Show BEAUTIS DAUGHTER 0 Kat kathleen bleen norris norri by KATHLEEN NORRIS service CHAPTER 13 1 I had bad to come up and say merry christmas serena said she wai was rosy from a cold walk belted into a long tweed coat with sables loose about her shoulders and a brimmed tweed hat drawn down over her sea blue eyes gita was with me but she went up to the children youre not sick lazy vicky said ive been doing everything at once today and about an hour ago I 1 simply gave out 1 I can imagine said serena with so many stockings to fin fill gita was quite envious about it it but I 1 dont think it would be much tun fun for one child to hang bang a stocking I 1 never did it flawlessly lovely blonde an and d fresh her hair a crisp pale gold against the rough texture of the hat bat her skin of the smooth deep silkiness of the magnolia petal her eyes blue blue blue vicky studying her once again thought of the phrase exquisite womanhood victoria watching her felt an inner trembling that was almost a vertigo how dared she how dared shel or was this all a troubled dream one ol of those dreams that came when she was too tired 0 or r lying in some uncomfortable attl attitude that twisted body as well a as mind CHAPTER XI but it was not a dream to hear the front door bang and quentina Quen tins step on the stairs and his voice at the door hello vickye having tea hello magda oh said quentin his voice dropping serena I 1 see you they shifted about a little to make room for him anna brought fresh toast and more tea vicky put her hand to her disordered hair I 1 serena sat a picture of radiant beauty in her loosened furs and brimmed hat with the firelight and lamplight glowing in her eyes quentin im disgraceful his wife said but ive been on the go all day her voice trembled her hand trembled el but no one noticed it unless magda did and she gave no sign ill bet you have you got the th e wreaths up did the emporium stuff come Every things come I 1 think the spare room looks like a toy shop vicky had gotten to her feet poured his tea she stood now looking down at him and as he glanced up handsome tired relaxed after the hard day she wished in her heart that he and she were dead and lying in the warm kind earth somewhere together 1 I only came in to say merry christmas serena repeated once more nice that you did well its certainly going to be a cold one quentin said are you going out tonight quentin they telephoned from the san mateo hospital about an hour ago 1 I stopped there on the way down no Bled coming at about eight maybe earlier is that too late tor for dinner and then arent we finishing off the tree there very much to do it was cruel this semblance to the old happy holidays this reminder of the wonderful hours when he and the she together in their own house in the depth of the winters night had finished off all the surprises for the children had filled the dangling little stockings on so many christmas eves and yet instinct taught her and native courage helped her to chat along idly with serena and presently to excuse herself and go off to the nursery she left her mother with quentin and serena after a wild half hour with the children when she was going to her room for a bath and a sleep she met magda going upstairs to her own apartments are ou going to give him any hint vicky magda asked of what vicky said heavily with averted eyes that youre not going to stand lor for it no vicky said slowly perhaps she added scowling a little still looking away perhaps I 1 am 1 I think you were smart to let her come up magda commented 1 I mean it if youre going to make a break make a break and tt if youre not play the game right up to the handle 1 I dont think anything I 1 can do now is smart vicky said 1 I wish to goodness there was something I 1 could do to help you vie vic you do help me mother you did vicky said going on her way but she did not say how she did not say that the last phrase of her mothers muttered just as anna had come in to the room to announce serena had somehow reached her heart reached her soul had changed blank despair to despairing resolution ive always thought that of all the girls I 1 ever knew magda had said you were the one to try the long way I 1 mean stick to your guns and not let what anyone does make you anything but what you are the only talk they were to have on the subject for almost a long year came about ten days later when the christmas tree had been sawed into short lengths that were still draped here and there with odd scraps of cotton and tinsel and when vicky and quentin had the sitting room fire to themselves after magda had gone to bed 1 I was wondering quentin began and stopped abruptly wondering if like to get away get away she was honestly taken by surprise yep take gwen and susan or kenty if you liked and go on a trip somewhere victoria sat down again looking at him her heart had turned to ice how could I 1 possibly get away quentin what of the twins and maddy well I 1 think its too much for you quentin persisted gruffly and stupidly he sat with his big hands locked and hanging between his knees his eyes were on the fire and his brow was slightly