Danger Point

Chapter 42

LISLE had the feeling that the day would never end. All this bright sun and blue sky, this inward strain and terror, this numbness dulling something which without it would be agony, seemed to her shocked sense to have neither beginning nor ending. It was like a dreadful travesty of eternity. She felt unable either to look forward or back.

There was a moment when Rafe asked her if she would like to go for a drive – “up over the downs to get some air. You look all in.” Dale said, “No – she’s too tired,” and the numbness was pierced by a jagged stab of pain. Just why that should have hurt so much, she could not have told. Rafe wanting her to go with him, his voice sounding kind. And Dale not giving her time to answer because he was afraid to let her go with Rafe as they had gone so innocently often before their natural world had changed into a nightmare. Afraid to let her go with Rafe… But she herself was not afraid. Perhaps that was just because she was too numb to feel afraid – too numb really to take in what Dale had told her. Only she couldn’t struggle any more. She let Dale speak for her, and sat there without a word to say.

The endless evening wore on, the four of them together. She thought that it would never end.

When she went up to dress Dale followed her into her room and put his arms round her.

“My poor darling – it’s been a horrible day for you, but it’s nearly over. And look here – I’ve got a plan. We’ll get away from the others and have a nice peaceful time just by ourselves. I never seem to see you now except in a crowd. I’m very fond of the family, but I do sometimes want my wife to myself. Funny – isn’t it?” There was the smile in his eyes which she used to think was for her alone. It had always charmed her, but now she was too tired. Her eyelids fell. She moved a little, but he held her.

“Wait a minute and I’ll tell you what I thought we’d do. I’m flying again tonight. I’ll say so, and at the same time I’ll tell you to get off to bed. That’ll be about half past nine, but I needn’t really get up to the aerodrome till nearly eleven. It’s not dark enough for proper night flying till well after that. And what I thought was this – we could slip down to the beach and get right away from everyone.”

Her lashes lay upon her cheek. She said very low,

“I’m so tired, Dale.”

“I know, darling, but that’s why. It will be cool down there, and right away from everyone – just you and me. Oh, Lisle, I want you to so much! You’ll really sleep afterwards.”

It wasn’t in her to struggle. She said, “Very well,” and moved away from him. This time he let her go.

When he spoke again he sounded as pleased and excited as a schoolboy.

“Look here, we won’t go off together – that won’t do at all. Lal-” he laughed a little – “well, I’m very fond of her, as you know, but she does butt in. I’ll get the car and drive out by the back gate. Then I can leave it a bit down the lane and cut through across the park – it’s no distance that way – and you can wait for me down by the sea wall.” He laughed again. “Rather fun having to make an assignation before you can have half an hour alone with your own wife! Better change into a short dress and put on beach shoes. I thought we’d go down by the rocks and see the tide come in. And you’ll have to slip away without being seen, or we’ll find we’ve got the family circle round us again. Will you do it?”

She said “Yes,” and was glad not to have to say any more than that.

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and went off to his own room. She could hear him whistling as he moved about there.

Later, when she was in her room again taking off the dress she had worn at dinner, slipping back into her cotton frock, stripping off the thin silk stockings and fastening the beach shoes he had suggested, she could hear him there again, slamming a cupboard door, pulling out a drawer. But this time he didn’t whistle.

She sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. Because it was part of the plan that he should get away first, and of course he had to change. He took some time over it, but at last she heard him open the door to the corridor. And then, all in a hurry, he came running back to look in on her with a laughing, mischievous expression and a finger on his lips.

When he had really gone, she stayed where she was for about ten minutes and then made her way down to the sea wall. She saw no one as she went, and as far as she knew, no one saw her go.