Читать книгу A Girl to Come Home To (Musaicum Romance Classics) - Grace Livingston Hill - Страница 4

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Out on the road going slowly by, two old men were jogging along, as much as an ancient Ford could be said to jog, even in war times, and as they passed the car standing in front of the Graeme house, they even slowed down their war jog and stared at it as they were passing.

“Ain’t that the car Marcella Ashby bought off that Ty Wardlow jest afore he left fer overseas? Seems like there ain’t another one jest that make an’ color in these parts. And I seen her driving by awhile ago with Emma Galt an’ Garethy Sloan, an’ another gal. It looked very much like that highflier who married that old gray-headed ripsnorter of a so-called stockbroker from the West, her that useta be Jessica Downs. Poor old Widow Downs done her best by that gal, but she was a chip off the old block, I guess, and couldn’t get by with that temper’ment she inherited from that flighty ma of hers an’ her good-for-nothin’ pa, Wiley Downs. He was jes’ naturally a cussed young’un from a three-year-old up, when they all thought he was so sweet and cute. Well, he was cute all right. I never did see no sweetness about him though, did you Tully?”

“Not so’s you’d notice it,” answered Tully glumly. “I know he was anythin’ but sweet when I knowed him in school, and I guess his teachers all felt the same way. And that Jessica, she had every one of his traits, including that washed-out yella hair that she flung around sa proudly, ’zif she was the only one who had any. Oh, she was sorta pretty, I’ll admit, but she had sly eyes, and I always wondered how it was that Rod Graeme ever took up with her. I sort of figured that his pop an’ mom was almost glad ta let him go to war jesta get him away from that little gold-digger. Well, she does seem like a gold-digger, doesn’t she? How she shelved Rod Graeme and took up with an old man just because he was said to be rollin’ in wealth.”

“Oh, she’s a gold-digger all right, Tully,” said Jeff Springer, turning out for the car they had just been discussing. “They do say that old guy, Carver De Groot, is rich as they make ’em. Ur leastways that’s the talk. Though I’m wonderin’ what she came back here fer, if that was her in that car with the other gals. I heard tell it was some likely that the Graeme boys might be comin’ home soon on a furlough.”

“Yep,” said Tully. “They hev. I seen ’em jest a little while ago. They got in on the late train and shied off across the meadow as if they was tryin’ to escape notice. Beats all how shy some o’ them heroes are.”

“Well, mebbe the gals seen ’em,” said Jeff, “an’ they’ve come here to find out if it’s so.”

There weren’t many in the town who could beat Jeff and Tully figuring out what had happened and what people were going to do about it.

“Well, I don’t see what she’d wantta come back here fer,” said Tully thoughtfully. “She’s married all righty, fer I heard that Marcella Ashby went out to the weddin’, an’ it ain’t so long ago, neither.”

“Yep. But then, there’s such a thing as di-vorces, ya know.”

“Shucks!” said Tully. “No gal brought up in this here town would think about gettin’ a di-vorce. Why, it ain’t considered respectable here.”

“Well, you needn’t tell me that gal Jessica would ever stop anythin’ she wanted ta do fer respectability’s sake. It ain’t in her.”

“Mebbe not,” said Tully speculatively, “but it would any of those Graemes. You know that, Jeff.”

“Yes, I s’pose so,” reflected Jeff, “that is, of course, Mom and Pop Graeme would feel that way. But that ain’t sayin’ the boys would feel that way now. They’ve been ta war, ya know, an’ they do say that war changes men a whole lot. You can’t jus’ say fer sure them Graeme boys feels that way now, ya know.”

“It may be so,” said Tully unbelievingly, “but I don’t believe it. I’ve knowed them Graeme boys since little up, an’ I never saw a look or an act that would lead me ta believe they would think a di-vorce would be right. Not them with their bringin’ up. Not them with a father an’ a mother like they got.”

“Well, that’s so, too,” said Jeff thoughtfully. “There’s a great deal in what’s before you. Your forebears mean a whole lot, even in these days. Well, mebbe you’re right! But if that’s so I can’t figger out what that ripsnorter of a gal has gone there fer.”

