Free Ann Granger by The Companion Page B

this nonsense.
    ‘Frank,’ I said. ‘You will allow me make a request, I hope?’
    ‘Certainly, I am at your command.’ I thought he looked at me a little warily for all his debonair tone.
    ‘Thank you. It’s this. I realise it amuses you to tease Dr Tibbett and sometimes your Aunt Julia, but do leave off this ridiculous way of prattling on with me. You are perfectly sensible, I’m sure.’

    He leaned back and eyed me. ‘You are very sharp, Elizabeth Martin.’
    ‘I am a plain speaker, that’s all.’
    I decided, since I’d declared myself to be forthright, to plunge on. ‘I have been wondering, for example, just how long you have known you will be going to St Petersburg? It seemed a little odd to me that you should decide to tell your aunt about it before two other people, one of them a stranger. I should have thought you’d tell her in private. Or did you plan, by so doing, to avoid her first, let’s say, rather emotional response?’
    I wondered if I’d been too daring. He would be right to take offence, but he only smiled.
    ‘Ah, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, a good-looking one, too.’
    ‘Stop that!’ I ordered immediately. ‘I am not pretty. I can see that for myself in any mirror.’
    ‘I didn’t say you were pretty,’ he retorted. ‘No, you are not, nothing so vapid. You are handsome; I think that’s the word. You have an intelligent and very expressive face. As to the last, may I offer a word of warning? Keep your feelings to yourself around here. I may act the fool occasionally, but it’s a very good mask, you know.’
    Before I could reply to this, Simms returned with the dish of devilled kidneys. Frank promptly set about these as if he’d only just started his first meal of the day.
    When we were alone again, I asked, ‘Why should I need to be so careful of letting my feelings show? Or would that make me look a provincial?’ Before he could reply, I asked on impulse, ‘Or has it anything to do with Madeleine Hexham?’
    Frank left off eating to lean back in his chair again. His expression became thoughtful. ‘Between us, one never knew what Maddie Hexham was thinking. She never offered an opinion about anything. She played an entirely predictable game of cards. I never saw her read a book except some nonsense from the
circulating library. I suspect Aunt Julia found her rather dull.’
    ‘So, were you surprised when she disappeared?’
    ‘I was annoyed because Aunt Julia sent me haring down to the local police station to inform the stalwart minion of the law there of Maddie’s unexplained absence. I wasn’t entirely surprised when Aunt Julia received the letter telling us she had eloped. I put it down to her reading those books. They were all about that sort of thing. She was quite a pretty woman or would have been with a little animation in her features, but as I said, if she had a brain, she showed no sign of being about to overuse it. Even the letter told us precious little. Not where she’d gone nor with whom. Perhaps she feared we’d seek to make her return, but we’d hardly do that. Aunt Julia felt betrayed and Dr Tibbett was in his element promising her eternal damnation.’
    Frank pushed a piece of kidney round his plate. Perhaps even he had reached his gastronomic limit. ‘See here,’ he said. ‘One can’t help but rag old Tibbett occasionally in a gentle sort of way. He’s no fool and one mustn’t overdo it. I don’t mean to tease Aunt Julia, who has been very good to me.’
    ‘And do you really think Dr Tibbett a suitor for your aunt’s hand, as you suggested? Or was that just another tease?You seemed to find the idea amusing.’
    Frank burst out laughing. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘Allow me to pour you a cup of coffee. There’s milk there in the jug.’
    I remembered what Bessie had had to say about the milk and peered at the jug with some misgiving. The contents certainly looked a curious blue-grey colour but I couldn’t smell any odour, not