The Doubtful Marriage by Betty Neels

Author:Betty Neels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1987-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

MATILDA began her morning’s routine: the flowers, shopping with Bep at her elbow to help with the difficult bits and then a walk with Dickens who, of course, had had to stay at home. Once these tasks were done, she had leisure to sit down and think about the trip to Las Palmas. Rauwerd hadn’t told her when it would be but she would need clothes. She found paper and pen and made a list, a pleasant occupation which kept her occupied until lunchtime.

She had an unexpected visit from Rauwerd’s mother in the afternoon. ‘I should have telephoned you, my dear,’ said that lady, ‘but I had a sudden impulse to come and see you and have a chat. We so enjoyed ourselves the other evening and I am so glad that you have Rose Werdmer ter Sane for a friend. She is a dear girl.’ She settled herself comfortably and said that yes, she would indeed stay for tea. ‘Rauwerd will be home?’ she asked.

‘No, he is in Brussels. But he will be back later on this evening.’

‘He’s a busy man, what with his practice and the hospital beds he has. And now this lecturing. You feel lonely, Matilda?’

‘Well, no. You see, everything is strange to me; I go shopping with Bep and take Dickens for a walk when he hasn’t gone with Rauwerd; and I like doing the flowers—and in a house as large as this one, that takes some time. I am now to start Dutch lessons, too…’

She poured the tea and they sipped it in pleasant friendliness. ‘We had Professor Vouters to dinner yesterday—I liked him—and a friend of Rauwerd’s, Nikky van Wijk.’

Mevrouw van Kempler bit into a wafer-thin biscuit. ‘Ah, yes, a striking-looking woman, I always think.’

‘Oh, very, and so beautifully dressed. I’ve always envied that kind of silvery fair hair.’

‘Out of a bottle,’ said Mevrouw van Kempler, surprisingly.

Matilda stifled a giggle and then said soberly, ‘I mean to like her because she is such an old friend of Rauwerd’s. I think she’s very clever and that is nice for him. I mean, he is clever, too, isn’t he?’

‘Oh, very,’ agreed his mother, ‘but not with everything, my dear.’

There didn’t seem to be anything to say to that. Matilda said chattily, ‘He is going to Las Palmas and I’m to go with him. I’ve never been there; it will be lovely…’

‘Ah, yes. When do you go?’

‘I don’t know; he forgot to say.’ She added hastily, ‘He’s so very busy.’

Mevrouw van Kempler said, ‘H’m,’ and then, ‘I must be going, my dear.’

Matilda accompanied her outside to the street where she had parked a rather elderly Rover. She kissed Matilda briefly before she got into the car and drove away a great deal too fast.

Matilda was about to sit down to her solitary dinner that evening when Rose telephoned them to invite them to dinner on the following Saturday. ‘Just the four of us,’ she explained, ‘so that you can get to know us a bit better.

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.