Роберт Эйкман - The Late Breakfasters (Faber Finds)

‘Are you going back to Kynaston?’

‘I’m not going back to you.’

‘I see.’ He turned to Griselda. ‘And you? Where do you come in?’

It was difficult to know what to say. Lotus saved Griselda the trouble.

‘Stop asking questions and leave the room, Barney.’ She took a short step towards him. It was like the school bully and her victim, Griselda thought.

‘I’ll kill myself.’

‘The best thing you can do.’

His bloodstained face was now completely white.

‘You don’t believe me?’

‘I don’t care.’

Hanging from the washbasin was a dirty towel, the property of a former tenant. It might have hung there for months. Lotus snatched it and flicked it with a loud report in Barney’s face.

‘Lotus.’ His voice was a voice from the tomb. ‘Lotus, I love you. I love you terribly, Lotus.’

Before she had succeeded in driving him from the room, she must have been hurting him quite considerably.

When Barney was outside, Lotus locked the door and stuck the key into the top of her black corselette, which her exertions had exposed to view.

Griselda was alarmed. But Lotus only looked dreamily at her for several seconds, her large eyes full of lustre, her exquisite hands making small groping movements; then with a low cry fell upon the prostrate Kynaston, all beautiful compassion. Again she looked at Griselda.

‘Do you know any first-aid?’

‘A little.’ Griselda reflected. ‘Very little.’

‘Can you tell if he’s alive?’

‘I think I can.’

Griselda held the mirror from her bag against the side of Kynaston’s mouth pressed against the dust coloured carpet. A slightly yellow mist immediately clouded it.

‘He’s alive.’

Lotus sqatted back.

‘I don’t mind if you marry him so long as you let me go on seeing him. It’s only his body I want really. I don’t at all care about your having everything else.’

‘I quite understand. Hadn’t we better try to bring him round?’

‘So long as you understand. It’ll be no different from any other marriage. Except, of course, that Geoffrey will never be able to keep you. Still I want him to be happy and might be able to help with that: always through you, of course. Geoffrey can’t tell the difference between fourpence and ninepence.’

‘That’s very kind of you.’

‘It’s not only kindness. There’s a close connection between a man’s happiness and his vitality, you know. In many ways, men are exactly like animals. Perhaps you don’t believe that?’

‘Shall we chafe his extremities?’

‘Why?’

‘It’s what we were taught.’

‘Then you’d better do it.’

Griselda hesitated.

‘Have you any brandy?’ She thought that this might, among other things, get the door unlocked and Lotus out of the room.

‘Of course.’

‘Do you think you could bring it?’

‘I suppose so.’ Lotus rose to her feet, stretching the cramp from her leg muscles. ‘What a curse men are.’ She was looking for the key. ‘Wait.’ She had unlocked the door and was going upstairs. Indeed she had left the door open.

To her own surprise Griselda remained with the body.

When Lotus returned, she once more locked the door. ‘We don’t want a crowd,’ she remarked. She bore a half-full bottle of excellent liqueur brandy; distinctly superior to what might be expected of Juvenal Court.

‘Shall we force it down him?’

‘I suppose so. I’ve never done it.’

‘I’ve never done it either. I always let other people deal with emergencies.’

Tenderly Lotus rolled Kynaston on to his back.

‘Give me that tooth-glass. I don’t see why we shouldn’t have some first. The whole thing’s Geoffrey’s own fault.’

‘It needs washing. There are two dead flies in it.’

‘All right. Wash it. But be quick.’

Griselda emptied the flies to the floor and cleaned the glass to the best of her ability.

‘I’ll dry it.’ Somewhat to Griselda’s distaste, Lotus dried the glass on the grimy towel. ‘Now then.’ She half-filled the glass with brandy. ‘Me first, if you don’t mind.’ At once the glass was again empty. ‘Now you.’ Griselda’s allowance was considerably smaller.

‘Thank you.’ It was certainly wonderful stuff.

‘How do you force drink between tightly clenched jaws?’

‘Geoffrey’s mouth is open.’

‘Oh yes. Still I don’t want to waste it.’

‘Let me try.’ Griselda was beginning to worry lest Kynaston have concussion, whatever that might be.

‘Careful.’

Griselda poured about half a tablespoonful of brandy into the glass and released it drop by drop down Kynaston’s throat.

‘Careful.’

When the glass was nearly empty, Kynaston seemed to have a violent spasm. He curled up instantaneously, like a caterpillar which has taken alarm. His mouth closed sharply and a curious rattle came from somewhere inside him. It frightened Griselda so much that she swallowed what remained in the glass.

‘Of course.’ she said, ‘he’s been having very little to eat.’

Lotus stared at her dreamily; again half-filling the glass.

‘Don’t forget your promise,’ she said, drinking.

‘What promise?’

‘You may not think you’ll marry Geoffrey. But he’ll marry you. You won’t be able to resist him: and he’ll make marriage his price.’ She had unbuttoned Kynaston’s shirt and was running her free hand over the upper part of his body. ‘Or part of his price.’

‘Shall we call a doctor?’

‘How innocent you are, Griselda!’

Suddenly Lotus had cast the tumbler into a corner of the room, where it shattered with rather too much noise and into rather too many pieces; had thrown herself upon the half-naked Kynaston: and was frenziedly kissing his mouth. Instantly Kynaston sat up.

‘Beloved,’ he said, clasping Lotus in his arms. Then, seeing Griselda, he gave a groan of shock and disgust, and was on his feet, buttoning his shirt.

Lotus lay on the floor. She appeared to be looking round for another glass. As with the locked door, she seemed to find difficulty, Griselda thought, in sustaining her romantic emphases.

‘Come away at once,’ said Kynaston, apparently none the worse. ‘We shall have to live elsewhere.’ The knock-out seemed to have awakened in him a slightly hysterical dignity.

‘No need at all,’ replied Lotus from the floor. ‘Griselda and I are on the best of terms. We are going to be great friends.’

‘I didn’t know,’ said Kynaston. ‘Griselda needs some friends.’

‘We’ve made a bargain.’

‘What bargain?’

Lotus smiled her lovely smile. ‘Geoffrey,’ she said, ‘do organize a picnic for next Sunday.’

‘All right, Lotus.’

‘We’ll all come. It’ll be like old times.’

‘So long as no one crosses me about the arrangements.’

‘Who would?’

He smiled back at her.

‘Griselda hasn’t seen you at your wonderful best until she’s been on one of your wonderful wonderful picnics.’

Now Griselda smiled also.

Kynaston was at the door.

‘It’s locked.’

All three were still smilling.

‘Where’s the key?’

Lotus knelt, sitting back upon her ankles, and, her hands clasped behind her, extended her plump black-corsetted bosom towards him.

‘Reach for it.’

The key being extracted, and the door opened, they left Lotus, the search for another glass abandoned, imbibing direct from the bottle.

‘Marry-in-haste,’ she said between gulps.

‘I never shall,’ said Griselda still smiling.

XXII

Through his door on the ground floor, Barney could be clearly heard grinding his teeth and his colours.