The Broken Wing by the broken wing

Author:the broken wing
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER VI

IN the first few moments Tessa directed all her attention to Rosemary Eagleton herself, reflecting unwillingly as she did so that here was a girl whose image would be very, very difficult to efface. Then Mrs. Hurley said softly and scornfully beside her, "What do you think of him?" and she looked at the girl's companion.

Henry Eagleton was, she saw, a slightly built man, but the face turned to Rosemary was a sensitive and charming one. And, even as she watched them, they exchanged a glance of such unmistakably mutual amusement and understanding that she exclaimed involuntarily,

"Oh, he's rather nice!"

"Nice?" Mrs. Hurley made the word sound offensive. "He's small. For me men must be big. With big ideas, big personalities—and big incomes, incidentally," she added reflectively.

"Well, that's a point of view," conceded Tessa with a smile. "He may not be dynamic. But he has a charming smile and—"

"Whose side are you on?" demanded Mrs. Hurley shortly.

"Whose side?" Tessa laughed. "Is it a question of taking sides ?"

"It could be. I suppose there might be some sort of showdown this evening. Quentin and she have not exchanged a word since she went off and left him flat."

"They very likely won't even meet," Tessa said soothingly. "Mr. Otway hasn't shown up in the front of the house at all."

"She'll go round backstage," Mrs. Hurley prophesied dryly. "Or come on to the ball and reception afterwards. Her uncle is an alderman, and it would be no difficulty for her to get an invitation. Of course she will come. And bring that man too."

"But why should she? Wouldn't a meeting be equally embarrassing for her?"

"Oh, no!" Mrs. Hurley laughed impatiently. "She probably feels she has some scores to pay off. Quen and I have a talent for saying things that people remember and repeat. We have not been sparing of our comments in the past," she admitted, with a sort of angry satisfaction. "I expect she has heard some bitter home truths about her Henry since she returned, and women always want to get their own back for insults to their man. I should myself. She'll come to the reception all right. You'll see."

"I hope you're wrong," said Tessa pacifically.

"I seldom am," was the superb retort. Then, as the bell rang to recall the audience to their seats and Tessa rose to go, Mrs. Hurley added, "I myself shall not go round backstage. I shall go straight to the Assembly Rooms for the reception. But you go if you want to. Anthea Warrender will take you. And possibly Quentin will need you, anyway. What did he think of the dress, by the way?"

"He hasn't seen it yet," Tessa explained. "He left for the theatre too early. I wasn't dressed."

"Then he has one pleasant experience in store," commented Mrs. Hurley, and with a little nod she dismissed Tessa from the Presence.

The second half of Cosi fan tutte contains perhaps some of the loveliest music that even Mozart ever wrote, and, disturbed though she was

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.