Free The Guilty Secret by Margaret Pemberton

think?’
    â€˜If you’re meaning what I think you mean. Yes.’ I said shortly.
    He laughed. ‘I’m glad you’ve come. I don’t like to see innocent little creatures getting hurt.’
    I said equally softly, my voice tinged with anger, ‘Are you referring to Mary?’
    â€˜Who else?’ he said in mock surprise. ‘Rozalinda doesn’t mean it of course. She flirts with everyone. It’s a reflex action, but I don’t think little brown mouse understands that.’
    â€˜Mary is not a little brown mouse!’ I said, and then as Aunt Harriet looked enquiringly across the table, lowered my voice even further. ‘If you’ve got anything else to say I think it would be wisest to leave it till later.’
    â€˜With pleasure,’ he said, giving me the benefit of a gleaming smile and teasing eyes. Rozalinda wasn’t the only compulsive flirt who sat at the dinner table.
    Deliberately I turned to Rozalinda, interrupting her as she playfully pinched Tom’s cheek.
    â€˜I still don’t know which villa is mine, Rozalinda. Is it one of those near to Phil’s?’
    â€˜Yes. Mary and Tom and Aunt Harriet have the two villas nearest this one. Phil and Miles have one each in the woods and the third is all ready for you. When Jonathan comes we’ll have to put him up with Phil or Miles.’
    â€˜He’s more than welcome to share with me. There’s not enough room in Phil’s,’ Miles said generously. ‘Besides, I won’t be here for much longer.’
    His eyes and Rozalinda’s held.
    â€˜Just till our business affairs are tied up.’
    â€˜Not now, not now,’ Harold said hastily. ‘Don’t spoil a nice evening by talking business.’
    Phil’s eyebrows raised slightly as he looked across at me, signalling ‘I told you so’. Certainly the mention of business affairs had taken the smile from Rozalinda’s mouth and replaced it with a look of sulky defiance.
    Miles turned to me, saying pleasantly:- ‘Rozalinda is to star as the Queen of Sheba in a mammoth spectacular. Perfect casting, don’t you think?’
    Rozalinda’s chair scraped back sharply and she rose to her feet her eyes flaming. Harold said nervously:-
    â€˜Later old man, later. Rozalinda is tired at the moment. No time to be talking business.’ His eyes full of concern he hurried the length of the table and took her arm. She jerked it away, turning and sweeping into the salon.
    There was a short embarrassed silence and then Tom excused himself from the table and hurried after her, followed equally quickly by Aunt Harriet.
    â€˜You seem to have successfully wrecked the dinner,’ I said to Miles.
    â€˜That, you will find, is easy done,’ he said lightly, rising to his feet and taking his glass of wine with him. For the first time in her life, Mary avoided my eyes leaving the table and her scarcely touched wine.
    â€˜I thought,’ I said to Phil, my voice heavy with sarcasm, ‘ that you said everything was fine here except that Rozalinda was a little nervy.’
    â€˜I did.’
    â€˜Then you must be blind.’
    He looked genuinely surprised. ‘You mean Rozalinda storming out like that? That’s an everyday occurrence, always has been.’
    â€˜I mean,’ I said, wondering just how unseeing Phil could possibly be. ‘Rozalinda flirting mercilessly with Tom and making Mary intensely unhappy. I mean Aunt Harriet being obviously unwell. I mean the fact that there’s more to the Miles-Rozalinda relationship than co-stars, and that there’s an atmosphere under all this gaiety that you could cut with a knife.’
    â€˜That’s just what Mary said as she left the table,’ Phil said, helping himself to more fruit flan.
    â€˜What, that you could cut the air with a knife?’
    â€˜No.’ said Phil innocently, ‘ that she wished she had