against is the very natural distress and anxiety over her uncle’s prolonged absence.”
“Really, Rachel, you’re an extraordinarily obstinate girl!” declared her unde, with something less than his usually urbane air. “You’re just like your father. Robert never could let a point go until he’d worried it thin What do you expect me to do about Nigel? Invite him back into my house when I know he halfkilled my wife?”
Only by biting her lip and silently counting ten and thrusting the image of the guilty Keith Elman right out of her mind, did Rachel control herself. She took a deep breath and then said, in her most pacific tone,
“Uncle, I do understand your anger and distress. But do think—Nigel also loves Hester. She’s his sister. And, however much you may think he is to blame, the whole thing was an accident.”
She quite expected a fresh outburst at this. But, to her surprise, her uncle was silent for several seconds. Then he sighed and said heavily,
“It’s queer you should say this just now. I’ve just come from my poor Hester, and that’s what she kept on saying. ‘It was an accident’ And, ‘I won’t have Nigel blamed. ’”
“She said—that?” Rachel felt a momentary quiver of alarm, as she wondered what else Hester might have said, on hearing that her brother was being blamed. But then she recalled that Oliver Mayforth had been seeing her daily. He would undoubtedly have seen to it that, as soon as she was in a state to hear it, a full explanation had been given to her.
“She is so generous—so forgiving,” said poor Sir Everard, obviously believing from the bottom of his heart that Hester was. And Rachel saw no reason to query this estimate of her young aunt’s character. Instead, she seized adroitly on the tribute and said earnestly,
“Then, Uncle, is it really for us—for you—to be less generous? Anyway, what is to be the practical outcome of all this? You couldn’t forbid Nigel your house indefinitely unless Hester agreed. You wouldn’t want to hurt her like that. And wouldn’t it be better for you to give way gracefully now, instead of being urged to it later by Hester?”
She realised immediately that he disliked the expression “give way”. On the other hand, “gracefully” had a pleasing implication about it. There was quite a long silence once more. Then he repeated irritably, ‘You’re just like your father!” But he added, “Well, what do you want me to do? I can’t telephone cordially or apologetically to him. And I’m certainly not going to-write to him—”
“Perhaps I could phone to him,” suggested Rachel, amazed at the feeling of elation which suddenly came over her. “It might come more—more easily from me. I could explain that Paula was missing him, and that you felt—”
“Don’t let him think he’s welcome ,” interrupted her uncle categorically. “Just tolerated .”
“ I’ll do my best to—to give the right impression,” Rachel promised, “Shall I—would it be a good idea if I telephoned now?”
“As good a time as any for an unwelcome event” replied her uncle in a tone as near to ungracious as Rachel had ever heard from him.
She laughed. Then, remembering that he had not a great sense of humour, she dropped a kiss on his cheek as she passed his chair and said,
“Dear Uncle—I’m sure Hester will be very pleased.”
“I hope so,” replied Sir Everard drily. But he looked after his niece with a faint smile as she went out of the room.
Rachel kept on telling herself that it was for Paula that she was so glad—and for Hester—and for the ends of pure justice. But when she heard Nigel
Seton’s voice answer her on the tdephone, she knew that she was glad for herself, and anyone and anything else came a long way afterwards.
“Why, Rachel.” He sounded both pleased and surprised. “I’ve got some news for you.”
“You have? Well, I’ve got some news for you too.” She laughed. “Who
Catherine Gilbert Murdock