Read Online The Guilty Secret by Margaret Pemberton - Free Book Online

sensible, Harold. That champagne looks frozen not chilled. I’m sure it would help if one of us could speak enough Portuguese to tell Maria what we want properly. Poor child, it’s not her fault …’
    â€˜It is,’ Rozalinda said, rising from her languorous position as it was no longer claiming attention. ‘Good God, the girl should at least speak English. I thought everyone could speak English!’
    A smile hovered on Phil’s lips. He knew she was perfectly serious.
    â€˜I think she does very well,’ Harold said with the air of one who knew he was being brave and was justly proud of the fact. ‘At least the other maids do everything she tells them.’
    â€˜Where are the vast army of servants?’ I asked. Rozalinda never travelled without a private secretary, her own hairdresser, her personal maid, as well as cook and butler and several dogs-bodies.
    â€˜They come every morning,’ Aunt Harriet said. ‘There’s not enough room for them to live in. Only Maria stays through the day. She cooks and serves the evening meal and then goes home.’
    â€˜Where to? There doesn’t seem to be a village for miles.’
    â€˜There’s one the other side of the estuary. I think she comes from there,’ Rozalinda said airily. It was typical of her that she didn’t know.
    â€˜I’ve seen to it that a taxi comes to collect her and also brings her and the other girls every morning,’ Harold said. I smiled at him. He might not be the best company in the world, but at least he was human. Seeing that the girl got home safely in the dark would never have occurred to his wife.
    â€˜And what about your hairdresser, etc., etc., etc.?’ I asked.
    Rozalinda shrugged. ‘I wanted a complete rest, darling. Only those who are truly close to me.’
    For a dreadful minute I thought Phil was going to put his foot in it, but then Tom was saying:-
    â€˜And that’s what you’ve got. An intimate house-party with no outsiders. Who could ask for anything more?’
    The champagne popped and frothed, our glasses were filled, and Rozalinda was radiant once more as Tom toasted her as hostess, her arm protectively around my shoulders, her heavy perfume filling the air.
    A young girl stood hesitantly on the threshold and Harold turned to her. ‘Ready are we, Maria? Good. Come on. Into the dining-room.’
    Rozalinda sat at the head of the table. Harold at the foot. On either side of Rozalinda sat Tom and Phil, then Mary and I were seated opposite each other, and then Miles next to me and opposite Aunt Harriet. There wasn’t going to be much opportunity for private conversation with either Aunt Harriet or Mary, and the more I saw of them, the more worried I was becoming. The signs of strains, partly hidden by relief at my arrival, were now only too transparent. Rozalinda’s seating arrangements gave Mary no chance for any words of privacy with Tom, and throughout the meal she kept trying to catch his eye, but she was no match for Rozalinda who kept up a constant flirtatious chatter with both him and Phil. As she was their hostess, neither man could do much but respond. Though Phil’s eyes kept glancing in my direction, a smile of secret amusement on his mouth. I knew very well that he was going to steal Rozalinda’s thunder and at my expense. I would have preferred to tell Aunt Harriet first about Jonathan and privately, but could see the temptation was going to be too much for Phil.
    As Rozalinda finally paused for breath and daintily speared a mushroom with her fork, Phil said:-
    â€˜I believe Jennifer has a friend she would like to ask down for a few days.’
    Only Phil ever referred to me as Jennifer. His smile as he turned towards me was filled with so much complicity that my exasperation changed to one of shared amusement.
    â€˜Darling, but of course! Is it someone you met at Viana?’
    I nodded.
    â€˜How lovely. Of