It was a cool night, unusually so for the time of year. Little gusts of wind sent early falling leaves scurrying around the gutters, collecting them in far from neat piles at street corners. Scudding clouds portended rain before morning, the depressing sort of rain that somehow forgets how to stop. Late though it was, a light burned in a solitary ground floor window of a large house, indicating that someone was at home and presumably still awake. Another light, blue in colour, flickered occasionally across the half drawn curtains, a comforting glow, rather than the eerie sight an imaginative mind might have made it.
Staring deep into his twenty one inch monitor, David slowly became aware of an insistent noise tapping away at his subconscious. With an effort, he brought his mind back from virtual reality. Blast! There was someone at the front door. Expressing his feelings with a string of short and none too polite words that owed more to their Anglo-Saxon heritage than to anything imported from later linguistic influences, he saved his work and dragged tired and unwilling feet across the room. Conscious of his tiredness and glancing at the clock with an expression of disbelief, he opened the door. To his surprise, Stella stood there, Stella as he remembered her so well, tall, cool and calculating. She was not the last person he might have expected to see, but she certainly came well down on any list he may have made.
’Stella. What a surprise. Er, won’t you come in?’
David cast a longing glance at his computer as he led the way to the living room. An evening’s work disturbed, he thought. Or rather, half a night’s work disturbed when considering the position of the clock hands. No matter, the machine would close down on its own accord soon enough. He wondered briefly what had brought the woman to him at such a late hour. That there were problems in her marriage was common knowledge, but it wasn’t to be supposed that he was expected to act as some sort of counsellor. Even he wasn’t that naive. He took her coat and placed it on a hanger with the almost compulsive tidiness that characterised his life.
’Tea? Coffee?’ he asked, as Stella sat down on the sofa.
’Preferably something a good deal stronger,’ she answered.
’Strong coffee then. I don’t keep alcohol in the house.’
Stella sighed with bad grace. ’Oh, all right. Coffee will have to do.’
David studied her over the rim of his cup. She hadn’t changed very much since he had last seen her. Older of course, but so was he himself. Perhaps a little coarser in features, yet still very good looking by any standard. Again he wondered why she had come, but forbore to ask, guessing she would reveal herself in due course. Stella broke the silence, a silence that only she found oppressive.
’Rupert and I have broken up,’ she said in a matter of fact tone of voice.
’Oh,’ said David, non-committedly.
’Yes. I thought you might have heard.’
’No. I don’t socialise very much these days. I can’t really say I’ve heard anything.’ David kept his face straight, considering that the lie wasn’t big enough to cause his house to be struck by any of the more impressive forces of nature.
Stella raised immaculately groomed eyebrows. ’What? Not even rumours? There must have been plenty. I’ve heard several myself. Some of them have been so accurate I think Rupert must have been talking out of turn.’
’The last rumour I heard involved the end of the world in some peculiarly new and nasty way. Last Tuesday, I believe. Nine thirty in the evening. It never happened, or if it did, I must have missed it. Perhaps I was asleep. No, I don’t place much credence in rumours.’
’Well, this one happens to be true. We’re getting a divorce.’
’Are you? I see.’
’Do you? If you keep yourself buried away from society I doubt it. Rupert was always chasing after other women you know, though what he did with them whenever he caught them is more than I can imagine. Boosting up his long gone ego, I suppose.’
’I’m sorry,’ said David, hoping he had managed to keep the insincerity out of his voice.
’Oh, it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t have minded if he had even tried to keep a little discretion, but it was the end when he started bringing them home. I mean, it’s a bit much when I had to practically tip toe through the house in order not to disturb something I wasn’t supposed to know about.’
And I wonder how many men you have been through, wondered David. Quite a few if the rumours he hadn’t confessed to were in any way accurate.
He coughed gently and said, ’Why are you telling me all this, Stella?’
’I thought you might be interested. You used to be interested in my life at one time.’
’At one time, yes, long ago. A great deal has happened since then, Stella. What is it you want?’
She crossed her legs with studied care, letting her split skirt fall loosely open over her right knee before answering. David glanced automatically at her exposed leg, then lifted his eyes to her face. He did not find the action difficult. Now had that been Laura sitting there, he thought, where would my eyes be resting? A rhetorical question. He knew the answer without having to ask. Stella continued speaking.
