That Man Next Door Page 5
"You're a brute," Kim told him, almost tearful herself, "an unfeeling, uncaring brute, and you're the most unnatural father ever !"
"That's possible," he agreed, surprisingly. "Because I'm not their father, I'm their uncle, and I'm only in temporary charge, thank God!"
He had turned on his heel and gone back into the house, slamming the door loudly behind him, while Kim still stood by the hedge, her eyes wide, her lips parted in speechless surprise.
CHAPTER III
"IF only someone had told me," Kim complained to George that same afternoon, "I needn't have made such a fool of myself, as it was I played straight into his hands. Ooh, I hate that man !"
"It never occurred to me that you didn't know," George told her, smiling at the angry face she wore. "But don't worry about it, darling. I'm sure James doesn't think you made a fool of yourself."
"I don't care what he thinks," Kim retorted, contradicting herself and unaware of it.
"Well, I'm sure he's grateful to you," George insisted, trying to placate her. "After all, you went to a lot of trouble trying to track down his little monsters, didn't you?"
"They're not little monsters," Kim objected, forgetting her own reference to them as such after their first encounter. "They're nice little boys, and I feel sorry for them."
"Because they're with James?" he asked, and Kim shrugged.
"That and the fact that they've been abandoned to his obviously couldn't care less treatment, poor mites."
"I suppose it's a bit tough on them with their parents abroad all this time," George admitted, "but they're really quite happy with James, you know, and he's very fond of them, despite the fact that he always refers to them as monsters. That's where I got the idea," he added with a grin.
"I suppose he is fond of them," Kim admitted reluctantly, "in his own way."
"You can bet he is if he has them there," George averred. "Having them can't do much for his social life. I wouldn't
even dare think about it in his place, and Eve hates the sight of them."
"From what I gathered from Mrs. Pannet, the housekeeper," Kim told him, "the children don't like her either. He should have had more sense than to have them there in the circumstances."
"Maybe," George admitted. He was sitting on the edge of her desk and he leaned across, lifting her chin with one finger. "I think you need cheering up after your morning's gloom," he told her, "so I propose taking you to the Casino tonight. O.K.? '' I-''
"Now don't argue with your boss," he interrupted. "Put on your glad rags and I'll pick you up about seven, O.K.?"
"O.K.," Kim agreed with a smile. "I was going to say I'd love to come, but you didn't give me time."
"I didn't want to give you time to refuse," George ad-
, mitted. "I want to show the natives of Woodmouth that I haven't lost my touch. It's ages since I took a beautiful woman to dinner and they might suspect I've retired." -Kim laughed, entering into the spirit of the thing. With George it was so easy, he was an unfailing tonic to her ego
and her morale. "How long is ages?" she asked, and he made a great show of considering his answer.
"Oh, it must be quite a month," he admitted at last. "I've been knee-deep in crime and it's time I had a break."
"As long as you don't forget I'm a working girl," she told him, "and I have to be up bright and early in the morning."
"Oh, not to worry," he assured her airily. "I'll square it with your boss if you're late."
Aunt Bess was quite excited about Kim's date with George and she fussed around all the time she was getting ready, chattering happily and offering advice as if it was
Kim's first date. Kim made no objection but merely smiled her understanding. Aunt Bess and Uncle John had married somewhat late in life and they had never had any family, although they would have loved one. Her aunt, she suspected, was enjoying the idea of having a make-believe daughter she could fuss over.
"You look lovely, Kim dear," she told her as she gazed at Kim's reflection in the long mirror. "That is such a pretty dress."
It was indeed a pretty dress, and Kim always felt good in it, for the soft material clung and flattered and the vivid blue lent even more colour to her eyes. "It's my favourite one," she admitted, "and I've never worn it since I've been here, so no one will recognise it isn't new."
"I'm sure Mr. Daley will be delighted with you," her aunt said, and Kim laughed, following her downstairs.
"I suspect George would be delighted with anything feminine as long as it's fairly presentable."
