© Шитова Л. Ф., адаптация, сокращение, словарь, 2019

© ООО «Издательство «Антология», 2022

Part I
England

Chapter 1

Extract from the Social column of the local newspaper.

Among those having supper at Chez Ma Tante^[1] I noticed beautiful Linnet Ridgeway. She was with Joanna Southwood, and Lord Windlesham. Miss Ridgeway, as everyone knows, is the daughter of Mr Ridgeway who married Anna Hartz. She inherits from her grandfather, Leopold Hartz, an American millionaire, an immense fortune. The lovely Linnet is the sensation of the moment and they say that an engagement may be announced shortly. Certainly Lord Windlesham seemed very happy!

Chapter 2

Joanna Southwood said: “Darling, I think it's going to be all perfectly marvellous!” She was sitting in Linnet Ridgeway's bedroom at Wode Hall.

From the window of the mansion the eye went to open country with blue shadows of woodlands.

“It's rather perfect, isn't it?” said Linnet.

She leaned her arms on the window sill. Beside her, Joanna Southwood seemed, somehow, a little dim – a tall thin young woman of twenty-seven, with a long clever face.

“And you've done so much in the time! Did you have lots of architects and things?”

“Three.”

Joanna picked up a string of pearls from the dressing-table.

“I suppose these are real, aren't they, Linnet?”

“Of course.”

“Darling, they really are incredible. They must be worth the most fabulous sums!”

“Rather vulgar, you think?”

“No, not at all – just pure beauty. What are they worth?”

“About fifty thousand.”

“What a lovely lot of money! Aren't you afraid of having them stolen?”

“No, I always wear them – and anyway they're insured.”

“Let me wear them till dinner time, will you, darling? It would give me such a thrill.”

Linnet laughed.

“Of course, if you like.”

“You know, Linnet, I really envy you. You've simply got everything. Here you are at twenty, with any amount of money, looks, superb health. You've even got brains! When are you twenty-one?”

“Next June. I shall have a grand coming-of-age^[2] party in London.”

“And then are you going to marry Charles Windlesham? All the gossip writers are getting so excited about it. And he really is very devoted.” Linnet shrugged her shoulders.^[3]

“I don't know. I don't really want to marry anyone yet.”

“Darling, how right you are! It's never quite the same afterward, is it?”

The telephone called and Linnet went to it.

“Yes? Yes?”

The butler's voice answered her.

“Miss de Bellefort is on the line. Shall I put her through?” “Bellefort? Oh, of course, yes, put her through.”

“Hullo, is that Miss Ridgeway? Linnet!”

“Jackie darling! I haven't heard anything of you for ages and ages!^[4]”

“I know. It's awful. Linnet, I want to see you terribly.”

“Darling, can't you come down here? My new toy. I'd love to show it to you.”

“That's just what I want to do.”

“Well, jump into a train or a car.”

“Right, I will. A frightfully old two-seater. I bought it for fifteen pounds, and some days it goes beautifully. So long, my sweet.^[5]”

Linnet replaced the receiver.^[6] She crossed back to Joanna.

“That's my oldest friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort. We were together at a convent in Paris. She's had the most terribly bad luck. Her father was a French Count, her mother was American – a Southerner. The father went off with some woman, and her mother lost all her money in the Wall Street crash. Jackie was left absolutely broke. I don't know how she's managed to get along the last two years.”

Joanna was polishing her nails.

“Darling,” she drawled, “won't that be rather tiresome? If any misfortunes happen to my friends I always drop them at once! It sounds heartless, but it saves such a lot of trouble later! They always want to borrow money off you, or else they start a dressmaking business and you have to get the most terrible clothes from them.”

“So if I lost all my money, you'd drop me tomorrow?”

“Yes, darling, I would. You can't say I'm not honest about it! I only like successful people. And you'll find that's true of nearly everybody – only most people won't admit it. They just say that really they can't put up with Mary or Emily or Pamela any more! 'Her troubles have made her so bitter, poor dear!'^[7]”

“How awful you are, Joanna!”

“I'm only on the make,^[8] like everyone else.”

“I'm not on the make!”

“For obvious reasons! You don't have to be careful when American trustees pay you a vast allowance every quarter.”

“And you're wrong about Jacqueline,” said Linnet. “She's not a sponge.^[9] I've wanted to help her, but she won't let me. She's as proud as the devil.^[10]”

“Why's she in such a hurry to see you? I'll bet she wants something! You just wait and see.”

“She sounded excited about something,” admitted Linnet. “Jackie always did get frightfully worked up over things.^[11] She once stuck a penknife into someone!^[12]”

“Darling, how thrilling!”

“A boy who was teasing a dog. Jackie tried to get him to stop. He wouldn't. She pulled him and shook him but he was much stronger than she was, and at last she took out a penknife and put it right into him. There was the most awful row!”

“I should think so. It sounds awful!”

Linnet's maid entered the room. With a word of apology, she took down a dress from the wardrobe and went out of the room with it.

“What's the matter with Marie?” asked Joanna. “She's been crying.”

“Poor thing.^[13] You know I told you she wanted to marry a man who has a job in Egypt. She didn't know much about him, so I thought I'd better make sure he was all right. It happened that he had a wife already – and three children.”

