“Well then, Peter, we’d better get back to our film.”
“Yes,” said Peter. “I’m awfully sorry for bringing you here.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” said Molly.
Peter was still puzzled by the whole business.
“Grainger,” he said. “Had Mrs. Lyne been out this evening? To a party or anything?”
“Oh, no, my lord. She’s been in all day.”
“Alone?”
“Quite alone, my lord.”
“Extraordinary thing. Well come on, Molly. Good night, Grainger. Take care of Mrs. Lyne. I think she ought to see a doctor.”
“I’ll take care of her,” said Grainger.
They went down in the lift together, in silence, each full of thought. When they reached the hall Peter said, “Well, that was rum.”
“Very rum.”
“You know,” said Peter, “if it had been anyone else but Angela, I should have thought she was tight.”
“Darling, she was plastered.”
“Are you sure?”
“My dear, stinko paralytico.”
“Well, I don’t know what to think. It certainly looked like it. But Angela…besides her maid said she hadn’t been out all the evening. I mean to say people don’t get tight alone.”
Suddenly Molly put her arms round Peter’s neck and kissed him warmly. “Bless you,” she said. “Now we’ll go to that cinema.”
It was the first time anyone had ever kissed Peter like that. He was so surprised that in the taxi he made no attempt to follow it up; so surprised that he thought about nothing else all through the film. “God Save the King” brought him back to reality with a jolt. He was still pensive while he led Molly to supper. It was hysteria, he decided; the girl was naturally upset at the scene they had been through. She’s probably frightfully embarrassed about it now; best not to refer to it.
But Molly was not prepared to let the matter drop.
“Oysters,” she said. “Only a dozen. Nothing else,” and then, though the waiter was still beside her, “Were you surprised when I kissed you just now?”
“No,” said Peter hastily, “certainly not. Not at all.”
“Not at all? You mean to say you expected me to?”
“No, no. Of course not. You know what I mean.”
“I certainly don’t. I think it’s very conceited of you not to be surprised. Do you always have this effect on girls, or is it just the uniform?”
“Molly, don’t be a beast. If you must know, I was surprised.”
“And shocked?”
“No, just surprised.”
“Yes,” said Molly, seeing it was not kind to tease him any more. “I was surprised, too. I’ve been wondering about it in the cinema.”
“So have I,” said Peter.
“That’s how I like you,” said Molly, as though she were a photographer catching a happy expression. She saw the likeness herself and added, “Hold it.”
“Really, Molly, I don’t understand you a bit tonight.”
“Oh but you must, really you must, Peter. I’m sure you were a fascinating little boy.”
“Come to think of it, I believe I was.”
“You mustn’t ever try playing the old rip again, Peter. Not with me, at any rate. Now don’t pretend you don’t understand that. I like you puzzled, Peter, but not absolutely cretinous. You know, I nearly despaired of you tonight. You would go on bucking about what a gay dog you’d been. I thought I could never go through with it.”
“Through with what?”
“Marrying you. Mother’s terribly keen I should, though I can’t think why. I should have thought from her point of view you were about the end. But no, nothing else would do but that I must marry you. So I’ve tried to be good and I’ve let you bound away about the good old days till I thought I should have to pour something on your head. Thought I couldn’t bear it any more and I’d decided to tell Mother it was off. Then we met Mrs. Lyne and everything was all right.”
“It seemed awfully awkward to me.”
“Of course it did. You looked like a little boy at his private school when his father has come to the sports in the wrong kind of hat. An adorable little boy.”
“Well,” said Peter, “I suppose as long as you’re satisfied…”
“Yes, I think ‘satisfied’ is the word. You’ll do. And Sarah and Betty’ll be as sick as cats.”
“How did you decide?” asked Margot, when Peter told her of his engagement.
