Free The Red Cliffs by Eleanor Farnes Page B

you for that. ”
    “ Set it against my accommodation here, ” he smiled. “ I ’ ve fixed you up an incinerator, too. The mighty Neil slipped up on that one, there was nowhere to dispose of rubbish. It ’ s tucked away behind the garden shed and greenhouse, so you won ’ t be aware of it. ”
    “ Thank you, ” she said, and smiled too. “ I shouldn ’ t be angry with you. You mean well. ”
    “ Then may I stay to supper? ” he asked.
    He stayed. It did not occur to Alison until later to wonder why he had said that Neil slipped up on the matter of the incinerator. Why not Tom? Surely it was Tom ’ s responsibility to find somewhere to dispose of rubbish.
    Supper was a lively meal. Roget set himself to amuse her, and succeeded. Soon she had quite forgiven his intrusion into her house. He was obviously somewhat piratical by nature as well as in appearance, and if one liked out-of-the-ordinary people, one must expect them to do out-of-the-ordinary things. And few men were house-proud. Tom himself would have created, a like chaos in the kitchen. She had taken him unawares and so discovered that chaos. If she had let him know she was coming, as he had asked her to do, no doubt everything would, have been in order. But then would she have known of his stay at all? She doubted it. This was what Lucy undoubtedly had in mind when she asked her small favour.
    When he said it was time for him to go, Alison asked where he would spend the night.
    “ I expect Mrs. Simms will find me a bed for a night or two, ” he said. “ Is there anything I can do for you before I go? ”
    There were one or two heavy things in the car which she asked him to unload for her. Then he went upstairs to gather a few of his possessions before leaving. Alison went to the door with him.
    “ Don ’ t forget to call on me for any jobs that need a man ’ s strong arm, ” he said.
    “ That ’ s very kind of you, Roger, ” she said.
    “ I ’ ve enjoyed myself this evening. And it was sweet of you not to be mad with me. You ’ re a grand girl, Alison. ”
    She looked up at him, smiling, a light reply on her lips that was never spoken, for his dark eyes were looking at her in such an intense fashion, holding her own to the point where once more the faintest unease beset Alison. She turned to the door and opened it.
    “ I ’ ve had a long day, ” she said. “ Goodnight, Roger. ”
    “ Goodnight, Alison. ”
    He was gone. She saw his bicycle light come on, and he called another goodnight before he rode away along the drive. She turned back into the house, bolting the door at the top and bottom, and made sure that all the windows except that in her bedroom were also closed and bolted. She carried the coffee cups into the kitchen and rinsed them, and then made her way upstairs.
    She had always been a little frightened of the dark, and she was not at all sure how she would take to living along. The high wind outside was responsible for any number of strange creakings, rustlings and rushing noises on this night, and she hurried her preparations for bed. As she walked to the bathroom, her foot touched something on the floor and she saw that it was a crumpled handkerchief. She picked it up, thinking she had just dropped it, but it was not hers and she did not recognise it. Her first immediate suspicion was that Roger had had a girl here, for the handkerchief was small and finely embroidered; then she told herself that Neil ’ s enmity and Lucy ’ s suspicions were affecting her own attitude to Roger. This might even be Lucy ’ s handkerchief, left lying on the floor since their long - ago weekend here. Or the friend who had helped Roger clean the house (though it gave little evidence of having been cleaned at all) had been a girl harmlessly occupied here and unknowingly leaving her handkerchief behind.
    Roger was almost her only companion in those first days. He came to see how she was getting on, and stayed to do any small job she had for him.