“What a lot of enemies you must make, Linnet.”

“Enemies?” Linnet looked surprised.

Joanna nodded and helped herself to a cigarette.^[14]

“Enemies, my sweet. And you're so frightfully good at doing the right thing.^[15]”

Linnet laughed.

“Why, I haven't got an enemy in the world!”

Chapter 3

Lord Windlesham sat under the cedar tree. His eyes rested on the graceful proportions of Wode Hall. But he wanted to see Linnet as mistress of Charltonbury, his own family seat – the girl with bright golden hair and a confident face…

He felt very hopeful. That refusal of hers had not been at all a definite refusal. It was like a plea for time. Well, he could afford to wait a little.

How amazingly suitable the whole thing was. It was certainly advisable that he should marry money, but he loved Linnet. He would have wanted to marry her even if she had been practically penniless. Only, fortunately, she was one of the richest girls in England.

His mind played with attractive plans for the future. Charles Windlesham dreamed in the sun.

Chapter 4

It was four o'clock when the old little two-seater stopped in front of the mansion. A girl got out of it – a small slender creature with a mop of dark hair. She ran up the steps and rang the bell. A few minutes later she was brought into the drawing-room, and a butler said with the proper intonation, “Miss de Bellefort.”

“Linnet!”

“Jackie!”

Windlesham stood a little aside, watching as this fiery little creature flung herself open-armed upon Linnet.

“Lord Windlesham – Miss de Bellefort – my best friend.”

A pretty child, he thought – not really pretty but decidedly attractive, with her dark curly hair and her enormous eyes. He murmured a few tactful nothings^[16] and then left the two friends together.

“Windlesham? Windlesham? That's the man the papers always say you're going to marry! Are you, Linnet? Are you?”

Linnet murmured, “Perhaps.”

“Darling – I'm so glad! He looks nice.”

“Oh, don't make up your mind about it – I haven't made up my own mind yet^[17].”

“Of course not! Queens are always very careful about the choosing of a consort!”

“Don't be ridiculous, Jackie.”

“But you are a queen, Linnet! You always were.”

“What nonsense you talk, Jackie darling! Where have you been all this time? You just disappear. And you never write.”

“I hate writing letters. Where have I been? In jobs, you know. Grim jobs with grim women!”

“Darling, I wish you'd – ”

“Take the Queen's bounty?^[18] Well, frankly, darling, that's what I'm here for. No, not to borrow money. But I've come to ask a great big important favour!”

“Go on.”

“If you're going to marry the Windlesham man, you'll understand, perhaps.”

Linnet looked puzzled for a minute; then her face cleared.

“Jackie, do you mean – ”

“Yes, darling, I'm engaged!”

“So that's it! I thought you were looking particularly alive somehow. You always do, of course, but even more than usual.”

“That's just what I feel like.”

“Tell me all about him.”

“His name's Simon Doyle. He's big and square and incredibly simple and boyish and utterly adorable! He's poor – got no money. He's what you call 'county' all right^[19] – but very impoverished county – a younger son and all that. His people come from Devonshire. He loves country and country things. And for the last five years he's been in the city in a stuffy office. And now they're cutting down and he's out of a job. Linnet, I shall die if I can't marry him! I shall die! I shall die! I shall die.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Jackie.”

“I shall die, I tell you! I'm crazy about him. He's crazy about me. We can't live without each other.”

“Darling, you have got it badly^[20]!”

“I know. It's awful, isn't it? But you can't do anything about it.”

She paused for a minute. “It's – even frightening sometimes! Simon and I were made for each other. I shall never care for anyone else. And you've got to help us, Linnet. I heard you'd bought this place and it put an idea into my head. Listen, you'll have to have a land agent^[21] – perhaps two. I want you to give the job to Simon.”

“Oh!” Linnet was startled.

Jacqueline went on: “He knows all about estates – was brought up on one. And he's got his business training too. Oh, Linnet, you will give him a job, won't you, for love of me? If he doesn't make good, sack him. But he will. And we can live in a little house, and I shall see lots of you, and everything will be divine.” She got up.

“Say you will, Linnet. Say you will. Beautiful Linnet! Tall golden Linnet! My own very special Linnet! Say you will!”

“Jackie – ”

“You will?”

Linnet burst out laughing.^[22]

“Ridiculous Jackie! Bring along your young man and let me have a look at him and we'll talk it over.”

“Darling Linnet – you're a real friend! I knew you were. You wouldn't let me down – ever. You're just the loveliest thing in the world. Good-bye.”

“But, Jackie, you're staying.”^[23]

“Me? No, I'm not. I'm going back to London, and tomorrow I'll come back and bring Simon and we'll settle it all up. You'll adore him. He really is a pet.”

“But can't you wait and just have tea?”

“No, I can't wait, Linnet. I'm too excited. I must get back and tell Simon. I know I'm mad, darling, but I can't help it. Marriage will cure me, I expect. It always seems to have a very sobering effect on people.^[24]”

She turned at the door, stood a moment, then rushed back for a last quick embrace.

“Dear Linnet – there's no one like you.”