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Authors: Georgette Heyer
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said brightly: "I call that such a good idea! I know I'm dreadfully unbusiness-like myself. I wish you could teach mr some of your method, Sir Arthur."
He rose, smiling indulgently down at her. "Oh, we don't expect the fair sex to be business-like! Never met a woman yet who had any notion of method, and, by Gad, I hope I never do! Now what is the time? Nine o'clock! Very well, then. I shall leave for Ralton at ten, and I shall I be back here at eleven, and you and I will go off to see the pups. How will that be?"
"It's too sweet of you!" said Camilla. "I shall be all ready to the tick, just to show you how methodical I can be!"
Francis got up. "I shall have left before you get back from Ralton, Uncle," he said. "Are you busy just now? I should like to have a word with you before I go, if I may."
Sir Arthur looked at him rather grimly. "H'm! If you think it worth while I can spare you five minutes; not a moment more."
They left the room together. Stephen Guest bent towards Dinah. "Is Fay staying in bed to breakfast?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes," replied Dinah matter-of-factly. "She's not feeling frightfully fit. She doesn't sleep well, you know."
Basil Halliday raised his eyes from his plate. "I'm sorry. I know what it is to suffer from insomnia. It would be much better if we left by the nine-fifty, Camilla. We can easily catch it. Lady Billington-Smith won't want us hanging about all the morning."
"Oh, we can't possibly!" said Camilla quickly. "Of course, I'm dreadfully sorry about Fay, but do beg her, Miss Fawcett, not to bother about us in the least."
"Camilla, I would prefer to catch the nine-fifty," said Halliday, the fingers of his right hand working a little.
Camilla paid no attention to this, and, observing a pulse throbbing in Halliday's temple, Dinah interposed: "There's no need for anyone to hurry away on Fay's account. She'll be down presently. Stephen, are you catching the morning train?"
"No," he said, after a moment's deliberation. "I think I'll wait over till the afternoon."
Dinah got up. "Well, I'll go and see if Fay wants anything done for her," she said, and went out.
Stephen followed her, and stopped her as she was about to go up the stairs." Just a moment, Dinah."
She glanced sharply round at him, and saw that his face was more than ordinarily grim. "Well?"
He came to the foot of the staircase, and laid his hand on the rail. "Fay's upset?" he demanded abruptly.
"She's all right. For goodness' sake don't you start being dramatic! Why on earth don't you go by the train you said you were going by?"
"I'm seeing Fay before I go."
Dinah sighed. "I suppose you heard Arthur making himself felt before breakfast."
"Yes, I did hear him," replied Guest in a level voice. "And I don't leave till I've seen Fay."
"All right, you needn't be so emphatic about it. But it's no use thinking you'll get her to run away with you, Stephen, because she won't. I know Fay, and she's just the sort of person who'd rather be a martyr than start a scandal."
He looked at her for a moment. "Maybe you're right," he said, and turned away, pausing by the hall table to pick up a newspaper.
Dinah found her sister fairly calm, but very pale and heavy-eyed. She was speaking to Mrs. Moxon, the cook, when Dinah came in, and started nervously at the sound of the opening door. Since the between-maid had been sweeping the landing when it happened, the entire indoor staff knew by this time that the General and her ladyship had been having words again. There was an air of dark sympathy about Mrs. Moxon. She said: "You leave it to me, m'lady," and "I was going to speak to you about that Janet. But there, it'll do some other time."
She departed presently, full of good intentions about the remains of the joint, and spread the news below stairs that her ladyship was looking like death so that it made her heart fair bleed to see her. She further expressed a desire to give His-High-and-Mightiness a piece of her mind. "Let him come
He rose, smiling indulgently down at her. "Oh, we don't expect the fair sex to be business-like! Never met a woman yet who had any notion of method, and, by Gad, I hope I never do! Now what is the time? Nine o'clock! Very well, then. I shall leave for Ralton at ten, and I shall I be back here at eleven, and you and I will go off to see the pups. How will that be?"
"It's too sweet of you!" said Camilla. "I shall be all ready to the tick, just to show you how methodical I can be!"
Francis got up. "I shall have left before you get back from Ralton, Uncle," he said. "Are you busy just now? I should like to have a word with you before I go, if I may."
Sir Arthur looked at him rather grimly. "H'm! If you think it worth while I can spare you five minutes; not a moment more."
They left the room together. Stephen Guest bent towards Dinah. "Is Fay staying in bed to breakfast?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes," replied Dinah matter-of-factly. "She's not feeling frightfully fit. She doesn't sleep well, you know."
Basil Halliday raised his eyes from his plate. "I'm sorry. I know what it is to suffer from insomnia. It would be much better if we left by the nine-fifty, Camilla. We can easily catch it. Lady Billington-Smith won't want us hanging about all the morning."
"Oh, we can't possibly!" said Camilla quickly. "Of course, I'm dreadfully sorry about Fay, but do beg her, Miss Fawcett, not to bother about us in the least."
"Camilla, I would prefer to catch the nine-fifty," said Halliday, the fingers of his right hand working a little.
Camilla paid no attention to this, and, observing a pulse throbbing in Halliday's temple, Dinah interposed: "There's no need for anyone to hurry away on Fay's account. She'll be down presently. Stephen, are you catching the morning train?"
"No," he said, after a moment's deliberation. "I think I'll wait over till the afternoon."
Dinah got up. "Well, I'll go and see if Fay wants anything done for her," she said, and went out.
Stephen followed her, and stopped her as she was about to go up the stairs." Just a moment, Dinah."
She glanced sharply round at him, and saw that his face was more than ordinarily grim. "Well?"
He came to the foot of the staircase, and laid his hand on the rail. "Fay's upset?" he demanded abruptly.
"She's all right. For goodness' sake don't you start being dramatic! Why on earth don't you go by the train you said you were going by?"
"I'm seeing Fay before I go."
Dinah sighed. "I suppose you heard Arthur making himself felt before breakfast."
"Yes, I did hear him," replied Guest in a level voice. "And I don't leave till I've seen Fay."
"All right, you needn't be so emphatic about it. But it's no use thinking you'll get her to run away with you, Stephen, because she won't. I know Fay, and she's just the sort of person who'd rather be a martyr than start a scandal."
He looked at her for a moment. "Maybe you're right," he said, and turned away, pausing by the hall table to pick up a newspaper.
Dinah found her sister fairly calm, but very pale and heavy-eyed. She was speaking to Mrs. Moxon, the cook, when Dinah came in, and started nervously at the sound of the opening door. Since the between-maid had been sweeping the landing when it happened, the entire indoor staff knew by this time that the General and her ladyship had been having words again. There was an air of dark sympathy about Mrs. Moxon. She said: "You leave it to me, m'lady," and "I was going to speak to you about that Janet. But there, it'll do some other time."
She departed presently, full of good intentions about the remains of the joint, and spread the news below stairs that her ladyship was looking like death so that it made her heart fair bleed to see her. She further expressed a desire to give His-High-and-Mightiness a piece of her mind. "Let him come
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