knitted 1 I see victoria presently said slowly but how she asked after a pause how could we afford that now to this quentin made no answer after a time he said irrelevantly you see I 1 may have to be in town a good deal this winter you mean overnight sometimes he did not look at her at the club well no swanson has taken a little place on pine street and hed like rne me to go into it with him kt aa I 1 thought dr swanson was going to los angeles hell be back and forth he says 1 I see vicky said again pondering her heart was beating fast and she felt her spine cold her hands cold and wet its serena it quentin she added almost involuntarily she had not meant to ask it it was said quentin glanced quickly across at her looked back at the fire his eyes narrowed and she saw his jaw stiffen uh huh he said simply with a little philosophic shrug you like her terribly dont you vicky pursued turning the knife in her heart oh it that quentin said impatiently if it was just my liking her it matter everyone likes her I 1 dont suppose ashes met a man in ten years who fallen for her A man her mothers doctor she tells me hes bes one of the big men at roosevelt rooseve it hospital in new york now asked her to marry him when she was only fourteen really vicky said and the word if he had been in any mood to hear it was like a sword blade naked in the air no it what I 1 feel tor for her quentin hearing nothing went on after a moment its that that I 1 cant see any sense in hurting her what about spencer victoria asked simply after a silence she has him what did you say she love spencer no that was a tunny funny thing too she tells me 11 quentin told the whole story eagerly believingly it was the story magda had told her daughter years t I 1 11 1 f all right serena she said halt half aloud before the story of the beautiful woman wheedled into marriage on the promise of love sure to follow spencer and ferdy so long ago and all the other men to whom these beautiful women later were to prove false had promised to love enough for two ashes as sorry as I 1 am quentin presently finished victoria was silent for a while looking fixedly into the fire then she said temperately you feel that something must be done quentin sent her a startled glance well lord vicky she cant go on this way you know her hei life over there is simply hell what it is morrison never has appreciated precia ted her hes completely wrapped up in his own troubles and what has she to live for what do you want to do quentin vicky asked at last in a temperate expressionless voice his dark rumpled head was sunk in his big hands he spoke hopelessly 1 I dont know I 1 told her today that I 1 thought jump at taking a couple of the kids off for a holi G adny ty france maybe we could close up this house 11 her world was tottering about her she heard the hurricane shrieking in her ears breathed the rush of smothering dust felt the good earth shake you mean leave some of them here in the house with nurse and a cook and take the others off to europe well his tone was dubious faintly irritated he was still tumbling his hair with restless fingers we could make some arrangement he said what I 1 mean is it seem fair to have you here slaving yourself to death for the kids when when things have changed so theres no use of three people being unhappy when with a little common sense be satisfied this th s Is as much a surprise to me as you vie vic it came to me like a thunderbolt the other day when she told me what it meant to her she said she wished to god she had never met me she actually said that she felt that way about it now I 1 owe her I 1 owe her some consideration about it ashes got some rights in this matter it its 3 too bad when it happens this way but the only thing is to be honest and to work it out tor for the best tor for all parties and you must believe that it in the least affect what I 1 feel tor for you and the children vie vic I 1 mean separate its simply that you come to a time in your life when youve got to be fair to a all U hands you mean that you want a divorce the instant she said it she knew that it was a mistake she should not have been the one to introduce this word but at least it seemed to be no shock to quentin he said with a hall half smile for the fire firer she says she simply hates the word she was divorced once and the idea makes her sick I 1 suppose it makes any decent woman sick whatever you decide to do quentin victoria said after a moment standing up as an indication that the conversation was over count on leaving me here with the children I 1 leave any of them it would only mean expense and trouble for you ill stay here im glad weve talked about it anyway and I 1 think ill go to bed goodnight good night 1 I think youre a tremendous sport to take it this way let me talk to her shell work it all out quentin said the library door closed there was no other answer hes a genius ot of course vicky said to herself against the surge of pain in her heart as she went slowly upstairs in the big house that of 0 late had seemed so wintry and desolate hes a genius and geniuses have times of not knowing what doing or saying