’Perhaps it’s more a question of what you want, David,’ she said.
’Meaning?’
She sighed again. ’Oh dear, you don’t make this easy for me.’
’Try putting it into plain language, Stella. I’m not very good at understanding hints. Remember I’m a computer man, and computer language, whatever its complexities, is straight and logical. It has to be, otherwise it can’t be understood. If you have something to say, then make it clear, make sure I can understand.’
Stella sighed a third time, more heavily than before.
’You used to want me. Well, I’m free now.’
’But you aren’t,’ David objected mildly. ’From what you said, you are still married.’
’Oh that.’ She waved an elegant hand in dismissal. ’That’s only a question of time. Anyway, isn’t the morality of it just a teeny bit old fashioned?’
’I wouldn’t know. I’ve not had a lot of experience of immorality.’
’Meaning that you think I have?’ she asked, dangerously quietly.
’I wouldn’t know about that either. As I told you, I don’t go in much for socialising, at least not in those places where such things seem to be commonly discussed.’
’Well?’ Stella sounded impatient.
’I’m sorry. It’s not clear even yet. What are you suggesting?’
’That we move in together. That we get married as soon as my divorce comes through if you insist on outmoded public conventions. Now do you understand?’
David nodded. ’I understand the words, yes. What I fail to see is the meaning behind them. Why me, Stella? Why now? At the risk of sounding cynical, could this have something to do with Rupert’s impending bankruptcy? He’s made a bit of a mess of things. There won’t even be much of his personal wealth left by the time his creditors have finished with him. At least, not as much as you are accustomed to having. I mean, he won’t have to camp out on the streets in a cardboard box, but I imagine the house will have to go. And the car.’
Stella reddened and she spoke sharply. ’I thought you didn’t listen to rumour.’
’I don’t. This isn’t a rumour, though. It’s hard fact. I work in the industry, remember. I do know what’s going on. I have to. In this case, it’s rather hard to miss. Rupert’s going to be a poor man, if only relatively so. Well?’
’Well what?’
’There seems to be a suggestion that you’re trying to leave a sinking ship and clamber on board another that’s a good deal more buoyant.’
’And if I am?’ she snapped.
’If you are, I can understand that, because I think I understand you. All right, I have all the money you ever wanted me to make, much more than Rupert ever had, or ever will have now. I can see that it would benefit you to move over to me. Now, without wishing to sound greedy, what I would like to know is, what’s in it for me? I assume you haven’t come empty handed.’
Stella forced a smile to her lips. Her semi strident tone of voice softened with an effort.
’I knew you would see sense, she said with a note of satisfaction in her voice. ’You would have me, David. We were practically inseparable once. You always wanted me, you know you did. All right, I may have made a mistake in letting you go, in listening to the disapproval of my parents and friends, but now I can put that right. Take me. I’m yours. Whatever you want, whenever you want it.’
’And your child? What about her?’
Stella waved her hand. ’Oh, she can stay with her father. We’ll come to some arrangement about that.’
’I’m glad to hear it,’ said David drily. ’From what I understand, she’s a bit of a handful.’
There was a long silence as man and woman gazed at each other. A light smile crossed David’s face. The silence stretched out almost beyond endurance. Stella moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, feeling victory within her grasp. She arranged her skirt carefully so as to expose an even greater length of leg. Too much, thought David, catching a glimpse, as he was meant to, of lacy white fabric, apparently semi transparent. She’s not young enough to get away with that. Ten years ago perhaps, but she shows signs of early aging.
’Take me, David. I’m yours.’ Stella repeated. ’Here and now, if you want.’
David sighed heavily, his lip curling in disgust. ’But I don’t want you, Stella. Not any more. And certainly not just like that.’
His reply shocked her.
’Yes you do, David. Of course you do. Think about it. Why else did you never get married? Why else did you bury yourself in your work, with nothing left over for a proper social life? Why else would you allow me in here at this time of night if you didn’t still feel something for me?’
’I’d have thought that allowing you in so late owed more to good manners than anything else,’ David said. ’Perhaps you wouldn’t understand that. Oh, I still feel something for you, Stella, that much I’ll admit to. However, what I feel is something I don’t think you would care to hear.’
’Try me. I’ll give you two arguments for every one of yours. And I’ll beat you. I always win, you should know that. I always get what I want.’
