Free Emily by Jilly Cooper Page A

furiously, ‘it’s his profession.’ But I spoke to deaf ears, Rory had turned on his heel and gone off to get himself a drink. Charles and Fiona were suddenly shrieking at a couple who had just come into the room.
        I was extremely pleased therefore that the next moment Calen Macdonald bore down on me and kissed first my hand, then my cheek, then both my bare shoulders.
        ‘I was just saying to Buster I wished I could see more of you,’ he said, pulling down my tartan sash and peering at my cleavage, ‘and now I have. I must say that dress is very fetching, pink looks like bare flesh if one shuts one’s eyes.’
        ‘Where’s Deidre?’ I said.
        ‘Oh, she’s stalking in Inverness.’
        I giggled.
        ‘So I’ve got the whole evening off and I’m going to devote it entirely to you.’
        Two matrons with red-veined faces stopped discussing herbaceous borders and looked at us frostily.
        At that moment a voice shouted ‘Emily!’ and there was Coco, dripping with sapphires as big as gull’s eggs, wearing a glorious midnight blue dress. She was lying like Madame Recamiers on a red brocade sofa, surrounded by admirers.
        Rory sat at her feet.
        ‘I didn’t see you,’ I said, going over and kissing her. ‘You look very nice, doesn’t she, Rory,’ said Coco. ‘A bit prawn cocktail,’ said Rory.
        I bit my lip.
        ‘I think she looks tremendous,’ said Buster giving me a warm look. ‘In the pink, I might say,’ he laughed heartily.
        The room was filling up, Buster and Calen were joined by some ancient general, and they were soon busy recounting to each other the number of creatures they had slaughtered in the last week.
        ‘Grouses, and twelve bores, and twenty bores, and million bores, that’s all men can think about up here,’ said Coco. She began talking to me about shoes.
        There was a sudden stir and a whisper ran through the room. The old general straightened his tie and smoothed his moustache.
        ‘What a beautiful girl,’ he said.
        A swift flush mounted to Rory’s pale cheeks. With a sinking heart, without turning my head, I knew it must be Marina.
        ‘Hello, everyone,’ she said, coming over and kissing Coco, ‘how’s your poor leg, darling.’
        She was wearing a pale grey chiffon dress, smotheredin two huge pale grey feather boas. With her flaming red hair it made one think of beech woods in autumn against a cloudy sky. I noticed she had no truck with Hamish’s tartan across her bosom. I supposed it was Rory’s tartan she was after. Sadly I realized that if I spent a million years on my face and clothes, I would never be as beautiful as Marina. Hamish, all done up in black velvet and frills, looked awful.
        ‘Mutton dressed as cutlet,’ said Rory to Marina under his breath. Even worse was to come. Following her into the room came Finn Maclean in a dinner jacket, with a sleek brunette.
        ‘Oh God,’ said Rory, ‘here comes the virgin surgeon. Diney,’ he added, turning to the daughter of the house, ‘what the hell is Doctor Finlay doing here?’
        ‘He was absolutely wonderful about Mummy’s ulcer,’ said Diney, her eyes shining.
        ‘Probably gave it to her in the first place,’ said Rory. ‘Well, I must say, I think he’s rather super myself,’ said Diney.
        ‘I’m surprised at you,’ said Rory, ‘one really shouldn’t know one’s doctor socially.’
        Finn came up to Coco.
        ‘How’s it feeling?’ he said.
        ‘Much better,’ said Coco.
        ‘May be, but there must be no dancing on it,’ he said firmly.
        ‘Who’s that with him?’ I whispered to Calen Macdonald.
        ‘I think she’s one of his nurses,’ said Calen.
        ‘She’s pretty,’ I said.
        ‘Not my type,’ said Calen, and started whispering sweet everythings into my ear. I, however, was much more interested in seeing how Rory and Finn reacted to each