Anne Belinda by Patricia Wentworth Page B

did!” said Miss Fairlie. “And what has Anne been doing?”
    An indescribable look of painful hesitation crossed Jenny’s face. Something in the look startled Miss Fairlie.
    â€œWhy, Jenny,” she said, “you don’t mean to tell me that Anne—”
    Jenny burst into tears.
    Oh, yes! ” she said. “And I’ve told everyone that she’s been travelling with you in Spain.”

CHAPTER XIII
    Miss Fairlie refused to stay to dinner. She admired the infant Tony in a brisk and rather perfunctory manner, and then insisted on returning to the garden and sitting where she could see the river.
    â€œAn English spring smells better than the foreign sorts,” she said as she creaked into the largest chair. “Wallflower”—she sniffed loudly—“lilac, syringa. Don’t care frightfully for syringa myself; it always reminds me a little of white rats.”
    â€œAurora!”
    â€œCan’t help it—it does. My brothers used to make me clean the cages, and I’ve never really cottoned to syringa since. But the other things are A 1. That what-you-may-call-’em over there is topping. What is it?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Jenny vaguely.
    Miss Fairlie changed the subject with her usual uncompromising abruptness.
    â€œI want to talk to John Waveney. Bring him over here and tell him who I am. What’s he in such a rage about? Is he stopping here? Haven’t you been treating him nicely?”
    â€œIs he in a rage?”
    â€œMy good Jenny!”
    â€œWell, I don’t see why he should be. He’s been here for the week-end. I thought—”
    â€œWhat did you think?”
    â€œI thought he was going directly after tea. He said he had to get back to town.”
    â€œOh, then I can give him a lift.”
    Jenny was appalled. The last thing she desired was an intimacy between John and Aurora. To be sure, Aurora had promised; but all the promises in the world would never make her tactful. Before she had time to recover, John had joined them.
    â€œI mustn’t miss my train,” he said; and instantly Aurora must needs push in and offer to drive him back to town.
    â€œI was just telling Jenny to call you. I’m Aurora Fairlie. Jenny, where are your manners? You used to have quite nice ones. I don’t mind introducing myself; but it’s really your job, and I object on principle to doing other people’s jobs for them. Well, John Waveney, I’m a cousin of Jenny’s, and Jenny’s a cousin of yours, so I don’t propose to be very ceremonious. Is a lift back to town any good to you?”
    John accepted the lift with alacrity. A little later, when Aurora was talking to Nicholas, he addressed Jenny in a quiet but unmistakably purposeful tone:
    â€œThere’s something I want to say to you. Shall we walk to the end of the lawn?”
    Jenny sprang up at once. Aurora’s words had frightened her. If John were really in a rage, she had better see him alone and find out why he was angry. She had unlimited faith in her own ability to manage him, or any other young man.
    â€œWe’ll get you some lilac to take back to town, Aurora,” she called back over her shoulder as she went; and John frowned involuntarily. How quickly and smoothly she had found a reason for leaving the others! Something in the perfect ease of voice and manner jarred him sharply.
    They came to a standstill by the largest lilac bush, and Jenny picked a spray.
    â€œWell?” she said.
    John was past pretence. He looked at her with a hard, angry look, and seemed entirely unaware of what a pretty picture she made, with the evening sun on her fair hair and her white dress, and the lilac in her hand.
    â€œLook here, Jenny, I’d better tell you straight out. I saw Anne this afternoon.”
    â€œYou saw Anne.” She repeated his words as if she hardly understood them.
    â€œYes, I saw her. So it’s