The Chinese Shawl by Patricia Wentworth Read Free Book Online Page B

the bottom of the quarry, and the poor horse was dead.”
    Laura was speechless. She gazed white-faced at Cousin Sophy, whose pretty pink colour had not faded at all. It was just an old story to her, but to Laura it felt like all the terrible and unhappy things and all the unkindness in the world brought to a focus.
    Cousin Sophy stroked her hand with a soft fluttering touch.
    “Don’t look like that, my dear. It was a long time ago, and if Oliver had gone on with the engagement and married her, they would both have been most unhappy, because Agnes was always very intelligent, and she would have known quite well that he didn’t really love her.”
    Miss Sophy went to bed at half past nine. At a quarter to ten the telephone startled Laura from her book. She picked up the receiver, and heard Carey Desborough say,
    “Can I speak to Miss Fane?”
    “Oh, Carey!”
    She sounded warm and pleased, and all at once she hoped she didn’t sound too pleased. That was the worst of the sort of things Tanis had said—you pushed them out of your mind and tidied it up, and then you found some lurking trail of slime.
    Carey was asking, “Are you alone?”
    “Yes. Cousin Sophy’s gone to bed.”
    “My head spy told me she went at half past nine. Laura, are you going down to the Priory?”
    “Yes, I am.”
    “Tanis said so. She doesn’t tell the truth unless it suits her, so I thought I’d rather have it from you. Because I’m not going unless you are.”
    The little trail of slime caught the light in Laura’s mind. She said easily,
    “Thank you. What a lovely compliment!”
    “It wasn’t a compliment—just a plain statement of fact.”
    Laura said nothing. It was absurd that a voice travelling along a wire should reach the strings of your heart and shake them.
    The voice said her name insistently.
    “Laura—”
    “Yes?”
    “Have you seen Tanis?”
    “Yes. She came in just before dinner to fix up about going down to the Priory.”
    “I thought so. What did she say about me?”
    “About you?”
    “Yes, darling—me. I know she said something. What was it? She didn’t by any chance warn you against me, did she?”
    “Why should she? I mean, is there any reason why she should warn me?”
    Laura was rather pleased with this. Then she heard Carey laugh.
    “She did—I knew it! Kind cousin warns debutante.”
    “I’m not a debutante!” said Laura, revolted.
    “Compared with Tanis you are, my child. I’m sure she did it with the utmost charm and delicacy. What did she say?”
    Laura’s voice changed. She stopped trying to be light and indifferent, and spoke with simplicity.
    “She said you were never serious.”
    There was a pause.
    He said, “I see—” And then, “She didn’t by any chance say or suggest that I was engaged to her?”
    “She said, ‘Not exactly.’ ”
    There was an angry laugh.
    “What a convenient phrase! Laura—listen. I asked Tanis to marry me six months ago. I was under the impression that she had accepted me. A month ago when I came out of hospital I found out that I was not the only man who was under that impression. She said then that she couldn’t imagine how I had got it. She had never intended anything of the kind. She didn’t want to marry anyone, but why not be friends? Well, I was fool enough to agree. Since then I’ve been gradually coming to my senses. When I met you last night—” He paused, whilst they both gazed astounded at the fact that it was only last night that they had met.
    Laura found the receiver shaking a little in her hand. She heard him say, “It doesn’t seem possible,” and she heard herself say, “No.”
    He gave an odd eager laugh.
    “Well, thank God it happened! Laura, when I met you it was like coming out into the open air. I woke right up, and I shan’t go to sleep again. Now, about tomorrow. I’ve got some petrol. Let me drive you down.”
    “Tanis suggested that I should go down with Petra North.”
    She heard him whistle.
    “That