his mind yed with attractive ns for the future. the mastership of the roxdale perhaps, the restoration of the west wing, no need to let the scotch shooting...
插rles windlesham dreamed in the sun.
插pter 5
it was four oclock when the dpidated little two-seater stopped with a sound of crunching gravel. a girl got out of it - a small slender creature with a mop of dark hair. 射 ran up the steps and tugged at the bell. a few minutester 射 was being u射red into the long stately drawing-room, and an lesiastical butler was saying with the proper mournful intonation, "miss de bellefort."
"li!"
"jackie!"
windlesham stood a little aside, watching sympathetically as this fiery little creature flung herself open-armed upon li.
"lord windlesham - miss de bellefort - my best friend."
a pretty child, he thought - not really pretty but decidedly attractive, with her dark curly hair and her enormous eyes. he murmured a few tactful nothings and then managed unobtrusively to leave the two friends together.
jacqueline pounced - in a fashion that li remembered as being 插racteristic of her.
"windlesham? windlesham? thats the man the papers always say youre going to marry! are you, li? are you?"
li murmured, "perhaps."
"darling - im so d! he looks nice."
"oh, dont make up your mind about it - i havent made up my own mind yet."
"of course not! queens always proceed with due deliberation to the choosing of a consort!"
"dont be ridiculous, jackie."
"but you are a queen, li! you always were. sa majesté, reine lte. lte blonde! and i - im the queens confidante! the trusted maid of honour."
"what nonsense you talk, jackie darling! where have you been all this time? you just disappear. and you never write."
"i hate writing letters. where have i been? oh, about three parts submerged, darling. in jobs, you know. grim jobs with grim women!"
"darling, i wish youd -"
"take the queens bounty? well, frankly, darling, thats what im here for. no, not to borrow money. its not got to that yet! but ivee to ask a great big important favour!"
"go on."
"if youre going to marry the windlesham man, youll understand, perhaps."
li looked puzzled for a minute; then her face cleared.
"jackie, do you mean -"
"yes, darling, im engaged!"
"so thats it! i thought you were looking particrly alive somehow. you always do, of course, but even more than usual."
"thats just what i feel like."
"tell me all about him."
"his names simon doyle. hes big and square and incredibly simple and boyish and utterly adorable! hes poor - got no money. hes what you call county all right - but very impoveri射d county - a younger son and all that. his peoplee from devonshire. he loves country and country things. and for thest five years hes been in the city in a stuffy office. and now theyre cutting down and hes out of a job. li, i shall die if i cant marry him! i shall die! i shall die! i shall die."
"dont be ridiculous, jackie."
"i shall die, i tell you! im crazy about him. hes crazy about me. we cant live without each other."
"darling, you have got it badly!"
"i know. its awful, isnt it? this love business gets hold of you and you cant do anything about it."
射 paused for a minute. her dark eyes dted, looked suddenly tragic. 射 gave a little shiver.
"its - even frightening sometimes! simon and i were made for each other. i shall never care for anyone else. and youve got to help us, li. i heard youd bought this ce and it put an idea into my head. listen, youll have to have and agent - perhaps two. i want you to give the job to simon."
"oh!" li was startled.
jacqueline ru射d on: "hes got all that sort of thing at his fingertips. he knows all about estates - was brought up on one. and hes got his business training too. oh, li, you will give him a job, wont you, for love of me? if he doesnt make good, sack him. but he will. and we can live in a little house, and i shall see lots of you, and everything in the garden will be too, too divine." 射 got up.
"say you will, li. say you will. beautiful li! tall golden li! my own very special li! say you will!"
"jackie -"
"you will?"
li burst outughing.
"ridiculous jackie! bring along your young man and let me have a look at him and well talk it over."
jackie darted at her, kissing her exuberantly:
"darling li - youre a real friend! i knew you were. you wouldnt let me down - ever. youre just the loveliest thing in the world. good-bye."
"but, jackie, youre staying."
