Black August

They opened champagne and drank it out of tea cups, scorning to call Moggs or Carter to their aid when they could not find the glasses; then carrying more bottles they proceeded upstairs into the silence of the great empty house.

Back in her sitting room, Veronica, with Ann beside her, curled up on the floor and began to tell the cards. There were journeyings across water, meetings in tall buildings, love, treachery, imprisonment, and in Ann's cards death!

When the last round was finished Veronica drew the pack quickly together with her slim fingers. 'Darlings, I must leave you,' she declared. 'Lucy is a perfect saint, but she simply cannot pack; don't go, Ann, please; give me a quarter of an hour and I'll be back.'

Alone with Ann, Kenyon wasted no time in fencing: He stooped to take her hand but she withdrew it quickly. 'Ann!' he protested, 'you're still cross with me?'

'Not cross but I only came this evening so as not to be rude to your sister. It doesn't alter anything I said in my letter.'

'What nonsense! I'm terribly sorry I didn't tell you my full name in the first place; but what difference does it make? I haven't got three legs, or a tail, or anything!'

'I see,' a glint of humour lurked in Ann's tawny eyes, 'you're just like any other man, and you're in love with me. Is that it?'

'I am.'

'A lot?'

'Yes, Ann, a lot.'

'Do you realise the logical conclusion then?'

'N… no,' he hesitated, fearing some kind of trap.

'In such circumstances it is usual for the man to want to marry the girclass="underline" do you want to marry me?'

The question was so direct that Kenyon hesitated again, floundered, and was lost. 'Marry?… well, you know… I hadn't meant to… yet!'

'Please don't go on, my dear.' Ann was smiling now. 'Of course you don't; I didn't expect for one moment that you would. I'm not suitable and I know it. If you were really going to get a Civil Service job at £400 a year I might be but you're not!'

'But Ann '

'What?'

'Well, I do care about you terribly.'

'Perhaps.' She stood up. 'I like you too; you must know that.'

'Then can't we carry on?'

'Listen,' she said slowly, fingering the lapel of his coat, 'it's this way. I might live with a man who wanted to marry me and couldn't if I liked him enough; but I would never live with a man who did not love me enough to want to marry me. I wonder if you understand. Anyhow, I'm going home now. Say good bye to that nice sister of yours for me, and tell her I liked her an awful lot and I have enjoyed this evening.'

'I understand, Ann; but you're not going home; I am not going to let you!'

'What do you mean?' Her eyes grew hard, and the heavy lids came down, half concealing them.

'Just this. I warned you to stay in Orford, but you wouldn't listen. It may be too late now for you to reach there safely on your own. I'm going down to the country tomorrow and I mean to take you with me.'

'No, Kenyon. I can look after myself; I'm not going with you.'

'You are.' His eyes were hard though he was smiling.

'I've had a room prepared for you and you'll sleep here tonight.'

'No!' she snapped, filled with sudden fury by his dictatorial manner.

'You will,' he repeated firmly.

'No!'

'I say yes! I've put you next to Veronica, so you will be quite comfortable and quite safe.'

'No! You've got no right to keep me here against my will!'

'Nobody will have any rights in a few days' time. I'm anticipating the movement, that's all!'

'No! You'll let me go now-now! D'you hear!'

His only reply was to take her firmly by the arms. For a second she tried to wrench herself away but realised immediately how powerless she was against his strength.

He let her go for a moment and pulled open the door. 'Come on; do you walk or do I carry you?'

Beneath the lowered lids her eyes were blazing with anger as with sullen tight shut mouth she walked slowly past him. He piloted her down the corridor and pushed her gently into a spacious bedroom.

A tiny fire burned in the grate although it was early August, and the sheets had been carefully turned back in the great four poster. A nightdress Ann supposed it to be one of Veronica's lay across the bed. A dressing gown, slippers, and everything else she could possibly require also seemed to have been provided, but there was no other exit than the door by which she stood with Kenyon.

'I'll never forgive you for this,' she said slowly. 'Never!'

He smiled slightly. 'We're making rather an early start in the morning, I'm afraid, so you will be called a six o'clock. Good night, Ann sleep well!' He shut the door softly behind him, and with renewed fury Ann heard the key turn in the lock.

Kenyon went along to report to his fellow conspirator.

'Well?' asked Veronica curiously. 'How did she take it?'

'Damn badly. I had to lock her in!'

'Phew!' Veronica let out a peculiarly vulgar whistle. 'You'll find yourself in Bow Street, laddie, if these troubles blow over.'

'I don't care. She comes with us if I have to carry her all the way now. I love that girl like hell!'

Nevertheless, when Kenyon decided to call Ann himself in the morning, he found the door still locked but the bed unslept in and the window open. Ann Croome had gone.

?7

Nightmare Day!

Kenyon walked over to the window. There was an eight foot drop to the leads of the music room, then a short fire escape down to the empty garage, from which it was easy to get into the Mews. That was the way she had gone.

'Damn!' he said briefly, and striding back into the passage he knocked on Veronica's door.

'Yes, who is it?' came a petulant voice. Veronica was never at her best in the early morning.

'Me Kenyon.'

'You can t come in, darling, I'm naked!'

'All right, but look here Ann's cleared out.'

'More fool you for letting her. Where were you in your bath?'

'No; in my room, of course!'

'Ye Gods the man is crazy.'

Kenyon laughed angrily. 'I'm perfectly sane, thanks; we'll talk it over at breakfast, then.' He strode off to his room.

Veronica did not prove helpful or particularly sympathetic when they met over the bacon and eggs and tea. 'You had your chance last night, my boy, and it" you mucked it you've only yourself to blame,' was her somewhat cynical comment.

'What did you really think of her?' Kenyon asked.

'Oh, she's quite a sweet and too devastatingly bed worthy for words!'

'Veronica! Why must you drag that in?'

Her eyes opened wide. 'Snakes and ladders! Why not, my poor fool. You don't want to discuss higher thought with the wench, do you?'

'Of course not… but…'

'But what?'

'Oh, nothing.'

Veronica put down her teacup with a deliberate bang.

'S welp me Gawd, but I believe 'e is thinkin' of makin' an honest woman of 'er after all!'

'No,' said Kenyon 'I'm old fashioned enough to feel that I do owe something to the family and it would pretty well break old Herbert up.'

Veronica shook her head sadly. 'My dear, you are loopy, there's not a doubt about it. You don't want to marry the girl, you don't want to discuss the state of your soul with her, and you don't even want to play slap and tickle at least you say you don't. What the devil do you want?'

'I want to get her safe out of London; after that we'll see. Are you game to put off our departure till after I've been down to Gloucester Road?'

'Yes, my quixotic numskull, if you like. Let's start after lunch. That will give me a chance to see Klinkie again; she may have brought another infant into this world of sin by now.'