Gone Away Page 14

  “Oh, indoors, I think.” Patricia responded as she followed her escort through the swing doors into the tearoom. During their walk Patricia had been silently wondering what could possibly have happened to account for Ian’s sudden change of plans. There had been no question of his returning; on the contrary, he was intending to settle in the East, and his marriage to Kitty had been forthcoming. He had been the last person in the world she had expected to meet, and she could scarcely contain her impatience.

  It was not until they were comfortably seated at a corner table, and tea had been ordered and set before them, that Ian prepared himself to satisfy Patricia’s curiosity. As if conscious of her thoughts, he leaned across the table toward her. “I know you must be longing to know why I am here when you thought me miles away in Singapore?”

  “I am. I can’t understand what has happened,” Patricia admitted, while, with growing concern, she saw Ian’s brow crease into a frown and his eyes cloud ominously.

  “Everything is over ... Kitty and I have decided to part.” Patricia heard his words with growing uneasiness. Surely she hadn’t heard right? This couldn’t be true! This couldn’t have happened! “You didn’t get your decree?” she faltered. “That can be the only reason ... there can’t be any other explanation?”

  “I got my decree all right; it was made absolute last week.” Ian sipped at his tea, and in an effort to put his companion at ease and take the tension from the atmosphere, he laughed. “Don’t look so serious.” He handed her a dish of cakes. “Here, eat something; you mustn’t let my news spoil your appetite or I’ll be sorry I told you.”

  Patricia shook her head. “No thanks.” Her mouth felt dry and constricted, and, anxious to cover her concern, she drank a mouthful of the tea before her and spoke again. “Please tell me, what has happened?”

  “It’s realty rather a long story, but I’ll make it as brief as possible. I got a cable too ... mine was a genuine one.” He smiled at Patricia. “Yes, horribly genuine. My father and elder brother were killed in a flying accident—a passenger plane on the Continent ... perhaps you read about it?” As Patricia shook her head, he continued, “I am the heir now.” He gave a deprecatory smile. “I know I don’t look like a wealthy peer, but that is what circumstance has made me. There are large estates; it is my duty to attend to them.” He sighed. “Of course, that meant goodbye to my intended partnership with Bob Wane and, indeed, to the possibility of living elsewhere out in this country.”

  “Yes ... I see that. I am dreadfully sorry to hear about your loss. It must have been a tremendous shock.” Patricia smiled sadly. “So now you’re a man of title and property? I suppose I ought to congratulate you on that?”

  “You need not. Kitty meant more than all the titles and all the property in the world to me,” Ian responded bitterly.

  “But I don’t understand.” Patricia frowned in bewilderment. “Surely Kitty can share all this with you?”

  “It’s my own fault that she can’t. Years ago I could have married Kitty. I was a fool; I couldn’t see that she cared for me. I looked upon her as a child. I married someone else, and Kitty remained single, deciding to share her life with her brother. Had I remained in Singapore we should have married and made up for all the years we’d lost, but now I’ve got to live here, and Kitty, after all this time with Bob, won’t leave him.” As Patricia attempted to interrupt, Ian urged her to silence. “You’re going to say that it’s absurd; that Bob shouldn’t count.” Ian nodded dismally. “Kitty is right; Bob Wane does come into this. He remained single for Kitty’s sake, and, quite rightly, she refuses to desert him now. Bob s life is in Singapore; he can’t leave, and Kitty insists on keeping a home for him as long as he needs her.”

  “But Dr. Wane ... surely he won’t allow Kitty to make such a sacrifice?” Patricia broke in impatiently.

  “Bob doesn’t know. He thinks we’ve had a difference. Kitty insisted that we keep our own counsel in the matter.”

  “It seems all wrong.” Patricia frowned. “You were so well suited ... such an ideal pair.”

  “We were all that, but her duty lies there and mine here. Bob is my friend, and I don’t expect her to let him down. Years ago I could have had Kitty, if I’d taken her then; seven years ago Bob might have married, and this would never have arisen. Bob’s not very fit, you know; he needs someone to look after him, and I believe it would break his heart if Kitty left him now.”

