“Did you do that!” the judge said delightedly. “Of course I don’t know this Mario of yours, but I’m sure it did the scamp a world of good to have his pot shot at.” He looked around fondly at the assemblage. “But what are we all doing indoors on a lovely day like this? Why don’t we all go on a picnic or something?”
“Then you mean we’re all dismissed?” Toffee asked. “We can go?”
“Why certainly, you lovely child,” the judge said benignly. “Run along and get into some sort of beautiful mischief. And if there’s anything I can do to help ...”
“You’ve already done it,” Toffee said. She turned to Marc. “Come on!”
But Marc was watching Julie as she turned and started disconsolately to leave the court.
“Julie!” he called. “Julie!”
“Hey, now,” Toffee said, “don’t tell me you’re going to go chasing after that thin blonde just because you married her once!”
Marc remained heedless. “Julie!” he cried, starting after her. “Wait a minute!”
“Oh, yeah!” Toffee said and, deftly, she put her foot in front of his.
Marc shot out into space head first and came up abruptly against the leg of a table. He dropped to the floor, made a small twitching movement and went limp.
“Julie!” he murmured.
“That’ll show you, you big stiff,” Toffee said. “You can’t just toss me aside like a ...”
And then, as Marc passed out, she, like the words she never finished, faded away into nothing...
“What a stunning girl,” the judge murmured thoughtfully. “There’s something so elusive about her.”
At his side, Sergeant Feeney fainted dead away.
IN his sub-conscious world of gently sloping knolls and strange feathery trees, Marc lounged on the cool greenness and smiled up at Toffee.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I’m not certain which is truly real, this world or the other.”
“Reality is only relative,” Toffee said sagely. “After all, if you didn’t believe in me, I wouldn’t exist.” She leaned down close and brushed her lips across his. “You wouldn’t even be able to feel my kiss. Reality can be happy or sad, depending on how you look at it. If you see only the happy side of things ...”
She paused as the light began to flicker uncertainly in the glowing sky above them. “It’s time for you to go back now; I’ll have to continue this little sermon another time.” She touched his cheek. “It’s been a lovely day, Marc. Goodbye—until we can do it all over again ...”
“Goodbye,” Marc said, “and thanks.”
The light flickered again and was gone. Marc felt himself begin to drift.
“Goodbye . ..”
“Marc!” the voice cried.
Marc looked up to find Julie bending over him. He was relieved to note that she now appeared fully dressed.
“Oh, can you ever forgive me?” Julie said. “It was Mario who suggested I take the jewels to the country—in case he needed them for the portrait. And when we were out by the stream this afternoon ...”
“Never mind,” Marc said. “It’s all over now, let’s forget it. Will you help me up?”
Taking his arm, Julie guided him to his feet.
“Look, dear,” she said, “couldn’t you drive back to the country with me? A few days vacation wouldn’t hurt too much, surely. You’d like to, wouldn’t you?”
“I’d love to,” Marc said suddenly. He took her hand in his. “Let’s go.”
“You poor dear,” Julie murmured. “I wonder how you stood it, with everyone saying such awful things about you when you really hadn’t done anything at all.”
Together, they left the court and started down the walk toward the convertible.
As they left the city and started into the country, Marc pulled the car over to the side of the highway and give his attention to the drama of the brilliant sunset.
“Well,” he sighed, “there it goes, the first day of spring.”
“Thank heavens,” Julie said. “Now we can relax and enjoy it.”
But there was still a question nagging at the back of Marc’s mind.
“I was just thinking, dear,” he said, “about your birthday ...”
“Birthday!” Julie said. “But that’s months away yet!”
“But, still,” Marc said, “I was wondering what you’d like for a gift. I thought maybe some nice pink lace underwear ...”
“Pink lace underwear!” Julie said. She began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Marc asked suspiciously.
“Darling,” Julie said, “don’t you remember the pink lace underwear mother gave me for Christmas and how I loathed it? Well, I brought it to the country where it wouldn’t matter just so I could wear it out and get rid of it.”
Marc’s relief came to the surface in a smile. “Then pink lace is out, huh?”
“Definitely,” Julie said. “But if you insist on lingerie, get me something wicked and black. No true siren would ever dream of letting herself be caught in pink.”
Marc reached across the seat and drew her close to him. “In the springtime,” he said, “a young man’s likely to get fancy.”
The sun, on the horizon, slid conveniently out of sight and was gone. As it did, a breeze blew lightly through the car and somewhere, it seemed, there was laughter.
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The Complete Adventures of Toffee Page 77
