Sylvia Andrew – Eleanor (страница 11)

Eleanor still had no idea. The thought that Mr Guthrie had sought her out here in Somerset seemed ridiculous—but what else could it be? She must make the position quite clear. Curiously enough, it was his incivility at their last meeting, not his perfidy, which came first to mind.

‘Your final words to me when we last met were un-pardonably rude. I believe I have already told you once—I have no wish to continue our acquaintance, Mr Guthrie. If you are here to see me, you have wasted your journey.’ She started off towards the main house, her dignity somewhat hampered by the dog, who danced around her feet as she went.

He strode after her and caught her arm. ‘I suppose you think your lack of civility to me is allowable. That I don’t merit any consideration? But that’s neither here nor there—what I’d like to know is what the devil you’re talking about—coming to see you indeed! As you very well know, I’ve come down here to take over the estate!’

‘Take…?’ Eleanor sat down rather suddenly on an ornamental bench. ‘Take over the estate?’ she said slowly. ‘Oh, God! You’re the one who has bought Stanyards?’

He looked at her white face. ‘You didn’t know, did you?’ He sat down beside her and would have taken her hand, but she snatched it away. He sat for a moment watching her as she struggled with this new blow. ‘I’m sorry if I gave you a shock,’ he said, more gently. ‘The negotiations for the house were conducted discreetly—for reasons of my own, I didn’t wish the world to know where I was about to live—but why on earth hasn’t your mother told you since you came back from London?’

‘I wouldn’t let her,’ said Eleanor, her mind still reeling at the identity of the new owner. ‘I didn’t wish to know anything about the man who was taking Stan-yards away from us.’

Mr Guthrie sighed and stood up again. ‘Purchasing it, Miss Southeran. For a fair price. A more than fair price, considering the state it is in.’

Eleanor fired up at this criticism. ‘Stanyards is a jewel! More than you could ever have hoped to aspire to!’

‘Too good for me, eh?’ This time his voice was full of mockery. ‘Well, we shall see. Now, since I cannot see this conversation serving any useful purpose, and as I have a thousand other things to do, I hope you will excuse me. Or—would you like me to escort you to the house? I thought not. Your servant, Miss Southeran.’ He turned to go.

‘Wait!’ cried Eleanor. ‘These negotiations—did my mother take any advice before selling Stanyards to you?’

‘Now what are you suggesting? That I cheated her?’

‘She is under one misapprehension at least, Mr Guthrie. She assured me that the new owner of Stan-yards was a man of integrity and honour!’

Mr Guthrie stood quite still for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and said softly, ‘And you think you can prove differently? Prove, mind you! I warn you, Miss Southeran, if I find you are repeating here in the country the kind of scurrilous gossip which made London happy, I shall take steps to silence you. Good day, ma’am!’ He turned swiftly and walked away. After looking doubtfully at Eleanor, Becky trotted after her master.

Eleanor sat looking at his retreating back in a daze. How could it have happened? She had been truly glad to have seen the last of Mr Guthrie in London, for she had not enjoyed the confusion of feeling he had caused her. Now, it seemed, she was to see him every day, to be reminded every day of the unpleasant revelations in the interview with Mrs Anstey. And this was the man her mother trusted absolutely! What was she to do? She was desperate to talk to her mother, but waited until she saw Mr Guthrie’s carriage go down the drive towards the village before hurrying up to the main house.

‘You should have told me, Mama!’ she cried. ‘You should have told me that Guthrie was the man who had bought Stanyards!’

‘My dear child,’ said Mrs Southeran, justifiably perplexed. ‘You said quite categorically that you did not wish to know anything about Mr Guthrie! How was I to know that you did not mean it?’

‘I did mean it! That is to say, I meant it at the time, but if had known that this man Guthrie was the new owner I would have wanted to know!’

‘Eleanor, I am not sure I perfectly understand you. Did you or did you not say that you wished to hear nothing about the new owner, not even his name? Oh…I see! You met Mr Guthrie in London? Is that what you are trying to tell me? You have never mentioned him to me, surely?’

‘Yes, I…I met him in London. Oh, he’s a deceitful wretch! He knew all the time we were talking that he had bought my home, he even asked me about it, yet he never said a word! Why did you sell our home to such a man, Mama?’

‘I am convinced he will be good for Stanyards. Nothing you have so far said has changed that opinion.’

‘How can you be so blind? He is far from being the honourable man you think him!’

‘My dear child, it was perhaps not well done to conceal from you the fact that he had purchased Stanyards, but it was not dishonourable! Mr Guthrie has very good reason to keep his future home a secret from all but a small number of people.’

‘But how can you be so sure? Surely this passion for secrecy is, to say the least, suspicious? How long have you known him? A few weeks!’

‘I have known Mr Guthrie for most of his life.’

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