The Young Intruder Read Free Page B

hand on her elbow restrained her. Instead, she was led to a large, low, gleaming car, beside which waited a chauffeur, a short, stocky, powerful-looking man with a ready smile on his weatherbeaten face.
    This was Thomas. He gave her a pleasant good - evening, and set about getting the luggage into the car. Then they were off, away from the airport, threading through the traffic towards the heart of London.
    “How fast the traffic goes,” said Alison, holding on to straps and handles in her alarm. “And how terrifying, to see it all on the wrong side of the road. How do they manage not to crash all the time?” And later, still sitting upright, still alarmed: “Oh dear, London is big. Immensely big.”
    “You’ve only seen one small corner ,” Peter told her.
    “Really?”
    “Yes, there’s miles and miles of this, in all directions.”
    “I shall be perpetually losing myself,” she said. “All the policemen in London will know me, because I shall be always lost.”
    Peter smiled at her. He thought she was rather a charming child. He also thought that youth was resilient, and that one had to have time for grief; and that the more her days were filled for her, the less she would have for remembering.
    They came to the quiet street in Mayfair. Alison, looking up at the house, was deceived into thinking it quite ordinary, and entered it with more confidence than if she had realised that it was, in fact, in an exclusive and extremely expensive neighbourhood. Peter left Thomas to deal with the bags, and led Alison into the hall.
    Priscilla fluttered out of the morning room towards them, looking doubly anxious this evening, because a new person was here to stay and because their plane had been late and she was afraid that dinner would spoil. She gave Alison a distracted welcome, obviously thinking of something else, and hurried her up the stairs to her room.
    “ Thomas will bring your luggage,” she said. “I hope this room will suit you. If you need anything, ring the bell and Nora will come to you. I expect you are tired after your journey. Dinner is quite ready. Will you come down as soon as you can?”
    She went to the door.
    “You must excuse me,” she said. “I have things to see to.”
    Alison looked after her in surprise, as the door closed. “Well, she obviously thinks I’m a nuisance,” she thought, as she turned to look about her room. “She flew off the first moment she could ... What a beautiful room! I’m sure I’ve never had a room as luxurious as this. But if I’m to go down to dinner as soon as possible, I’d better tidy up, and leave exploration until afterwards.”
    She went downstairs, led by Nora, who had come up to show her the way. Peter was waiting in the hall for her.
    “I hope we haven’t hurried you too much,” he said, smiling. “You mustn’t attach too much importance to Priscilla—she was afraid our dinner would be spoiled.” He led her into the dining room. There, a table was elegantly set for dinner, under the light of a small but very beautiful crystal chandelier. Priscilla was already there at one side of the table, and at one end there was a young man seated in a wheel chair.
    “Come and meet my brother Douglas,” said Peter, and she crossed to the side of the wheel chair. She looked down at a thin, handsome face, which regarded her quizzically for a moment, and then broke into a broad, amused smile.
    “Welcome to London,” he said. “I’m very glad to meet you. As you see, I can’t get up—you must excuse me. Did you have a good journey?”
    “Yes, thank you,” she replied, wondering what was so amusing about her. She had not long to wait to find out.
    “Tell me,” said Douglas, as she seated herself opposite Priscilla, “you are more than sixteen, aren’t you?”
    “I’m nearly twenty,” she said, surprised.
    “And, of course, you’re not at school?”
    “Of course not,” she said. “Why?”
    “We expected a schoolgirl of sixteen,” he said,