Reluctant Relation Read Online Free PDF Page B

upstairs, telling herself that she was not really trembling, but just a little tired and shivery.
    It was an uneventful evening after that. At dinner time, in spite of her presence, Dick Manners asked his sister with frank curiosity, “What did Leigh want?”
    “To talk things over again, of course.”
    “I thought everything was irrevocably settled.”
    “It was. Only to Leigh nothing is ever irrevocably settled until he has his own way.”
    Dick laughed. “Yes, he’s an obstinate devil. Did he get you to see things in a different light?”
    “Certainly not,” said Felicity composedly. “I’m an obstinate devil too when I feel like it.”
    “How true!” agreed her brother, with feeling but without rancor. “Well, I’m glad we have Miss Greenway now, to see that Pearl isn’t dragged in and out of these emotional upsets. It’s agreed, I take it,” he glanced from one woman to the other, “that no mention is made to Pearl of Leigh’s visit here this evening.”
    “Of course,” said Meg gravely.
    “Of course,” agreed Felicity absently. And there the matter rested.
    Meg slept well in her comfortable bed, and woke to a beautiful, fresh morning. Pearl was standing beside her bed in her pyjamas.
    “Hello, darling.” Sleepily, she stretched out a hand and patted the little girl’s cheek. “What time is it?”
    “Half-past seven.”
    “Is that your usual getting-up time?”
    “Well, Mommy and Cecile always leave very early. Mommy calls it going away in the middle of the night. It has something to do with getting the right light for filming. I like to get up and have breakfast with her.”
    “Then I’ll get up too.” Meg sat up, yawned and smiled. “There are one or two things I must ask your mother about our program for today.”
    This seemed to delight Pearl, who skipped off to her own room to get dressed.
    Later, over the breakfast table, Meg discovered that Felicity was a very businesslike person at the beginni n g of the day. Also, somewhat unexpectedly, she ate a good breakfast, with the grim comment that she never knew when she would get the next meal. “I’ll be away all day,” she informed Meg. “You can make what arrangements you like. No, there’s no need to bother about household shopping. Cecile attends to that. All you need to do is to see that Pearl has her meals at the right times and doesn’t get into mischief.”
    “Does she have to do any lessons?”
    “I don’t know.” Already Felicity's thoughts were flitting ahead to her own affairs. “Do you do any lessons, darling?”
    “No. It’s vacation,” Pearl pointed out reproachfully.
    “All right. You can have a picnic ... or go into Newcastle, if you like. But if you go into Newcastle,” Felicity frowned slightly, “don’t go running around trying to find Leigh. I’m not very pleased with him right now.”
    Meg was so staggered by this casual mention of a more or less forbidden subject that she could hardly decide for a moment whether this remark had been addressed to her or to Pearl. Pearl, however, was in no doubt. Her eyes lit up with sudden interest, and she asked eagerly, “Is Leigh in Newcastle, then?”
    “Yes, of course. You know he lives there.”
    “I thought,” Pearl’s voice shook, “you said he’d gone away and would never come back.”
    “Did I? Oh, well, never’s a long time.” Felicity smiled to herself in a way that made Meg want to slap her.
    “Do you mean he hasn’t gone away?” Pearl persisted.
    “He hasn’t gone away from Newcastle,” her mother said impatiently. “You don’t go away from your home and your business just because ... well...” Even she seemed to see that the conversation was unsuitable for small ears. “Anyway, Pearl, that’s no concern of yours. Just don’t go around trying to find Leigh. And don’t go to his office.”
    “No,” Pearl shook her head obediently, but Meg noticed her tone was breathless with excitement. “Only, if we just happened to see