"But you do look lovely, dear," Aunt Bess insisted, "and I think it's quite exciting that such an important man as Mr. Daley shows such interest in you. It could be very lucky for you."
"Lucky?" Kim thought she followed the train of thought, but with Aunt Bess it was not always easy. Certainly, despite a great many good points, she was something of a snob and was undoubtedly impressed with the fact-that a man as well-known as George had asked her niece out for the evening.
"Well, dear," Aunt Bess looked coy, her round face smiling hopefully, "Mr. Daley is a very famous man and a very wealthy one. Any girl could do worse."
"Oh, Aunt Bess ! " Kim laughed, hugging her aunt affectionately, and Aunt Bess looked somewhat disappointed at her reaction. "George isn't the marrying kind," Kim told
her, "and I'm not sure I am either. I have a good job and I enjoy it, so don't try to make more out of it than it is, please."
"I'm not, dear," her aunt protested, "but you could do a great deal worse than Mr. Daley, you know, and he must like you or he wouldn't have asked you out."
Kim laughed again, shaking her head. "Of course he likes me, darling, but only because I'm fairly presentable, as I say, and George likes being seen with pretty women — he admits as much."
"Mmm, well, we'll see." Aunt Bess was not to be so easily deterred.
George arrived, right on time, and his eyes widened in exaggerated surprise when he saw her. "You look absolutely gorgeous," he told her, "and I shall probably fall head over heels in love with you before the night's out, I warn you."
Aunt Bess looked at Kim with an I-told-you-so arch to her brows, and Kim's laugh was as much for that as for George's extravagant warning. "I doubt it," she told him, "but thank you all the same."
George drove a small but powerful car that gave barely enough room for two side by side, especially when one of them was driving, and Kim found the intimacy of the situation rather intriguing. He was wearing evening dress and looked, if anything, even more poetic than usual, for there were narrow frills edging the front of his shirt that made him look somehow Victorian and rather romantic. His fair hair, looking longer than ever where it curled on to his collar, added to the illusion, and Kim smiled to herself as she remembered the satisfied gleam in Aunt Bess's eyes when she saw him.
"O.K.?" He flicked her a glance as they turned onto the main Woodmouth road, his sleeve brushing her arm as he
changed gear, the smile round his mouth, slow and intimate. George, she thought, was at his most dangerously charming.
She nodded her head. "Fine, thanks. I've never been to Woodmouth, what's it like ?"
"Seaside," he answered with a wry grin, "need I say more." He flicked her another glance. "No," he added with a laugh, "that's not strictly fair. It's quite a decent town and very go-ahead, though it's not the kind of place I'd like to live in. It's pretty prosperous too, thanks to hordes of visitors every season and also to Fleming Enterprises."
Kim frowned, remembering her surprise when she had tried to contact James Fleming. "I hope I don't appear too ignorant," she said, "but what are Fleming Enterprises? I have to admit I've never heard of them."
George laughed, obviously not sharing her ignorance. "It's quite possible you haven't heard of them," he told her. "So few people bother to see who the publisher of a book is, when they read one. Actually they're a subsidiary of one of the big London firms, mainly concerned with publishing, hence my knowledge of them."
"Oh, I see."
He laughed. "I hope that means you've never read the publisher's name on my books," he told her, "and not that you've never read any of my books, because otherwise I shall abandon you by the roadside without further ado."
"Of course I've read them," Kim laughed, "but I'd no idea James Fleming was connected with you professionally."
"I suppose you could say he was," he allowed. "They opened this massive place down here just over a year ago, James, his brother Paul, and a cousin. They only keep an eye on the running of it, I believe, attend board meetings
and such and still keep it very much a Fleming concern." "And the children —"
George nodded. "They're Paul Fleming's brood. He and Alice, his wife, are in Australia for several months, to do with opening a new branch over there, I believe."
Kim would have asked whether James Fleming was, or ever had been, married, but she was afraid George might misinterpret her interest, so she kept quiet and gave her attention to the road they were travelling.
