“Better, thanks, better. Oh, I’m perfectly all right!” He started to pace up and down.
Mrs. Bryant changed the subject. She invited Vicki to sit next to her on the couch in the winter sunshine, and they chatted about the Electra. Mr. Bryant joined in with a question or two. He seemed less forbidding today. Still, Vicki thought, this imposing man would probably never be easy to get along with. She’d as soon attempt to be friends with a polar bear—he reminded her of an old, still powerful bear with his heavy, rolling gait and thatch of yellowish-white hair.
“Where’s Dorn?” he demanded. “Not here yet?”
His wife said, “Mr. Dorn telephoned to say he will be a little late. It was unavoidable, dear.”
“Humph. Well, I’ll lie down again for a few minutes. Excuse me, ladies.” He abruptly thumped out of the room.
Mrs. Bryant waited until he was out of earshot, then smiled at Vicki.
“When I invited you to lunch yesterday, Miss Barr,” said Mrs. Bryant, “I thought you would be our only guest. But this morning a young lawyer who is doing a particularly important piece of work for us telephoned and asked whether he couldn’t see us about noon today. So he’ll be here for lunch, too. I’m sure you and I will have our visit, anyway.”
Vicki was a little disappointed, and offered to leave rather than intrude.
“No, indeed!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed. “I want you to stay. Mr. Dorn is going to tell us about Lucy—our granddaughter whom we’ve never seen.” She looked very thoughtful. “Does that seem odd to you?”
Vicki was not quite sure what to answer. “Unless,” she said, “your granddaughter has always lived at a great distance from you.”