Читать книгу Two Queens At the Abbey - Elsie Jeanette Dunkerley - Страница 5

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Deliberately, as the car rushed up the beech avenue, Littlejan took a ring from her finger and dropped it into the pocket of her big coat, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

“I don’t think Frost had time to see.—Oh, the bells! How lovely of somebody!” as two sweet-toned bells began to chime, somewhere beyond the trees—two high notes and one low, repeated time after time. Rachel, watching from the Abbey gate, had seen the car pass and had hurried to the garth to ring the greeting.

“ ‘Welcome home!’ That’s perfect. I remember they rang ‘Good-bye! Come again soon!’ as I was starting and I just couldn’t bear it.” Littlejan leaned from the car to listen. “I suppose Rachel thought of it; nice of her.”

Then the car was at the door of the Hall, and Joy and Jen were there, full of eager greetings.

“Marigold! Lovely to see you again!” Jen used the name which had been Littlejan’s as queen.

“Marvellous of you to say that! You know it’s the only place I could come to—really home—in this country,” Littlejan exclaimed.

“Oh, you might have gone to Joan, as she’s your godmother, or to the Castle,” Joy argued.

“No,” Littlejan said. “I’ll go to see them all, but this place is home. I went away from here and I’ve always wanted to come back.”

“Come inside. Frost will see to your things——”

“Yes, but—” and she whirled back to the car. “I want all those papers. They’re infinitely precious. You’ll pick them up for me carefully, won’t you, Frost?”

Reassured by his promise she turned to Joy again. “I couldn’t have those precious papers thrown away.”

“Are they about Lindy Bellanne?” Joy laughed. “We have them here too. Don’t they say nice things about her? But how did you know?”

“We heard a little, as we came up channel. We missed most of the concert, but somebody switched on just in time and we heard Lindy sing your song. Isn’t her voice lovely now?”

“We were there,” Jen proclaimed. “We went to town, all of us.”

“But where is everybody? The house seems very empty. Where are the twins? And—oh, where is Jansy? I’m longing to see Jansy again!”

“We’ll tell you all about it while we give you lunch. The twins had cricket practice and though they wanted to be here to greet you, Elizabeth was firm,” Joy explained. “It was the proper thing to turn up for cricket and there must be no slacking. Jansy—that’s another story!”

“What do you mean? Is anything wrong with Jan?”

“Very much the other way. She’s probably in Madeira at the moment.”

“Jansy—in Madeira? Oh, tell me quickly!”

Jen gave a shriek of excitement. “Joy—her ring! Littlejan Fraser—oh, you’re not engaged! Look, Joy, an emerald ring!”

“Marigold, what does this mean?” Joy demanded.

Littlejan’s eyes gleamed. “Why not? You’ve both been engaged! Isn’t it a jolly ring?”

“But—but who is he? Where is he? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Be prepared for a shock,” Littlejan said solemnly. “Look, Lady Joy—Lady Jen!”

She drew another ring from her pocket and slipped it into place beside the emeralds, and held out her hand, her eyes triumphant.

“Not—oh, no! Not married!” Jen and Joy wailed together.

“Marigold, what does this mean?” Jen stood over her and thundered out the question wrathfully.

“Tell us, Littlejan!” Joy begged.

“It’s all right, really, and there’s every reason for it, and it won’t make a scrap of difference. I’m going to stay with you—if you’ll have me—he’s going away—he may be away for two years,” Littlejan spoke at full speed.

“Oh!” They stared at her doubtfully.

“Who is he? And where is he going?” Jen found her breath first.

“To the Antarctic; a marvellous chance! He was longing for the appointment, but he hardly dared to hope he’d get it. He was radio officer on Father’s ship; we met going down channel, just after I’d said good-bye to you all. Father thinks a jolly lot of him.” There was pride in every note of her voice.

“You might have told us you were engaged!”

“But we weren’t! We were just friends. Then suddenly it happened, and it seemed better to belong to one another as he was going away for so long. It’s only what you did, Lady Jen. Sir Ken was going to Africa, so you married him in a hurry. But you stayed at home and did without him. I can do it too. Of course, I shall feel bad, but all my life I’ve been saying good-bye to people and being left at home. I know all about being lonely.”

