The Outcast Read Online Free PDF Page B

the house was all brightness.

    In the afternoon, during the party, Elizabeth stood on her own with her back to the bare window and Gilbert fought his way through his neighbours and friends to get to her.
    ‘You can say one thing for Dicky and Claire, they always have enough to drink,’ she said.
    ‘Lizzie, you promised to try to behave properly about this.’ ‘Darling, I love parties.’
    ‘You hate them.You hate people.’
    ‘Nonsense. People are adorable. I wonder what the children are doing. Rolling around in cake, I should think.’
    ‘Dicky wanted me to talk to him in the study. Or the library.’ ‘The study or the library or the gun room or the blue room
    or the pink standing-up room—’ ‘Elizabeth—’
    ‘What royal line was it he came from again? Oh, silly me! It was the Northern Line, wasn’t it? Straight out from Camden Town.’
    ‘Ssh! Lizzie, can you manage until I come back?’
    ‘Of course I can. I’ll findTommy Mulhall and flirt with him.’ ‘You do that. And eat something or you’ll drown.’
    ‘Ha-ha. See you later, darling.’
    He went, and Elizabeth stood and waited with the black windows behind her.

    Gilbert found Dicky in the library, standing by the fire and smoking a large cigar with his legs spread out as if he were

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    practising to be Winston Churchill. Gilbert thought of Lizzie and smiled.
    ‘Dicky. Lovely party. As always.’ ‘Another year over.’
    ‘Wonder if the next one will be any better.’
    ‘Human modus operandi seems to be making a mess of things and killing each other. Don’t see what can be done about it. Brandy?’
    Dicky had asked Gilbert to talk to him because he was going to promote him and they both knew it.
    ‘There’s a certain amount of entertaining amongst the execu- tives at Carmichael’s.Terribly important. Oh – you do have that flat in Chelsea, don’t you?’
    ‘Cadogan Square.’
    ‘Of course, we’ve been there, haven’t we? Elizabeth isn’t too keen on all that, I gather. Boring old business dinners, and so forth.’
    ‘Nonsense.’
    ‘Well, we’ll see. Claire’s always been marvellous at that kind of thing.’
    ‘Claire’s a charming hostess.’
    ‘Well, her family, you know . . .’ He let their joint know- ledge of Claire’s superior family hang silently in the air for a while.‘But also Elizabeth isn’t—’
    ‘I was away for a long time.’
    ‘So much of business is about one’s social—’ ‘I understand.’
    ‘Claire says she doesn’t see much of Elizabeth.What do they get up to, our wives, I wonder? Actually I know what Claire gets up to, spending my money,’ he laughed. ‘Elizabeth isn’t much of a one for the shops, is she? Not all that interested

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    in the high life? Enjoys a party though, by all accounts.’ ‘She’s very sensible.’
    ‘I’m sure. I’m sure.Terribly important to be one of the gang though, isn’t it?’
    Gilbert was too angry to speak. He smiled and nodded. ‘Anyway.All that taken into account, I’d like you to take over
    the reins from old man Roberts. From April. If you’re inter- ested.’
    He teased out the conversation some more and wouldn’t go into detail about money, and Gilbert didn’t like him or the way he spoke or the way he stood there, but he took it, and he told himself how pleased he was, and gradually became pleased as the meeting drew to a close. It was a good deal and he was happy about it. He just didn’t want to have to look at Dicky’s face any more and he wanted to take Lizzie home where she belonged and love her there. She was too good for any of them. She had her own way of looking at things. She was his and she was clever and lovely and he didn’t know what she saw in him, but he was grateful.
    ‘Cheers then,’ said Dicky.‘To the new year; hard times over, good ones on the way, whatever anyone says. 1948.’
    ‘1948.’

    The two men drank brandy to seal their deal and the air down- stairs was hot and thick, while upstairs, in a linen