“Look here now,” said Tully protestingly, “I didn’t say nothin’ about that highflier gal bein’ against di-vorce, did I? She’d prob’ly be fer it, I s’pose, but that ain’t sayin’ what she could do about it, bein’ as one of the parties was a Graeme.”

“Well, I hope yer right. I sure do, Tully! It sure would be a contest worth watchin’, and I’m somehow bettin’ on the Graemes my own self, if you ast me. I sure hope I’m right.”

They drove on down the highway, and their voices were lost in the distance.

But inside the Graeme house the contest had already begun.

It was such a pity that Jeff and Tully couldn’t have been present to see the start.

It was Jessica who opened the first round, with a quick glance around the table, taking in the place where Rodney should have been and wasn’t, and not even a napkin ring in sight to mark where he had been.

Her eyes came back quickly to Mother Graeme’s face with a quick suspicious glance. She had always felt that there was not full harmony between herself and Mother Graeme even in the days when she was the acknowledged fiancee of Rodney and supposed to be under the advantage of a blessing and the full acquiescence of his parents. She had none of her own to worry about. Just the one quick glance, searching to see if the mother had somehow managed to spirit away the desirable son in the brief space of time. Then her face melted into a sweet, tender look, for she was very versatile and well knew what kind of a look she should put on to deceive these elect people.

“Oh, dear Mother Graeme!” she said tenderly, meltingly. “It’s so good to get back to you. I have come to believe that there is no mother in the whole wide world as good and dear as you are.”

Mother Graeme looked at her with an inscrutable, unbelieving smile that showed this false girl’s words had not gone even skin deep into her heart. But even her son Jeremy couldn’t be sure just what his mother felt about it when he saw.

“There are a great many mothers in the world, Jessie. You haven’t been away long enough to have seen them all, child.” And then Mrs. Graeme turned away and greeted the other girls graciously.

Mom is a perfect lady even though she’s never been much out of Riverton in her life, decided Jeremy as he watched the quiet poise of his lady-mother. And then he noted that her brief acceptance of the gushing compliment had been enough to put the showy admiration out of running, and Jessica turned quickly to her next interest, which was really what she had come for. It began with another quick survey of the table, dwelling on each vacancy where another might have sat, and then she addressed a remark to the whole table. “But where is Rodney?” she asked, letting her eyes touch each face tentatively and coming back decisively to Jeremy. “I was told that he had come home also. Surely he hasn’t left already?”

Jeremy caught the question midway before anyone else could answer, the way he used to snatch the football out of the very teeth of the enemy when interference hadn’t been suspected from his direction.

“Rod had to go out,” he said quite casually, as if it were a thing to be expected and not at all as if he were apologizing for his absence. And he noted that their mother did not look astonished at his words, and not even Kathleen seemed surprised. Strange. Even his father, after a quick sharp look at Jeremy, went right ahead with his eating and kept his genial family atmosphere intact. He had a great family, Jeremy reflected. And oh, but they must surely know that something was wrong. Didn’t they know that Jessica had married somebody else? Or hadn’t she married him yet? Maybe she didn’t get married. Maybe she had got over that and had come out after Rod again. Well, if she had, he personally would devote himself to seeing that she did not get him. After what she had done to Rod, she was less worthy than he had thought her long ago, not fit for such a prince as his brother. He would keep out of this as far as he could, but if it came to a showdown he would go out for Rod in a big way and save him, even from himself, if she should prove canny enough to lead him so far afield as that.

So Jeremy devoted himself to the other girls, asking them questions about their families and what they had been doing for the war during the years of his own absence overseas.

But presently, as Rodney did not appear and time went on while Jessica watched the younger brother, she became quite intrigued with him and broke into his conversation with vivacity. “Do you know, Jerry, you’ve quite developed,” she said patronizingly. “You’re really a man now, aren’t you?” And she lifted her eyes with that long appeal from under golden lashes that he used to watch her give to his older brother and wonder at so long ago. It fairly sickened him now, the memory of it.

