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couldn't let him succeed. She gathered that he would be
here at Cumberland Square for the evening but knew that
he was unlikely to show up before seven, and by then she
would be well on her way.
She packed the bulk of her dothes in the large trunk and
let Parker carry it away for despatch to Manbury. Most of
her books and small possessions could remain in her room,
and her suitcase stood ready to be stowed into Roy's sports
car.
When that debonair young man rang the door bell at five
o'dock Pat had only to wish Marion good-bye. The older
woman, regarded her with a faintly rueful expression.
"Have a good time, Pat," she said, "and don't worry.
You're absolutely entitled to please yourself in this, and I'm
not blaming you a scrap. We'll see you on Tuesday. Good-
bye, my dear."
She bent forward, lightly touched her lips to the firm
young cheek and waved them off with a show of cordiality.
Pat snuggled into her seat and answered Roy's airy smile.
This was what she had been anticipating so eagerly a
temporary relief from the Leigh household in undemanding
company. For two or three days she would live on the gay
surface of life. She wanted laughter, gales of it, and plenty
of action. Roy would see to it ..that she was abundantly
supplied with both.
55
Deep down, though, Pat was not deceived. She was too
honest with herself not to realize that the week-end had
already been blighted by the dark and ruthless essence of
Simon.
CHAPTER SIX
THE whole way to Exeter the train was full. There, the
carriages disgorged their loads, the train was broken in two
and the first half meandered on at leisurely speed through
the villages and hamlets of Devon towards the coast.
Pat's eyes ached with the strain of searching for beloved
landmarks: stone and brick houses clustering about a steeple
and the whole embedded in trees, a sleepy farm, a scribble
of hills, a pine copse. Her eyes strained but her mind only
half accepted what they saw, for it was otherwise occupied.
The week-end had dragged. The converted country house
belonging to Roy's aunt had! been disappointingly ostenta-
tious and slightly vulgar, but in everyone else it had roused
enthusiasm so Pat, perforce, had exdaimed her admiration.
Some of the house guests had. been rather bogus, too; even
Roy had admitted as much, though he extracted enjoyment
from them. Against that background he had shown up
extraordinarily well. He had protected Pat as if she were
a tender seedling among avid tares, and gone off alone
with her whenever possible. She had been grateful to him,
but so glad to have awakened this morning knowing that
this was the day of days, when she would see her father
and begin to dig back into Manbury.
The train slowed. Pat's breath caught and now her whole
attention was given to the undulating stretch of country
beyond the window, to the l.ine of silver birches feathered
with green, to the sweep of color and light upon the river.
And how lovely the sky the blue-grey of a dove's
breast, and cloudless.
As Pat stood up to reach down her case she was un-
conscious that the shine in her eyes, the anticipatory part-
ing of red lips had revealed her to the other three
passengers as a girl at long last coming home. One of
them helped her and she murmured her thanks, but she
could not have said what any of them looked like.
The train jolted to a halt, a porter lazily shouted,
"Manbury," delightfully burring the "r", and Pat was on
the platform, breathing in the scent from a border of
stocks and feasting upon the masses of pink roses which
hung all along the fence at each side of the tiny station
building. Yes, this was home!
The air was warm and caressing, enveloping, as though
receiving her back. Without hurry, she moved along
towards the exit with ths other half-dozen people who had
left the train. She bumped into someone, said, "I'm so
sorry," and stared up into the hawk-like face of Simon
Leigh. :
He gave her a tight-lipped smile, took her case in his left
hand and her elbow in his right, and led her past the bar"
rier and out to the station yard, where stood his gleaming
burgundy saloon.
"I didn't expect to be met," she said.
"No? What did you intend to do walk it?"
"I was going home to my father first. It's only ten
minutes' walk across the fields."
"I'll take you there. He knows I'm meeting you. Marion
told him yesterday."
He had her seated and himself had slid behind the
wheel and started up the car. They swerved out into a nar-
row road with cottages at each side, and Pat saw that two
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