第89章

Connie arrived home to an ordeal of cross-questioning.Clifford had been out at tea-time,had come in just before the storm,and where was her ladyship?Nobody knew,only Mrs Bolton suggested she had gone for a walk into the wood.Into the wood,in such a storm!Clifford for once let himself get into a state of nervous frenzy.He started at every flash of lightning,and blenched at every roll of thunder.He looked at the icy thunder-rain as if it dare the end of the world.He got more and more worked up.

Mrs Bolton tried to soothe him.

'She'll be sheltering in the hut,till it's over.Don't worry,her Ladyship is all right.'

'I don't like her being in the wood in a storm like this!I don't like her being in the wood at all!She's been gone now more than two hours.

When did she go out?'

'A little while before you came in.'

'I didn't see her in the park.God knows where she is and what has happened to her.'

'Oh,nothing's happened to her.You'll see,she'll be home directly after the rain stops.It's just the rain that's keeping her.'

But her ladyship did not come home directly the rain stopped.In fact time went by,the sun came out for his last yellow glimpse,and there still was no sign of her.The sun was set,it was growing dark,and the first dinner-gong had rung.

'It's no good!'said Clifford in a frenzy.'I'm going to send out Field and Betts to find her.'

'Oh don't do that!'cried Mrs Bolton.'They'll think there's a suicide or something.Oh don't start a lot of talk going.Let me slip over to the hut and see if she's not there.I'll find her all right.'

So,after some persuasion,Clifford allowed her to go.

And so Connie had come upon her in the drive,alone and palely loitering.

'You mustn't mind me coming to look for you,my Lady!But Sir Clifford worked himself up into such a state.He made sure you were struck by lightning,or killed by a falling tree.And he was determined to send Field and Betts to the wood to find the body.So I thought I'd better come,rather than set all the servants agog.

She spoke nervously.She could still see on Connie's face the smoothness and the half-dream of passion,and she could feel the irritation against herself.

'Quite!'said Connie.And she could say no more.

The two women plodded on through the wet world,in silence,while great drops splashed like explosions in the wood.Ben they came to the park,Connie strode ahead,and Mrs Bolton panted a little.She was getting plumper.

'How foolish of Clifford to make a fuss!'said Connie at length,angrily,really speaking to herself.

'Oh,you know what men are!They like working themselves up.But he'll be all right as soon as he sees your Ladyship.'

Connie was very angry that Mrs Bolton knew her secret:for certainly she knew it.

Suddenly Constance stood still on the path.

'It's monstrous that I should have to be followed!'she said,her eyes flashing.

'Oh!your Ladyship,don't say that!He'd certainly have sent the two men,and they'd have come straight to the hut.I didn't know where it was,really.'

Connie flushed darker with rage,at the suggestion.Yet,while her passion was on her,she could not lie.She could not even pretend there was nothing between herself and the keeper.She looked at the other woman,who stood so sly,with her head dropped:yet somehow,in her femaleness,an ally.

'Oh well!'she said.'I fit is so it is so.I don't mind!'

'Why,you're all right,my Lady!You've only been sheltering in the hut.It's absolutely nothing.'

They went on to the house.Connie marched in to Clifford's room,furious with him,furious with his pale,over-wrought fee and prominent eyes.

'I must say,I don't think you need send the servants after me,'she burst out.

'My God!'he exploded.'Where have you been,woman,You've been gone hours,hours,and in a storm like this!What the hell do you go to that-bloody wood for?What have you been up to?It's hours even since the rain stopped,hours!Do you know what time it is?You're enough to drive anybody mad.

Where have you been?What in the name of hell have you been doing?'

'And what if I don't choose to tell you?'She pulled her hat from her head and shook her hair.

He lied at her with his eyes bulging,and yellow coming into the whites.

It was very bad for him to get into these rages:Mrs Bolton had a weary time with him,for days after.Connie felt a sudden qualm.

But really!'she said,milder.'Anyone would think I'd been I don't know where!I just sat in the hut during all the storm,and made myself a little fire,and was happy.'

She spoke now easily.After all,why work him up any more!

He looked at her suspiciously.

And look at your hair!'he said;'look at yourself!'

'Yes!'she replied calmly.'I ran out in the rain with no clothes on.'

He stared at her speechless.

'You must be mad!'he said.

'Why?To like a shower bath from the rain?'

'And how did you dry yourself?'

'On an old towel and at the fire.'

He still stared at her in a dumbfounded way.

'And supposing anybody came,'he said.

'Who would come?'

'Who?Why,anybody!And Mellors.Does he come?He must come in the evenings.'

'Yes,he came later,when it had cleared up,to feed the pheasants with corn.'

She spoke with amazing nonchalance.Mrs Bolton,who was listening in the next room,heard in sheer admiration.To think a woman could carry it off so naturally!

'And suppose he'd come while you were running about in the rain with nothing on,like a maniac?'

'I suppose he'd have had the fright of his life,and cleared out as fast as he could.'

Clifford still stared at her transfixed.What he thought in his under-consciousness he would never know.And he was too much taken aback to form one clear thought in his upper consciousness.He just simply accepted what she said,in a sort of blank.And he admired her.He could not help admiring her.

She looked so flushed and handsome and smooth:love smooth.

'At least,'he said,subsiding,'you'll be lucky if you've got off without a severe cold.'

'Oh,I haven't got a cold,'she replied.She was thinking to herself of the other man's words:Tha's got the nicest woman's arse of anybody!