“That’s true, of course,” Joy agreed. “But a husband is different, Littlejan.”

“A husband! You baby! I don’t believe it,” Jen raged. “It just isn’t possible! It’s absurd!”

“I’ve been ragged all the way home from Colombo,” Littlejan’s eyes gleamed. “People found out and they called me the Baby Bride. There was nobody else on board who had just been married, so they dropped on me for all sorts of things—to give away prizes at sports, and so on. ‘The bride must do that—the Baby Bride,’ they used to say.”

“But where is he? When shall we see him? I still don’t believe it!”

“He’s rushed off to London by the boat train, to see the people who are appointing him. It’s Saturday; he had to see them before the week-end. He’s coming to see you as soon as ever he can. He’s so frightfully glad about leaving me with you. We only hope you’ll put up with me,” Littlejan cried incoherently.

“But what’s he called?”

“What is your name, Marigold?” Joy demanded.

Littlejan’s dark eyes danced. “Littlejan Fraser.”

“What? You don’t mean—? Is he a cousin?” Jen found her breath first.

“Not that we know of, but there are heaps of Frasers. He’s not cousin enough to matter, but his name is Fraser. Isn’t it convenient?” Littlejan said airily. “I’m Mrs. Fraser instead of Miss Fraser, that’s all, but I’m still Littlejan Fraser, and I’m going back to school, and I’ll take off my rings, and nobody need know anything about it. It’s lucky for me. Len thinks it’s very sensible.”

“Len! We’ve heard his name at last! Is he Leonard?”

“No! Lennox Fraser; and it’s a very fine name. His mother was Mary Lennox.”

They gazed at her. In her excitement she was such a vivid personality, with glowing dark eyes and shining face.

“I don’t wonder Lennox Fraser was fascinated,” Jen murmured, half to herself.

“Mrs. Lennox Fraser,” Joy said thoughtfully, “yes, it is a good name. Do you really mean to go back to school?”

“Rather! I want to take that cookery course. And then we’ve a lovely plan——”

“Marigold!” Jen shouted, “Marigold, don’t have a family! Don’t start that! You’re not twenty yet! Oh, don’t have a baby, Marigold!”

“You weren’t twenty when you had Andrew,” Littlejan retorted, “and Mother was only twenty when she had me. I shall have two babies if I like.”

“You probably will. But don’t you see? Joy, don’t you see? It would make Jandy Mac a grandmother! Oh, Marigold, no! You really must not!”

“What a dreadful thought!” Joy said laughing. “It makes me feel forty years older!”

“Mother doesn’t mind,” Littlejan said defiantly. “She told me to go ahead and she’d be proud to be a grandmother before she’s forty.”

“I simply can’t bear the thought of it,” Jen groaned.

“What does your mother feel about this marrying business?” Joy asked more quietly. “Did she think it was wise?”

“I haven’t told you that part of it,” Littlejan started on her explanation. “You see, Lady Joy, Father is retiring in a few months. He’s reached the age and he thinks it’s best. He wants to live in this country, on the South Coast, and grow roses. So Mother’s given up the house in Ceylon and gone off with the babes, Cecily and Jantyjoy, to visit the old friends in Samoa before she leaves the South Seas for good and all. She wants to show off her new little ’uns! They’re three and five years old now. It all happened at once—Len’s appointment, Father’s decision to retire, and Mother’s plan for this trip to the Islands. I had either to go with her and let him go off to the Antarctic, or marry him and come here with him. I’d have loved to be married here with all of you to help——”

“Yes, why didn’t you?” Jen exclaimed. “We’d have loved to help to marry you.”

“I knew you would. But I couldn’t have had Mother and Father, and they mattered most. We had a jolly wedding, and then Len and I came off and left her to go to the Islands. He had to hurry home to see these people, so we sailed for London and I was called the Baby Bride by everybody on that ship.”

“I don’t believe it even now, in spite of your rings and your stories,” Jen still gazed at her incredulously. “Mrs. Lennox Fraser! Well!”

“You’ll like him. You’ll see him very soon,” Littlejan said happily.