‘Yes, but now what,’ said Lady Marjorie, running in some more hot water. She yelled to make herself heard above the noise, ‘I can’t stay in this lousy hole all the summer.’
‘I can’t see why not.’
‘It’s not quite my dish, darling, now is it?’
‘When you come to think of it this pub isn’t at all uncomfortable, and you couldn’t fail to find the local life wildly entertaining if only you would throw yourself into it more.’
‘I can’t do that you see. I don’t like any of the people, except, of course, Eugenia.’
‘Hate them then. Do you a lot of good. You’ve never hated anyone in your life, or loved anyone either. You don’t know the meaning of real emotion, and that’s why you can’t make up your mind about the duke.’
‘I love you,’ said Lady Marjorie.
‘Well, I think perhaps you do,’ said Poppy, ‘there’s nothing radically wrong with your nature, darling, but your upbringing and environment, so far, have been lousy. I never met anybody more unfitted to cope with the ordinary contingencies of life – especially the emotional side of it.’
‘Would you marry Osborne?’
‘I’ve told you a thousand times. These vague romantic impulses won’t do anybody any good, and least of all yourself, it’s not as though you had any real reason for breaking it off. If I were you I should go straight home and say you’re sorry.’
‘I don’t exactly mean would you marry him if you were me. I mean would you marry him if you were you?’
‘Well, I suppose I would. He’s a duke, and I should have a diamond tiara, very nice.’
‘But if he wasn’t a duke?’
‘My darling Marge, the whole thing about Osborne is that he is a duke. People can’t be divorced from their status in life like that. You might as well say if George Robey wasn’t an actor, or if Hitler wasn’t a Führer. They just wouldn’t be Hitler or George Robey, that’s all.’
‘No I suppose they wouldn’t. Then we stay here do we?’
‘Oh! let’s. I tell you this village is a highly interesting place just at present. Besides, I’m enjoying my flip with Mr Aspect a whole heap.’
‘Poppy.’
‘Mm.’
‘Aren’t you still in love with Anthony?’
‘Oh – in love. I don’t really know. I’m extremely angry with him at present, but as for love –’
‘Does he want to marry the girl do you think?’
‘God knows what Anthony wants, ever. If he doesn’t marry her I can promise you that he’ll be eating out of my hand again in a few months’ time. He always comes drearily trundling back to me after these little incidents. But this time I don’t feel at all certain that I’ll take him back. I believe it would be better to make a clean break at last. Sometimes I think I really can’t stand it any longer. You see, supposing he comes back now, fearfully penitent, and rather sweet as he always is, the whole routine will be certain to start again before long. About the beginning of next season, I should think, he will be falling for some awful little débutante, and she’ll have to be in my house morning, noon, and night, with me always about the place as a suitable chaperone. The girl will hate me, because the poor little fool will suppose that I am the only obstacle to her eternal happiness, and I shall be bored into fits by her idiotic chatter. If only he would choose rather more companionable ones I might be able to bear it, or if he would have a straightforward affair with a married woman in her own house – these sentimental attachments to little girls in mine are so humiliating. Really, now I come to think of it, I’m absolutely sick and tired of Anthony St Julien.’
‘Poor sweet. And you’re still in love with him, aren’t you?’ said Lady Marjorie, slowly emerging from her bath into the towel which Poppy was holding out for her.
‘I suppose I am, really. I’ve got into the habit of being in love with him, and you know how hard it is breaking oneself of habits.’
Jasper and Noel meanwhile were sitting in the bar drinking beer, which they fondly supposed would give them an appetite for the joint of beef whose luscious odours were at that very moment floating about the passage, stairs, and landing of the Jolly Roger.
‘Jasper, old boy,’ said Noel, who was in a particularly expansive mood, ‘I really think you might have been nicer to Anne-Marie. She was most awfully upset after you had pitched into her like that over Social Unionism the other day. I told her you didn’t mean a word of what you said, but that you would always take up any standpoint for the sake of an argument.’
‘And that’s not strictly true either. I believe a great deal of what I said, and if I were in any way politically minded, which I’m not, I should most certainly join the Social Unionist Movement.’
‘You have, old boy.’
‘Splendid, so I have. So have you. Fine girl, Eugenia. Incidentally you’re not making much headway with your bride-to-be, are you?’
‘I’ve decided that Eugenia can keep,’ said Noel carelessly. ‘She doesn’t look much like a marrying girl to me at present, a few months one way or the other won’t make all that difference, and in any case I’m potty about Anne-Marie. Don’t you agree that she is an exquisite beauty?’
‘She’s all right,’ said Jasper. ‘Too bitchy for me though. And why full evening dress at tea-time?’
‘It wasn’t full evening dress you idiot, it was a little beach frock.’
‘Well, I reckon we must be
