Джорджетт Хейер - No Wind of Blame

Ermyntrude turned white, and then red. Wally looked as discomfited as anyone of his temperament could, and said that it was all right, and he would come. Ermyntrude was so much upset by this contretemps that she lost any grip over the Bridge-question that she may ever have had, and weakly jettisoned the second table. Finally, the Derings and the Bawtrys sat down to play, on the understanding that Ermyntrude and the Prince would cut in after the first rubber.

That the butler's announcement had been most unwelcome to Ermyntrude was apparent to all her guests, but the swift glance that passed between Mary and Vicky was noticed only by Hugh. As her elders moved towards the Bridge-table, fussed over solicitously by Ermyntrude, Vicky slid off the arm of the sofa, where she had perched herself, and strolled sinuously to the door. Mary said sharply: 'Vicky, where are you going? I was going to suggest billiards - or something."

"All right," said Vicky. "I'll join you."

She went out, and Mary, having the liveliest mistrust of her discretion, said hurriedly to Hugh: "Do go along to the billiard-room! I'll be with you in a minute. I must catch Vicky first."

Considerably intrigued, Hugh docilely obeyed these instructions, and was discovered presently practising cannons. He straightened himself as Mary came in with Vicky at her heels, and after casting a look at two rather worried faces, said: "Is anything the matter? Can I help, or do I pretend to be unconscious?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" replied Mary unconvincingly. "At least, nothing of importance."

"Well, I think it's awfully important that no one should be allowed to spoil Ermyntrude's party," said Vicky. "You may think it's lousy anyway, and as a matter of fact it is, but the point is she doesn't, and I'm perfectly certain she'd hate and loathe a scene."

"For God's sake, Vicky, shut up!" implored Mary.

"Oh, don't make a stranger of me! Who's going to create a scene? The person of the name of Baker?" asked Hugh.

"Well, I'm not at all sure, but I shouldn't wonder if it seemed a pretty good sort of an act to him, on account of his being a Communist, and probably disapproving of parties," said Vicky. She looked measuringly at Hugh, and her eyes brightened. "Are you any good at chucking people out?" she demanded.

"I've never tried my hand at it. Do you want Baker chucked out?"

"I may," said Vicky cautiously. "But not if it would be a noisy business. Of course, I may be doing him a frightful injustice, or on the other hand, Wally may manage to get rid of him." A fresh idea presented itself to her. She turned to Mary. "I say, do you think he would be useful?

On account of being a barrister, I mean?"

"No, certainly not," said Mary. "Nor do I think we need discuss the matter."

"Yes, but, darling, I shouldn't be at all surprised if you turned out to be full of regressions, and inhibitions, and things, and in any case it's practically bound to be all over Fritton by this time, because things always are."

"By all of which I deduce that your relative has got himself into some sort of a mess," said Hugh, addressing himself to Mary. "I shouldn't think I could be of any use, could I?"

"No, none at all, thank you," said Mary. "It's purely a family matter."

"Oh, I thought you didn't want him to know!" exclaimed Vicky innocently.

Hugh looked quickly at Mary's indignant face, and said: "Good Lord, you don't mean it? I don't believe it!"

"No, nor did we at first," agreed Vicky. "But I'm rather coming round to it, because I had a long talk with Percy this afternoon, and he utterly believes it. It's a sickening nuisance, isn't it?"

"Is Percy the person named Baker?" asked Hugh. "Who and what is he?"

"He works in a garage. He's Gladys's brother," explained Vicky.

"And is Gladys the lady involved?"

"Yes, of course. She's the box-office girl at the Regal. I dare say you know her."

"Good God! But how do you two come into it? You know, really this is a bit thick! You've no business to be mixed up in it, either of you."

"We aren't mixed up in it," said Mary, in an annoyed voice. "At least, we shouldn't be if Vicky hadn't taken it upon herself to interview the man when he came here this afternoon."

Hugh looked Vicky over critically. "Oh! Nice little handful, aren't you? If you take my advice, you'll keep your nose out of it."

"Yes, but I shouldn't think I would," replied Vicky. "I've been very modern and advanced all day, and I quite feel I may have done a lot of good, talking to Percy."

"You're more likely to have made things much worse," said Hugh unflatteringly. "Leave your stepfather to settle his affairs for himself. He's probably quite capable of doing it without your assistance."

"Oh dear, you do seem to me to be most frightfully fragrant and old-world!" said Vicky. "Besides practically dumb. Poor darling Wally never settles things, and the more I think about it the more I'm definitely against Ermyntrude having to pay up."

"You can't do any good," persisted Hugh. "You'd merely make a nuisance of yourself."

Vicky's eyes glinted at him. "Well, I think you're wrong. I often get very brilliant ideas, and I quite think I will over this, because I don't want Ermyntrude to have to put up with a scandal she doesn't like."

With that she tossed the stump of her cigarette into the fireplace, and walked out of the room.

Hugh turned to Mary. "But she's incredible!" he complained. "She just isn't possible."

" I warned you," said Mary. "I can't cope with her at all. I wish I could, because she's quite capable of doing something outrageous."

"Little beast!" said Hugh wholeheartedly. "Between friends, Mary, is this Baker fellow likely to make trouble?"

"I don't know, but if what Vicky told me was true I should think quite possibly. Oh dear, what a household we are!"

"Poor Mary! It's rotten for you."

"It's worse for Aunt Ermy. I oughtn't to be talking about it, but just lately things seem to have got dreadfully tense. Ever since that ghastly Prince arrived it's been most uncomfortable - rather as though we were on the brink of something disastrous."

"Do you mean that he's had something to do with it?"

"No, not really. Don't let's talk about it! I hope to Heaven Vicky hasn't gone to barge in on Uncle and Percy Baker. That would just about tear things wide open."

"Vicky," said Hugh, "wants suppressing."

"You're telling me! I say, what on earth shall we do if Baker does start a row?"

"I haven't thought out the answer to that one," Hugh confessed. "What you might call a delicate situation."

Happily, no sounds of strife in the library came to disturb the absorption of the Bridge-players in the drawing-room. Wally returned presently, not, apparently, much disturbed by his interview with Mr. Baker, and was easily persuaded to cut into the game. He was mendaciously assuring his partner, Connie Bawtry, that he was conversant with the rules governing the Four-Five No-Trump convention, when the butler made his second entrance, and informed him that Mr. White wished to speak with him on the telephone.

This was too much for Ermyntrude. Before Wally had time to reply, she told Peake to inform Mr. White that his master was engaged, and could not come to the telephone.

Bridge came to an end at eleven o'clock, and after everyone had added up his or her score, the errors had been traced to their sources, and a result arrived at which satisfied everyone, it was half an hour later, and the Derings' car had been announced quite twenty minutes earlier.

The initial strain of entertaining guests of whom she stood in awe, coupled with the alarming announcement of Mr. Baker's arrival, and capped by Harold White's illtimed telephone call, had proved to be too much for Ermyntrude. She felt quite unequal to the task (clearly incumbent on her) of demanding an explanation of his conduct from Wally, and after bidding the Prince good night in a failing voice, she went upstairs to bed, leaning heavily on the banisters.