Susan Settles Down by Molly Clavering

Author:Molly Clavering
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dean Street Press
Published: 2021-03-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

1

“It really is terribly nice to see you again, Charles,” said Susan, breaking in upon the Service gossip which had kept both men talking hard since the beginning of dinner.

Charles Crawley turned his head quickly to look at her, saw the open affection and pleasure in her eyes, and answered in his soft voice: “Thank you, darling. That’s very sweet of you.”

His glance travelled round the room, skimmed over Oliver, seated alert and cheerful at the head of the table, and returned to Susan’s face. “I like your house,” he said.

“’Umble but ’omely, Mr. Crawley, sir,” said Oliver. “We like it too. Don’t we, Susan?”

“We do,” answered Susan. “We love the whole place.” This time her eyes, as they met Charles’s, held a look of challenge, as if daring him to disagree or disbelieve.

Dinner was over, but the three still lingered at table in the soft light shed by four green candles in tall silver sticks. A bowl of apples, another of green grapes, glowed brilliant as jewels above the dark surface of the polished wood, which faithfully reflected their rounded contours. Susan sat in a high-backed chair with arms, her dress of darkest green velvet shining where the light was spilled over it, her soft hair pushed back behind her ears and curling at the nape of her white neck. She felt happy, and her eyes had lost their gravity and smiled with her lips. It was good to see Oliver in such spirits, for she had been half-afraid that seeing Charles again might bring back too poignant memories of the life which he no longer shared with his best friend. That it had not was plain to see, for his dark face was alight, his eyes sparkled, and he spoke without a trace of regret of old days. . . . It was good, too, to have Charles at Easter Hartrigg, handsome Charles, the exact opposite of Oliver in looks, with his fair hair, his long blue eyes, and the absurd youthfulness of appearance which often misled strangers into thinking him a very junior officer indeed, instead of a Lieutenant Commander. He was her own kind, she could talk to him, and she only realized now how much she had missed him during the months which had slipped away since their last meeting.

“Are you awfully huntin’—shootin’—fishin’ nowadays?” asked Charles later, when they were gathered close to a companionable fire of logs in the sitting-room.

Susan laughed. “I’m not, anyhow. Oliver does a little desultory shooting, but that’s about as far as it goes. The best people, of course—or so Miss Pringle assured me, go in for all three, but we certainly couldn’t afford to hunt even if we knew how.”

“Jed Armstrong, our nearest neighbour, wants us to go and shoot with him one day,” said Oliver, stirring the fire until a shower of golden sparks flew up the chimney. “You’ll like him.”

Charles Crawley once more looked at Susan, and it was to her that he spoke. “You’ve mentioned

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.