Crystal Beads Murder
Page 24
But Fee was not there this afternoon. It had been one of his bad days, and he had retired to his room early.
The voices that Sir Felix Skrine had heard came from a couple of young people standing on the hearthrug. Skrine caught one glimpse of them, and his brows contracted. The girl’s head was bent over a bunch of roses. The man, tall and rather noticeably good-looking, was watching her with an expression that could not be misunderstood in his grey eyes.
The girl, Hilary Bastow, came forward to meet him quickly.
“Have you seen Dad, Sir Felix? He has been expecting you.”
“I have just left him,” Sir Felix said briefly. “I have only one minute to spare, Hilary, and I came to offer you my birthday wishes and to beg your acceptance of this.”
There was something of an old-time courtesy in his manner as, very deliberately, he drew the roses from her clasp and laid them on the table beside her, placing a worn jewel-case in her hand.
The colour flashed swiftly over the girl’s face.
“Oh, Sir Felix!”
After a momentary hesitation that did not escape Skrine’s notice, she opened the case. Inside, on its bed of blue velvet, lay a string of magnificent pearls.
“0–h!” Hilary drew a deep breath, then the bright colour in her cheeks faded.
“Oh, Sir Felix! They are Lady Skrine’s pearls.”
The great lawyer bent his head. “She would have liked you to have them, Hilary,” he said briefly. “Wear them for her sake – and mine.”
He did not wait to hear her somewhat incoherent thanks; but, with a pat on her arm and a slight bow in the direction of the young man who was standing surlily aloof, he went out of the room.
The two he had left were silent for a minute, Hilary’s head still bent over the pearls, the roses lying on the table beside her. At last the man came a step nearer.
“So he gives you his wife’s pearls, Hilary. And – takes my roses from you.”
As he spoke he snatched up the flowers, and as if moved by some uncontrollable influence, flung them through the open window. With a sharp cry Hilary caught at his arm – too late.
“Basil! Basil! My roses!”
A disagreeable smile curved Wilton’s lips.
“You have the pearls.”
“I – I would rather have the roses,” the girl said with a little catch in her voice. “Oh, Basil, how could you – how could you be so silly?”
“Hilary! Hilary!” he said hoarsely. “Tell me you don’t care for him.”
“For him – for Sir Felix Skrine!” Hilary laughed. “Well, really, Basil, you are – Why, he is my godfather! Does a girl ever care for her godfather? At least, I mean, as –” She stopped suddenly.
In spite of his anger, Wilton could not help smiling.
“As what?” he questioned.
“Oh, I don’t know what I meant, I am sure. I must be in a particularly idiotic mood this morning,” Hilary returned confusedly. “My birthday has gone to my head, I think. It is a good thing a person only has a birthday once a year.”
She went on talking rapidly to cover her confusion.
All the wrath had died out of Wilton’s face now, and his deep-set, grey eyes were very tender as he watched her.
“How is it that you care for Skrine?” he pursued. “Not as – well, let us say, not as you care for me, for example?”
The flush on Hilary’s face deepened to a crimson flood that spread over forehead, temples and neck.
“I never said –”
Wilton managed to capture her hands.
“You never said – what?”
Hilary turned her heated face away.
“That – that –” she murmured indistinctly.
Wilton laughed softly.
“That you cared for me? No, you haven’t said so. But you do, don’t you?”
Hilary did not answer, but she did not pull her hands away. Instead he fancied that her fingers clung to his. His clasp grew firmer.
“Ah, you do, don’t you, Hilary?” he pleaded. “Just a little bit. Tell me, darling.”
Hilary turned her head and, as his arm stole round her, her crimson cheek rested for a moment on his shoulder.
“I think perhaps I do – just a very little, you know, Basil” – with a mischievous intonation that deepened her lover’s smile.
“You darling –” he was beginning, when the sound of the opening door made them spring apart.
Dr. Bastow entered abruptly. He cast a sharp, penetrating glance at the two on the hearthrug.
In his hand he held a large bunch of roses – the same that Basil Wilton had thrown out a few minutes before.
“Do either of you know anything of this?” he asked severely. “I was walking in one of the shrubbery paths a few minutes ago when this – these” – brandishing the roses – “came hurtling over the bushes, and hit me plump in the face.”
In spite of her nervousness, or perhaps on that very account, Hilary smiled.
Her father glanced at her sharply.
“Is this your doing, Hilary?”
Before the girl could answer Wilton quietly moved in front of her. His grey eyes met the doctor’s frankly.
“I must own up, sir. I brought the flowers for – for Miss – for Hilary’s birthday. And then, because I was annoyed, I threw them out of the window.”
For a moment the doctor looked inclined to smile. Then he frowned again.
“A nice sort of confession. And may I ask why you speak of my daughter as Hilary?”
Wilton did not flinch.
“Because I love her, sir. My dearest wish is that she may promise to be my wife – some day.”
“Indeed!” said the doctor grimly. “And may I ask how you expect to support a wife, Wilton? Upon your salary as my assistant?”
Wilton hesitated. “Well, sir, I was hoping –”
Hilary interrupted him. Taking her courage in both hands she raised her voice boldly.
“I love Basil, dad. And I hope we shall be married some day.”
“Oh, you do, do you?” remarked her father, raising his pince-nez and surveying her sarcastically. “I suppose it isn’t the thing nowadays to ask your father’s consent –went out when cropped heads and skirts to the knees came in, didn’t it?”
Published by Dean Street Press 2015
All Rights Reserved
First published in 1930 by The Bodley Head
Cover by DSP
Introduction © 2015 Curtis Evans
ISBN 978 1 910570 79 1
www.deanstreetpress.co.uk