“Splendid.
We shall all be coming to her soon to solve our economic problems.
But I daresay you and John miss her?”
“Yes, we do rather.”
“Well please give her my kindest regards.”
“I will indeed.
Thank you so much.”
Tony left the church porch and made his accustomed way to the hot houses; a gardenia for himself; four almost black carnations for the ladies.
When he reached the room where they were sitting there was a burst of laughter.
He paused on the threshold rather bewildered:
“Come in, darling, it isn't anything.
It's only we had a bet on what coloured button-hole you'd be wearing and none of us won.”
They still giggled a little as they pinned on the flowers he had brought them; all except Mrs. Beaver who said,
“Any time you are buying cuttings or seeds do get them through me.
I've made quite a little business of it, perhaps you didn't know … all kinds of rather unusual flowers.
I do everything like that for Sylvia Newport and all sorts of people.”
“You must talk to my head man about it.”
“Well to tell you the truth I have — this morning while you were in church.
He seems quite to understand.”
They left early, so as to reach London in time for dinner.
In the car Daisy said,
“Golly what a house.”
“Now you can see what I've been through all these years.”
“My poor Brenda,” said Veronica, unpinning her carnation and throwing it from the window into the side of the road.
“You know,” Brenda confided next day,
“I'm not absolutely happy about Tony.”
“What's the old boy been up to?” asked Polly.
“Nothing much yet, but I do see it's pretty boring for him at Hetton all this time.”
“I shouldn't worry.”
“Oh, I'm not worrying.
It's only, supposing he took to drink or something.
It would make everything very difficult.”
“I shouldn't have said that was his thing … We must get him interested in a girl.”
“If only we could … Who is there?”
“There's always old Sybil.”
“Darling, he's known her all his life.”
“Or Souki de Foucauld-Esterhazy.”
“He isn't his best with Americans.”
“Well we'll find him someone.”
“The trouble is that I've become such a habit with him — he won't take easily to a new one … ought she to be like me, or quite different?”
“I'd say, different, but it's hard to tell.”
They discussed this problem in all its aspects.
Three
Brenda wrote:
Darling Tony, Sorry not to have written or rung up but I've had such a busy time with bimetallism. v. complicated.
Coming down Saturday with Polly again.
Good her coming twice — Lyonesse can't be as beastly as most of the rooms can it.
Also charming girl I have taken up with who I want us to be kind to.
She'd had a terrible life and she lives in one of these flats called Jenny Abdul Akbar.
Not black but married one.