by Lilian Peake
She drew away from him, remembering. ‘You got engaged to her again. She told me.’
He pulled her back into his arms. ‘Then she told you wrong. She wished herself on me last week. It was her holiday, she said, so I couldn’t send her away, could I? But believe me, as soon as I decently could, I got her on the train back to Newcastle. Ask Mrs. Dennis.’
The lady in question opened the door, a laden tray in her hands. ‘So that’s how it is, is it? And very nice too!’ They broke apart. ‘Don’t mind me,’ she said, smiling broadly. ‘Carry on. It’s about time Mr. Lester got himself married, and to such a nice young lady!’ She glanced doubtfully at the tray. ‘You won’t want this now, I suppose?’
‘Of course we do, Mrs. Dennis.’ Elise pulled herself with difficulty from Lester’s arms and took the tray.
‘Mrs. Dennis,’ Lester whispered as she turned to go, ‘don’t tell my grandfather yet, will you? We’d like to be alone a bit longer.’
‘Don’t you worry, Mr. Lester, I won’t say a word. He’s fast asleep in the next room anyway!’
They drank the tea and ate the cakes and when they had finished, she said, ‘Lester …’ He looked up expectantly. ‘I did something - silly the day before yesterday.’ She stopped.
He put his arm round her, smiling, and drew her close. ‘Her first confession since we became engaged. This should be revealing.’ He waited. ‘Well, go on, darling. Having whetted my appetite, I can’t wait to hear what terrible thing you did.’
She took courage from his indulgent tone, but kept her eyes down. ‘I - got engaged to Howard.’
‘You did what?’ He shouted with laughter. ‘That’s the joke of the year! Elise Lennan, otherwise known as “little mouse”, never had a boyfriend in her life before, gets herself engaged to two men at once!’ He became serious. ‘You’ll certainly have to tell him. No, better still, let me have the pleasure. I said a long time ago “may the best man win”.’
‘And he did.’ She kissed him, and he responded in good measure.
‘Lester,’ she studied the pattern on his tie as if trying to memorise every detail, ‘I still can’t understand why, if you really wanted me yourself, you introduced me to Howard.’
He made her look at him. ‘So you still doubt me? I’ll tell you why. Because I was a realist. I thought that if you didn’t want me, I might as well do my best for you and provide you with a wealthy husband. Now wasn’t that self-sacrificial of me! But when I saw him kissing you, and thought of him touching you and making love to you, my self-sacrifice turned into martyrdom, then into intolerable jealousy. I’m afraid I’m not made of the stuff martyrs are made of. But you must remember, Elise, that hardly a day passed when you didn’t take apparent pleasure in informing me in one way or another that you hated me.’
‘But, darling, I only said that because I loved you.’
He stared at her then clapped a hand to his head. ‘For pity’s sake! The idiocy, the twisted logic of a woman’s mind! She loved me, so she told me she hated me! How the blazes was I to know that your interpretation of the verb “to love” was its exact opposite, “to hate”!’
She shook her head, unable to explain. She couldn’t say, ‘I was so afraid that if I had told you I loved you, I would have lost you for ever.’ There were some things, she argued, you couldn’t explain to a man and expect him to understand, not even the one you loved.
‘Lester, where shall we live?’
‘Where do you suggest?’
‘Could it be -‘ dared she ask it? - ‘in the house where the hornbeam used to grow?’
He laughed and kissed her. ‘I thought you’d say that. That house it shall be. I’ll get it repaired and we’ll have it redecorated to our own choice. We can choose the furniture and fittings together. Would you like that?’ She nodded against him. ‘I’ll put a gang of men on to it tomorrow. As far as I’m concerned, sweetheart,’ he said softly, ‘the sooner we can move into it, the better.’
There was another long silence, and when they pulled apart he said, ‘By the way, darling, the police said they’ll want a statement from you tomorrow. Will you be able to identify Wayman for them?’
‘Easily.’ She grinned. ‘I bit him - on the hand. I’ll be able to recognise my own teeth marks!’
Lester threw back his head against the cushions and laughed again. When he stopped, he said, ‘I think you must spend half your life going round biting men.’ He looked at his own scar. ‘Have you marked him for life too?’
‘Unfortunately, I doubt it. My teeth didn’t get a hard enough grip!’
‘You bloodthirsty little minx!’ The phone rang and he pulled her behind him. ‘Come with me to answer it. I daren’t let the tigress out of my sight. She might go on the prowl looking for things to sink her fangs into!’
He answered the phone. ‘Roland? Yes, I do know where your sister is. She’s here. I’ve got her - for keeps. What do I mean? I mean we’re getting married. No, I’m not drunk, I’m stone cold sober, as sober as any man can be who’s just proposed and been accepted by the girl he loves. Thanks.’
He covered the mouthpiece and said, ‘Roland sends his congratulations and says he and Clare are delighted.’ He spoke to Roland again. ‘There’s a lot to tell you, which I can’t repeat over the phone, but take it from me, your sister’s had quite a day of it. Adventures unlimited. Incidentally, she tells me she’s bitten another man.’ He held the receiver to Elise’s ear and she heard shouts of laughter. He said into the phone, ‘She’s two women in one, your sister, part mouse, part tigress. It will certainly ake our married life interesting, because every evening when I get home from work I won’t know which one will be waiting for me!’ He laughed and listened, and turned to her. ‘Your father’s just heard the news. He’s delighted and says he guessed your secret long ago. I wish he’d passed it on to me. It would have saved an awful lot of heartbreak!’
He returned to Roland. ‘To tell you the truth, Roland, she’s wearing the trousers - my trousers - already. She’s certainly started as she means to go on! Yes, I’ll bring her home safe and sound.’ He replaced the receiver and held out his arms. She went into them.
He murmured against her hair, ‘Now let’s both begin as we mean to go on.’ He kissed her lingeringly, took her into the lounge and closed the door.