  “I suppose I understand ... but it’s awful.” Patricia lapsed into silence. She felt unable to offer consolation, unable to express her sympathy. It was all so unexpected and incredible.

  Ian leaned across the table. “You can’t imagine what a relief it has been to unburden myself to someone.”

  Patricia smiled her sympathy. She still felt stunned and inarticulate; it seemed so dreadful that, while she had been wrapped in her own unhappiness, exaggerating in her own mind the enormity of her misfortune, Kitty and Ian had been called upon to suffer far more than she could believe possible.

  “I know you haven’t heard any news from Singapore. I’m afraid haven’t either,” Ian broke in with, a quick He smiled across at his companion. “I’m afraid we two are for a bit, so I am in the same position as you.” change of subject. “Kitty and I decided to cut out letterwriting entirely cut off; our brief sojourn in the East is as if it had never happened except—like me, you have scars. Perhaps we can help one another to forget.” He glanced at Patricia with a wistful look in his eyes.

  “Of course we can!” she asserted with a conviction she was far from feeling. Poor Ian! Her heart ached for him.

  Ian’s eyes had regained a measure of their former brightness. “Let’s start the forgetting process right away. Are you doing anything this evening? If not, how about dinner and a show?” he questioned eagerly.

  “I’d love it. Although I’ve lived in London ages, I’m afraid I don’t boast many more friends than you do. I never seem to make friends in business and, when one’s working, there is little opportunity for making acquaintances outside the office.”

  “I hardly know a soul in town. I’ve taken a furnished flat here for a month or so. There’s a good bit to attend to with regard to my father’s estate. I’m down at the solicitor’s office nearly every day. I thought I’d stay here until things were settled, and then I’ll get down to my new home in Hampshire.”

  Ian attracted the waitress’s attention and settled the bill. “I suppose we ought to be moving if we’re going out tonight.” He waited for Patricia to rise, then followed her to the door.

  Suddenly Patricia began to feel happier as she sensed the obvious Relief her companion was finding in her company; perhaps subconsciously she was flattered by his genuine pleasure in having met her.

  “A taxi ... or do we walk?” Ian asked as they walked side by side down the pathway leading to the exit gates of the park.

  “Walk, of course. It’s no distance to my place,” Patricia replied. “Besides, I came out for exercise and I haven’t had much so far.” She flashed a smile at her companion. “All I’ve done is sit in a teashop and eat!”

  “You’ve done much more than that.” There was deep feeling in Ian’s voice. “You made me feel a different person.”

  Patricia made no reply, although, she felt warmed by his sincerity. For a few minutes they walked in silence until, having gone through the wide gates, they stood on the pavement of the main road waiting to cross.

  “I suppose Maimie is married by now. It seems strange to think of her as a married woman.” Ian paused. “In some ways I was glad to miss the wedding. I hate to see an ill-assorted couple tie themselves up,” he ended feelingly.

  “It’s funny, but, you know, I’m not really worried about Maimie; although she is young in some ways, she is amazingly self-assured and capable. I’m sure she’ll be happy in the end,” Patricia asserted with conviction. “Well, here we are.” Patricia stopped walking. “This is where I live. Thanks awfully for seeing me home.”

 
Ian stood watching her until she had disappeared through the heavy, old-fashioned doorway, then, turning on his heel, made his way back toward his temporary home. Kitty would be pleased. Yes, he was certain that Kitty, had she known, would have been genuinely glad that he had found Patricia to stand by him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  It was a few weeks later that Patricia was humming softly as she inserted her key into the front door and entered the house. She had scarcely closed the door behind her when she heard Mrs. Jutson’s heavy tread on the uncarpeted basement stairs, and saw her face, flushed with the exertion of hurrying, appear round the bend of the staircase.

  “There you are, Miss Dare! I’ve been waiting to hear you come in.” Supporting herself against the wooden banister; Mrs. Jutson continued speaking. “There’s been a lady call to see you. I told her you wouldn’t be back till six, so she wouldn’t wait. I told her I’d tell you just as soon as you got back.”

