The Birthday Present Read Online Free PDF Page B

had put his head round the door and now beckoned to her.
    ‘You’ve got a nice little voice, my dear.’ He slipped a sixpence into her hand. ‘You need an agent. That’s the way it’s done. I’ll keep my ear to the ground.’
    She loved the look of him – every inch the military man with his large but neatly clipped moustache, sun-bleached hair from his years of service in Africa, and the still steely blue eyes. If she had been a soldier under him, she’d have followed him into battle without the slightest hesitation. Of course he was long since retired but he still had that indefinable air of authority that Rose admired. He was old enough to be her father but she could still imagine herself married to him and living in the nice house in Elm Tree Avenue with his elderly sister and the yappy little Scottie dog whose name she could never remember.
    It was natural for Rose to consider any reasonable man as a possible future husband and age was no barrier. When eventually she wanted to settle down she would look for someone kind with just enough money to live a modest but happy family life. He needn’t be handsome or rich or even talented, she told herself, but he must love her and the children. And he must be straight as a die. No crooks would be considered for the role. But all that was in the distant future. Before that time arrived she wanted to be famous.
    Another man appeared in the doorway and greeted Rose. ‘Have you heard? The colonel’s been burgled again.’
    ‘No!’ cried Rose. ‘Oh, that’s awful!’ She turned to him. ‘That’s so unlucky, Colonel. Have they any idea who it was?’
    ‘None at all. I’m afraid after last time my faith in our local constabulary somewhat dwindled!’ He shrugged. ‘Not to worry! They didn’t get the good stuff, thank the Lord. That’s in the safe.’ He patted her shoulder. ‘Now don’t give it another thought, Miss Lamore. That’s for me to worry about. You concentrate on your career, my dear. You get along home before it gets dark.’
    Rose took his advice but as she walked home she thought about the burglary and all her childhood terrors returned as dark memories, to heap guilt upon her slim shoulders once again. When she was five her father had gone away for a long time and nobody would tell her where he had gone. Her mother and grandmother wept over his disappearance while assuring Rose that there was nothing to worry about and she must forget all about it and she was thoroughly confused and frightened. When Alan Paton finally came home life had changed in a way she didn’t understand but she somehow felt responsible. Much later, she was told by an interfering neighbour that he had gone to prison for robbery, that it was a terrible stain on the family’s good name, and she warned Rose never to speak of it for fear of giving her mother a heart attack.
    Halfway home, she realized that PC Stump had not put in an appearance and she finally caught up with another constable. He told her that PC Stump had been called to the hospital urgently because their baby was arriving early and there were complications. By the time she reached number twenty-three all her earlier excitement had faded and her father’s news that he had won two pounds on a horse in the five thirty failed to cheer her up.
    Marcus finished his breakfast and left the dining room. He had eaten very little, plagued by anxiety about the coming party. It was Marie’s birthday and he was having doubts about the wisdom of introducing Rose Paton to his family. Marie would appreciate her but Letitia might be jealous of her looks and talent and Steven might flirt with her. His younger brother had a very flattering opinion of himself and rarely found it difficult to attract women. Janetta had so far proved a solitary disappointment to him but that may have been because Letitia had warned her friend that twenty-year-old Steven, like plenty of men of his age, was rather shallow, inclined to treat the