It was after lunch when the old people were taking a nap and Kit was clearing up in the kitchen that Calvin had the opportunity of getting Alice to himself. She was in the lounge looking through the Sunday newspaper when he wandered in and sat down.
He said very casually, ‘I’ve been thinking about you, Alice. Would you mind if I talked to you about your career for a moment?’
She went red and then white and shook her head, dropping the newspaper and staring at him like a startled rabbit.
‘I’ve been very impressed by your work,’ Calvin said, his voice matter-of-fact. ‘You’re wasted in Pittsville.’ He switched on his charm. ‘You should be more ambitious.’
Hanging on his words, Alice continued to stare at him.
‘I — I don’t understand, Mr. Calvin,’ she said.
‘A girl like you should be working at head office. They’re always on the look-out for keen, energetic workers. Would you like me to put your name forward?’
Her eyes widened behind the shiny lenses of her glasses.
‘But they wouldn’t consider me,’ she said breathlessly.
‘Of course they would.’ He paused, his trap set, then he went on, ‘But you would first have to take the advance bank examination. It isn’t difficult. You’d have to take a correspondence course. It wouldn’t cost you anything. Head Office fixes all that.’ His smile widened. ‘You’d have to work in the evenings for two or three months. That wouldn’t worry you, would it?’
She was pathetically eager as she said, ‘Oh no, of course not.’
‘Okay, then leave it to me.’ He waved his big hands. ‘You’ll have to give up watching television, but that won’t be a hardship, will it?’
She shook her head.
‘It would be wonderful to go to San Francisco.’
‘Fine, then tomorrow, I’ll fix it for you.’ Smiling, he got to his feet and wandered out of the room. It seemed almost too easy, he thought as he began to mount the stairs. Now the next move was to get Kit to tell Miss Pearson that Alice not only was going to sit for a bank examination but she had found a boy-friend.
He was humming to himself as he reached the head of the stairs when he became aware of a girl looking at him and waiting to pass. He paused, staring at her, his blue eyes suddenly alert.
The girl was fair, young and pretty. She was wearing a white sweat-shirt and white shorts. She carried a tennis racket. In that get-up, Calvin was quick to see how well made she was and his eyes ran over her young body with quick appreciation.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, switching on all his charm. ‘I didn’t see you… you must be Miss Loring.’
‘Yes, that’s right. You must be Mr. Calvin. Kit said you were staying here.’ She smiled and he saw at once he had impressed her. He reached the head of the stairs and stood aside.
‘Getting some exercise?’ he said as she began to move past him.
‘Yes… I don’t get much chance… Sunday is really my only time for a game.’
‘You’re working nights, I understand. That’s why we haven’t met.’ He was loath to let her go. There was something exciting in her young freshness that appealed to him.
‘That’s right,’ she said, waved her racket and went on down the stairs.
He turned to watch her, his eyes roving over her neat young figure. When she went out of the house, closing the front door behind her, he felt suddenly bored and lonely. He had thought of a round of golf. Now he couldn’t be bothered. He went into his room, sat down and stared out of the window.
It might have made him happier if he could have known what was going on in Iris Loring’s mind as she got into the estate wagon and started the engine.
She was thinking: Hmm… he’s quite a man. He’s like a movie star. That stare he has. I felt he was looking right through my clothes, but not in a horrid way either. It was rather exciting. She giggled. He is a man who knows his own mind… that smile… Hmm… yes… quite a man!
She found Ken Travers waiting for her at the Country Club. They played two strenuous sets of tennis, then went and sat under a tree where they could talk.
‘Ken… I’m worried,’ Iris said abruptly. ‘It may not be anything, but I have a suspicion that Kit is drinking again.’
‘Oh, hell!’ Travers showed his shocked distress. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘When she was really bad… it must be over two years now, she always had a glassy, set expression in her eyes. I could always tell by that if she had been drinking. This morning when she came into my room, there was that same expression.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know. I can’t bear to think of it starting again after what she has gone through. I don’t think I can face having that all over again.’
‘But you just can’t do nothing,’ Travers said, his voice sharpening. ‘She’s done a hell of a lot for you. I admit I have no cause to like your mother. She doesn’t like me and she’s stopped us marrying, but at least, I have to admire her for what she has done for you. You can’t let her down now if she needs help. Why not ask her outright?’
‘She would never admit it. I think maybe I’ll talk to Dr. Sterling. He knows what she’s been through. I know nothing I say will do any good. Besides, I may be wrong. I’ve had it on my mind all the morning. I just had to share it with you.’
He put his hand on hers.
‘Well, watch her. If you think… well, Dr. Sterling is a good friend of hers. Maybe you should speak to him.’
‘I’ll see how she is tonight. Let’s get some tea. I could be wrong.’ She stood up. ‘I hope I am. The thought of that awful business starting again…’
They walked in silence to the tea pavilion. Then when they had got tea from the bar, they stood in the sunshine, sipping the tea and watching a foursome battling it out on the court nearby.
Travers said abruptly, ‘Have you met Calvin yet?’
Iris nodded.
‘I ran into him as I was coming out. Quite a man!’
Travers looked sharply at her.
‘Yeah… I don’t quite know what to make of him. There’s something I don’t like about him… I don’t know what it is.’
Iris laughed.
‘I know… he’s the type every man is jealous of. He reminds me a little of Cary Grant. He could be a movie star.’
‘You think so?’ Travers grinned uneasily. ‘He’s not all that good looking. The sheriff doesn’t know what to make of him either. He says he could be rotten with women.’
‘There you are! Pure envy! I bet he’s thrown poor Alice into a terrible tizz. .Imagine being locked up in the bank alone with that he-man for twelve hours a day!’
‘Just so long as you don’t get into a tizz,’ Travers said quietly.
Iris looked at him: her eyes sparkled.
‘Is that worrying you?’
‘I can’t say it does. You don’t get much chance of meeting the guy, do you?’ Travers took her empty cup. ‘Feel like another game?’
‘Yes… all right. And Ken… even if I did have the chance, I’d still prefer you.’
He gave her a delighted grin, then linking his arm through hers, went with her towards a vacant court.
2
By the end of the week, Alice had begun her correspondence course and a hint had been dropped by Kit to the old couple that she had seen Alice with a handsome young man. The old people were delighted, agreeing with Kit to say nothing that might embarrass Alice.