Strange Women, The Read Online Free
Author: Miriam Gardner
said, "I've been driving to Syracuse two or three times a week—there are two big warehouses full of odds and ends that have to be crated and catalogued and shipped here, there and everywhere." He rose, pulling his coat around his shoulders. "Let me just go and see about the car. You order for me, Jill."
Jill watched him out of sight, then leaned across the table. "Nora, you didn't really recognize me yesterday, did you?"
"After you'd gone, I realized that you looked like Pammy. When are you and Mack going to be married?"
Jill said flatly and politely, "We haven't set a date," and the words were a courteous, but perfectly formed barrier against further questions.
Not so idyllic, then. But it doesn't seem like Mack. Is it his baby?
"Nora, you—you won't tell Mack I consulted you, will you?"
"Why—no, if you don't want me to," Nora said, mildly confused. "Didn't you ever hear of a professional confidence? I certainly wouldn't bring it up, unless you did."
Mack, snowflakes clinging to his thick eyebrows and beading his coat, came back and sat down. "The car's had it. Hope you've got your walking shoes on, Jill."
"I've got my car," Nora said, "I can run you both home before office hours. How far out do you live, Jill?"
Mack looked up sharply, but Jill met Nora's eyes, smiling.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I'm staying with Mack at your old place, and as far as people around here are concerned, I'm calling myself Mrs. MacLellan just now. It doesn't matter, but Mack's been in a stew because he introduced me as Jill Bristol."
Mack muttered, "Well, I wanted to ask Nora to our wedding, so how could I say—" he shrugged helplessly, but Jill reached across the table for his hand, and he smiled at her, his rugged face transformed with love. Nora felt a touch of cruel, sudden envy. She had been cheated of her honeymoon...
They lingered at the table, Nora and Mack exchanging desultory reminiscences; Jill seemed content to listen, saying little. Nora finally had to break it up.
"I'm sorry, but I may have someone waiting for me. If I'm going to drop you off, we'd better get going."
They were crowded in the front seat of her car, and Nora felt Jill's closeness with a small, not unpleasant shock. She stopped at the old house which had once been her home, too, and watched them go up the drive together, Mack's hand protectively beneath Jill's elbow.
As they mounted the snow-laden steps, they turned and waved at her; then Mack drew Jill gently inside. Nora saw a light go on; she shivered, feeling cold and lonely, and shut out in the drifting snow.
After a minute she set her mouth firmly, reached in her pocket for a cigarette and started the car toward her evening's work, the strange rustling house and her cold, lonely bed.
CHAPTER 3
Nora eased her car toward the curb, and rolled down the window. "Jill?" she called, "are you going to Albany? Wouldn't you rather ride? The bus won't be along for twenty minutes yet."
Jill came around the car and got in, and Nora asked, "Where is Mack?"
"He had to go to Syracuse. He wouldn't take me because he's still not sure of the car."
A late thaw had melted most of the snow left by the blizzard; the road was clear of slush, and the sky had a damp, deceptive blueness. Jill sat very straight on her half of the seat, like a well-behaved little girl in mittens and boots. Nora said after a minute, "I'm going to stop off at the lab and pick up your test report. You must be anxious about it."
"Not particularly. The rabbit test is the one they call the Friedman test, isn't it? We used the old Ascheim-Zondek test, with mice, in Syracuse."
Nora raised her eyebrows, startled.
"You certainly are full of surprises," she said. "Where did you learn all that?"
"I majored in biology at Cornell. I worked for a while as a technician in a Syracuse hospital—that's where I met Mack."
"When is Mack leaving for Peru?"
"Next week. Wednesday or Thursday, depending on when he can get a flight."
No wonder she
Jill watched him out of sight, then leaned across the table. "Nora, you didn't really recognize me yesterday, did you?"
"After you'd gone, I realized that you looked like Pammy. When are you and Mack going to be married?"
Jill said flatly and politely, "We haven't set a date," and the words were a courteous, but perfectly formed barrier against further questions.
Not so idyllic, then. But it doesn't seem like Mack. Is it his baby?
"Nora, you—you won't tell Mack I consulted you, will you?"
"Why—no, if you don't want me to," Nora said, mildly confused. "Didn't you ever hear of a professional confidence? I certainly wouldn't bring it up, unless you did."
Mack, snowflakes clinging to his thick eyebrows and beading his coat, came back and sat down. "The car's had it. Hope you've got your walking shoes on, Jill."
"I've got my car," Nora said, "I can run you both home before office hours. How far out do you live, Jill?"
Mack looked up sharply, but Jill met Nora's eyes, smiling.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I'm staying with Mack at your old place, and as far as people around here are concerned, I'm calling myself Mrs. MacLellan just now. It doesn't matter, but Mack's been in a stew because he introduced me as Jill Bristol."
Mack muttered, "Well, I wanted to ask Nora to our wedding, so how could I say—" he shrugged helplessly, but Jill reached across the table for his hand, and he smiled at her, his rugged face transformed with love. Nora felt a touch of cruel, sudden envy. She had been cheated of her honeymoon...
They lingered at the table, Nora and Mack exchanging desultory reminiscences; Jill seemed content to listen, saying little. Nora finally had to break it up.
"I'm sorry, but I may have someone waiting for me. If I'm going to drop you off, we'd better get going."
They were crowded in the front seat of her car, and Nora felt Jill's closeness with a small, not unpleasant shock. She stopped at the old house which had once been her home, too, and watched them go up the drive together, Mack's hand protectively beneath Jill's elbow.
As they mounted the snow-laden steps, they turned and waved at her; then Mack drew Jill gently inside. Nora saw a light go on; she shivered, feeling cold and lonely, and shut out in the drifting snow.
After a minute she set her mouth firmly, reached in her pocket for a cigarette and started the car toward her evening's work, the strange rustling house and her cold, lonely bed.
CHAPTER 3
Nora eased her car toward the curb, and rolled down the window. "Jill?" she called, "are you going to Albany? Wouldn't you rather ride? The bus won't be along for twenty minutes yet."
Jill came around the car and got in, and Nora asked, "Where is Mack?"
"He had to go to Syracuse. He wouldn't take me because he's still not sure of the car."
A late thaw had melted most of the snow left by the blizzard; the road was clear of slush, and the sky had a damp, deceptive blueness. Jill sat very straight on her half of the seat, like a well-behaved little girl in mittens and boots. Nora said after a minute, "I'm going to stop off at the lab and pick up your test report. You must be anxious about it."
"Not particularly. The rabbit test is the one they call the Friedman test, isn't it? We used the old Ascheim-Zondek test, with mice, in Syracuse."
Nora raised her eyebrows, startled.
"You certainly are full of surprises," she said. "Where did you learn all that?"
"I majored in biology at Cornell. I worked for a while as a technician in a Syracuse hospital—that's where I met Mack."
"When is Mack leaving for Peru?"
"Next week. Wednesday or Thursday, depending on when he can get a flight."
No wonder she
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