cashmere cardigans, the strings of good pearls. One smoked a cigarette with a long ivory holder.
"Two no trumps."
"Prue." Daniel, impatient, had retraced his steps to urge me on. "Come on. "
I was about to follow him when the lady who faced me across the card table looked up. Our eyes met. I had not instantly recognised her, but now I was face to face with Mrs. Tolliver.
"Prue." She looked politely pleased to see me, though I found it hard to believe that this was so. "What a surprise."
"Hello, Mrs. Tolliver."
"What are you doing here?"
I did not want to go and talk to them, but confronted by the situation, I couldn't think of anything else to do. "I ... I was just looking around. I've never been here before." I moved forward into the room, and the other ladies looked up at me from their hands of cards with smiling mouths and eyes that did not miss a detail of my windblown hair, my old pullover, my faded jeans.
Mrs. Tolliver laid down her cards and introduced me to her friends. ". . . Prue Shackleton. You must know Phoebe Shackleton, who lives at Penmarron. Well, Prue is her niece ..."
"Oh, yes. How nice," said the ladies in their various ways, obviously longing to get on with their game.
"Prue was so kind to Charlotte yesterday. She travelled down with her from London on the train."
The ladies smiled again, approving of this. I realised with some dismay that I had not thought of Charlotte all day. For some reason this made me feel guilty, and the guilt was not assuaged by the sight of Mrs. Tolliver sitting here in her element and playing bridge.
I said, "Where is Charlotte?"
"At home. With Mrs. Curnow."
"Is she all right?"
Mrs. Tolliver fixed me with a cold eye. "Is there any reason she shouldn't be?"
I was taken aback. "No reason ..." I met her eye. "It's just that, on the train, she seemed very quiet."
"She's always quiet. She never has much to say. And how did you find Phoebe? Not bothered by her broken arm? I'm so glad. Is she with you now?"
"No. I just drove someone back . . . he's staying here . . ."
I remembered Daniel then, standing behind me, and in some confusion turned to include him in this little encounter and introduce him to Mrs. Tolliver.
"Daniel, this is Mrs. . . "
But he wasn't behind me. I saw only the open doors and the empty foyer beyond.
"Your friend took one look at us and left," one of the other ladies remarked, and I turned back and saw them laughing as though it were a joke. I smiled too.
"How silly of me. I thought he was still there."
Mrs. Tolliver picked up her cards once more and arranged them in a neat fan. "So nice to have seen you," she said. I found myself, for no reason, blushing. I made my excuses, said good-bye to them, and left.
Back in the foyer, I searched for Daniel. There was no trace of him, but I saw the lighted sign of the Cocktail Bar and headed for it, and found him, a solitary figure, sitting on a high stool with his back to me.
I was indignant. "What did you go off like that for?"
"Bridge-playing ladies aren't really my scene."
"They aren't my scene either, but sometimes you have to talk to people. I felt such a fool. I was going to introduce you and you'd evaporated into thin air. It was Mrs. Tolliver, from Penmarron." "I know. Have a drink."
"If you knew it was Mrs. Tolliver, that was even ruder."
"You sound like an etiquette writer. Why should I be bothered with Mrs. Tolliver? No, don't tell me, because I don't want to know. Now I'm having a Scotch. What do you want to drink?"
"I don't know if I want a drink." I was still feeling put out.
"I thought that having a drink was what we'd come to do."
"Oh, all right." I climbed up onto the stool beside him. "I'll have a lager."
He ordered it for me. We then proceeded to sit in silence. At the back of the bar the shelves of bottles were backed by mirrored glass, and our two reflections gazed back at us from behind them. Daniel took out a cigar and lit it, and the barman brought me my lager and made
"Two no trumps."
"Prue." Daniel, impatient, had retraced his steps to urge me on. "Come on. "
I was about to follow him when the lady who faced me across the card table looked up. Our eyes met. I had not instantly recognised her, but now I was face to face with Mrs. Tolliver.
"Prue." She looked politely pleased to see me, though I found it hard to believe that this was so. "What a surprise."
"Hello, Mrs. Tolliver."
"What are you doing here?"
I did not want to go and talk to them, but confronted by the situation, I couldn't think of anything else to do. "I ... I was just looking around. I've never been here before." I moved forward into the room, and the other ladies looked up at me from their hands of cards with smiling mouths and eyes that did not miss a detail of my windblown hair, my old pullover, my faded jeans.
Mrs. Tolliver laid down her cards and introduced me to her friends. ". . . Prue Shackleton. You must know Phoebe Shackleton, who lives at Penmarron. Well, Prue is her niece ..."
"Oh, yes. How nice," said the ladies in their various ways, obviously longing to get on with their game.
"Prue was so kind to Charlotte yesterday. She travelled down with her from London on the train."
The ladies smiled again, approving of this. I realised with some dismay that I had not thought of Charlotte all day. For some reason this made me feel guilty, and the guilt was not assuaged by the sight of Mrs. Tolliver sitting here in her element and playing bridge.
I said, "Where is Charlotte?"
"At home. With Mrs. Curnow."
"Is she all right?"
Mrs. Tolliver fixed me with a cold eye. "Is there any reason she shouldn't be?"
I was taken aback. "No reason ..." I met her eye. "It's just that, on the train, she seemed very quiet."
"She's always quiet. She never has much to say. And how did you find Phoebe? Not bothered by her broken arm? I'm so glad. Is she with you now?"
"No. I just drove someone back . . . he's staying here . . ."
I remembered Daniel then, standing behind me, and in some confusion turned to include him in this little encounter and introduce him to Mrs. Tolliver.
"Daniel, this is Mrs. . . "
But he wasn't behind me. I saw only the open doors and the empty foyer beyond.
"Your friend took one look at us and left," one of the other ladies remarked, and I turned back and saw them laughing as though it were a joke. I smiled too.
"How silly of me. I thought he was still there."
Mrs. Tolliver picked up her cards once more and arranged them in a neat fan. "So nice to have seen you," she said. I found myself, for no reason, blushing. I made my excuses, said good-bye to them, and left.
Back in the foyer, I searched for Daniel. There was no trace of him, but I saw the lighted sign of the Cocktail Bar and headed for it, and found him, a solitary figure, sitting on a high stool with his back to me.
I was indignant. "What did you go off like that for?"
"Bridge-playing ladies aren't really my scene."
"They aren't my scene either, but sometimes you have to talk to people. I felt such a fool. I was going to introduce you and you'd evaporated into thin air. It was Mrs. Tolliver, from Penmarron." "I know. Have a drink."
"If you knew it was Mrs. Tolliver, that was even ruder."
"You sound like an etiquette writer. Why should I be bothered with Mrs. Tolliver? No, don't tell me, because I don't want to know. Now I'm having a Scotch. What do you want to drink?"
"I don't know if I want a drink." I was still feeling put out.
"I thought that having a drink was what we'd come to do."
"Oh, all right." I climbed up onto the stool beside him. "I'll have a lager."
He ordered it for me. We then proceeded to sit in silence. At the back of the bar the shelves of bottles were backed by mirrored glass, and our two reflections gazed back at us from behind them. Daniel took out a cigar and lit it, and the barman brought me my lager and made
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