“And you can still behave to me with indignation? Surely the indignation should be on my side. You are telling me that I deceived you.”
For a moment Rhoda lost her self-control.
“How can I help thinking so?” she exclaimed, with a gesture of misery. “What can this letter mean? Why should she go to your rooms?”
“I simply don’t know, Rhoda.”
He preserved the show of calmness just because he saw that it provoked her to anger.
“She has never been there before?”
“Never to my knowledge.”
Rhoda watched his face with greedy attention. She seemed to find there a confirmation of her doubts. Indeed, it was impossible for her to credit his denials after what she had observed in London, and the circumstances which, even before Mary’s letter, had made her suspicious.
“When did you last see Mrs. Widdowson?”
“No, I shan’t consent to be cross-examined,” replied Everard, with a disdainful smile. “As soon as you refuse to accept my word it’s folly to ask further questions. You don’t believe me. Say it honestly and let us understand each other.”