and he had admired her for it. Everyone these days was moving into the eastern suburbs, but they were becoming much too fashionable: they were plagued with social-climbers. Norma had chosen Pym-ble, one of the older, exclusive addresses, and some of the more bitchy social columnists, ready to score a point off some of her rivals, had remarked upon her taste and good sense. They had bought an old colonial style house, invited Sydney’s most expensive interior decorator to swindle them, then moved in with that pleasurable pain that accompanies the realization that there is nothing more to be desired. Helidon drove down the street towards the house, suddenly looking forward to it as a haven again. Once there he knew that, though it might take time, he would be able to explain to Norma the why and wherefore of Helga.
He swung into the drive and the lights of the car lit up the other car parked before the front door. Even before he had braked sharply to a halt he had recognized Helga’s Datsun.
3
“Your maid let me in. I said it was business. Which it is, of course/’
“Why did you come here?” Norma demanded.
“I thought I should come and see you both,” said Helga. “I thought it would save time.”
“How’s that?” said Helidon, unable at this moment to get any grasp at all on the situation.
“It would save you running back and forth to Mrs. Helidon for instructions.” She looked at Norma. “I’m sure you will make the decisions, anyway.”
They were in the Helidon living room, surrounded by all the expensive comforts of home. There were bars on all the windows, each outside door had two locks and there was a burglar alarm system. The decorator, who had done six months for importuning sailors, had given the Helidons the benefit of his experience in jail without telling them where he had acquired his knowledge. “You just don’t know what tricks these awful professional housebreakers get up to! Security, my dears—you can’t have enough security. Especially with all these lovely treasures I’m going to give you—” But he had neglected to build in any security against blackmailers. Helga sat there in the red velvet empress chair that was Norma’s pride as composed and secure as if she were a buyer come to make them an offer for their home that she knew they could not refuse. She was dressed in a dark linen suit, carried white gloves and wore a thin strand of pearls. She looked coolly elegant, as only some women can, and Norma, suddenly feeling over-dressed in her cocktail dress, choked by her double strand of pearls, hated her even more.
“We could turn you over to the police,” Norma said wildly.
Helga smiled and Helidon looked pained. “Darl—” He hadn’t called her that for several years: short for darling, there had been a time when he had called her nothing else.
80 o
But somehow or other it had slipped out of his vocabulary over the past couple of years. Since he had met Helga, he realized with a sour taste in his mouth. “Darl, that’s the last thing we could do.”
Norma, recovering, nodded dumbly. She had been standing up ever since they had entered the house, but now she sat down opposite Helga, as if acknowledging at last that they were not going to be rid of her easily. She sat with her knees together, her hands folded primly on her lap, the way the nuns, years ago, had told her a lady should sit. “Miss Brand, what made you come to me so soon? I gather you only asked my husband for the money this afternoon.”
Helga sat back at ease, crossed one beautiful leg over the other. She’s lovely, Helidon thought, but why does she have to be such a bitch? And felt an ache in the pit of his stomach that was a sense of loss and not of fear. “I thought about it, Mrs. Helidon. Walter—” she used his name with a slightly proprietary note, a reminder to Norma that they had shared him “—would not have paid the money without a great deal of trouble on my part. It might
He swung into the drive and the lights of the car lit up the other car parked before the front door. Even before he had braked sharply to a halt he had recognized Helga’s Datsun.
3
“Your maid let me in. I said it was business. Which it is, of course/’
“Why did you come here?” Norma demanded.
“I thought I should come and see you both,” said Helga. “I thought it would save time.”
“How’s that?” said Helidon, unable at this moment to get any grasp at all on the situation.
“It would save you running back and forth to Mrs. Helidon for instructions.” She looked at Norma. “I’m sure you will make the decisions, anyway.”
They were in the Helidon living room, surrounded by all the expensive comforts of home. There were bars on all the windows, each outside door had two locks and there was a burglar alarm system. The decorator, who had done six months for importuning sailors, had given the Helidons the benefit of his experience in jail without telling them where he had acquired his knowledge. “You just don’t know what tricks these awful professional housebreakers get up to! Security, my dears—you can’t have enough security. Especially with all these lovely treasures I’m going to give you—” But he had neglected to build in any security against blackmailers. Helga sat there in the red velvet empress chair that was Norma’s pride as composed and secure as if she were a buyer come to make them an offer for their home that she knew they could not refuse. She was dressed in a dark linen suit, carried white gloves and wore a thin strand of pearls. She looked coolly elegant, as only some women can, and Norma, suddenly feeling over-dressed in her cocktail dress, choked by her double strand of pearls, hated her even more.
“We could turn you over to the police,” Norma said wildly.
Helga smiled and Helidon looked pained. “Darl—” He hadn’t called her that for several years: short for darling, there had been a time when he had called her nothing else.
80 o
But somehow or other it had slipped out of his vocabulary over the past couple of years. Since he had met Helga, he realized with a sour taste in his mouth. “Darl, that’s the last thing we could do.”
Norma, recovering, nodded dumbly. She had been standing up ever since they had entered the house, but now she sat down opposite Helga, as if acknowledging at last that they were not going to be rid of her easily. She sat with her knees together, her hands folded primly on her lap, the way the nuns, years ago, had told her a lady should sit. “Miss Brand, what made you come to me so soon? I gather you only asked my husband for the money this afternoon.”
Helga sat back at ease, crossed one beautiful leg over the other. She’s lovely, Helidon thought, but why does she have to be such a bitch? And felt an ache in the pit of his stomach that was a sense of loss and not of fear. “I thought about it, Mrs. Helidon. Walter—” she used his name with a slightly proprietary note, a reminder to Norma that they had shared him “—would not have paid the money without a great deal of trouble on my part. It might
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