Rose in Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page B

them. (Sari herself was a great dasher off to loos. ‘I must go for a quick wee,’ she would say, emerging half an hour later with a brand new face-do and general air of radiance that halted reproaches on masculine lips.)
    Or even sprinkle them with water, agreed Rufie, it being after all, an umbrella. But the parasols did smell terribly oily. What about a pet?—poor Nan, so lonely without her husband. A hamster?—in a very special cage to make it more expensive because hamsters were probably quite cheap and one did want to make it a really handsome present. Sari, however, was not too sure that a hamster would sufficiently compensate for the departed husband—Bertrand his name had been, wouldn’t you know?—and there’d be all that cleaning out to do. They decided at last to ring up Etho. Etho was terribly good on presents and might even come in with them, so they could do something really stupendous.
    Etho rose to the occasion in his usual delighted fashion and suggested a pot of orchids, frightfully expensive and apparently they took the most ghastly amount of care and attention, quite as much as Nan could possibly have lavished on Bertrand, so would occupy her in that way, and no problem about cleaning out. He readily agreed to come in on it, and by the way he would collect her and bring her over to the lunch and a couple of bottles too. Etho was one of the Eight, really the first and to Sari most important of the Eight, but he played life very cool, keeping himself to himself, amused by them all, entertained, fond, indeed devoted—but uninvolved. He had known Sari from the days of The Spanish Steps, which had been made by the company he worked for; indeed had probably been the archway through whom she had made most of her friends in this country. She had lived largely abroad until she had come here to make the picture, and had no other ties in England. He explained it all to Nan, driving her up to the Hampstead flat for lunch. ‘Oh, and I warn you that a presie may be on the way.’ He loyally suppressed any mention of the orchids but described the proposal for a Japanese-sunshade hat.
    Nan was much alarmed. ‘But they wouldn’t really have done it?’
    ‘Don’t you believe it! They get caught up with these ideas—of course they’re hopped-up half the time....’
    ‘You don’t mean—on drugs?’ said Nan, shocked.
    ‘Well, it’s only a bit of pot. And not Sari, she never touches the stuff. But Rufie gets lit and then he incites her to further mad ideas, which after all are very ingenious—and nothing will stop them. We had a friend once, well not too unlike yourself, as a matter of fact, and they broke into her flat while she was away and painted it throughout in a lovely Van Gogh yellow. Like walking into sunshine, they said, and so warm and cheering for her after all those dismal greys and greens she’d had before. They were genuinely miserable when she said it was more like walking into a tub of butter and brought in the decorators, with more nice muted greens and greys.’
    ‘Of course Sari could live in a Van Gogh yellow flat— and wear a chrysanthemum hat,’ said Nan, a tiny bit jealous of the friend not too much unlike herself. She was consumed with interest in them all and especially in Sari, but hitherto had not quite liked to ask too many questions. ‘That’s not her real name, I suppose? I mean, no one could really be called Sari Morne?’
    ‘No, no, Norma Jean Baker I dare say. She says it was Maria Bloggs and no one can shake her, but that’s only Sari-nonsense. Solon asked her when he first met her and she simply said, “Sari Morne.” Of course he knew it wasn’t true but what did that matter? It was a great name for cinema.’
    ‘I don’t even know who Solon is.’
    ‘Well, he’s was, because he’s dead now. He was my boss and it was he who found Sari and as it were created her.’
    ‘As a film star?’
    Etho liked Nan very much. It was he who had introduced her into