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Altogether the dinner party was a huge success, with neither Hayley nor her
husband suspecting the truth about Ralph and Adele. Duncan, however, was
watchful the whole evening, and several times Sara saw him frowning to
himself. Perhaps it was because Ralph's attitude towards Adele was guarded,
or it could have been that Hayley would never suspect her friend of having
an affair. On their departure, however, Ralph's whole attention was instantly
centred on Adele and Sara decided to go straight to bed. She bade them good
night and had just reached the door when she heard Adele asking Ralph to
bring in her suitcase from the car. Unable to believe her ears, Sara turned,
staring at them in turn as, for a moment, she had difficulty in framing her
words.
'Adele is - staying the night ?'
'Naturally,' came the crisp reply from Ralph. 'It's far too late to take her
home now.'
'But. ..Sara could not take it in. She had known, naturally, what was between
them, had accepted her own position as an outsider, but somehow the whole
affair had seemed rather vague and unreal. And that was because she had
never allowed her imagination to spread, or her thoughts to dwell too deeply
on what went on between her husband and Adele. But this information that
Adele was staying the night gave the whole affair an aspect of reality. Why
should she care if Adele stayed the night? Had she stayed on other
occasions? She must have done, and yet once again Sara felt the presence of
something she did not understand.
'Yes, Sara, you were going to say something?' Ralph slipped an arm around
Adele's waist as they stood there, obviously waiting for Sara to depart so that
they could slip into each other's arms.
'N-no - no, nothing --'
Adele's sweet and rippling laugh rang out as Sara left the room and echoed
in her ears long into the night, as she lay there, unable to sleep.
What would Martha and George think? They had known about Adele, for
Sara recalled their odd glances when Ralph had brought home a wife. Had
Adele stayed here before? she asked herself again, and this time Sara found
herself unable to believe that she had.
What an odd situation in which to find herself. To be lying here, and her
husband in there, with. ... In the end Sara got up and went downstairs to
make herself a drink. Why should she mind? It wasn't as though she wanted
Ralph herself. Adele was welcome to him! No, it was the ignominy of her
own position. That she should be treated like this - a Malvern! Well, she
wouldn't stand for it; tomorrow she would have it out with him. He was not
going to humiliate her like this!
They were having breakfast when she entered the dining- room the
following morning and she felt slightly embarrassed as she took her place at
the table.
'Good morning,' she said stiffly after a while, for neither appeared to know
she was there.
'Good morning, Sara.' Smiling serenely, and without any evidence of shame,
Adele looked at her with a wide and frank expression. 'Can I pass you
anything?'
Sara ignored her, and indignation swept over her as she watched them. They
should be feeling uncomfortable, not she; but instead they were laughing
and chatting together with neither showing any sign of awkwardness at her
presence. Brazen, they were - without an atom of delicacy between them!
Sara felt quite sick and, unable to eat anything, she left them within two or
three minutes of sitting down. A strange silence descended on them as she
rose, and it did seem to Sara that Ralph was about to make some inquiry as to
why she had not eaten any breakfast, but she gave him no opportunity for
doing so.
On her way to her room, Sara passed the spare room; the door was open and
glancing in, Sara saw Martha stripping the bed.
'What are you doing?' she asked, her eyes flickering strangely.
'Miss Adele - she go home today, so I take off the sheets.'
'Miss Adele slept in here?'
'Why, yes, madam.'
Sara swallowed hard.
'Has she stayed here before?' The question came hesitantly, for Sara had the
greatest difficulty in asking it. Martha's eyes opened wide.
'No, madam, because there was no wife as - what do you say? - chaperone.
Oh, no, it would not be right!'
With a deep and lingering sigh, Sara went to her room to collect her handbag
and sun glasses; half an hour later she was meeting Duncan outside the
museum and they began to discuss how they should spend the day. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]