The Scarlet Letters by Louis Auchincloss

Author:Louis Auchincloss [Auchincloss, Louis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
ISBN: 9780618341597
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Published: 2003-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

8

SOME WEEKS AFTER Harry Hammersly's interview with Ambrose Vollard and their decision to sue Rodney in New York, Harry sat in his office, the door closed, contrary to the usual Vollard Kaye policy, having told his pretty secretary, Miss Peltz, that he would take no calls before his meeting with Jack Owens, the young partner who would be doing the legwork in the Jessup case. He had spent a good part of such little spare time as he had, musing about the matter. What the devil had brought about such a revolution in the conduct, and apparently in the character, of Vinnie's husband? Could he have discovered her affair? But in that case why would he ape her and not denounce her? And jettison his whole law career into the bargain? And alienate her father, whom he had always professed to adore? It couldn't be passion, for no man, not even one as naive as Rod, could feel passion for so easy a lay as Lila Fisk. And besides, Owens had reported that he wasn't seeing her now.

Harry's eyes roamed restlessly over the vivid decorations of his chamber: the Toulouse-Lautrec poster of Yvette Guilbert, the Mucha one of Sarah Bernhardt as Lorenzaccio, the varnished mahogany bookcase with its gleamingly new law reports, the Persian carpet and the marble-topped Renaissance table-desk with its silver appointments in parallel rows, devoid of papers or other clutter, his way of presenting a client with the stripped cleanness of his total attention. How different from the mess of files and printed drafts that covered Rod's desk, stacked around large photographs of his daughters hugging spaniels!

Had he always resented Rod? Was it because he had once liked him too much? But surely one could overemphasize such things. Yes, he had such a thing about Rod at age fourteen—wasn't that a typical stage in a boy's sexual development? Look at the English public schools, for Pete's sake! When those Brits grew up they married and conquered the world. And hadn't he and Rod become the best of friends after his own tastes had turned to the other sex? Yes, but. But what? Why was he always cursed with this habit of being honest with himself? Yet there it was, his jealousy of Rod's looks, Rod's boasted ethics, Rod's so-called knight-errantry and his easy success with everything and everybody. Was all that the real reason behind his delight in being sucked off by Rod's wife?

But that would only be if he had wanted Rod to know. And he hadn't; he had taken the greatest precautions that Rod shouldn't know. And he wasn't the sort of man who would seduce a woman solely to satisfy an injured ego; he cared about Vinnie and giving her a fuller life. He might have been a bit of a shit, but he was also the good guy that many people liked and esteemed. He hadn't wanted to break up a marriage. On the contrary, he had been all for the status quo. He had wanted everyone to go on as they were.

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