He grinned his slow, indifferent grin. “Well, I guess that’s what was intended I should be, wasn’t it?” he said. And then he turned to his sister and said, “By the way, Kath, we met an old crush of yours in New York as we came through, Richard Macloud. He asked after you and wanted to be remembered. He’s going back in a few days now and is slated for some big job, the powers-that-be aren’t saying what just yet.”

Jessica gave full attention to Jeremy during this brief conversation and took a hand at once.

“Do you know, Jerry, you look very much like Rod. I hadn’t noticed before, but of course now that you’re older, the resemblance is very marked. You’re even taller than he is, aren’t you?”

“Oh no, he’s an inch and a half taller,” the younger brother answered with a gleam of amusement. But he did not further pursue the subject. Instead he turned to his mother and began to ask questions about her old neighbors, women his mother’s age who used to give him cookies when he was a child. He told one or two amusing stories of things that happened long ago.

Jessica was watching him and deciding that when his brother was not present there would at least be Jerry, and he really seemed to be worthwhile. In fact anybody in uniform was interesting to Jessica.

Meanwhile Jeremy kept wondering what Rod was doing, or going to do, and was Hetty giving him more chicken out in kitchen, and would she give him coffee? Rod hadn’t had his coffee yet, and he knew he was hungry and anxious for a cup of real home coffee. And what would Rod do if these tormenting callers continued to stay far into the night? Could he possibly steal up to bed without being heard and lock his door and go to sleep? Or was it thinkable that he himself could help out somehow by making an excuse to get Rod’s coat and hat out of the front hall and throw it down the back stairs? There were complications any way he saw it. And it certainly wouldn’t be a good thing for these callers to go out the front door again and pass those two identical overcoats and caps hanging there together. They would know in an instant that Rod hadn’t gone out of the house, that he had merely been hiding somewhere. Well, perhaps that was what Rod wanted, to let Jessica know definitely that he did not wish to see her.

However, as he talked, he continued to work away at the problem in his mind and wonder if this was possibly where his own helpfulness and initiative should work in.

So presently he brought the conversation around to talk of people he had met overseas, and he spoke of one he was sure was known to them all. “Just wait!” he said springing up. “I think I have a snapshot of him upstairs. I’ll get it. It was taken just after he came back from his most dramatic mission and won a lot of honor.”

He went hurrying out, snatching the two overcoats and caps from the hall rack as he passed them and bore them upstairs, striding to his room, and dropping them on a convenient bed out of sight. Then he plunged his hand even in the dark into the collection of hand luggage, located his own bag, which he knew carried some photographs, and hurried back downstairs, producing the picture, with a few others but taking care he did not show them any in which his brother figured. Let that highflier girl forget Rod if she could. Rod definitely wanted none of her; or if Rod only thought he didn’t, and there was a doubt, there was no doubt in Jeremy’s mind about whether he wanted that girl for a sister-in-law.

Now, Jessica was accustomed to getting all the attention there was from every man within her charmed circle, and she didn’t like it that Jeremy divided his attentions so thoroughly, so she set herself to achieve interest in this new man who had only been a kid before he went away and had turned man overnight as it were. But Jerry wasn’t interested. Perhaps if he let her know he wasn’t she would get tired and go home.

At last Jessica looked straight at Jeremy. “When is Rod coming back?” she asked directly, and her eyes demanded the truth.

Jeremy laughed lightly. “That’s hard to say,” he answered. “Men don’t usually confide little matters like that.”

Without really repeating her own words, Jessica turned to the quiet mother and managed to shift both her glance and her question to her, as if she were the one she had meant to interrogate in the first place.

Mrs. Graeme met the shifted glance with an odd quietness and answered promptly, calmly. “He didn’t say when he would be back.”

Jessica seemed a bit perplexed at the answer and the calm demeanor. She shifted her sparkling nervous fingers so their load of glittering diamonds would shine directly into the lady’s eyes, and asked impertinently, “Where did he go, Mrs. Graeme?” in the tone of one who has an undeniable right to ask.

