Nightwork

The image of Pat came immediately to my mind, in a wave of tenderness, mingled with regret. I had rarely even thought of her during the years at the St Augustine. The protective, icy numbness that had come over me that last day in Vermont was melting fast in the company of Lily and Fabian. I had to recognize that, like it or not, I was once again exposed to old emotions, old loyalties, to the memories of distant pleasure. But even if Pat were free, I couldn't imagine her accepting my relationship with Fabian, whatever it was or turned out to be, or his blatantly high style of living. The girl who donated a portion of her small salary as a schoolteacher to the refugees of Biafra could hardly be expected to approve of the man sitting at the table spooning up caviar. Or of me, for that matter. Evelyn Coates was a more likely candidate for our little group and would be an interesting match for both Lily and Fabian, but who knew which Evelyn Coates would turn up - the surprisingly gentle woman of the last Sunday night in my hotel room or the abrasive Washington operator and business-like rapist I had met at the Hales' cocktail party? I also had to consider the possibility that, one way or another, Fabian and I might eventually be exposed. It would hardly do her career as a government lawyer any good if one day she was publicly branded as the consort of a pair of thieves.

'I'm afraid there's nobody I can think of at the moment,' I said.

I thought I detected the ghost of a smile pass across Lily's face.

'Lily,' Fabian said, "what is your sister Eunice doing these days?'

'Going through the Coldstream Guards in London,' Lily said. 'Or the Irish Guards. I forget who's on duty at the palace.'

'Do you think it would amuse her to join our party for a while?'

'Indeed,' Lily said.

'Do you think that if you sent her a wire she'd be prepared to meet us tomorrow night at the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich?'

'Very likely,' Lily said. 'Eunice travels light. I'll send the wire when we get back to the hotel.'

'Is that okay with you, Douglas?'

'Why not?' It seemed terribly cold-blooded to me, but I was in cold-blooded company. When in Rome. Caviar and circuses.

The maître d'hôtel came over to our table to tell Fabian that there was a call for him from America. 'What do you say, Douglas?' Fabian asked as he got up from the table. 'How low are you ready to go? How about forty, if necessary?'

'I'll leave it up to you,' I said. 'I've never sold a horse before.'

'Neither have I.' Fabian smiled. 'Well, there's a first time for everything.'

He followed the maître d'hôtel off the terrace.

The only sound was the crunching of Lily's teeth on her toast, ladylike, but firm. The sound made me nervous. I could feel her looking speculatively at me. 'Were you the one,' she asked, 'who broke the lamp on Miles' head?'

'Did he say I did?'

'He said there'd been a slight misunderstanding.'

'Why don't we let it go at that?'

'If you say so.' There was more crunching. 'Have you told him about Florence?'

'No. Have you?'

'I'm not an idiot,' she said.

'Does he suspect?'

'He's too proud to suspect.'

'And where do we go from here?' To Eunice,' Lily said calmly. 'You'll like Eunice. Every man does. For a month or so. I look forward to our holiday.' 'When do you have to go back to Jock?' She glanced at me sharply. 'How do you know about Jock?'

'Never mind,' I said. She had hurt me with her debonair assignment of me to her sister and I wanted to get a little of my own back.

'Miles says he's never going to play bridge or backgammon again. Do you know anything about that?'

'I have a general idea,' I said.

'But you're not going to tell me what it is.'

No.'

'He's a complicated man. Miles,' she said. 'He has an abiding fondness for money. Anybody's money. Be careful of him.'

'Thanks. I shall be.'

She leaned over and touched my hand. 'I had a lovely time in Florence,' she said softly.

For a tortured moment I wanted to grab her and plead with her to get up from the table and flee with me. 'Lily...' I said thickly.

She withdrew her hand. 'Don't be oversusceptible, love,’ she said. 'Remember that.'

Fabian came back, his face grave. 'I had to come down,' he said as he took his seat. He helped himself to more caviar. 'All the way to forty-five.' He grinned boyishly. 'I think we need another bottle of champagne."

* * *

I was at the big, carved, oak desk in my room at the hotel. I had said good night at my door to Lily and Fabian. They had the suite next to me. We both overlooked the Mediterranean. Lily had kissed me on the cheek and Fabian had shaken my hand. 'Get a good night's sleep, old boy,' he had said. 'I want to do some sight-seeing in the morning before we take off for

Zurich.' I was feeling a little giddy from all the champagne, but I didn't feel like sleeping. I took a sheet of the hotel stationery from the drawer of the desk and began to write on it almost at random.

Stake, I wrote, 20,000. Gold - 15,000, Bridge and backgammon - 36,000 ... Movie?