Read Online The Silent Pool by Patricia Wentworth - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Wentworth
Ads: Link
up with her own affairs – she always is. And now it is too late.’ Her eyes dwelt soulfully upon Ninian, her voice went down into tragic depths.
He extricated himself deftly.
‘Oh, well, you would soon have got bored with having to practise seven or eight hours a day. A great deal too much like hard work, I should say.’ He turned to Geoffrey. ‘Did you see that Russian girl when she was over? I thought she was pretty good myself.’
As they came out of the dining-room, Ninian announced to all and sundry,
‘Janet and I have got to tear ourselves away. Coffee with Adriana.’
‘Do you mean she asked you – both of you?’ Meriel’s voice was angry.
‘She did.’
‘I shouldn’t have thought she would go out of her way to ask a stranger.’
‘Wouldn’t you? But then you don’t think very much, do you?’
She said,
‘What’s the use? It doesn’t get you anywhere.’ Her eyes were suddenly imploring.
Janet looked away. She murmured an excuse to Edna and turned towards the stairs. After no more than half a dozen steps Ninian came up with her. She waited until the hall below was empty before she said,
‘All she wants is to have a scene. You shouldn’t bait her.’
‘There is nothing for her to have a scene about.’
He glanced sideways at her. Her head was high. She looked, not at him, but straight ahead. She said,
‘Do you expect me to believe that you haven’t been flirting with her?’
He gave a rueful laugh.
‘I don’t know about expecting you to believe it, but it happens to be the truth. As you say, all she wants is to have a scene, and it doesn’t very much matter what it’s about. She’s bored stiff, and she wants a spot of limelight and a nice juicy emotional part. Honestly, she scares me! I’d as soon flirt with an atom bomb!’
Janet said severely, ‘Why doesn’t she get herself a job? I’m not surprised she’s bored down here with nothing to do.’
He laughed.
‘Better keep off telling her that if you really don’t want a scene!’
‘Why?’
‘You’re being stupid. A job would mean work, and our darling Meriel has no urge to work. Money to spend and nothing to do, with rows of admirers helping her to do it – that, quite frankly, is her ambition. And she’ll never leave Adriana, because out of sight could be out of mind, and she might get left out of The Will. That is all we think about in this house, darling. No one knows how much Adriana has got, and nobody has any idea who is going to get it when she is gone, so naturally no one thinks about anything else. Geoffrey would like a flat in town and his freedom. Edna dwells fondly on the thought of a nice little all-electric house full of the gadgets from exhibitions like Beautiful Homes For The Million. Meriel wants a film world in which she glides about in marble halls and sleeps on a tiger skin.’
‘And you?’ said Janet. ‘What do you want?’
‘What I can get.’
They had reached the top of the stairs and were standing there. His voice had a very undermining sound in it. She said,
‘It used not to be money.’
He laughed.
‘We’ve changed all that. Every sensible person wants money.’
‘A sensible person knows that you have to earn it.’
‘Janet, you’re a prig!’
‘I daresay.’
‘It’s a revolting thing to be.’
She made a small pushing movement with her hands.
‘Very well then, away with you!’
He burst out laughing.
‘Come along! We’re keeping Adriana waiting.’
They found her on her couch, the velvet spread drawn up to her waist, rings on the long pale fingers, no other jewelry except the double row of pearls. The coffee had not yet arrived. She wanted to talk to them first. She would ring for it when she was ready.
‘And I’ll see you one at a time to start with.’ She spoke to Ninian. ‘You can go into my dressing-room and wait. There’s a comfortable chair, and a book of my press notices.’
He laughed.
‘Do you think I need press notices to tell me
He extricated himself deftly.
‘Oh, well, you would soon have got bored with having to practise seven or eight hours a day. A great deal too much like hard work, I should say.’ He turned to Geoffrey. ‘Did you see that Russian girl when she was over? I thought she was pretty good myself.’
As they came out of the dining-room, Ninian announced to all and sundry,
‘Janet and I have got to tear ourselves away. Coffee with Adriana.’
‘Do you mean she asked you – both of you?’ Meriel’s voice was angry.
‘She did.’
‘I shouldn’t have thought she would go out of her way to ask a stranger.’
‘Wouldn’t you? But then you don’t think very much, do you?’
She said,
‘What’s the use? It doesn’t get you anywhere.’ Her eyes were suddenly imploring.
Janet looked away. She murmured an excuse to Edna and turned towards the stairs. After no more than half a dozen steps Ninian came up with her. She waited until the hall below was empty before she said,
‘All she wants is to have a scene. You shouldn’t bait her.’
‘There is nothing for her to have a scene about.’
He glanced sideways at her. Her head was high. She looked, not at him, but straight ahead. She said,
‘Do you expect me to believe that you haven’t been flirting with her?’
He gave a rueful laugh.
‘I don’t know about expecting you to believe it, but it happens to be the truth. As you say, all she wants is to have a scene, and it doesn’t very much matter what it’s about. She’s bored stiff, and she wants a spot of limelight and a nice juicy emotional part. Honestly, she scares me! I’d as soon flirt with an atom bomb!’
Janet said severely, ‘Why doesn’t she get herself a job? I’m not surprised she’s bored down here with nothing to do.’
He laughed.
‘Better keep off telling her that if you really don’t want a scene!’
‘Why?’
‘You’re being stupid. A job would mean work, and our darling Meriel has no urge to work. Money to spend and nothing to do, with rows of admirers helping her to do it – that, quite frankly, is her ambition. And she’ll never leave Adriana, because out of sight could be out of mind, and she might get left out of The Will. That is all we think about in this house, darling. No one knows how much Adriana has got, and nobody has any idea who is going to get it when she is gone, so naturally no one thinks about anything else. Geoffrey would like a flat in town and his freedom. Edna dwells fondly on the thought of a nice little all-electric house full of the gadgets from exhibitions like Beautiful Homes For The Million. Meriel wants a film world in which she glides about in marble halls and sleeps on a tiger skin.’
‘And you?’ said Janet. ‘What do you want?’
‘What I can get.’
They had reached the top of the stairs and were standing there. His voice had a very undermining sound in it. She said,
‘It used not to be money.’
He laughed.
‘We’ve changed all that. Every sensible person wants money.’
‘A sensible person knows that you have to earn it.’
‘Janet, you’re a prig!’
‘I daresay.’
‘It’s a revolting thing to be.’
She made a small pushing movement with her hands.
‘Very well then, away with you!’
He burst out laughing.
‘Come along! We’re keeping Adriana waiting.’
They found her on her couch, the velvet spread drawn up to her waist, rings on the long pale fingers, no other jewelry except the double row of pearls. The coffee had not yet arrived. She wanted to talk to them first. She would ring for it when she was ready.
‘And I’ll see you one at a time to start with.’ She spoke to Ninian. ‘You can go into my dressing-room and wait. There’s a comfortable chair, and a book of my press notices.’
He laughed.
‘Do you think I need press notices to tell me
Similar Books
