Neither Five Nor Three by Helen MacInnes

Author:Helen MacInnes [MacInnes, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781781161623
Published: 2012-10-25T14:20:00+00:00

15

“But I must see you,” Scott was saying anxiously. “Rona, I’ve got to see you. I’ve news for you. I ’phoned you three times this morning before you left for the office. Rona—Rona... Are you there? Do you hear me?”

“Yes.” She looked down at the telephone on her desk. It had been impossible, in the office, to leave it unanswered. At home, she had let it ring. Odd that yesterday she had waited desperately for a call from Scott. Today, she wanted to avoid it.

“Rona, we’ll have lunch together. When shall I meet you?”

“I—I don’t think it’s of much use.” Not now, not remembering last night and Mr. Ettley’s worried arguments. Did Scott really think of her in that way? “Scott, it’s no good. I saw your father last night.”

“Look, Rona, don’t let any of his ideas worry you. Dad jumped to a lot of wrong conclusions. I saw him this morning before he left for Staunton. He’s feeling different about a lot of things, now.”

“Are you feeling differently, too?” she asked bitterly. “And if so, which way?”

“Rona! For God’s sake—listen, we’re getting married next month. How’s that for news?”

“Next month?”

“And we’re going to live in Staunton.”

“What?”

Scott laughed. “Yes. No more damned apartment hunting. We’re going to live in Staunton and I’m joining the staff of the Clarion. How’s that for news?”

She couldn’t answer at all, this time.

Scott said, “I’ll wait downstairs for you at twelve-thirty. Goodbye, darling.” There was a click as he hung up at the other end of the line.

“Scott!” she said, and then she replaced the receiver slowly. At first, she could only stare at the books in front of her, at the coloured plates and photographs piled on her desk, at the few notes she had jotted down this morning.

If only Scott had given me that news on Sunday, even yesterday, she was thinking. How differently I’d have felt about it then. I would have been as excited, as happy as he is. But now—all I feel is nothing, nothing at all. I’ve gone numb. I’ve been shuttled around too quickly, I’ve lost all sense of direction, I don’t know where I am or where I’m going. I don’t want to see Scott today. Or tomorrow. I need time to get my balance again. I need time to forget what I felt last night as I listened to his father, I need time. For I still love Scott. That’s my trouble.

And then, as she pulled her notes before her again and lifted her pencil, she stopped thinking about herself. She was thinking about Scott and his news. What had made him change so completely? If there was one thing she could have sworn was true, it was simply that Scott would never have gone to his father and admitted that he had been wrong for four years. Did she understand him as little as he seemed to understand her?

“Busy?” Miss Guttman’s voice asked. “I won’t disturb you, but I do need some advice. You’re the interior decorator around here, aren’t you?” She laughed gaily.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.