The Wild Wood Enquiry Read Online Free

realise you had visitors.”
    “I’m not a visitor,” said Katherine in icy tones. “I’m his ex-wife. Who are you?”
    Miriam looked helplessly at Gus, who took pity on her and said, “Let me introduce you, Kath, to my very helpful neighbour, Miriam Blake. Miriam, this is Katherine, my ex-wife. She is calling in on her way back to London.”
    Katherine looked at him in surprise. “But you said I could stay for a few days. I need some country air, you see, Miss Blake,” she said apologetically.
    Gus shook his head at the barefaced lie. “Try Switzerland,” he said.
    Then Miriam coughed in an embarrassed way and saidshe quite understood that Gus must not be disturbed in his writing work, but next door she had a very nice spare bedroom and would be delighted to have Mrs. er… as a lodger for a week or so, if that would help. Gus could vouch for her cooking skills.
    “Not possible—” Gus frowned deeply, but Kath said at the same time that she was most grateful and smiled winningly at Miriam.
    That smile! Gus had fallen for it the first time they met, and now here she was, intruding on his hard-won peace of mind, guaranteed to turn his world upside down once more.
    “If you would like to fetch your things, Mrs. er…”
    “Do call me Kath. Everyone does, except Gus when he’s cross with me. Then it’s Katherine.”
    Oh God, please help me, Gus groaned inwardly. She’ll be bosom pals with Miriam in no time, and then what shall I do? Vanish, he told himself. You’ve done it before and it would be easy. Then he thought of Deirdre, and Ivy and Roy, and Enquire Within. How could he leave them in the lurch? No, this would have to be got through, and he must make the best of it. Country life would soon pall with the urban Katherine, and she would be gone again.
    The two women went off chatting happily, and Gus watched them go. He knew Kath was putting on a false and rather cruel act of friendship, and he had a pang of guilt. Miriam had never shown him anything but kindness and hospitality. He hated to see her so gullible in the face of the famous Kath charm. Ah, well, if she hadn’t gone in a week, he would get rid of her himself. Somehow.
    UP AT TAWNY Wings, Deirdre was thinking about Gus. Their relationship had rather cooled off lately, with noinvestigating to bring them together. She still spent pleasant evenings, and sometimes whole nights, in the company of Theodore Roussel up at the big house. She had been close to him as a young woman, though the difference in their social standing had prevented anything serious from developing.
    Now, in these days of equality for all, she had renewed a light and affectionate friendship. The fact that she was a rich widow had more than a little bearing on Theo’s attentive attitude. He was an impoverished aristocrat, and Deirdre, still pretty and fun, and wealthy to boot, was an attractive proposition. He would cheerfully have married her now, but she made it clear she was not interested.
    She looked at her bedside clock, saw that it was ten o’clock, and decided to phone Gus, just for a chat. He answered after some time, with an abrupt “Yes?”
    “Hello, Gus. It’s me, Deirdre, calling to see how you are. How are you?”
    “Terrible. Was that all?”
    “Gus! What’s wrong? Are you ill? Shall I come down?”
    “No, for God’s sake don’t! I’ll explain it all tomorrow.”
    “Gus, I’m worried about you. Can’t you tell me now?”
    “Okay, here it is. My ex-wife, Katherine, has turned up, asking to stay for a few days. I refused, but dearest Miriam from next door has offered to put her up. Need I say more? No. Right then, if you see a strange, hangdog-looking man creeping into Springfields tomorrow, it’ll be me. Good night, Deirdre.”

Six

    FOR A FEW minutes, Gus felt cheerful. The sun was streaming through his bedroom window and last night’s weather forecast had promised another hot, dry day. “Never mind about the farmers praying for rain,” he said