  “A lady ... who?” Patricia asked with interest.

  “There now ... I just can’t remember her name.” Mrs. Jutson wrinkled her brows thoughtfully. “Miss Han ... Han ... what is it? Oh, yes, I remember, Miss Hanny!”

  “Miss Hanny!” Patricia echoed, arching her eyebrows in surprise. “Are you-sure? What was she like? Can you describe her?”

  “Tall—what you might call a bit starchy, none too young, and a proper lady,” Mrs. Jutson announced with fluency.

  “That’s Miss Hanny all right,” Patricia admitted somewhat grudgingly, as if she had hoped the whole thing might be a mistake. “I can’t think what she could have wanted me for.”

  “She said she came across your address again by accident like and decided she’d like to have a chat with you, Mrs. Jutson explained.

  “Did she leave any message?” Patricia asked with interest.

  “She says she’s at the same address where she was before, and would you call and see her, and that’s about all I could get out of her,” Mrs. Jutson replied.

  “Call and see her ... but what about?” Patricia inquired, her interest now thoroughly aroused. What on earth could Miss Hanny want her for? It couldn’t be for news of Maimie; she knew she’d left Maimie weeks ago. Why, she’d been back in England two months.

  Patricia hurried up to her room and, after a quick bath she changed into a cool dinner-frock. When Ian arrived Patricia was ready and waiting.

  It was not until she and Ian were in a taxi on the way to a restaurant that Patricia mentioned her visitor. “Miss Hanny called on me today. I was out, but she left a message with my landlady that she wanted me to call.”

  “Miss Hanny? That’s Maimie’s aunt, isn’t it—the one she lived with?” Ian asked with surprise.

  “Yes. I’m rather curious to know what she wants. She said something about coming across my address again by accident, so I imagine it can’t be anything very important; perhaps just curiosity about Maimie’s new home.”

  “Maimie’s probably written home lurid details about the lack of hot water and sanitation,” Ian laughed. “No wonder the old lady is worried.”

  “That’s quite possible.” Patricia’s red lips curved into a smile and her voice was gently reminiscent. “How she hated all the discomforts of the bungalow! I’m afraid Maimie doesn’t adjust herself very readily.”

  “I don’t think you’ll be much help to Miss Hanny. The less you say the better, or you’ll have the old lady rushing out to Singapore to rescue her niece from the deplorable conditions that threaten a planter’s wife!” His tone became more serious. “I expect Maimie will adapt herself in time, and in any case she’s scarcely back from her honeymoon, so she can’t have written home complaining much yet.”

  “She may have written plenty in the month before she married,” Patricia reminded her companion laughingly, “but I don’t think so. Maimie would rather put up with a caravan in-the jungle than return to the guardianship of her aunt,” she amended with certainty.

  “It’s really difficult to imagine what Miss Hanny can want with you after all this time,” Ian remarked as he helped Patricia to alight from, the taxi. Taking her arm, he led her into the restaurant and to a table.

  After ordering their meal, Ian re-opened the conversation. “I haven’t broken the news to you yet, but I couldn’t get seats for that show you wanted to see. They were booked up for tonight, so I got a couple for tomorrow. I hope you don’t mind? Perhaps you would like to look in on Miss Hanny tonight. I’ll run you up there and call back later, if you like,” he suggested.

  “I would like to get it over.” Patricia pondered the suggestion for a moment, then added, “but it’s a shame to spoil your evening.”

  “Not a bit!” Ian protested. “If you’d like to do that, don’t bother about me.”

  “Then I insist on going alone, and of course you’re not to fetch me. It’s not far—Kensington; I can get a bus the whole way.”

  “Of course I’ll take you, and then the taxi can run me home.” Ian paused before continuing, “If you’re not too tired, you might come along to my flat afterwards.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “It is kind of you to have come so promptly.” Miss Hanny motioned her visitor to a chair. “I came across your address—it was among some papers in my bureau—and I thought you would be the very person to help me.”

