Джорджетт Хейер: The Unfinished Clue

"Whether they come or do not is not my affair," said Sir Arthur. "I may remind you, my dear, that you asked them, and I suggest that it is for you to entertain them when they are to arrive. Dinah, you can play with Francis against Camilla here, and me. How will that be, Camilla?"

"You'll have to be very kind to me, then, and takee all the difficult balls," said Camilla. "But perhaps Miss Fawcett doesn't want to play?"

"As a matter of fact I don't, much," replied Dinah, accepting another sandwich.

"Hm! I suppose this is a specimen of the modern frankness we hear so much about!" remarked Sir Arthur I belligerently. "Personally, I should have thought that common politeness -"

"You wouldn't," interrupted Dinah, quite unperturbed. "You told me last time I came that you'd ceased to expect ordinary courtesy from me."

"Upon my word -!"began the General.

Camilla laid a hand on his arm. "Oh, but I do frightfully agree with Miss Fawcett. I know I offend lots of people, I'm so dreadfully outspoken myself."

"I'm quite sure," said the General gallantly, "that you could never offend anyone, my dear lady. But you shall have your tennis. My wife will play instead of her sister."

"Arthur, really I'd rather not!" Fay said. "I've got things to do before dinner, and — and one of us must be ready to receive Miss de Silva."

This slightly tactless reference to his son's betrothed provoked the General into saying with a rasp in his voice: "I've already told you I've no interest in the young woman, and I don't want her name dinned in my ears all day long. Go and put your tennis shoes on, and for God's sake consider your guests' wishes for once in a way!"

There was a moment's uncomfortable silence. Fay got up, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes downcast to hide the sudden, startled tears. Stephen Guest rose also, his gaze fixed on her.

Camilla gave an affected little shriek. "Really, you are the most dreadfully masterful man I've ever met!" she said. "I should be terrified of being your partner now. I know you'd bark at me in that paralysing parade voice of yours every time I missed a shot, and I should be simply petrified with fear. And it isn't I who want to play at all. I'm completely exhausted, and I'd far rather stay where I am, and — now don't be cross with me! Promise you won't be?"

"That's a very easy promise," said the General.

"Then I'll confess that I'm simply dying to meet the de Silva!" said Camilla audaciously. "I think it's just too thrilling!"

"Who is this Miss de Silva?" asked Stephen Guest in a low voice.

"Geoffrey's intended," replied Dinah, finishing what was left of her tea. "Cabaret dancer. Said to be Mexican."

"Good heavens! Is he bringing her here? Young fool!" He glanced towards Fay, who had seated herself again behind the tea-table, and added, almost beneath his breath: "I suppose you realise who it is who will be made to suffer?"

"Let us go and look at the roses," said Dinah. "Come on!"

He looked down at her, his eyes still smouldering, but considerably puzzled. "What?"

"Go and look at the roses," repeated Dinah firmly, and got up. "We're going for a stroll in the rose garden, Fay."

Mrs. Halliday overheard this, and gave her brittle laugh. "How too romantic!"

"My husband is a very keen gardener," Fay said. "You must get him to show you round some time."

Camilla Halliday sent her a quick look under her lashes, weighing her. "I should adore it!" she murmured. "Will you, dear Sir Arthur?"

"Delighted!" he assured her. "Any time! I can only say that I should like my roses to see you."

Dinah looked back over her shoulder. "And even that isn't original," she said pensively. "Come on, Stephen."

They descended the shallow steps on to the lawn, and began to stroll across it. Once they were out of earshot Dinah said: "You were an awful ass to come, you know."

"Maybe."

"It's no use trying to shut me up," said Dinah. "Ask Arthur. And if you don't mind my saying so, you won't make matters any better by doing the strong, silent man stuff whenever Arthur goes for Fay."

He smiled rather reluctantly. "Do I?"

"Rather! Like a western hero."

"I've been out west," he remarked inconsequently.

"I should think you were a huge success," said Dinah with great cordiality.

"Africa too," he ruminated. "Then I struck Australia for a spell. It's a great country."

"So I've been told. Is there anywhere you haven't been?"

"I've knocked round most of the tough spots in this world," he admitted. "You learn quite a lot, rolling round."

"What you don't seem to learn," said Dinah, "is a little ordinary sense. It's just dam' silliness to come and stay here. All it does is to make you want to take Arthur into a wide, open space and knock his teeth down his throat. I know."

Stephen Guest's large,, capable hands clenched slowly. "By God, it does!" he said, and drew a long breath.

"Well, you can't go knocking people's teeth out when they're as old as Arthur," Dinah pointed out.

"I don't know that that would worry me a lot," replied Guest. "It wouldn't take much from him to make me see red."

"Then you jolly well oughtn't to come here."

"Fay wanted me," he said.

"Your job," said Dinah, "is to make Fay want you much more than that. I've been advising her to run away with you."

He reddened under his tan, and said gruffly: "You're a good sort, Dinah. She won't, though."

"No, not while she can get you to come down here every time she feels like it."

Stephen Guest considered this. "I see," he said presently. "Thanks for the advice. Don't know that I shall take it." He paused under an arbour, and frowningly regarded a cluster of pink blooms. "Ever seen Lola de Silva?"

"That pleasure is yet to come. Have you?"

"M'm." A gleam of satisfaction shone in his eye. "Saw her at the Cafe Grecque once."

Dinah waited for more, but as Guest seemed to have relapsed into his habitual taciturnity she urged him kindly not to keep anything back.

Thus adjured, he replied: "Oh, I don't know anything about her! I only thought she'd be a bit out of place here — from what I saw."

Nothing further could be elicited from him. Dinah gave it up, and led the way back to the terrace.

It was not until nearly six o'clock that the sound of a car driving up the long gravel sweep heralded the arrival of Geoffrey Billington-Smith and his proposed bride. Stephen Guest and Basil Halliday had gone into the billiard-room, and through the open windows at the other end of the terrace came the intermittent click of the balls. Fay also had left the terrace, on some murmured pretext. There remained Camilla, languorous in her long chair, holding an idly flirtatious conversation with the General, and Dinah, talking in a desultory fashion to Captain Billington-Smith.

"Would you like me to make love to you, darling?" inquired Francis.

"Do just as you like; I needn't listen," replied Dinah.

"It seems to be the order of the day," he said softly."You don't like me a bit, do you, my sweet?"

"No, not much."

He accepted this with his faintly mocking smile, and continued to smoke for a minute or two in silence. "I'm not entirely sure that I like you," he remarked presently. "I've been trying to make up my mind about it. Let us change the subject. This is really very tiresome of Geoffrey, don't you agree?"

"Yes, but it ought to be rather good value. Do you know Lola?"

"I haven't taken her out to dinner, if that is what you mean. I've seen her dance. She wore feathers — not very many of them, but so artfully placed. No, I don't think Uncle will be pleased." He glanced towards her, and added affably: "How right you are, darling! Naturally I should be delighted if Geoffrey were disinherited in favour of me, but one must never bank on the future, must one? It is so like Geoffrey to put his father in a bad temper just when I want him mellow. Do not look so warningly at me: neither of them is paying the least heed to us. I am always careful not to offend Uncle."