There was still quite a bit of daylight left and the sun looked fatly brassy and low in the sky, the sea a rippling sheet of gold and still dotted with bathers cooling off after the heat of the day. Woodmouth was in a much higher position than Woodsea, built on the solid grey rock, with access to its beach via a series of steep paths and steps. The road between the two places started out along the coastline and fairly close to the cliffs, but veered inland as it neared the town.
"It looks quite nice," Kim remarked, and George nodded smiling agreement.
"It's not too bad at all," he admitted. "You must get Fay to bring you here shopping one time. It's a good shopping centre, so I've been told."
"Then I must come," Kim agreed. "I love shops, the more the merrier."
"Ah !" he said dramatically, "I knew it! Beautiful women are always extravagant. I shall have to give you a rise in salary before I turn you loose with Fay."
"There's no need," Kim protested laughingly. "I'm getting a very good salary now, considering all things."
"You wait until you've been shopping with Fay," he warned her darkly, "you'll soon change your mind."
The shops were all closed at this time of night, but the brightly-lit windows and inviting displays whetted Kim's
appetite. "I must come," she said. "Perhaps on Saturday, it looks very inviting."
"I'll tell Fay," he grinned, flicking a knowing glance at her. "Tonight we're driving right through it to the Casino on the other side of town."
"Is it?" Kim asked. "A casino, I mean."
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not, it was a bit of wishful thinking on the part of the owners, but the city fathers were a little wary of going that far just yet. Are you a gambler?"
"On my salary?" She laughed softly at his grimace of reproach. "No, I'm not, as it happens, it's a method of giving away money that's never really appealed to me, I'm afraid."
"Wise girl."
"Am I? I don't know, maybe I'm just cautious, I've never been sufficiently well off to throw my money around as if it doesn't matter."
He grinned at her over one shoulder, his expression, as it often was, at variance with his romantic appearance. "You should marry a rich husband," he told her, and Kim could do nothing about the flush that coloured her cheeks when she remembered Aunt Bess's suggestion on that score.
"I think not," she said. "Not for the reason you mean, anyway."
He chuckled. "Only for love, eh?" he teased. "How very romantic, darling. I adore you when you're all sweet and old-fashioned, it's so feminine."
"George —" She started to protest, but he must have guessed it and he took one hand from the steering wheel and reached for hers.
"I'm only teasing you, darling." He raised her fingers briefly to his lips and kissed them gently. "I presume, even if you don't like gambling, that you like eating ?" Kim
nodded, smiling her forgiveness. "Good, because the food at the Casino is rather good, in fact it's a first-class club altogether. There's usually a good cabaret and there's plenty of room to dance. It's as good as most places you'll find in London and it has the advantage of out-of-London prices."
It was obvious from the attention he received that George was a fairly frequent visitor and a valued one, and the head waiter himself showed them to a table, shrewd eyes appraising Kim in the light of experience.
"Nice to see you again. Mr. Daley," George was informed, an arched brow giving discreet approval of his taste.
"I gather you often come here," Kim said wryly, after they were seated.
"Fairly often," George admitted with a grin. "Do you like it?"
"Very nice," Kim allowed. "I'll let you have my final verdict when we've eaten - I'm starving !"
The food, when it came, was excellent, and Kim smiled over the rim of her wine glass at George, her eyes softly shining in the light of the table-lamp. "You look happy," George told her, touching the fingers of her free hand, "and very, very lovely. I told you I should probably fall in love with you before the night was out, and I think I shall."
Kim laughed softly, feeling pleasantly relaxed and mildly flirtatious. "After only two weeks?" she teased. "It's unlikely, George, very unlikely."
"I don't see why," George argued. "For one thing it's more than two weeks since you came, and for another we spend a lot of time together, and that's what does it. Propinquity, darling. that's the secret. Put two people together often enough and they're bound to fall in love; it's the nature of things."
