To Journey Together by Mary Burchell Read Free Book Online Page B

funny?—the von Eibergs thought I was the daughter of the Conneltons!—which will show you how kindly they treat me. I think they were rather taken aback to find I was only the secretary. I am not quite sure why, for it made no difference whatever in their friendliness. It seems that Rudolf is quite an exhibition skater, and he says he is going to teach me. I can't really suppose that an expert would enjoy stumbling round with
     
    a beginner, but it would be nice to learn. As it is
    Suddenly Elinor became aware that someone was knocking on the door of her room.
    "Come in," she called, and Ilsa von Eiberg came into the room and across to the balcony.
    "Hello." She stood smiling in the doorway. "How hard you work! Do you have to type all through this lovely morning?"
    "Oh, no, I don't have to. In fact, I wasn't really working at all," Elinor explained. "Only writing a letter home." And then, as casually as possible, she took the sheet of paper out of the machine, in case Ilsa should see her own name on it.
    Her visitor was quick to notice the gesture, casual though it had been, but she mistook the motive.
    "Don't tell me you type your love letters!" she said with a laugh.
    "My—oh, no! That wasn't a love letter. It was really a letter home—to my family, I mean. I haven't any love letters to write, in any case," Elinor added with candour.
    "No?" The other girl seemed both amused and incredulous. "How do you manage that, when you're young and pretty and far from home?"
    "By being only two of those things," replied Elinor, with unexpected humour. "I'm not really pretty, you know. I've never been called that before."
    "No-o, perhaps not, strictly speaking." Ilsa looked consideringly at Elinor's soft dark hair, her wide grey eyes and her unexpectedly red mouth. "You're something more. You're piquant—what the Americans call 'cute'. And then sometimes, quite without warning, you are very pretty. That's much more intriguing and dangerous than being pretty all the time."
    "Is it?" Elinor was dumbfounded. Never in her life before had she heard herself described as intriguing—much less dangerous! And yet this girl said these things with an air of careless conviction there was no gainsaying.
     
    It made Elinor feel strangely excited and yet more self-possessed than she had ever felt before. As though the mere fact that Ilsa von Eiberg found her interesting actually made her so.
    "Why, of course," Ilsa affirmed amusedly. And it seemed as though she were prepared to elaborate this fascinating subject further when a clear whistle sounded from the garden, just below the balcony, and she exclaimed instead, "That's Rudi. May I, please ?" And, crossing the balcony, she pushed back the upper half of one of the windows and leaned out, to speak in German to her brother below.
    After a moment she looked back at Elinor and said, "He wants to know if you will come skating with us."
    "I—I should love to, but—" the self-effacing and shy Elinor suddenly returned, ousting the eager and self-possessed girl she had become for a moment or two—"I don't know the first thing about it. You go together," she urged. "I'm sure it's no fun for experts to have to bother about a beginner."
    "But we want you to come. Perhaps we shall make of you an expert too," Ilsa declared good-humouredly.
    "No, really!" Elinor was in full retreat now, all her shyness returned. "You had much better go on your own. I'll come down later and watch, perhaps."
    Ilsa turned away again to speak out of the window to her brother. But when she drew in her head once more, she said positively, "Rudi declares he won't go unless you come too."
    "Oh, but—" Elinor laughed and bit her lip, indescribably flattered and touched that the charming Rudi should make this absurd assertion. "Then I'll come," she said, with sudden decision. "Can you wait just five minutes while I put on something more suitable?"
    "Of course. I'll wait downstairs with Rudi. You only need a very wide skirt and