The Lorimer Legacy by Anne Melville

have deserted her at all was almost impossible to believe; that he should have gone without a word of farewell had, in the end, caused her misery to be replaced by anger. She would take good care never again to give her love so easily. But no one should ever know how deeply she hadbeen hurt. She would show Matthew how little she cared for his desertion by becoming rich and famous. For a little while longer she would need to live as a dependant; but once her training was over she would make a great career for herself. How fortunate it was, she tried to persuade herself, that she had not after all been diverted from her ambitious plans into a life of domestic dullness.
    As unexpected as Matthew’s departure was his father’s helpfulness. Almost against reasonable expectation William Lorimer had kept his promise. He had introduced her to someone who – in an equally unlikely manner – was apparently prepared to help her realize her ambitions. But how much could Mr Glanville be expected to do for a stranger? To provide her with board and lodging might cost him little. To arrange a musical training might gratify his pride. But did he realize, she wondered, that she had no resources of her own at all? She had brought with her – since she planned to return directly to Elm Lodge the next day – all the clothes which she had taken to Bristol, and the single valise contained all that she owned. Her two new dresses would be shabby long before the course of training was completed. Already she needed a new pair of shoes, since the money Margaret had sent to Sophie had not been enough to provide this. Would she be entitled to go to Mr Glanville for clothes and pin money? And if not, what was she to do? To ask Margaret for an allowance was out of the question. Every penny that came into Elm Lodge was needed to balance a tight budget.
    This problem brought Alexa to another difficult question. Would she be able to persuade her guardian to give permission for the whole ambitious undertaking? Yes, it must be possible. Margaret herself had been ambitious as a young woman and had seized her chance to take a training and make a career for herself. She would feel atleast a little sympathy for Alexa’s hopes. Her doubts had always been about the threat which a theatrical life posed to the good reputation of any young woman. There could be no objection, surely, to this preliminary arrangement, made by her own brother with a family of such undoubted respectability as the Glanvilles. Alexa’s anxiety on this score was not too great. The financial problems loomed larger in her mind than the social or moral ones – of which, indeed, she was hardly aware.
    She was still lying awake, wondering how far Mr Glanville’s generosity was likely to extend, and how far she could ever recompense him, when the question answered itself. She heard footsteps approaching along the corridor. They came to a halt, and the door of her bedroom opened.
7
    When one unexpected event after another in the course of a single day has turned out to be for the best, even a disquieting occurrence may briefly seem capable of bearing a favourable interpretation. There was nothing stealthy about the opening of Alexa’s bedroom door, and nothing furtive about the movements of her patron as he came into the room. Alexa was naturally alarmed; but for a second she managed to persuade herself that he had arrived only as a polite host to make sure that she was comfortable, perhaps not expecting her to have retired to bed so early. The reassurance vanished as he closed the door behind him and put the lamp he carried down on her bedside table. Earlier in the evening she had found his smile unpleasant. Now it terrified her. She pulled the sheet up to her chin.
    â€˜What are you doing here, sir?’
    â€˜Did you think the audition was over?’ Mr Glanville enquired. Her eyes, wide with alarm, must have shown him the answer. ‘I take it this