"It certainly isn't," Kim denied, laughing at his frown. "If that was the case, you'd have people falling in love with each other willy-nilly. Take the average office, for instance — a large office I mean; if you were right it would mean that every man in the office would fall in love with every woman and vice versa, and they have just as much —propinquity as we have."
"No, no, no." He shook his head firmly. "You've got it all wrong, darling, and anyway I'm not sure that phrase is grammatically correct. The point of it all is that the chemistry has to be right for it to work; given that and constantly being together it's bound to happen."
"Unless," Kim suggested with a sly smile, "they get sick of the sight of one another."
"Oh, you unromantic little creature!" he told her. "Don't you want me to fall in love with you?"
"I'd be very flattered if I thought you meant it," she told him, uneasily remembering Aunt Bess again. "You're quite the nicest boss I've ever had, George."
He kissed her finger tips briefly. "Flatterer," he said.
They had just left their table to dance when she saw his brows indicate surprise. He was looking over her shoulder as they went on to the floor, half-smiling to himself, and Kim looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He pulled her closer in his arms and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong," he told her, "but James and Eve are here too. I just spotted them."
"It's quite a popular place," Kim remarked. "Do they come here often?"
"Eve and James? Fairly often, I think. Eve likes the bright lights, though I suspect James isn't very keen."
"But he does as he's told?" Kim suggested, and George arched a brow at her tone.
"I don't imagine so, darling," he told her. "Our James has a mind of his own. It's Eve who watches her step in that particular field."
"Oh, I see."
"I doubt if you do," George denied. "According to my fair sister, it seems that cousin Eve has deep laid plans for becoming Mrs. James Fleming "
"Only according to Fay?" Kim asked. "Haven't you speculated on it too?"
"Mmm," he admitted. "I have to admit I have noticed signs in that direction, but James is far too wary a bachelor to be caught very easily."
If Kim had any opinion to voice in the matter, she felt it was a little early for her to express it, and she merely smiled and went on dancing as if nothing else interested her at the moment.
"Aren't you interested in the big romance?" George asked.
Kim shook her head. "Not
very," she said. "And unless I'm very much mistaken, James Fleming isn't the only wary bachelor round here." He pulled a face and she laughed, her eyes glistening mischief at him as he held her close enough to make her tip back her head to look at him.
"That was unkind, darling," he reproached her. "You know I'm only waiting for the right girl to come along and I'll be trotting up the aisle as meekly as any lamb." His eyes searched her face with a warm intimacy that set her pulse racing. "I could have found her," he added softly.
She shook her head, smiling at his expression and wishing Aunt Bess's words did not keep coming back to her with such embarrassing frequency. "I don't think so, George, not yet."
He tightened his hold on her and held her so that his
face rested against her hair, close to her ear, his voice deep and persuasive, and slightly muffled. "If you don't stop looking at me with those big, shiny eyes I shall kiss you here and now," he warned. "Then I'll have to marry you, won't I?"
"Will you?" She tried to move her head, but had to content herself with speaking against his jacket. "Don't tell me you've never kissed a girl while you've been dancing with her, George. I just won't believe it, not of you."
"Hardhearted siren," he sighed against her ear. "I'm feeling all romancy and daring, so don't tempt me. Let's go outside," he added suddenly, "it's very atmospheric out there."
Kim shook her head as well as she was able. "No," she laughed, "we'll keep right on dancing."
"It's lovely outside." He raised his head and looked down at her, his eyes darkly blue and gleaming softly. "Come on," he coaxed, "I promise I'll be good."
Kim hesitated briefly, then nodded. "All right," she agreed, "since you promise to behave, it is rather warm in here now."
Outside it was indeed lovely. There was a new moon and it leaned like a thin sliver of silver in a sky that glittered with stars, and looked too beautiful to be real. There was a wide strip of garden between the building and the edge of the cliff and it smelled warm and woody from the shrubs that bordered it, a light breeze rustling among their leaves like a whisper.