Free These Delights by Sara Seale Page B

suit, and her mother and an acquaintance on one of Lady Sale’s numerous committees.
    “Ah, there you are.” Lady Sale rose briskly and shook hands with Hester. Diana offered Luke a cool cheek and Lady Sale indicated chairs and her other guest at the same time. “I think you know Mrs. Walker. And these, I take it, are your young cousins, Luke. Dear me, how very fair they all are—quite striking these days to see three such natural blondes.”
    The introductions were performed, and Lady Sale told them all to sit down, her eyes lingering, Hester noticed, a little longer upon Vicky.
    “My husband will be here in a moment,” she said, “and as it was so warm, I thought we’d have tea out of doors. Now tell me all about yourselves, young people. Don’t be shy.”
    To anyone else, such an injunction would have produced immediate dumbness, but not so to the Jordan s. They were only too ready to oblige with information about themselves, and Lady Sale, having quite inadvertently met her match in the matter of conversationists, was reduced to such remarks as “Really?” “How extraordinary ” “You don’t say so!” and finally, with a breath of relief: “Ah, here’s my husband. Harry, I think you have met these young people before. Diana, you might go and tell them we’re ready for tea now. Servants are not the same these days, are they, Hester? They have to be told things, though of course I’m forgetting you have that funny little man who, I’m sure, must be invaluable.”
    “ Corky knows everything,” said Lou solemnly. “He even knew Pauline went to the lavatory to cry and not because she wanted to, the other day.”
    “Really?” said Lady Sale, moving uneasily. “Extraordinary! My dear Hester, you really must let us persuade you to join our working committee for the village. Mrs. Walker was only saying before you came that more workers were needed, and you would be such a help knowing the villagers and the farmers as you do.”
    “I’m afraid I’ve no time for that sort of thing, Lady Sale,” said Hester, smiling. “I do go fortnightly to my sewing party in the village hall and produce the teas, but I’m afraid that’s as much as I can undertake.”
    “What a pity,” said Mrs. Walker, looking disbelieving. “I’m afraid, dear Lady Sale, we shall just have to take a tiny bit more on our own shoulders.”
    Objectionable woman, thought Hester crossly, always sucking up to the Sales.
    Si r Harry had pulled a chair up beside Vicky’s and they were embarked on a long discussion about roses. Hester thought she caught the mention of manure, but as Vicky had truly said, manure was an essential part of growing roses, and she could only hope that the reference was technical.
    Diana came back and began talking to Luke, and presently a maid brought out the tea, and the two men handed round plates of sandwiches and cakes.
    It was a dull tea-party, Lou reflected, thinking regretfully of Bibi and all the scales he might have practised. He tried to catch Pauline’s eye, but she was listening decorously to something Mrs. Walker was telling her, and would not look. He wished someone would offer him another cake, but they were all talking so much that they ate slowly. Lady Sale’s vigilant eye, however, soon discovered his plate was empty, and he was told to help himself.
    “What are you thinking about, little boy?” she enquired kindly, since he was so silent, then, remembering his earlier contribution to the conversation, regretted she had asked.
    “Scales,” said Lou gloomily.
    “Scales?” This, at least, sounded harmless. “Ah, yes, of course. You play the piano, don’t you? Diana told me. But when I was your age, dear child, I certainly never wanted to play scales, and I don’t suppose you care for them, either.”
    Lou suddenly became very foreign.
    “To play scales is the only way to become a gr-reat pianist,” he said, gesturing violently. “Me, I practise scales until my fingers ache, and