“He didn’t tell me,” said the mother quietly.

There followed a deadly moment of silence in which it was evident that the visitor was a trifle disconcerted. Then Mrs. Graeme lifted a sweet smile and asked quite casually, “Is your husband in Riverton with you, Jessie?”

Jessica’s cheeks flamed into crimson above the lovely makeup, and her eyes went down to her glittering fingers nervously. “Why, no, Mrs. Graeme,” she answered indifferently. “He’s too busy. His business engrosses all his time. He seldom goes anywhere away from home.”

“Oh,” said Mother Graeme, “then I suppose you’re not remaining here long.”

“Well, I don’t know just what I shall do,” flashed Jessica angrily. “I’m quite free to stay as long as I please if it suits me. Depends upon how interesting you folks can make it for me. But I certainly do want to see Rod.”

“Yes?” said the calm mother voice. Then after another instant’s silence, she said, “What a pity Mr. De Groot couldn’t have come with you, just for once. Your old friends would certainly like to meet him.”

What a mother! commented Jeremy in his heart. She certainly is tops. Then of course she has known about the break between Rod and Jessica, perhaps for a long time, and never breathed a word of it to Rod! Even called her husband by his name! Rod needn’t have worried lest there would be a scene. Mother never would permit a scene. She isn’t a day older than when we were little kids, and she always kept her hand on everything! Bless her! And Dad follows right along with her!

He cast a quick look toward his father, and saw him eating quietly along, enjoying the festive dinner, not seeming to question what had become of Rod. Not being upset nor allowing any tenseness in the pleasant home atmosphere since these old-time friends suddenly dropped in upon them so unexpectedly. Just taking it as if it were an everyday happening.

“Jeremy,” said his mother pleasantly, “take this coffeepot out to Hetty and ask her to make a little more coffee. These friends will have a cup of coffee with us surely, even if they have had their dinner.”

Jeremy arose promptly, smilingly, took the coffeepot, and vanished kitchen-ward.

Then arose Jessica, scowling. “I think we should be going,” she said sharply. “I want to find Rod.”

“Oh,” said Marcella Ashby, whose car they had come in, “but how will you find him? You don’t know where he’s gone.”

“Oh,” said Jessica scornfully, “we’ll just scout around until we find him. I imagine he’ll not be hard to find. Will he, Mr. Graeme?”

Father Graeme looked up with an inscrutable smile. “I wouldn’t know, Jessie,” he said. “Rodney has always been a bit unpredictable, and there’s no telling now, since he’s been off to war on his own.”

Jessica turned angrily and marched toward the hall door looking back to say, as Jeremy came in with the coffeepot, “No coffee for me, thank you. I’m going out to find Rod.”

But suddenly Marcella spoke up. “Speak for yourself, Jess. I’m staying for coffee. I haven’t had any of the Graeme coffee in ages, and there’s nobody else in Riverton can make coffee like old Hetty.”

Jessica paused angrily. “Oh well, then give me your keys to the car. I haven’t any time to waste. I can pick you up later when I’m ready to go back to your house.” It was spoken quite haughtily, as if Marcella might be a sort of hired servant.

“No, you don’t get my car keys,” said Marcella, reaching out to accept the cup of coffee Mother Graeme made haste to pour for her. “I’m not running any risks like that. You always do make a car act all haywire. And besides, I know the hours you keep. I’m not going to wait around here and make everybody stay up entertaining me nor walk home without the car.”

“Oh, very well,” said Jessica disagreeably. “Next time I’ll hire a car of my own or get a gentleman to accompany me.”

So Jessica stood pettishly in the doorway, staring down the hall, wondering what had become of the coats and caps she had seen on the hat rack when she came in. And there she stubbornly stood while the rest of the party lingered drinking their coffee in a leisurely manner, reluctant to leave the pleasant old home and the charming family circle that had once been so dear to them all.