Endless Night by Agatha Christie

him.
    “You must hardly ask a prudent lawyer to go as far as that. I have learnt that in life it is wise to accept what is a fait accompli. You two have fallen in love with each other and have got married and have, I understood you to say, Ellie, bought a piece of property in the South of England and have already started building a house on it. You propose, therefore, to live in this country?”
    “We want to make our home here, yes. Do you object to our doing that?” I said with a touch of anger in my voice. “Ellie's married to me and she's a British subject now. So why shouldn't she live in England?”
    “No reason at all. In fact, there is no reason why Fenella should not live in any country she chooses, or indeed have property in more than one country. The house in Nassau belongs to you, remember, Ellie.”
    “I always thought it was Cora's. She always has behaved as though it was.”
    “But the actual property rights are vested in you. You also have the house in Long Island whenever you care to visit it. You are the owner of a great deal of oil bearing property in the West.” His voice was amiable, pleasant but I had the feeling that the words were directed at me in some curious way. Was it his idea of trying to insinuate a wedge between me and Ellie? I was not sure. It didn't seem very sensible, rubbing it in to a man that his wife owned property all over the world and was fabulously rich. If anything I should have thought that he would have played down Ellie's property rights and her money and all the rest of it. If I was a fortune hunter as he obviously thought, that would be all the more grist to my mill. But I did realise that Mr. Lippincott was a subtle man. It would be hard at any time to know what he was driving at; what he had in his mind behind his even and pleasant manner. Was he trying in a way of his own to make me feel uncomfortable, to make me feel that I was going to be branded almost publicly as a fortune hunter. He said to Ellie:
    “I've brought over a certain amount of legal stuff which you'll have to go through with me, Ellie. I shall want your signature to many of these things.”
    “Yes, of course, Uncle Andrew. Any time.”
    “As you say, any time. There's no hurry. I have other business in London and I shall be over here for about ten days.”
    Ten days, I thought. That's a long time. I rather wished that Mr. Lippincott wasn't going to be here for ten days. He appeared friendly enough towards me, though, as you might say, indicating that he still reserved his judgment on certain points, but I wondered at that moment whether he was really my enemy. If he was, he would not be the kind of man to show his hand.
    “Well,” he went on, “now that we've all met and come to terms, as you might say, for the future, I would like to have a short, interview with this husband of yours.”
    Ellie said, “You can talk to us both.” She was up in arms. I put a hand on her arm.
    “Now don't flare up, ducks, you're not a mother hen protecting a chicken.” I propelled her gently to the door in the wall that led into the bedroom.
    “Uncle Andrew wants to size me up,” I said. “He's well within his rights.”
    I pushed her gently through the double doors. I shut them both and came back into the room. It was a large handsome sitting-room. I came back and took a chair and faced Mr. Lippincott.
    “All right,” I said. “Shoot.”
    “Thank you, Michael,” he said. “First of all I want to assure you that I am not, as you may be thinking, your enemy in any way.”
    “Well,” I said, “I'm glad to hear that.” I didn't sound very sure about it.
    “Let me speak frankly,” said Mr. Lippincott, “more frankly than I could do before that dear child to whom I am guardian and of whom I am very fond. You may not yet appreciate it fully, Michael, but Ellie is a most unusually sweet and lovable girl.”
    “Don't you worry. I'm in love with her all right.”
    “That is not at all the same