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mainly.' He paused again in thought. 'There's another aspect to all
this, Mary. If you hadn't allowed yourself to become involved in
what he probably considers at present to be a grossly reprehensible
act, you two would never have met. When he's finished licking his
wounds he'll have time to reflect on this and be grateful.'
'No, Geoff,' Mary put in sadly. 'He's more likely to wish we'd never
met.'
'Don't believe it ' Geoff shook his head emphatically. 'You're too
sweet, Mary, too desirable for any man to regret having married you.
Don't look startled, I'm not going to complicate matters by trying to
become "the other man". I won't deny I'd have had a go at winning
you had we met in time, but I never was one to eat my heart out for
something beyond my reach. I like you though, and I'll be damned if
I'll stand by and have you hint like this. Must do something about it.'
'It's kind of you to bother,' she said wanly. 'But there isn't a thing
anyone can do. I'll just have to wait, and hope that one day he'll be
willing to forgive me.'
'I don't agree that no one can help,' Geoff argued with a firmness that
brought her head up in surprise. 'Your husband heard that story in
most unfortunate circumstances and, by what you've said, in a way
that throws most of the blame on you. But only a very little of the
blame actually does lie with you, from what I can gather.'
'Adrian will never see it that way, though,' she maintained in accents
of despair. 'No, Geoff, I've to resign myself to having lost his esteem
- and to hoping, as I said, that he might come eventually to overlook
what I've done.' The time must come, she thought desperately, when
he would want to live a reasonably happy life. He would then forgive
her, and that was all she could hope for. Adrian would never forget.
What she had done would remain in the background of his memory
for always, standing in the way of that perfect marriage of which he
had so confidently spoken. The recollection of those words, of the
love in his voice and the tenderness of his touch as he spoke them,
brought the tears springing again to Mary's eyes and Geoff
automatically slipped a comforting arm about her shoulders.
'Mustn't cry again,' he said soothingly. 'Get your face all puffed up if
you do.' A small silence and then, in some puzzlement, 'Still can't
fathom this action of your husband's. Going a bit far, it seems to me,
having this girl staying in the house.''I thought that at first, but I can
see now why he's doing it. It's to punish me mainly, but I think it's
also to let his mother know that he'll do just as he pleases.'
'Will his mother get to hear of it ?'
'Adrian will take it for granted that I'll write and tell her.'
'And will you?'
'No; there doesn't seem any sense in upsetting her peace of mind.'
'Can't say I altogether agree with sparing her, not when she's to blame
for this pickle you're in.'
'She's not entirely to blame, Geoff. In all fairness I could never say
that.' She turned as Geoff abruptly took away his arm and stood up,
moving to the other side of the room.
'Your husband's here. A car's just coming up the drive.'
'Adrian? But how would he know I was here?'
The obvious place to look - when you weren't at home.'
'Yes, of course.' Unsteadily she rose to her feet, trembling slightly.
And as if to add to her trepidation there came the memory of that hint
of jealousy in Adrian's manner that day in the office when she'd told
him Geoff had seen her home from the Sandersons' the previous
evening.
Not that he'd be jealous now, but she was very much afraid that he'd
be furious at seeing Geoff with her here at the bungalow.
And he was. His dark eyes flashed his anger as he stood in the
doorway, his glance moving from Mary to Geoff, and then to the
crumpled cushions on the couch. He spoke to Geoff, his voice as
sharp and cold as flint.
'Do you mind leaving?'
'I'll leave, certainly - but, Mr. Stanning, I think you should know '
'Geoff!' The exclamation stemmed from the sudden terror that he was
about to make some slip that would reveal her confidences. Adrian's
eyes narrowed with an odd expression as they rested on Geoff, who
spoke at once.
'Mary wasn't too good, just now at Dorothy's. Had a funny turn as
you might say '
'Funny turn?' Adrian glanced sharply at his wife. No mistaking his
concern, she thought, staring up at him, her face pale, her eyes still
bright, almost feverishly so.
'I'm all right now, Adrian, thank you,' she said quickly.
For a moment he seemed unsure, examining her face critically and
only withdrawing his attention when Geoff spoke again.
'I don't think Mary is fit to drive the jeep. If you take her in the car I'll
follow on with it; I can walk back.'
It was unfortunate that he still held the key, Mary thought, for the
sight of it in Geoff's hand seemed to inflame her husband. Geoff's
phrasing too was not exactly tactful; Adrian in his present mood
would probably see it as a veiled but clearly intended order rather
than genuine concern at the idea of Mary's driving the jeep in her
present overwrought state of nerves.
'The jeep can stay where it is, thank you.' He held out his hand for the
key, which Geoff instantly passed to him. 'And now, if you'll go& '
The sun was already dropping as they came out of the drive; a
translucent glow filtered through the palm fronds, and down on the
beach the waves lapping the shore were tinted with gold. For Mary
there had always been magic in the fleeting eastern twilight, and
especially so during those brief days of her engagement, when she
and Adrian would walk along the beach, hand in hand, planning their
wedding and their future. Then Adrian would see her back to the
bungalow, staying for supper and lingering afterwards&
No magic in the evening now, with the shadow of her husband's
anger all around her. Mary sat straight up in the car, staring ahead,
wondering when that shadow would take more definite shape. She
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