Fear by Night Read Free Page B

sleeve—”
    Charles frowned a little.
    â€œMust it be an aunt?”
    Ann put three lumps of sugar into her coffee.
    â€œA cousin would do. I’m sure all your relations are fearfully respectable.”
    He frowned a little more. It is all right to have respectable relations, but they do not make a good starting-point for a proposal. Quite definitely a respectable cousin lacks romance. He stirred his coffee with ferocious energy. The idea of Ann as a companion or a secretary filled him with wrath. And then he looked up and met her smile. It began in her eyes with a half sleepy gleam of mischief and then just lifted the corners of a very attractive mouth. His anger vanished. He leaned his elbows on the table.
    â€œIf you really want a job—”
    â€œAnd I really do,” said Ann.
    â€œI think I know of one—but I don’t know if you’d like it or take it on.”
    Ann sighed.
    â€œOh well—one’s got to live.”
    â€œYou mightn’t like it.”
    â€œI’d like to be an Idle Rich, but as I can’t—what’s your job?”
    â€œMe,” said Charles.
    Ann felt as if someone had hit her. How mean ! The traitor in her mind bobbed up and said “Hooray!”
    â€œ You! ” said Ann.
    â€œWon’t you?” said Charles, and at the change in his voice something happened to Ann’s heart. It was something very unexpected and disconcerting. There was a throbbing and a softness, and a feeling as if she might burst suddenly into tears. It was most frightfully disconcerting. Fortunately the feeling only lasted for a moment. She said,
    â€œCharles darling, that doesn’t sound at all respectable. I think it had much better be a cousin or an aunt.”
    Charles blazed into a dark fury.
    â€œWhat do you suppose I’m asking you?”
    Ann put her elbows on the table too. Her face, with its teasing eyes and the lips which were not quite as steady as they might have been, was only a few inches away.
    â€œIs that a proposal?”
    â€œOf course it is.”
    â€œCharles, how nice of you!”
    â€œYou will?”
    â€œOh no, darling. It’s terribly nice of you all the same.”
    â€œAnn!”
    Ann drew back.
    â€œOh no.” She spoke a little too quickly, and Charles leaned nearer.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œNo experience,” said Ann, and the mischief looked out of her eyes again. “It’s the very first thing they always ask: ‘What experience have you?’ And if you haven’t any, you either don’t get the job, or else they take away the number they first thought of, and offer you about five shillings a week to do about twice as much as the last person did.”
    â€œIt’ll run to more than five shillings,” said Charles. “If Bewley sells, we should be quite well off. There’s a worthy and wealthy boot-manufacturer after it.”
    The “we” hit Ann hard. She turned rather pale and her mood changed. She said seriously,
    â€œCharles, how long have you known me? Two months—three? And what do you know about me? You met me in June with the Duquesnes at Ciro’s. Mary introduced us—you’d only met her twice before. Since then we’ve danced, gone on the river, bathed, and danced again. What do you know about me really?”
    â€œWhat does one know about anyone?” said Charles. “I love you. I’m asking you to marry me, and we’ll have the rest of our lives to get to know each other really well.”
    â€œAren’t you rather rash?”
    Charles smiled.
    â€œI know you rather well already, but I’m quite willing to know you better.”
    â€œWhat do you know, Charles?”
    â€œYou’re proud, practical, generous, idealistic—a bit of a flirt, a bit of a tease, a bit of a mystery, and—” He hesitated.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI don’t think I’ll say.”
    â€œYes, you