  Patricia remained silent as she glanced interrogatively at the older woman. She still felt strange and ill at ease, glad not to be called upon to speak.

  “Before I tell you my purpose in bringing you here I should like to hear a little of your first-hand impressions of my niece’s future home.” Miss Hanny continued speaking.

  With carefully chosen words Patricia replied, “Singapore is a wonderful city, and Mr. Warinder’s bungalow was charming.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Miss Hanny frowned. “My niece’s letters are dreadfully inadequate; they tell me so little. Of course, she is on her honeymoon now. I was very sorry you were unable to stay for her wedding. Maimie wrote me about your unfortunate recall to England. I sincerely trust that your father is now well again?”

  “Oh yes, quite well thanks,” Patricia responded briefly.

  “Well, I was telling you about Maimie. She’s still away; apparently she has persuaded her husband to extend their honeymoon, and they will be away from Singapore for a full six months before settling down. They appear to be travelling, and, so far, Maimie hasn’t been able to give any address. She writes me fairly regularly and seems very happy. The last letter I received was from Colombo.”

  “Ceylon? I understood they were going to Java for their honeymoon?” Patricia could not restrain her surprise.

  “They started off there, but I am afraid that, as usual, Maimie has had her own way.” Miss Hanny pursed her lips disapprovingly. “I don’t believe in these long honeymoons. I consider them very unsettling, but Maimie wanted to see something of India and Mr. Warinder has presumably given in.”

  “Maimie will enjoy staying in Colombo. She adores change, and she’ll have to remain in Singapore after their return until Mr. Warinder gets home leave, which will probably not be for another two years,” Patricia explained.

  “Maimie has told me that. It’s a pity; I’d like to have seen her before then.” There was an undercurrent of concern in Miss Hanny’s voice which Patricia was quick to notice. She might be prim, perhaps even difficult, but, whatever faults Maimie’s aunt possessed, Patricia was sure that her love for her motherless niece was genuine.

  “I’m sure she’ll be all right.” Patricia lost her nervousness in her efforts to reassure the older woman. “Maimie has such a happy nature.”

  “I’m glad you think that. It’s a long way for a girl to go, a tremendous step for her to have taken,” Miss Hanny murmured, speaking as if for a moment she had forgotten Patricia s presence.

  After a few moments’ silent contemplation Harriet Hanny commented briskly, “I mustn’t keep you here; it’s getting late, and I’m sure your time is valuable. I’ll get
down to the purpose of this call. I won’t mince words. I miss Maimie, not for what she did for me—on the whole I found her most unreliable and helpless.” Miss Hanny’s voice softened. “But I got used to having young company around me and, lately, I find I need help with my correspondence and my household affairs.” She looked up, and stared directly at Patricia as she asked the question: “Would you care to live here and take on the work of companion and secretary?”

  Patricia was completely taken aback. She felt it must be a mistake, that she couldn’t have heard correctly. Live here, in this house, be constantly hearing of Maimie ... and of Seymour? The idea was preposterous, unreasonable. Miss Hanny surely couldn’t expect such a thing! Even as she prepared an indignant refusal, her senses returned. Miss Hanny didn’t realize what she was asking.

  “Well, what do you think of my suggestion.”

  Patricia felt the warm color flood her cheeks as she looked up to find her companion’s eyes searching her own. “I am in a post ... I am hardly in a position to consider it. It’s awfully kind of you to have thought of me,” Patricia faltered.

  “I am willing to give you whatever salary you are now receiving and wait, of course, until you have given proper notice of your resignation,” Miss Hanny explained. “And naturally you’ll be living in, and I promise you every consideration while in my employ.” As Patricia remained silent, the other continued speaking. “You see, I can’t just engage anyone. Maimie was so fond of you; her letters were full of praise for your kindness; that influences me, and then again your parentage, and consequently your upbringing...”

  If Patricia hadn’t felt so bewildered she could have laughed. Her father again. What a lot of advantages were attributed to the daughter of a clergyman.