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and she sat down. But within little more than a minute Kaliph came
bounding along, Richard strolling along behind him. Vicky decided
they must talk at once, must discuss their problem and try and resolve
it.
He slackened his pace on seeing her there, then came and stood
looking down at her for a long moment, his face an expressionless
mask.
'I suppose,' he began stiffly, 'that I should apologise for last night --'
'It's best forgotten,' interrupted Vicky, colouring up. 'There are more
important matters for you and me to discuss.' Automatically she
moved to one end of the seat 'Have you the time now?' So calm, so
composed her attitude towards him; she had certainly grown up since
that fateful day when she had overheard the words that had broken
her heart&
'Important matters?' he frowned, ignoring her silent invitation to sit
down.
'Surely you must know that we have to talk? Please sit down,
Richard.' Her voice was as unemotional as her manner, which amazed
her, for deep within her the pain was almost more than she could bear.
To be near him like this, loving him as she did, to be admitting that it
would be heaven to feel his strong arms about her, his hard
demanding lips taking possession of hers ... all this brought the
burning tears to Vicky's eyes and she hastily turned aside, determined
not to let him even suspect that she still had any love for him.
He sat down, his body erect, his profile taut. Was he still thinking
about Louisa...? Without preamble Vicky spoke, a stiffness in her
tone that even to her own ears sounded unfriendly.
'We can't go on like this, Richard, I am sure you'll agree. So I've
decided we must part have a divorce.'
'A ... divorce,' he murmured, and it did seem to Vicky that his whole
demeanour was one of relief. 'Because of last night --?'
'Because neither of us is happy,' she interrupted swiftly.
Richard turned to glance at her profile, saying, after a reflective
moment, -
'What about your father? You extracted a promise from me to the
effect that this trouble should be kept from him.'
Vicky nodded, but immediately spoke of the idea that had come to
her, in a flash, just a few seconds before he had come walking along
the lakeside.
'I feel I could gradually pave the way by dropping him a hint now and
then. You see,' she went on to explain, 'I've an idea that he might
already be having some suspicions that our marriage isn't perfect.'
'You have?' Strangely, Richard was not revealing too much surprise
at all over this piece of information.
'He bought me the horse because I'd been appearing depressed --'
'But at that time you hadn't discovered...' He stopped, having
difficulty with his phrasing and Vicky finished the sentence for him.
'... the reason why you married me. No, I hadn't, but I'd been unhappy
because you went out and left me. I didn't tell Father that you went
out in the evenings, of course, but I must have given him the
impression that I was not happy, because he mentioned it later, saying
that there had been an occasion when he suspected I was not feeling
as happy as I ought. I convinced him he was wrong,' she added,
'because at that time I was happy again.' She slanted him a glance,
expecting he would question her about this but he remained silent,
staring across to the far bank of the lake where two swans and their
three fluffy brown cygnets were swimming about beneath a feathery
cover of weeping willow trees whose branches were trailing the
water. 'As I was saying,' she continued at length, 'I feel I can prepare
Father for the divorce by dropping these hints. In this way he won't be
too shocked when I finally tell him that the marriage has broken up.'
'You appear to have it all sorted out,' observed her husband tautly.
'I'm not willing to continue with this life. You'll be free to marry
Louisa --'
'I want to talk about Louisa,' began Richard, but Vicky cut him short,
unable to listen to anything at all about the girl her husband loved.
And because she wanted to hit back, to prove to him that she too
could have a future, she said coldly,
'And I would be free to marry too, if I wished.' The Labrador,
standing with his head cocked, looking into the water, caught Vicky's
attention at that moment and so she missed the scowl that fleetingly
crossed her husband's face.
'You would marry again?' The element of disbelief in his voice
brought two bright spots of angry colour to her face and caused her to
flash at him instantly,
'Why not! I'm only young. Of course I shall marry again and to a
man who isn't interested in money!' Why she added this she would
never know. She certainly had not meant to do so. It angered Richard,
naturally, but he let it pass, asking if she had arranged to see John
Bailey again.
'Because if you have,' he said between his teeth, 'you can cancel the
date! While you are my wife you'll remember your position. I'll have
no scandal attached to your name!'
Her eyes blazed.
'If you can have Louisa then I can have John! We discussed that last
night!'
'There was no discussion. You made a statement.'
'What does it matter? You have her and therefore you've forfeited any
rights you have over my affair with John. In fact, you've forfeited all
your rights as a husband.' For a moment she paused, as if preparing
him for her next words. 'If there's ever another night like last night
then I shall go straight back to my father.' It was a brave statement,
but she knew full well that she would never submit Wallace to a
shock like that. Richard knew nothing of her father's illness, so he
would obviously take her threat seriously. However, she was soon to
learn that the threat was unnecessary, as Richard assured her there
never would be another night like last night.
'You inflamed me,' he reminded her, and even now his temper flared,
as if he were still half-blaming her for something he bitterly regretted.
'I warned you not to goad me.
'Can we get back to the question of a divorce?' said Vicky. 'I expect
you know how to go about it?' 'Seeing that I haven't had a divorce
before no, I don't know how to go about it.'
'Your solicitor will do everything,' she retorted, aware that he was
being sarcastic, icily so, judging by his tone and the cold stare he gave
her.
'I expect he will.' The Labrador was at Richard's knee again and he
put out a hand to stroke his head. 'I haven't had your assurance that
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