everyone says that quentin is in a class by himself hes temporarily out of his mind all she looked across at the morrison house its tiled spanish roofs and balconies its oaks and peppers were brightly lighted by the cold january moon all right serena she said half aloud apostrophizing the dim light that shone in the window she knew to be window all ali right wait for him to telephone he win will he said five minutes ago that hed empty the ashtrays and lock the doors and that always means hes going to telephone you let him tell you hes had a talk with vicky and she was surprisingly sensible and say ah lover then maybe we can begin to play tomor tomorrow rowl but from now on its my will against your admirable little girl innocence no cence serena hell never get free of me tor for ill never consent to it hell never marry you while I 1 live and im not going to die im going to be right here and after a while give in because theres nothing else for you to do you belong to him now and I 1 know it while he was telling me how strong you were how controlled you were youre his now youve had all youre going to have from him the rest is all mine im the wife and my children are the children and I 1 can wait ill know it all and ill keep still ill be pitied and women will hint things to me and ill keep still you take your day serena go ahead take a year take two years flatter him and meet him for lunch and take his presents and hate me hate me because I 1 wont give you your way but in the end ill ili win victoria and violet keats sat on the hardisty lawn on a hot spring afternoon and discussed with limitations tat ions their husbands and children their homes servants and friends their lives generally the long saturday had been spent by violet and her own quartette of youngsters with the hardisty troop now it was late afternoon and the problem of getting kate duna bunty and babs keats amicably separated from gwen kenty sue dicky bobs and madeleine hardisty was like an uneasy undercurrent to the talk 1 I suppose you leave them all with us vi what all four of violet ejaculated 1 I leave one mothers birthday tomorrow rd id forgotten that although I 1 sent her flowers did you really think to senda send flowers vie vic 1 I did and a book youre charming and she really loves you and always has violet said touched into a rare display of feeling 1 I dont know why you worry so about this baby of yours she added going back to earlier talk he may be just slow duna was terribly slow he walk until he was nineteen months old vie vic looked down at the baby in her lap martys not slow she said gently its more than that vi my own boy thi the last was murmured to the child who looked up at her with smiling blue eyes small and relaxed and secure he lay in her arms he never fretted he did seem sick but this little ot Hardi had only been loane to her for a while and his mother knew it quentin think so mrs keats asked abruptly youve had another opinion knows so victoria spoke mildly but her whole body was torn with a agh sigh violet was silent it strange this little fellow means more to quentin than any of the others did hes always loved them as soon as they got interesting te but only this one from the very start all ali men are like that vi violet ole t put into the pause j martin he adores its strange t vie vic mused hell come home night after night and sit holding him he used to say Marty understood him he say that now he say anything 1 I feel so badly tor for quentin vicky presently continued for quentin mrs keats tone was sharp and quick she apparently reconsidered what else she might have added and when she spoke again her tone was milder 1 I feel sorry for you my dear she said 1 I think youre a remarkable woman vicky oh thank you vicky answered gratefully with a little flush bush and so does everyone else violet persisted and sometimes there is someone id like to talk to she added significantly eyes laughed but there was a glint of warning in them too because I 1 adore quentin we both do violet proceeded further we both do she repeated trying to open a door fuents Quen ts a genius vie vic said simply closing it once and for all howd he like germany vie vic the other woman asked abandoning her other lead he had a remarkable experience he stayed with the von hoffmans and almost worked himself to death but he said it was a wonderful experience he got home last week you said last saturday he looks thin older somehow victoria said ali ah here they au all come panting breathless exhausted the children now emerged from cover and flung themselves about on the lawn they ranged from kate keats and gwen sixteen years old apiece to madeleine hardisty who was four brown tan tall handsome children in white shirts and tan shorts they glowed sparkled shone with the beauty of bright eyes and clear skin flashing teeth and tumbled masses of rich soft hair firm young legs and arms they had had luncheon on the lawn today had had two swims of indeterminate length now susans brilliant thought was that the should stay to supper and that they should make it a picnic victoria considered this temperately TO BE CONTINUED |