Dark Room

persuaded Russell that Adam would back off the minute I became Mrs. Landy, because whatever he might want to do to Russell, Adam would never drag me in the mud. And I was right. He didn't.'

Alan pondered over that for a moment, thinking that far from being passive, Jinx was describing herself as a consummate manipulator. 'Didn't it ever occur to you that your father would react the way he did?'

She frowned, but didn't say anything.

'If my math is correct, Russell was only twelve years his junior. Did you seriously think Adam would welcome him as a son-in-law?'

'Of course not, but at the time Adam found out, there was no question of my marrying Russell. Look, we were having a quiet little affair which was nobody's business but our own.' She stared wretchedly at her hands.

'Who told him?'

'My brothers.'

'And how did they know?'

She smoothed the sheet across her lap. 'Russell used to write to me during vacations, and they opened one of his letters and showed it to Adam. I should have expected it, really. They were always looking for my clay feet.' She paused. 'The irony is, my father's hated them for it ever since. I think he knows that nothing would have come of the affair if they hadn't drawn it to his attention.'

'Are you saying you wouldn't have married Russell if you hadn't felt guilty about what your father did?'

She gave her faint smile. 'He was thoroughly miserable, so yes, Reader, I married him. Actually, I was pretty miserable too. I had another year at Oxford after he'd gone and it was just a series of tearful phone calls. I thought we'd both be happier if we made the thing official.'

'But you weren't?'

She didn't answer.

'How long were you married?' asked Protheroe.

She looked at him. 'Three years.'

'And you didn't enjoy it?' he persisted.

'I found it very stifling. He was afraid I was going to leave him for a younger man, and became jealous of everyone.' She seemed to think she was being disloyal. 'Look, it wasn't that bad. He was very funny when he was on form, and when I think of him now it's with affection. On the whole, the good times far outweighed the bad.'

Quite unconsciously, Alan echoed Fraser's thoughts of the day before. What a dismal epitaph on a dead husband. When I think of him now it's with affection. But how clear it was to Alan that she tried not to think of him at all.

'As a matter of interest,' he asked curiously, 'did you approve of his smuggling?'

She picked at her fingernails. 'I shared his views on the idiocy of criminalizing cannabis. Or any drugs in fact. Black markets always undermine social orders. But I thought he was a fool to have done it. Someone was bound to find out about it sooner or later.'

'What sort of a lover was he?'

She gave a snort of laughter. 'I wondered when we'd get round to that. Sigmund Freud has a lot to answer for. Why do you give so much credence to the fantastic theories of a cocaine addict? I've never understood that.'

He smiled. 'I don't think we do anymore, or not to the extent you're suggesting. Freud has his place in history.' He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs, deliberately extending the space between them. 'But wouldn't you agree that the sexual relationship between a man and a woman is an integral part of the whole relationship?'

'No. I don't have sex with Eric Clancey and I get on better with him than anyone else.'

'He being your elderly neighbor?' She nodded. 'Yes, well, I was referring to relationships where there is a sexual content.'

'And you've had my answer. In my experience the best relationships have no sexual content whatsoever.' She reached for her cigarettes. 'In fact, Russell was a good lover. He knew which buttons to press, and when, and he was considerate and not overly demanding. Bed was one of the few places where we could communicate on a level playing field because it was only there that Russell could put aside his jealousy.' She lit a cigarette. 'There was no telephone in our bedroom, so Adam couldn't reach me.'

Adam again. 'Was there any basis for his jealousy? Were you attracted to other men?'

'Of course,' she said honestly, 'In my shoes, so would you have been. The grass looked a great deal greener on the other side of the marital fence, but I never did anything about it.' She drew deeply on her cigarette. 'It was my father he was really jealous of. He recognized that Adam was as possessive as he was, and it frightened him. He was sure Adam would win in the end.'

'You told me the other day that you loved your father. Was that true, or were you telling me what you thought I wanted to hear?'

'It was partly true.' She eyed him with sudden amusement. 'I never know whether I want to sit on his lap and be hugged by him, or dance a jig of freedom on his grave. I expect Freud would have found me fascinating.'

'Does he ever hug you?'

She shook her head. 'He hates demonstrations of affection. I kiss him on the cheek sometimes if I catch him unawares, but most of the time he won't even touch me.'

'Does he hug your stepmother?'

'No.'