登陆注册
26267200000010

第10章 A DELICATE MISSION(3)

"I was always a little afraid of him," she continued, "even in the days when we were friendly. He was so hard and unforgiving. I know he thinks that he has a grievance against me. He will have been brooding about it all these years. Idare not see him! I--I am terrified!"

"If that is your answer," Aynesworth said, "I will convey it to him!"Her beautiful eyes were full of reproach.

"Mr. Aynesworth," she said, in a low tone, "for a young man you are very unsympathetic.""My position," Aynesworth answered, "does not allow me the luxury of considering my personal feelings."She looked hurt.

"I forgot," she said, looking for a moment upon the floor; "you have probably been prejudiced against me. You have heard only one story. Listen"--she raised her eyes suddenly, and leaned a little forward in her chair--"some day, if you will come and see me when I am alone and we have time to spare, I will tell you the whole truth. I will tell you exactly what happened! You shall judge for yourself!"Aynesworth bowed.

"In the meantime?"

Her eyes filled slowly with tears. Aynesworth looked away. He was miserably uncomfortable.

"You cannot be quite so hard-hearted as you try to seem, Mr. Aynesworth," she said quietly. "I want to ask you a question. You must answer it? You don't know how much it means to me. You are Sir Wingrave Seton's secretary; you have access to all his papers. Have you seen any letters of mine? Do you know if he still has any in his possession?""My answer to both questions is 'No!'" Aynesworth said a little stiffly. "Ionly entered the service of Sir Wingrave Seton this morning, and I know nothing at all, as yet, of his private affairs. And, Lady Ruth, you must forgive my reminding you that, in any case, I could not discuss such matters with you," he added.

She looked at him with a faint, strange smile. Afterwards, when he tried to do so, Aynesworth found it impossible to describe the expression which flitted across her face. He only knew that it left him with the impression of having received a challenge.

"Incorruptible!" she murmured. "Sir Wingrave Seton is indeed a fortunate man."There was a lingering sweetness in her tone which still had a note of mockery in it. Her silence left Aynesworth conscious of a vague sense of uneasiness.

He felt that her eyes were raised to his, and for some reason, which he could not translate even into a definite thought, he wished to avoid them. The silence was prolonged. For long afterwards he remembered those few minutes.

There was a sort of volcanic intensity in the atmosphere. He was acutely conscious of small extraneous things, of the perfume of a great bowl of hyacinths, the ticking of a tiny French clock, the restless drumming of her finger tips upon the arm of her chair. All the time he seemed actually to feel her eyes, commanding, impelling, beseeching him to turn round. He did so at last, and looked her full in the face.

"Lady Ruth," he said, "will you favor me with an answer to my message?""Certainly," she answered, smiling quite naturally. "I will come and see Sir Wingrave Seton at four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. You can tell him that Ithink it rather an extraordinary request, but under the circumstances I will do as he suggests. He is staying at the Clarence, I presume, under his own name? I shall have no difficulty in finding him?""He is staying there under his own name," Aynesworth answered, "and I will see that you have no difficulty.""So kind of you," she murmured, holding out her hand. And again there was something mysterious in her eyes as she raised them to him, as though there existed between them already some understanding which mocked the conventionality of her words. Aynesworth left the house, and lit a cigarette upon the pavement outside with a little sigh of relief. He felt somehow humiliated. Did she fancy, he wondered, that he was a callow boy to dance to any tune of her piping--that he had never before seen a beautiful woman who wanted her own way?

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 剑魔无罪

    剑魔无罪

    我本无罪,而世人皆谓我为魔;心如剑锐,却终难尽斩世间浊。
  • 九龙耀世

    九龙耀世

    很久以前,世界经过一场大灾变之后出现了九颗龙珠,这九颗龙珠有着神奇的功效,如今分别被一些人得到,他们之间的故事一定会是友爱曲折的,还会经历许多坎坷,直到最终的结果到来,一切都是未知。
  • 农家弃妇

    农家弃妇

    上一刻颁奖台上意气风发,下一刻古代砖瓦房外凄风苦雨。原本以为是厄运降临,意外发现这里其实也可以是自己理想发挥的一个好地方。从此之后,上山,下田,做生意,做美食,开创荷花村。沈清在古代混得风生水起,一派滋润!最重要的是找个美男生个娃,风生水起!情节虚构,切勿模仿
  • 魂经

    魂经

    人有三魂七魄,天魂在天,位于天牢,为天神所收押,天魂有失则人无气运,乃人之元神。地魂在阴曹,为地府所管,地魂有失则不得轮回,乃人之阴神。命魂在身,为生命之根本,命魂有失则性命不保,乃人之阳神。修炼之道,聚合三魂,从此不入轮回。茫然无知的少年,被迫踏上魂修之道,死亡如影随形,最大的愿望就是活下去。身边的一切,仿佛被人操控,我究竟是谁?记忆中的事情,可以相信吗?我真的是我吗?
  • 现代强妃:狐仙夫君别咬我

    现代强妃:狐仙夫君别咬我

    这是什么世道,真是什么莫名其妙的事都会发生在她身上。运气背到家了,你说,在海边散个步吧,还可以捡到一个大活人,捡个人也就算了,这个人还是个穿古装红衣的骚包美男,而且还赖上她了,好!赖就赖吧!可是带回去的途中,又不知怎么,美男又消失了,身后蹲着一个白球可怜兮兮的望着她...在梦中被壁咚,这又是神马情况,饶是白瑾萱那强大的的心理也受不了啊!她也在风中凌乱了......而这一切的原因就是因为她多管闲事......
  • 胥云锋

    胥云锋

    300年前,一柄天降神剑出世,大肆杀戒。大陆四处伤亡无数,为拯救各自的族人,四族的带领人,率领各族数大高手用自己的生命将此剑封印。300年后胥氏废材后辈胥云锋无意之中获得此剑,获得剑中奥义和各族的武学神决,从此一心为武,克服数不尽的危险。最终在他的带领下大陆获得数百年来第一次统一。而本人踏入虚空不知去向.........
  • 西游记之八戒

    西游记之八戒

    心已死,情已殇,一世纷争为谁狂。人未老,地未苍,生死离别两苍茫。昨日情,今日恨,淡出人世会相忘。
  • 漫湘淑

    漫湘淑

    爱情每个人都会走向这个充满神秘感的地方。它让我们学会该如何与人相处,如何走向新的世界在这个充满神秘的地方里,肯定也昂藏着它不为人知的一面
  • 木火燎世

    木火燎世

    阴暗与光明交错,情义之间相互纠结。爱恨情仇交织,活着究竟为了什么?感动与激情我们都在不断追求着。我自水中来,我究竟是谁?
  • 豪门盛宠闺蜜夺爱大PK

    豪门盛宠闺蜜夺爱大PK

    女人何苦为难女人?女人又怎样为难女人?失了谁的身,丢了谁的心,迷了谁的眼?!纵使绝色倾城也难逃别离命运。爱成殇,她孤苦无依!恨别离,他状若癫狂!灵魂被一次次烫伤。她,恍如隔世,而他,意犹未尽。直到时间的尽头,才发现,原来这一切只是刚刚开始……宛如烈酒般蛊惑人心的心灵震撼,爱情的游戏里其实没有闺蜜。情节虚构,请勿模仿