That's Me in the Middle: Volume II of The Bandy Papers by Donald Jack

Author:Donald Jack [Jack, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC014000
ISBN: 9780986497476
Publisher: Sybertooth Inc.
Published: 2016-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

In Disgrace

Katherine and her father met me in the hall of their serene Georgian mansion that Sunday afternoon. Katherine embraced me warmly.

“It was silly of us to quarrel,” she said, hiding her face against my chest. “I’ve been so unhappy. I knew it didn’t mean anything, you having a couple of women in your bedroom.”

At these words, Mr Lewis’ faint smile of welcome faded slightly. As Katherine and I walked through into the Long Room, he remained behind, staring fixedly through the fanlight above the front door.

There was quite a conflagration going on in the fireplace of the Long Room. Mrs Lewis was sitting in front of it, sound asleep. Beside her lay a broken chair.

“Have you been fighting?” I whispered as Mr Lewis followed us in.

“Hm? No, I was trying to glue the leg back on,” he murmured. Then: “Did Katherine say you had two women in your bedroom?”

“Three, actually.”

“It didn’t mean anything,” Katherine said loyally.

“It didn’t?”

“Of course not,” she said. “Even if they were undressed and everything.”

“Undressed?”

“They weren’t undressed,” I said, avoiding Lewis’ gaze but looking a portrait of Wellington straight in the eye. “Apart from you,” I added.

“Well, they had their coats off.”

“Just a minute,” Lewis said. “I’ve missed a bit. Katherine was in your bedroom undressed? Where was this?”

“The Spartan. I was just saying good night, that’s all,” Katherine said.

“You always undress to say good night?” I asked.

“Course I don’t. I told you, I just came along to say good night.”

“Sounds pretty fishy to me,” I said. “Getting undressed just to say good night. Well, I mean.” I laughed cynically.

“Surely I’m supposed to say things like that?” Lewis said. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be looking discomfited.”

“Well, I was,” Katherine said hotly. She bent down and picked up the broken chair leg somewhat agitatedly, and twisted it in her hands.

“And where did the other two women come in?” Lewis asked.

“They came in from the bathroom and the cupboard, respectively,” I said.

Lewis leaned his forehead against the marble mantelpiece to think about it. “Perhaps we’d better change the subject,” he said at length, “before your mother wakes up.”

“I just came up to say good night, that’s all,” Katherine said, a shade too convincingly for conviction. She started to poke the fire agitatedly.

“After all, you are getting married at the end of the month,” Lewis said tactfully.

I thought it was very nice of him to be so understanding, but Katherine seemed incapable of dropping the subject.

“That was all there was,” she cried, stamping her foot. “All I did was come along to say good night and get undress—Get undressed and come along to say— Oh, shut up!” she shouted, just as the poker caught fire.

Mr Lewis looked at the end of his chair leg as it flamed and sputtered. He took a deep breath and gently removed it from Katherine’s grasp and waved it about resignedly. The smoke of the burning varnish coiled and drifted in the fierce drafts. Mrs Lewis, her face scarlet from the heat, woke up.

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