Casting Off Read Online Free PDF

standing in the open doorway to the office.
    ‘Look here, I’d no idea I was putting you out. I can easily get back on a train.’
    ‘It’s all right, old boy.’ He felt intensely irritated: Rupert must have heard every word he’d been saying – probably given the whole show away . . .
    ‘I didn’t realize that you were going on somewhere – much better if you put me on a train.’
    If he drove straight from the station to Diana’s he could get there in an hour and a half . . .
    ‘Well, if it’s all the same to you . . . Let’s have a quick one first. There’s quite a nice little pub up the road.’
    While they were having the drink he told Rupert about Diana, about how long the affair had been going on, about how he really didn’t feel ‘that way’ about Villy any more, about Diana’s husband having died leaving her with practically not a bean and four children. ‘It’s a hell of a mess,’ he said, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ It was an enormous relief, he discovered, to have someone to talk to about it.
    ‘Do you want to marry her?’
    ‘Well, that’s the problem, you see.’ As he said this, he realized that he did want to very much indeed. ‘You know, if you’ve had somebody’s child—’
    ‘You didn’t say that—’
    ‘Didn’t I? As a matter of fact, she’s almost certainly had two of mine. You can see how it is – it makes you feel responsible – difficult just to walk out – leave her and all that.’
    Rupert was silent. Edward began to be afraid that he was going to start disapproving of him – like Hugh. He couldn’t bear the idea of that: he desperately wanted someone on his side. ‘I really do love her,’ he said. ‘It wouldn’t have gone on so long if I didn’t love her more than anyone I’ve ever met. And, anyway, how do you think she’d feel if I simply walked out on her?’
    ‘I don’t suppose Villy would feel too good if you left her . Does she know about it?’
    ‘Good God, no! Not a thing.’
    As Rupert remained silent, he said, ‘What do you think I should do?’
    ‘I suppose you feel that whichever you did would be wrong.’
    ‘That’s it! That’s it exactly.’
    ‘And I suppose that she – Diana – wants to marry you?’
    ‘Well – we haven’t actually talked about it, but I’m pretty sure that she does.’ He gave a small, embarrassed laugh. ‘She keeps saying she adores me – that kind of thing. Do you want another?’ He’d noticed that Rupert had been staring into the bottom of his glass for some minutes now, but he shook his head.
    ‘I suppose you’ll just have to decide one way or the other.’
    ‘It’s a hell of a decision to make, though, isn’t it?’ It was all very well for Rupert to say that – he was not exactly known in the family as a decision-maker. ‘I thought,’ he said, ‘that perhaps I ought to wait until Villy’s found a house that she likes – get her installed in it, you know – before I – do anything. We ought to be off. I’ll just give her – Diana, I mean – a ring to tell her I will be back for dinner.’
    On the way to the station he said, ‘I would love you to meet her.’
    ‘All right.’
    ‘You will? Hugh has absolutely refused to.’
    ‘Hugh knows about her, then?’
    ‘He sort of knows, but he refuses to understand the situation, simply buries his head in the sand, whereas Diana and I have agreed it’s much better to talk about things quite openly and frankly.’
    ‘Except to Villy?’
    ‘That’s different, old boy, you must see that. I can’t exactly discuss it with her until I’ve made up my mind to take the plunge.’
    As he let Rupert out of the car he said, ‘Nobody else knows about this, by the way.’
    Rupert said all right.
    ‘I’m really grateful to you letting me go off like this.’
    ‘I’m not letting —’
    ‘I mean, taking the train so that I don’t have to let Diana down.’
    ‘Oh, that! That’s OK by me – I’ve got all the time in the world.’
    It