"My dear how utterly sweet you can be" she said. "In spite of this deplorable habit of yours of not being there when you're wanted. But don't you see Richard you're older, tougher. Oh dear have I been horrible, torturing you all this time?"
"If I were you I'd decide Penelope was all right for the moment and concentrate a bit on Philip."
"How can I make up my mind against my better judgment?"
"Then there's Mary to consider" he reminded Mrs Weatherby. "Tricky few days this in a girl's life, always will be. She'll need making a fuss over."
"Does one never have a rest?"
"You ought to have a man about to take some of the load off your shoulders."
"To put a greater weight on, you mean! Oh I didn't intend to be beastly, you must believe. But I'm at my wit's end Richard."
LATER still Philip and Mary made good their escape, got away to a nightclub.
"Well" he said "I told you! It went quite all right."
"Oh Philip darling" she cried above but somehow under the music so that she sounded hoarse "they'll never let us marry, I know they won't, isn't it awful!"
"But see here" he objected "everything worked like a dream. I swear this was the only way to deal with my mother. I learned by watching Pen as a matter of fact. When she wants whatever it may be she just takes it; as soon as she feels ill she doesn't just say she feels something coming on, she is ill and Mamma loves the whole business."
"We should've got married first. There's what we ought to have told them, not that we were only engaged."
"I know but it's so rude to the relations when people elope."
"Yes you're right" she gulped.
"And then eloping's out of date, it went out with horses."
"Oh dear now they're all eaten poor things."
"Too many people on this island keep carnivorous pets Mary" he replied. "The waste is fearful."
"But what happens next Philip?"
"With our parents? Well you know how it is. They'll argue, there'll be no end to the amount they're sure to squawk which they'll love. And Mamma wilt weep once or twice and your father will act pretty idiotically for quite a time."
"Don't say anything against Daddy darling, please."
"Okay then lay off Mamma."
"What d'you mean, I haven't said a word about her!"
"It was just I thought you seemed a bit unenthusiastic when you made out she'd try and stop us."
"I said 'they.' I didn't say anything against her."
"Well who is 'they' in that case?"
"All of them."
"But look here it passed off awfully well didn't it? I mean they seemed overjoyed to me. As a matter of fact I thought my speech went rather grandly didn't you?"
"Oh you were wonderful darling" she warmly assured him. "Heavens though I do feel I've been put through a mangle."
"Poor sweet" he said and squeezed the hot hand he was holding. "Shall we dance?"
They danced. Eyes closed, cheek to cheek, better than ever before. When they had had enough for a time they came back to their table.
"That's the way to do the rumba" she told him. "See that man on the left, how he makes the girl go round while he stays in the centre."
"Should I do that with you?"
"Of course darling."
"I doubt if I ever shall be able."
"Then take lessons silly."
"I say" he said "you do feel better now, you must?"
"I think, yes."
"Can't you find out yes or no."
"But no one can. First something inside says everything is fine" she wailed "and the next moment it tells you that something which overshadows everything else is very bad just like an avalanche!"
"I'm so sorry" he said "I truly am."
They danced again and again until, as the long night went on they had got into a state of unthinking happiness perhaps.
A week later Mrs Weatherby asked John Pomfret to dinner.
"And how is dear Liz?" she inquired as she brought the man a glass of sherry. "Quite well I trust."
"Aren't you seeing so much of her now then John?"
"But of course" he said. "The fact is this news about our respective children has rather thrown me out of my normal gait."
"So it's become a question of striding between you and Liz" Mrs Weatherby commented. Her look on him over the decanter was one of sweet compassion. "Oh my dear" she continued "you must be careful. Don't let it end as our love did in great country walks."
"Really Jane when do I ever get away?" he cried. "All my work in town here, and now this engagement! Philip and Mary are going to keep us pretty well occupied you know. Lot to arrange and so on."
"I'm sure" she agree. "Just sit back and relax."
"And how is little Penelope?" he inquired.
She made a beautiful flowing gesture of resignation. "Oh my dear" she said. "Sometimes I bless Providence I have a man Eke you can share my problems."
"Isn't Richard much use then?"
"I don't know what I should do without him but he has that failing John of the absolutely true, true to one I mean, of being almost completely unimaginative poor dear."
Mr Pomfret laughed. "I see" he said. "Sometimes I have just wondered what you found in Richards."
"Loyalty" she breathed and smoothed her skirts.
"Which you never came across in me?"
"Don't let's rake up the past darling. What's overs over."
"Enough's enough you mean?"
She let out a gentle peal of laughter, leaning back on the sofa.
"Oh John aren't you horrid!" she cried.
"Good sherry you have here" he said.
"I'm so glad you say that. Ned makes me go to his man and I wouldn't know."
"While Maud Winder sends you to her psychologist about Penelope?"
"No but John who told? Oh don't people talk!"
"You yourself did."
"I'd quite forgot. No one must know darling, it would be unfair on my sad longsuffering angel. Who'd want to marry a girl later who'd been analysed?"
"Would it make any difference?"
"Who can tell my dear? It might quite disgust Pen with all that side of life. So you won't breathe a word John will you? Besides I never did let him set his terrible hypnotizing eyes on her, no I guard my poppet too well for that. The thing is, she's heard!"
"Heard what?"
"Why that they're secretly engaged."
"There's not so much secret now surely after the public announcement? It must be all over London."
"But we've put no announcement in the press yet have we John?"
"That's just one of the matters I wanted to have a word about."
"Yes there's so much to discuss" she sighed.
"Then you don't think Penelope ought to be a bridesmaid? Overexcite her or something?"
"My dear one she'd simply die as things are if Mary didn't ask her. It was Isabella. Penelope absolutely jabbers in Italian now, so wonderful, while I can still hardly put two words together. And you see I don't understand what they say all the time. I spent hours with the dictionary to warn the woman not to breathe a word." Mrs Weatherby merrily laughed. "I must have looked a sight poring over it and in the end perhaps I said the opposite, as one does, even gave her orders to tell Penelope at once. Oh John what it is not to understand a syllable of one's only servant's beastly tongue. But the child knows, she babbles of the wedding all day and I'm afraid for her."
"You know Jane" Mr Pomfret interrupted "I think I'm going to grow very fond of Phillip."
"I should hope so too. He's such a splendid bull of a boy."
"I seem to have got really far with him the last few days."
"What d'you talk to him about? My brother-in-law?"
Mr Pomfret appeared to ignore the dryness of her tone. He was peering at thc sherry in his glass.
"We shall make friends. I always wanted a son" he said.
"I'd so like to give Mary just a touch of advice about her clothes" Jane suggested in a small voice.