CHAPTER XVI
When Micky left Mrs. Ashton he raced off to meet Marie.
She was looking quite her prettiest, in dark furs with a bunch of violets in the breast of her coat, but Micky would not have noticed if she had been shabby, his thoughts were elsewhere. He did not even see that she wore the bracelet he had given her for a Christmas present, or remember that he had once told her violets were his favourite flowers.
He apologised breathlessly for being late.
“I had an appointment,” he explained. “Raymond’s mother; she wrote and asked me to call this afternoon.” He hesitated, then added, “Did you know that Raymond is going to be married? Oh, but, of course, you cannot know, as Mrs. Ashton only knew this morning.”
Marie’s dark eyes opened; like most women, she loved to hear of an engagement or marriage.
“Really?” she said. “At last!––not to––surely not to that little girl at Eldred’s?”
Micky flushed angrily. Did every one know about Esther? he asked himself savagely. He answered shortly that it was to Mrs. Clare, Tubby Clare’s little widow.