing audibly as she gulped rather than breathed. Camilla watched her with indecent enjoyment.
    “ I should have thought, ” she said in clear, young tones, “ that someone so accustomed to India would have been able to deal with a moth! ”
    “ Shut up! ” Gideon said tautly.
    “ Well, really, it ’ s quite harmless! ” Camilla argued placidly. “ Why don ’ t you scoop it into a glass? ”
    Gideon looked decidedly put out.
    “ I don ’ t want to muss Julie ’ s hairstyle, ” he said helplessly.
    Camilla looked hard and long at them both. “ Would it matter? ” she asked lazily.
    It is difficult to say who was the angrier, Gideon or Julie.
    “ I hate your sister! ” the girl sobbed hysterically.
    “ I ’ m not surprised! ” Gideon agreed grimly. And then, quite suddenly, his lips began to quiver and his laughter rang through the house.
    “ I ’ ll never forgive you! Never. Never! ” Julie stormed at him.
    I felt decidedly sorry for her. Because I was not in the least afraid of flying things myself, I went over to her and picked the moth up by the tips of its wings and put it firmly outside.
    “ You ought to do something to keep them out, ” I said to Gideon.
    “ Are you always so calm and collected? ” he asked me softly.
    I shook my head, suddenly tongue-tied. He was very charming when he wanted to be—too charming for my