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Melanie didn't want to look at his hard-boned features so she stared at
the broken window behind him. The night air came in; scented with
chrysanthemums and ram. She heard the sudden swish of it on the
pavements. This was city rain, washing the dust from the streets and
gurgling in the gutters, but it still reminded her of the night they had
spent together on the mist-shrouded hillside.
To dispel that memory, she said, 'Aunt Dolly is going to go crazy. Her
worst nightmares come true! This is the last party Will is going to
have for a long time.'
'It was hardly Will's fault. He didn't even know any of those little
thugs by sight, nor did any of the boys. I made a point of asking them.
No doubt the gang outside was prowling around and spotted a party
going on and decided to muscle in for some free drink.' He brushed a
palm over her crown slowly. 'I think I found it all, but you'd- better
wash your hair before you go to bed, in case I missed some.'
He had released her and she quickly stepped back, relieved to get
away from him. 'Thank you,' she said stiffly.
'I expect the police will want to talk to you about what happened.'
Startled, she frowned. 'What can I tell them?'
'You were in here you saw them, did you? You saw who threw the
stone?'
He hadn't needed to ask what had done the damage because it lay on
the carpet among the glass. She looked down at it.
'It's from Uncle Teddy's rockery,' she said flatly. 'I hope they didn't
trample all his favourite plants.' She looked up at Jamie, her mouth
rueful. 'I didn't actually see anything I couldn't identify anyone, I
mean. They were just dark shapes. They threw the stone deliberately,
though.'
'At you?' he asked as if he knew the answer, as if it made him very
angry.
She sighed, nodding. 'I suppose so. I looked down at them maybe
they thought I was laughing at them or something.'
'And maybe they're just mindless hooligans,' Jamie said thickly, his
cheeks dark red with anger. 'They could have killed you. Or maimed
or blinded you. Don't you realise how lucky you were? When I heard
the crash and heard you scream I went cold. All the way upstairs I
was wondering just what I'd see when I got in here.'
Liz came running up the stairs and burst into the room, her gaze
hunting out her cousin and staring. 'Melly, are you okay? I was in the
kitchen, I didn't hear anything until Will came in and said your
window had been broken.'
'I'm fine. Have the police caught anyone?'
Liz .shook her head. 'What a mess,' she said, looking at the glass
littering the floor. 'That will have to be boarded up until we can get a
glazier tomorrow.'
'I'll see to that,' Jamie told them. 'You go downstairs and wait in case
the police want to interview you, Melanie. Liz, get her a stiff brandy
and a cup of sweet tea.'
'I don't want. . .'she began.
'Don't argue!' Jamie instructed tersely.
Liz laughed. 'Come on, Melly, the man's in a temper, can't you see
that? Never argue with a man in a temper. It's like crossing a field
with an angry bull in it.'
Melanie went, talking to herself. 'I don't see why he should hand out
orders as if he were God, or something. I don't have to jump when he
says jump. Who does he think he is?'
'Talking to yourself is the first sign,' Liz told her.
'Of what?'
'Madness or love or both,' Liz said with her customary dryness.
'Yes, they're much the same thing, aren't they?' Melanie said fiercely.
'Anyone who falls in love ought to be put in a strait-jacket for their
own protection until they fall out of it.'
It wasn't until she caught the stricken look Liz gave her that it dawned
on Melanie how her cousin had taken that remark. Liz thought she
was talking about Ross, about what Liz had told her!
Melanie paused on the stairs, touching Liz on the arm. 'That wasn't
aimed at you! I didn't mean anything, I was talking wildly. It was all
such a shock, this has been an eventful evening.' She laughed
unsteadily. 'See how calm I am? I can even make understatements,
not my usual style. Oh, Liz, for the moment let's just forget what you
told me about Ross. Please?' She needed time to think, weigh up what
she had learnt, and then she must talk to Ross himself before she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]