apes won’t like it at all.”
“No?”
“They hate noises of any kind. Must hurt their ears or something. Whenever we have a shoot on, Lovejoy goes up and tells them. They seem to understand him and buzz off to the other side of the Rock where they have a jolly good fight with the Middle Hill pack and come back when it’s over.”
The sun bowed out below the rim of the hills. Wisps of mist collected on the surface of the sea. Tim said, “Well,” and then, “It was good of you to come here and let me chatter at you. I suppose we’d better be getting on back.”
“Yes,” Felicity replied, “I think so. Will it be another ten days before I shall be hearing from you?”
“No,” said Tim, “it won’t. May I call you tomorrow?”
“Yes, please.”
They walked over to where their respective cars were parked and stood there silently for a moment. Then quietly and simultaneously as though the idea had generated in both at the same moment; they leaned close and kissed one another gently. Then not even touching hands or murmuring good-bye, they got into their cars and drove off.
Lady French was dressing when Felicity went clattering by the open door of her bedroom. “Felicity dear,” she called, “is that you?”
“Yes, Mummy.”
“I was beginning to worry you’d be late, and you know how nervous your father gets if he’s kept waiting. We’ve been asked back to dine at the Brigadier’s tonight. And darling, don’t use water on your hair this time—after half an hour it begins to look like a fright wig. I’ve bought you some brilliantine—it’s up in your room—I think you ought to wear your—”
What Felicity ought to wear was smothered owing to the fact that she had come into the room, gone over to her mother as she sat at her dressing-table, put her arms about her neck and her mouth close to her ear, hugged her and whispered, “Oh Mummy, Mummy, Mummy. He kissed me!”
All the alarm bells went off inside Lady French. “Felicity! Who kissed you?”
Felicity raised her lovely head, her eyes gazed inward at the delectable thing that had happened, and she whispered, “Captain Bailey!”
“Felicity! You’re not really serious about this?”
“I don’t know, Mummy!”
“You realize, of course, what a blow this would be to your father. His family have always been Navy since before Nelson’s time.”
Felicity reflected and said, “But he’s such a nice boy, even if he seems to dote on monkeys. He’s sorry for them.”
“But the Army, Felicity,” Lady French said. “It’s the one branch of Service with which—I mean today, darling, one simply doesn’t. I suppose there was a time once when it was respectable, but it hasn’t been for ever so long. Some of us were discussing—I mean I happened to mention the young man’s name—I’m afraid he’s a nobody.”
Something that came into Felicity’s face, an expression, a flash of fire in the otherwise gentle eyes suddenly threw Lady French into confusion and she said, “I don’t mean really a nobody, my dear. Of course I’m sure they’re quite nice people, it’s just that they’ve always been only Army and never anything better than a Colonel, I gather. Your father was only a Lieutenant when I married him, but it was one of the best naval families. He was bound to succeed. The Baileys don’t seem to have been very ambitious. Commander Whitcombe’s wife knew a story about one of them who resigned his commission, went into business and made money. Can you imagine such a thing?”
Felicity reflected carefully before she replied, “Well oddly enough I think I can. They seem to be able to concentrate.”
Lady French took a deep breath, as one does before plunging into a cold bath, and then plunged. “Felicity, my dear,” she said, “I don’t like to say this, but are you aware that this Captain Bailey is rather loathed on the Rock—in the Army, I mean, amongst his own creatures? He’s supposed to have some kind of
“No?”
“They hate noises of any kind. Must hurt their ears or something. Whenever we have a shoot on, Lovejoy goes up and tells them. They seem to understand him and buzz off to the other side of the Rock where they have a jolly good fight with the Middle Hill pack and come back when it’s over.”
The sun bowed out below the rim of the hills. Wisps of mist collected on the surface of the sea. Tim said, “Well,” and then, “It was good of you to come here and let me chatter at you. I suppose we’d better be getting on back.”
“Yes,” Felicity replied, “I think so. Will it be another ten days before I shall be hearing from you?”
“No,” said Tim, “it won’t. May I call you tomorrow?”
“Yes, please.”
They walked over to where their respective cars were parked and stood there silently for a moment. Then quietly and simultaneously as though the idea had generated in both at the same moment; they leaned close and kissed one another gently. Then not even touching hands or murmuring good-bye, they got into their cars and drove off.
Lady French was dressing when Felicity went clattering by the open door of her bedroom. “Felicity dear,” she called, “is that you?”
“Yes, Mummy.”
“I was beginning to worry you’d be late, and you know how nervous your father gets if he’s kept waiting. We’ve been asked back to dine at the Brigadier’s tonight. And darling, don’t use water on your hair this time—after half an hour it begins to look like a fright wig. I’ve bought you some brilliantine—it’s up in your room—I think you ought to wear your—”
What Felicity ought to wear was smothered owing to the fact that she had come into the room, gone over to her mother as she sat at her dressing-table, put her arms about her neck and her mouth close to her ear, hugged her and whispered, “Oh Mummy, Mummy, Mummy. He kissed me!”
All the alarm bells went off inside Lady French. “Felicity! Who kissed you?”
Felicity raised her lovely head, her eyes gazed inward at the delectable thing that had happened, and she whispered, “Captain Bailey!”
“Felicity! You’re not really serious about this?”
“I don’t know, Mummy!”
“You realize, of course, what a blow this would be to your father. His family have always been Navy since before Nelson’s time.”
Felicity reflected and said, “But he’s such a nice boy, even if he seems to dote on monkeys. He’s sorry for them.”
“But the Army, Felicity,” Lady French said. “It’s the one branch of Service with which—I mean today, darling, one simply doesn’t. I suppose there was a time once when it was respectable, but it hasn’t been for ever so long. Some of us were discussing—I mean I happened to mention the young man’s name—I’m afraid he’s a nobody.”
Something that came into Felicity’s face, an expression, a flash of fire in the otherwise gentle eyes suddenly threw Lady French into confusion and she said, “I don’t mean really a nobody, my dear. Of course I’m sure they’re quite nice people, it’s just that they’ve always been only Army and never anything better than a Colonel, I gather. Your father was only a Lieutenant when I married him, but it was one of the best naval families. He was bound to succeed. The Baileys don’t seem to have been very ambitious. Commander Whitcombe’s wife knew a story about one of them who resigned his commission, went into business and made money. Can you imagine such a thing?”
Felicity reflected carefully before she replied, “Well oddly enough I think I can. They seem to be able to concentrate.”
Lady French took a deep breath, as one does before plunging into a cold bath, and then plunged. “Felicity, my dear,” she said, “I don’t like to say this, but are you aware that this Captain Bailey is rather loathed on the Rock—in the Army, I mean, amongst his own creatures? He’s supposed to have some kind of
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