'Of course you are.' He thrust his hands deep in his pockets and smiled at her. 'But what's all the excitement about? I wasn't making love to you or anything.'
'No?' she regarded him doubtfully. 'It sounded suspiciously like it, and I warn you I'm not having any. Since we've been thrown together again like this it's best we should forget what we were to each other. If Sam suspects that you're still in love with me it will make things abominably awkward for all of us.'
Derek lit a cigarette. 'You needn't bother your little head about Sam. I'm not given to poaching other men's coverts, but asking me to forget the past is an altogether different matter. I loved you then, and you loved me. I love you still and I believe, if you told the truth, you still love me a little bit. Anyhow, I'm quite certain that you're not in love with your husband.' 'You're wrong there. I...'
He held up his hand. 'One minute. I'm not saying that you won't be loyal to him; and, please believe I haven't the least intention of trying to break up your marriage.'
'You couldn't if you tried.'
'I know that; but when the smash comes a lot of us may get killed. It's even possible that the whole social order as we know it may go down the drain and that money and position won't mean a thing any more to those of us who come through.'
'Well, what of it?'
'Simply, that we'll just be men and women, without any trimmings. You might as well know now that if anything happens to Sam, but you and I survive to live on in a strange new world, you're going to be my woman.'
A Terrifying Experience
Lavina's eyes narrowed and her under-lip drooped a little. Normally she was a very gay, good-tempered person but quick to follow her emotional impulses, and although her anger never lasted any length of time, it could be surprisingly intense and it showed now in every line of her slender body.
'You fool!' she snapped. 'We're not living in the Dark Ages. If the two of us were marooned on a desert island I wouldn't let you even kiss my hand unless I wanted you to.'
'But you -would want me to,' he said quietly.
As she looked at his firm, sunburnt face and square shoulders and strong, healthy body, she knew that he was right. Ever since she was seventeen she had been having love affairs, although she had never really been in love, except, perhaps, with Derek, and she was quite certain now that her love for him was as dead as last year's roses; yet she liked being kissed and she knew that, if she were marooned with any attractive man, she would not be able to resist the temptation.
'I don't think we need discuss it,' she said more soberly. 'The chances are we'll all be killed or all survive together. In the meantime you'd better not try to start anything, because, if you do, there'll be trouble.'
'Are you inferring that if I did you'd tell Sam what I said just now?'
'Good Lord, no! I've always handled my own affairs and the last thing I'd do would be to run screaming to my husband.'
'Well, you needn't worry. I'm much too fond of you to cast the least shadow on your married bliss. I was only saying that, if anything happened to Sam, I should enter the lists again. That's fair enough, isn't it?'
'Oh, perfectly. But, even then, you wouldn't get anywhere by trying to be possessive. Let's go down to the kitchen and try to rake up a meal, shall we?'
'By all means.' He smiled again. 'I'll cook you some of those scrambled eggs I was boasting about.'
By the time the eggs were sizzling in the pan, the emotional tension had eased and they were back once more on their normal friendly footing.
Lavina's slender hands were not made for work and she was a past mistress in the art of getting other people to do things for her. While Derek cooked the eggs, and at the same time endeavoured to prevent the toast from burning, she sat perched on the edge of the kitchen table idly swinging her legs and puffing lazily at the twenty-fourth cigarette she had smoked that morning.
After the meal they went upstairs again and played the gramophone until three o'clock. Lavina then said she thought she would go and look through her things to decide what she would take when they left London.
Derek read for a bit, dozed a little in a comfortable armchair and, rousing up about half-past four, went down to the kitchen to make tea.
He carried a cup up to Lavina and found her in her bedroom, surrounded with trunks and enough hats, shoes, dresses and lingerie to fill a small shop.
'My dear! What are you up to?' he laughed aloud. 'You won't be able to take one-tenth of that lot.'
She opened wide her grey eyes and stared at him. 'Why not? I must have clothes, whatever happens to us.'
'Yes, clothes, but not a film-star's trousseau; some serviceable tweeds and your warmest fur coat, a pair of trousers, perhaps, some woollies, gum-boots if you've got them, and a few changes of underwear. That's all you'll need for this trip. We're not carrying a jazz band in the Ark so there won't be any dancing after dinner.'
'Silly of me. I hadn't thought. Oh, well,' she smiled resignedly, 'I think I'll take my new grey satin, though. If I'm fated to die I'd like to meet Death looking my best.'
'I believe you'd even tempt Saint Peter into giving you a special place in Heaven if you had the chance.'
'Derek, you're horrid.'
D '
'No, darling. It's only that I know you rather well.'
Eventually he managed to persuade her to confine her packing to one cabin-trunk and two large suitcases, after which they went downstairs.
At six o'clock they turned on the radio to get the news, and both their faces became grave as they heard the first item. That morning one of the worst earthquakes ever recorded had occurred in Tokyo. For over three hours tremors had shaken the city. Huge crevices had appeared, engulfing houses, buses, cars and hundreds of people. Two-thirds of the buildings, other than those made of steel and concrete, were reported to be in ruins; and great fires were still raging in many parts of the city. The loss of life was not yet known, but it was estimated already at over a hundred thousand.
Lavina switched the wireless off. 'I don't want to listen,' she said. 'It's too terrible.'
Derek put his arm round her shoulders in brotherly fashion. 'Don't let it get you down, old girl. I've a sort of conviction that we're coming through it.'
'Oh, but it's not us,' she moaned, as she leant against him. 'I'm not afraid for myself, but just think of those poor people.'
'Try not to.' He squeezed her hand. 'We'd help them if we could, but we can't, and we must do our best to carry on as cheerfully as possible. That's all there is to it. I'm going to mix you a cocktail.'
Sam and Hemmingway returned soon afterwards. They were hot and tired after their long day of dashing from factory to factory, and neither of them had eaten since breakfast. Without a word Lavina suddenly disappeared. Ten minutes later she returned with cake, fruit, sandwiches and drinks for them.
They had just settled down to their picnic meal when the knocker on the front door sounded. Derek went to answer it and found Roy on the doorstep.
'What's brought you up here?' Lavina inquired, as soon as he had greeted the little gathering in the lounge.
'Your especial safety, dear friends,' he grinned. 'Uncle Gervaise sent me. Apparently, the world has started to blow up already so he's anxious you should come down to Stapleton as soon as possible.'
'You mean the Japanese earthquake?' said Derek quickly. 'We heard about it on the radio. Pretty ghastly, isn't it?'
'That, and other things.' The grin left Roy's face. 'Oliver was on the telephone to Greenwich this afternoon and heard about the Tokyo business before it was announced over the wireless. Of course, the announcer said afterwards that the 'quake had no connection with the comet, and, as they're always having earthquakes in Japan, most people will accept that; but we know better. The fools ought never to have announced it at all, but they've had orders now to suppress all news about the other eruptions.'