[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
hair as well controlled as the other chaps, despite quantities
of brushing and pomade. The curls seemed to want to free
themselves, giving him a raffish air.
It was to the great delight of those same females that
these two single gentlemen had attended the dance. Many a
feminine bosom was in a high state of anticipation of an
invitation to take the floor. Coppersmith was certainly
handsome, his reticence and sternness giving him an allure
which many a lady from Girton had found appealing. There
had been more than one attempt to lure Dr. C out to smell
the wallflowers, in an attempt to get behind that maddening
reserve. Stewart was strikingly good looking, always
seeming to attract the females whenever the men were in
100
Lessons in Desire
mixed company. He was gracious and flirtatious with them
all, which raised the ladies hopes in vain.
The two friends decided to sit out a few dances, much
to Orlando s satisfaction, as he was able to get a few quiet
words with his best friend. I m glad that propriety means
that Ainslie can t show his face, Jonty.
Are you? Still angry at him? I think he s been a pretty
plucky chap.
You don t need to tell me that, I ve personal
experience of it.
Oh, do give it a rest, Orlando. That particular incident
is done and over. If you have any serious intention of
helping to catch this murderer then I think we should be
getting Matthew on our side. I suspect that he could
wheedle more secrets out of The Misses than either you or
I could. Miss Sheringham seems particularly smitten.
Well, he can let them spy on him bathing and see how
he likes it.
Are you going to take umbrage with everyone here,
Orlando?
Coppersmith had the grace to color. No. No, I m sorry,
Jonty, I know I m being a real curmudgeon. I do like the
Tattersalls, indeed, there s several couples who are pleasant.
I think I could even like Ainslie if he hadn t tried the whole
honey buzzards stunt. But the spinsters of the parish I draw
the line at.
Is there anyone else here you like? Anyone in
particular? Anyone with dark golden hair, blue eyes and a
smile which his mother says makes the darkest day light
up? Stewart grinned, flashing his pretty little white teeth.
Sounds absolutely delightful. If I meet such a paragon
of beauty I ll befriend him straight away.
Stewart giggled, then made a sign for the waiter to
replenish their drinks. Need a bit of Dutch courage before I
take the floor with Miss Forbes. You can enjoy a chat with
Mrs. T. Dutch courage downed, the men went off in search
of their prospective partners.
101
Charlie Cochrane
Dr. Coppersmith! Mr. T sat beaming, probably with
pride at the accomplishment his wife showed at dancing.
He d earlier confessed that it gave him enormous pleasure
to see her in the arms of a handsome young man. It also
gave his bad leg a well deserved rest, so dancing with her
was doing them both a favor.
We were taught to dance as children, my brother and
I. Mrs. T seemed caught up in a reverie. My mother
thought it as important as any other accomplishment, to be
able to hold your own on the dance floor. That s how I met
Mr. Tattersall, back at a rather stuffy ball in the Guildhall.
My, the things we did in our youth, Arthur and I Arthur
being my brother, my dear, not Mr. T who is called
Aloysius, although he d rather nobody knew of it.
Coppersmith smiled, as relaxed in this lady s company
as he was tense with The Misses . I can imagine you were
quite a hit with the gentlemen. He grinned again,
imagining what Jonty would say should he hear his lover
almost flirting. Although whether it counted as flirting when
the recipient of one s attentions was seventy-odd was a
moot point.
Oh, I had my moments. On the floor and at the tables,
my parents having brought us up to be proficient at cards,
too.
I could tell that from the first evening when we played
bridge. They succeeded creditably; rarely have I seen such
perceptive play. Is your brother still keen on cards, or
dancing?
Oh, no, duck. Arthur died a while back. He ll be
beating St. Peter at a rubber or two now, I dare say. She
smiled wistfully. You remind me of him, you know.
Terribly serious.
Orlando blushed and studied his hands. Even seventy-
something women could cause embarrassment. Would you
like to dance now? I know that you ve promised Dr.
Stewart, but he s rather occupied at the moment.
They both looked over to where poor Jonty was trying
102
Lessons in Desire
very hard to politely extricate himself from the grasp of
Miss Forbes. Oh, he is rather, poor lamb. I think that
someone should rescue him, her eyes twinkled. As it
wouldn t be seemly for you to do it, I ll have to oblige. She
sailed over the floor like a ship of the line, taking Jonty s
arm. I m so sorry to have to take this man away, my dear.
He s promised the next dance to me, and the elderly must be
indulged.
They glided onto the floor, leaving behind an indignant
Miss Forbes. Stewart whispered, You just about saved my
life there. She was insisting that we go out onto the terrace.
Mrs. Tattersall giggled like a schoolgirl. I dare say
you didn t want to have any truck with that sort of thing.
She looked over to Dr. Coppersmith, then back to her
dancing partner. Not with Miss Forbes, anyway.
You sly old thing, how on earth did you guess? Jonty
had decided long before that he couldn t hide anything from
this shrewd woman. She reminded him of his mother,
except in physique, and you couldn t keep much a secret
from the Honorable Helena Stewart, either.
Oh, I ve seen a bit of life myself, young man. You
youngsters think that you invented romance and frivolity,
but it s been around as long as Adam. Not all the lads I used
to know were interested in the girls; it used to cause such a
scandal at times. I believe that you should live and let live,
as long as the innocent don t get hurt. Her face suddenly
became serious, I hate to see the guiltless suffer.
Stewart shivered a bit, thinking of his schooldays, as he
often did when people referred to abuse of the innocent.
Especially children, Mrs. T. I hate to see them wounded.
Oh, I so agree with you, Dr. Stewart. I have two lovely
sons and four adorable grandchildren, a great grandchild on
the way, too. It would break my heart to see anyone bring
them to harm. I dare say your mother thinks the same.
She does indeed, ma am. She has four children, three
grandchildren and the loudest voice in the Home Counties.
If she found out that someone had been hurting them, she
103
Charlie Cochrane
would be a fearsome protector of her kin. He smiled
ruefully at the thought of someone sending the sort of letter
to him that had been pushed under Ainslie s door. His
mother would have found the identity of the sender within
days she had all sorts of contacts, that woman then he
would have been torn apart, limb from limb. Both
figuratively and probably literally.
Mrs. Tattersall nodded. It s a wicked thing that the
guilty seem to get away with things so often. It s proof you
need of course, solid proof. People who are willing to stand
up and speak the absolute truth. Neither of them very
common commodities. As the dance came to an end, they
made their way back to the little table where Mr. T was
sitting trying to look inconspicuous and as little like an
Aloysius as possible.
Mrs. T leant over to whisper in her young
acquaintance s ear. If you want to sneak out onto the
terrace with your friend, I don t think anyone would notice.
I ll get Mr. T to ask Miss Forbes to dance, and Miss
Sheringham seems to be entangled with that young
newlywed, much to his wife s disapproval, if I m not
mistaken.
Jonty nodded, happily, then sidled up to Orlando, who
was lurking in a corner. Fancy taking a turn outside? I have
a mind for a cigar. Stewart took the occasional smoke
although he knew Coppersmith didn t care to see him
indulge. He alleged it made his lips taste strange. On this
occasion Orlando simply nodded, no doubt happy to get out
of range of The Misses .
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]