Cruise to a Wedding. Бетти Нилс

effectively blocking her path. ‘Surely you don’t have to rely on her opinion?’ His voice was silky. ‘I fancy I didn’t create too good an impression last time we met.’

      She coloured faintly. ‘You’re insufferable! I…’ She was prevented from saying more by the appearance of Rimada’s mother, her tears hastily dried, her voice nicely under control once more. ‘Oh, you two have met,’ she declared in a hostess voice. ‘But let me introduce you, all the same. Loveday, this is my nephew, Professor Baron de Wolff van Ozinga—Adam, you know.’

      She smiled coldly at him. ‘And this, Adam, is Rimtsje’s great friend, Loveday Pearce.’ She ignored their stony faces and went on brightly: ‘Just in time for tea, dear—we have been talking tiresome business and I am so relieved to have it all settled. Come into the sitting-room.’

      ‘I’ll just tidy myself, if I may.’ Loveday ignored her hostess’s obvious desire to have her company and went upstairs, where she took her time to do her hair and face while she wondered what the argument had been about. It had been a hot one, of that she was sure, probably about Rimmy. The quicker the poor girl got married and away from her guardian’s bullying influence the better, thought Loveday, applying lipstick with care. Who was he to interfere, anyway? The head of the family, presumably—she remembered that he was a baron as well as a professor and wondered how she should address him. She was still trying to decide as she went downstairs and entered the sitting-room. After the sea air of the afternoon, she found it over-warm and heavily scented by the great vases of hothouse flowers on the tables; they must have cost a fortune—perhaps they had been the cause of the argument. She chose a chair as far away from the Baron as possible, but he had risen to his feet as she went in and instead of sitting down again in the great armchair opposite his aunt, he walked across the room and took a chair close to her own.

      ‘I had an idea that you might be here,’ he told her affably. ‘I hear that my feather-brained cousin is planning a cruising holiday in your company.’ He saw her questioning look and went on smoothly: ‘I had occasion to telephone her at the Royal City, and was told that she had come home for a couple of days.’ He glanced across at his aunt, sitting on the edge of her chair, looking apprehensive. ‘My aunt tells me that you plan to go shortly. It should be pleasant at this time of year.’

      ‘I hope so,’ Loveday spoke warily. ‘I haven’t been to Madeira before.’

      His brows rose. ‘Surely you will be visiting other points of call?’

      She clasped her hands in her lap and stared at his chin—a very determined chin. ‘Oh, yes—only Madeira comes first, you know. I believe the weather there is delightful at this time of year.’ An inane remark, she knew, and he must share her opinion, judging by the glint in his eyes. But she had to say something; she stared down at her hands and failed to see the little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

      ‘Oh, undoubtedly—a wonderful excuse for Rimada to buy a huge number of clothes.’

      ‘The poor child never has enough,’ put in her mother plaintively. ‘You have no idea how important clothes are to a girl, Adam. It is all very well for you; you indulge your every whim, I have no doubt, but you have no sympathy for your cousin…’

      ‘My dear aunt, you wrong me. I have a great deal of sympathy for Rimada—as well as taking an interest in her well-being.’

      He got up to hand round the tea cups and for a few minutes the conversation was safe and trivial, so that Loveday didn’t need to think of every word she uttered. She had actually relaxed sufficiently to answer the Baron’s civil questions about her work at the hospital, when the front door banged and a moment later Rimada came in. She stopped short in the doorway, the picture of consternation, as her cousin got to his feet once more.

      ‘My dear Rimtsje,’ his voice was suavely affectionate, ‘how delightful to see you, and how charming you look—a new hair-style, is it not?’ He crossed the room unhurriedly and kissed her on one suddenly pale cheek. ‘I’ve surprised you?’ he wanted to know gently.

      ‘Your car wasn’t outside,’ stated Rimada uncertainly.

      ‘Ah—nor was it. I took it round to the garage so that Jos could give it a quick clean.’ He beamed at her, ‘Loveday has just been telling me all about your trip—it sounds very interesting.’

      Loveday, from behind his enormous back, frowned and nodded and made an urgent face and then smoothed it to instant calm as he turned to face her. ‘We shall enjoy ourselves enormously,’ she made haste to say with over-bright enthusiasm; Rimada seemed to have lost her tongue. ‘The cruise lasts for two weeks, you know, and we’re both keen to see Gibraltar and Lisbon—that’s during the second week.’

      She could almost hear Rimada’s sigh of relief. ‘There are some summer palaces,’ she went on, glad that she had read up the guide books so thoroughly. ‘We hope to see as many as possible, don’t we, Rimmy?’

      The Baron had sat down again, close to Loveday. Rimada cast her coat down on a chair and went to sit by her mother, who had remained silent but now broke into lighthearted chatter about mutual friends and various functions she hoped to go to. Her nephew waited for her to draw breath before he asked quietly: ‘I hope you will invite me to dinner, Aunt.’

      She was instantly in a fluster. ‘Of course, Adam. Had I not already done so? I fully intended…we have no guests for this evening, just we three women. You won’t be bored?’