"me? no, im not. im going back to london, and tomorrow ille back and bring simon and well settle it all up. youll adore him. he really is a pet."
插rles windlesham dreamed in the sun.
插pter 5
it was four oclock when the dpidated little two-seater stopped with a sound of crunching gravel. a girl got out of it - a small slender creature with a mop of dark hair. 射 ran up the steps and tugged at the bell. a few minutester 射 was being u射red into the long stately drawing-room, and an lesiastical butler was saying with the proper mournful intonation, "miss de bellefort."
"li!"
"jackie!"
windlesham stood a little aside, watching sympathetically as this fiery little creature flung herself open-armed upon li.
"lord windlesham - miss de bellefort - my best friend."
a pretty child, he thought - not really pretty but decidedly attractive, with her dark curly hair and her enormous eyes. he murmured a few tactful nothings and then managed unobtrusively to leave the two friends together.
jacqueline pounced - in a fashion that li remembered as being 插racteristic of her.
"windlesham? windlesham? thats the man the papers always say youre going to marry! are you, li? are you?"
li murmured, "perhaps."
"darling - im so d! he looks nice."
"oh, dont make up your mind about it - i havent made up my own mind yet."
"of course not! queens always proceed with due deliberation to the choosing of a consort!"
"dont be ridiculous, jackie."
"but you are a queen, li! you always were. sa majesté, reine lte. lte blonde! and i - im the queens confidante! the trusted maid of honour."
"what nonsense you talk, jackie darling! where have you been all this time? you just disappear. and you never write."
"i hate writing letters. where have i been? oh, about three parts submerged, darling. in jobs, you know. grim jobs with grim women!"
"darling, i wish youd -"
"take the queens bounty? well, frankly, darling, thats what im here for. no, not to borrow money. its not got to that yet! but ivee to ask a great big important favour!"
"go on."
"if youre going to marry the windlesham man, youll understand, perhaps."
li looked puzzled for a minute; then her face cleared.
"jackie, do you mean -"
"yes, darling, im engaged!"
"so thats it! i thought you were looking particrly alive somehow. you always do, of course, but even more than usual."
"thats just what i feel like."
"tell me all about him."
"his names simon doyle. hes big and square and incredibly simple and boyish and utterly adorable! hes poor - got no money. hes what you call county all right - but very impoveri射d county - a younger son and all that. his peoplee from devonshire. he loves country and country things. and for thest five years hes been in the city in a stuffy office. and now theyre cutting down and hes out of a job. li, i shall die if i cant marry him! i shall die! i shall die! i shall die."
"dont be ridiculous, jackie."
"i shall die, i tell you! im crazy about him. hes crazy about me. we cant live without each other."
"darling, you have got it badly!"
"i know. its awful, isnt it? this love business gets hold of you and you cant do anything about it."
射 paused for a minute. her dark eyes dted, looked suddenly tragic. 射 gave a little shiver.
"its - even frightening sometimes! simon and i were made for each other. i shall never care for anyone else. and youve got to help us, li. i heard youd bought this ce and it put an idea into my head. listen, youll have to have and agent - perhaps two. i want you to give the job to simon."
"oh!" li was startled.
jacqueline ru射d on: "hes got all that sort of thing at his fingertips. he knows all about estates - was brought up on one. and hes got his business training too. oh, li, you will give him a job, wont you, for love of me? if he doesnt make good, sack him. but he will. and we can live in a little house, and i shall see lots of you, and everything in the garden will be too, too divine." 射 got up.
"say you will, li. say you will. beautiful li! tall golden li! my own very special li! say you will!"
"jackie -"
"you will?"
li burst outughing.
"ridiculous jackie! bring along your young man and let me have a look at him and well talk it over."
jackie darted at her, kissing her exuberantly:
"darling li - youre a real friend! i knew you were. you wouldnt let me down - ever. youre just the loveliest thing in the world. good-bye."
"but, jackie, youre staying."
"me? no, im not. im going back to london, and tomorrow ille back and bring simon and well settle it all up. youll adore him. he really is a pet."