The Girl from Heavytree Farm

Chapter Four: The Factory of Death

'She thinks he's in love with Lucy Baines.' 

'So? What is the problem?' Leon was leading her upstairs again, hand in hand. 

'She thinks there's a social disparity.' 

'I would agree,' said Leon, in mock solemnity. 'Clearly Miss Baines is far too intelligent to associate with your cousin Mark.' 

She laughed at him and said: 'I know. And I don't expect she's at all interested in him.' 

'Then your good aunt needn't worry. Come and help me finish these tests.' 

Over lunch, Mirabelle mentioned to George Manfred the problem of Mark's amours, and George agreed good-naturedly that Mark could visit that evening. Mirabelle gratefully offered to cook a meal; Leon, who enjoyed his wife's simple cooking but knew that George's tastes were more epicurean, suggested that they order a meal to be sent round from a local restaurant. So it was agreed, and after lunch Mirabelle phoned up the flat in Doughty Court and invited Mark to dinner. 

'Smart suit but not evening dress,' she added. 

'Great! I'll be there,' Mark promised. 'Can I bring Lucy?' 

Mirabelle hesitated, then asked herself why it should matter. 'Yes,' she said, 'I'd love to see Lucy.' 

'I forgot to mention,' George remarked when she went back upstairs to the office to continue with her work on the Triangle Agency's correspondence, 'a client is coming round this evening. I will interview him in the reception room as usual; if it's the type of case which requires more assistance, I will call the rest of the Agency to listen in.' 

'I expect Leon will be listening anyway,' said Mirabelle. 

George nodded. 'He usually does,' he agreed. 

The evening went pleasantly enough. The meal, provided by a local restaurant which sent it round in a hamper, was acceptable even to George's fastidious tastes. Mark and Lucy arrived quietly but neatly dressed, and made intelligent conversation. The discussion centred on politics, the theatre, and literature. Lucy showed a good knowledge of classic English literature, based on a sound schooling; Mark succeeded in holding his own on politics. Mirabelle realised that she had been holding her breath, expecting her cousin to make a complete fool of himself in front of the Three Just Men. She gradually relaxed as the evening progressed, and even managed to laugh at George's wit. 

Leon kept a careful eye on his wife. He realised that she was embarrassed by her cousin's lack of social polish - she did not realise that part of her own attractiveness was her natural grace and lack of affectation. Always fascinated by human behaviour, he had quickly weighed Mark up at their first meeting as reasonably intelligent but lacking in self-esteem and confidence, while it was obvious that Lucy felt herself keenly to be the social inferior of George and Raymond. Yet she regarded Leon as a friend and thought of him as on her own social level. He made a point of drawing Lucy and Mark into the conversation on subjects that they were comfortable with, and was pleased to see them respond positively to his encouragement. 

At around nine o'clock the doorbell rang, and Poiccart went out of the drawing room to answer it while Manfred went up to his first floor reception room to receive the visitor. The remaining four continued chatting in the drawing room. The conversation had turned to modern society and what was and was not acceptable behaviour nowadays. 

'The Great War changed everything,' declared Mark. 'Social standards have changed completely. All the old institutions of society are breaking down. When I was a little boy, everyone went to Church on Sunday, and unmarried mothers were unheard of. Now young people of my age don't get married - they just live in sin.'