CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

They strolled down to the lake together in silence. It was full sun now, a glorious day, though the sky had a hint of yellow to it that suggested storms might not be out of the question.

“Are you all right?” Pat asked at last.

Fen turned her head, looking startled. “Me? Yes, of course. My arms are a little tired, but nothing terrible.”

“I don’t mean that. I mean...” She tailed off, wondering if this was too much of an intrusion. It was none of her business, but the whole thing was becoming unbearable to witness. “How long have you and Jimmy known one another?”

“Oh, about three months.”

“And you said you haven’t visited him here before.”

“No. This is my first time in this part of the world.”

“Mmm.”

Fen shot a glance under the brim of her bonnet. “You seem to want to say something. It probably isn’t anything I haven’t heard before.”

“How do you mean?” Pat asked, though she knew very well what Fen meant.

Fen confirmed that in the next breath. “Oh, let me see. Haven’t I been engaged before? Yes, twice. Isn’t this something of a whirlwind romance too? Yes, it is. Am I going to jilt him as I did the last two? Ooh, I simply don’t know yet.” Her voice was as sweet as ever, but there was a definite edge to it. “Have I thought about it sensibly?—”

“I’m sure you did,” Pat said over her. “And Jimmy is—or I always thought he was—a very decent man. I wouldn’t have thought a girl could do better than a sensible, pleasant fellow like him.”

“Well, then, that’s all right isn’t it?”

“No,” Pat said. “That’s why I wanted to know how you are. Because if I’d been asked to guess how Jimmy would treat the woman he’d just got engaged to, in his own home, where she was visiting for the first time—”

Fen held her hand up. It was a sudden, sharp gesture, almost jerky, and Pat stopped talking. They walked on, skirts rustling, feet crunching on the gravel path that ran around the lake.

“Is it terribly obvious?” Fen said at last. “Or is this just because you know him well?”

“I’d call it obvious,” Pat said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I knew it, really. It certainly seems obvious to Maurice Haworth, judging by the way he smiles.”

“He’s a piece of work, isn’t he? Look, I’m a friend of Jimmy’s but in a, well, a mannish sort of way. I’ve never known him with a girl. I don’t really know if he’s used to being a fiancé, or if he understands that he’s not paying as much attention as he ought.”

“Are you making excuses for him?” Fen asked. “That is, do you think I ought to disregard the fact that he barely listens to me, had nothing to say to Mr. Haworth when he insulted me last night, and very obviously finds my presence an inconvenience at his party?”