Superfluous Women Read Online Free PDF Page A

hear it. And speaking of food, I’m hungry. I missed lunch today, as usual.”
    â€œI’m ready, let’s go down.”
    They went to the saloon bar first for a predinner drink. The barman was surly, and Alec got the impression that Daisy was a particular target of his scowl. When they sat down, she explained.
    Alec laughed, but said, “Your friends have just recently moved here, didn’t they? I’d have thought they’d do better not to start out by antagonising people.”
    â€œWillie said they’ll stick to the White Horse in future. They’ve been in a couple of times without anyone objecting.” Daisy bristled. “I don’t see why women shouldn’t have a quiet drink in a respectable bar just because they don’t happen to have a male escort.”
    â€œNor do I, love, so there’s no need to look daggers at me! It sounds as if your friend handled it just right.”
    â€œThat’s what I thought,” she said, mollified.
    â€œIf I’m meeting them tomorrow, you’d better tell me a bit about them,” Alec proposed.
    Daisy was glad to oblige. The harmonious m é nage she described seemed to Alec to be a bit too good to be true. He’d come across quite a few households made up of “superfluous women,” and in his experience they were liable to suffer from most of the same sources of discord as the average marriage.
    Not that he would say so to Daisy.
    When they went to the dining room, he noted with amusement that she was on the friendliest terms with the staff, especially Sally Hedger. Obviously the barman’s attitude had not affected the others.
    As usual, Daisy made friends wherever she went. He regarded her fondly across the table, happy to see the natural colour returned to her cheeks, the bounce and shine to her hair. She hadn’t coughed once since he arrived.
    *   *   *
    The clouds dissipated overnight and the sun shone bright in the pale blue sky. Though it gave little warmth as yet, it promised a perfect autumn day. After breakfast, Alec drove Daisy to Burnham Beeches, where they rambled through the ancient forest, glowing golden in its autumn glory.
    Alec found it exhilarating. He was amused at Daisy’s awe. She wasn’t easily awed. He had to agree that the straight grey trunks of the beech trees gave the impression of a vast cathedral spreading as far as the eye could see in every direction.
    It was chilly in the shade of the woodland paths, but when they returned to the open area of heather and birch where Alec had parked the car, the sun was surprisingly warm. Daisy shed scarves and gloves and coat and even, defying propriety, her woolly hat.
    â€œYou’ll get cold.”
    â€œI can easily put them on again. It’s hardly any distance back to the hotel, though, and if you drive fast, we’ll be there in no time.”
    â€œTwenty miles an hour.”
    â€œThe most disregarded law in the country,” Daisy teased.
    â€œBut I’m a copper.”
    She laughed. “And if coppers all drove no faster than twenty, they’d never ever catch anyone.”
    Alec proceeded at his usual steady thirty miles an hour, keeping an eye out for coppers. Mindful that life is precious and fragile—the doctor had spoken of pneumonia—he held Daisy’s hand as he drove except when he needed his to change gears. They didn’t often manage to spend more than a few hours alone together. Damn those well-meaning friends of hers and their invitation!
    After washing and changing at the hotel, they drove to Cherry Trees.
    The ladies welcomed them warmly. As soon as Daisy had introduced Alec, Isabel Sutcliffe, a strapping creature, excused herself to go and see to the gravy. Vera Leighton appeared to be average in every way, the sort of person one met and immediately forgot. Daisy’s schoolfriend, Miss Wilhelmina Chandler, was small and fluffy. Alec recalled with a start