situation? I want to keep your respect, not lose it.” But then she thought: Perhaps I never had his respect in the first place. How shall I deal with this? Michael would know how. And she suddenly longed for Michael’s return from those distant places, for someone of her own kind to stand beside her and give her back her self-esteem.
Simon was speaking again.
“Under the circumstances, I suppose that is the best you can offer,” he said. “I’m prepared to take it.”
She stared at him.
“Are you serious?” she said at last.
“Perfectly. Weren’t you?”
She lifted her head a little higher.
“If the arrangement suits you, it suits me,” she said in a hard, brittle little voice.
“Very well, then.” He unlocked a drawer in the desk and took out a check book. “You won’t object, of course, to having our agreement down in writing,” he said in an expressionless voice. “It’s quite usual and this, you will admit, is rather a peculiar case.” She nodded, unable to speak for the moment. He pulled a sheet of foolscap to him and wrote steadily for a few minutes, putting his signature at the bottom. He handed the paper to her to read through, then taking his pen, she signed her name beneath his without a word, and watched him fold up the agreement and lock it away in the drawer.
He gave her the check, and she got slowly to her feet and stood twisting it between her fingers.
“What did you say the date of repayment was?” she asked with lips that trembled a little.
“January the thirty-first. It was down in the agreement.”
“I didn’t notice.”
For a moment his gaze was more kindly as it rested on her pale, still face.
“You should never sign anything you haven’t read through properly,” he said and walked to the door. “Sure you won’t stop to lunch?”
“Lord almighty, no!” she exclaimed fervently.
At the front door, she said with an effort at recapturing her old nonchalant attitude:
“Goodbye, and thank you. After all, there’s not really much risk for either of us, is there? And one has to take a chance.”
“I hope you’re right,” he told her gravely, and watched her slim erect figure pass from the sunlight into the shadow of the trees.
But, safe on her father’s territory, she began to run, and the difficult tears, restrained so long, ran down her face unchecked.
“Oh, Charles! The things I do for you!” she sobbed aloud. “The things I do for you!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Charles asked no questions
When Nicky said: “Foreclosing date is January the thirty-first, darling, so get busy with the markets,” he replied:
“Bit of a usurer, isn’t he? But these rich tradesmen are all alike. We’d better ask him around to dine or something.”
“No,” said Nicky violently. “At least—not yet.”
Charles went off presently on one of his brief disappearances to London, and Nicky elected to go with him. They spent a week of racketing around nightclubs and returned with a crowd of weekend guests.
Charles bought a young horse that pleased him mightily. He was in great form these days and stopped at Nye for longer periods than before. The weeks slipped by and somehow that invitation to Simon Shand was never sent. Nicky saw him once or twice out hunting, but he must have been away a good bit himself, since nobody heard of him for some time. A wet November slid quickly into an even wetter December and Christmas was almost upon them.
“The usual family Christmas again, Charles?” Nicky asked with resignation.
“I’m afraid so, my sweet. It’s all we ever do for our relations.”
“But Aunt Alice!”
“Well you can’t have Hilary without Alice, and you know you want him.”
“Darling Uncle Hilary, of course I do! Charles, isn’t Michael ever coming back?”
“Oh, he’ll blow in some time when you least expect him. His is the life, Nick. I’ve a good mind to go and look him up wherever he is and racket around with him for a bit.”
“Well, not till
Simon was speaking again.
“Under the circumstances, I suppose that is the best you can offer,” he said. “I’m prepared to take it.”
She stared at him.
“Are you serious?” she said at last.
“Perfectly. Weren’t you?”
She lifted her head a little higher.
“If the arrangement suits you, it suits me,” she said in a hard, brittle little voice.
“Very well, then.” He unlocked a drawer in the desk and took out a check book. “You won’t object, of course, to having our agreement down in writing,” he said in an expressionless voice. “It’s quite usual and this, you will admit, is rather a peculiar case.” She nodded, unable to speak for the moment. He pulled a sheet of foolscap to him and wrote steadily for a few minutes, putting his signature at the bottom. He handed the paper to her to read through, then taking his pen, she signed her name beneath his without a word, and watched him fold up the agreement and lock it away in the drawer.
He gave her the check, and she got slowly to her feet and stood twisting it between her fingers.
“What did you say the date of repayment was?” she asked with lips that trembled a little.
“January the thirty-first. It was down in the agreement.”
“I didn’t notice.”
For a moment his gaze was more kindly as it rested on her pale, still face.
“You should never sign anything you haven’t read through properly,” he said and walked to the door. “Sure you won’t stop to lunch?”
“Lord almighty, no!” she exclaimed fervently.
At the front door, she said with an effort at recapturing her old nonchalant attitude:
“Goodbye, and thank you. After all, there’s not really much risk for either of us, is there? And one has to take a chance.”
“I hope you’re right,” he told her gravely, and watched her slim erect figure pass from the sunlight into the shadow of the trees.
But, safe on her father’s territory, she began to run, and the difficult tears, restrained so long, ran down her face unchecked.
“Oh, Charles! The things I do for you!” she sobbed aloud. “The things I do for you!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Charles asked no questions
When Nicky said: “Foreclosing date is January the thirty-first, darling, so get busy with the markets,” he replied:
“Bit of a usurer, isn’t he? But these rich tradesmen are all alike. We’d better ask him around to dine or something.”
“No,” said Nicky violently. “At least—not yet.”
Charles went off presently on one of his brief disappearances to London, and Nicky elected to go with him. They spent a week of racketing around nightclubs and returned with a crowd of weekend guests.
Charles bought a young horse that pleased him mightily. He was in great form these days and stopped at Nye for longer periods than before. The weeks slipped by and somehow that invitation to Simon Shand was never sent. Nicky saw him once or twice out hunting, but he must have been away a good bit himself, since nobody heard of him for some time. A wet November slid quickly into an even wetter December and Christmas was almost upon them.
“The usual family Christmas again, Charles?” Nicky asked with resignation.
“I’m afraid so, my sweet. It’s all we ever do for our relations.”
“But Aunt Alice!”
“Well you can’t have Hilary without Alice, and you know you want him.”
“Darling Uncle Hilary, of course I do! Charles, isn’t Michael ever coming back?”
“Oh, he’ll blow in some time when you least expect him. His is the life, Nick. I’ve a good mind to go and look him up wherever he is and racket around with him for a bit.”
“Well, not till
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