Another silence fell as David studied her. ’All right. Let me tell you a story. It doesn’t really begin with once upon a time, but it might very well do so, in spite of the fact that it is a real life story. Once upon a time there was a young man who fell in love with a young woman. After a shaky start, he became besotted by her. He proposed to her and she agreed to marry him, just as soon as he was earning enough money to keep her in the luxury she craved. However, as soon as he was earning enough, she broke her promise. She had treated him badly enough before, but he could accept all that. It may have been foolish of him, but that was part of his character. What he couldn’t accept was the break in faith. It was that one step too far. Now I’m a successful businessman, Stella, successful by almost any standard you care to name. Oh, I’ll never be up there with the giants of the industry, nor do I particularly want to be, but I’m doing very well indeed. I have a six figure income, employ accountants in the plural, paid cash for the Bentley, paid cash for this house. You know it, or at least suspect it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. I’ve reached that success by being honest. If I make a promise, I keep it. My customers know it. My customers appreciate it. I don’t cut corners in my business life. I don’t cheat in my business life. I don’t let people down in my business life. For business life, you can also read private life. I don’t cheat there either. As it happens, I can’t stand dishonesty or unkindness in any form. It’s paid off for me in business, only I don’t behave in that way purely for business reasons. I behave in that way because that’s part of my character too. I’m not about to change the habits of a lifetime just because you want more money to spend. What happens, I wonder, when you’ve bankrupted me the way you’ve bankrupted Rupert? Perhaps you already have somebody else lined up for that eventuality.’
’But...’
He waved her to silence with a vehement gesture that sent a variety of articles tumbling from the table top to scatter widely on the floor. ’You wanted to hear my explanation, dammit. Then listen to it, or get out.’
Shocked by the violence in his voice, Stella subsided, almost frightened at the sight of his white face and angry features. David fought to calm down, recovering his poise after a severe internal struggle.
’The story continues with the addition of another character, a young woman I met some months ago. She has been very kind, very helpful, very considerate. She recovered my lost laptop computer the first time we met. In itself, that’s nothing, no more than most people would have done, but she went to great inconvenience to herself to ensure I got it back. Would you have helped a stranger like that, Stella? I doubt it. Later she invited me to share her family life when I was very much on my own, and that doesn’t mean what you obviously think it means, to judge by the look on your face. She did it without any thought of recompense. She introduced me to her parents, who accepted me as I was, without asking how much I earned, because it wasn’t important, though they themselves only just scrape a living. Did you ever do that for anyone, Stella? I doubt that too. You pressed me to work for your benefit. She presses me to slow down for mine. Do you realise that you never actually said you loved me, not once, though it took me a long time to realise what was missing. You were honest on that point at any rate, if only by default. You happen to know the young woman I’m talking about. At least, you have met her once. You apparently called her a grubby little peasant. Well, you got the size right. Everything else you got wrong, just about as wrong as you could ever get about a person.’
Stella opened her mouth and tried to speak, but David waved her to silence again.
’Let me finish. Do you remember her, the au pair from Finland that Valerie and Hansford West brought over last year? The girl that Rupert practically tried to undress at first meeting, and wouldn’t afterwards let alone until she felt obliged to leave a job she enjoyed and return home. Or have you forgotten that as you seem to forget so much else that is important?’
Stella smiled mockingly. ’Well well, David. I never thought you had so much spirit in you. Perhaps you should have shown this much fire earlier. So you actually feel something for the peasant girl. Now there’s a novelty. Good is she?’
’Better than you will ever understand,’ said David heavily. ’Even better than I understood until tonight.’
’I would never have suspected you of slumming. She really must have something you find lacking in me.’
’So now we both know something we didn’t know earlier, don’t we?’ said David quietly. ’Perhaps you would like to take your new found knowledge with you when you go. The door is just behind you. Don’t bother trying to slam it. It’s solid. And now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do. You’ve wasted enough of my time tonight already.’
’If people find out that I’ve been here at this time of night, you know they will think the worst, don’t you?’ said Stella slowly, with venom in her voice.
’Let them. I’m sure you have given them plenty of material to practice with. In any case, I suspect their sympathies will be directed at me. If not, it doesn’t matter. It’s still very much a man’s world. You’re the one who’ll be classified as the... But no, I’ll not use the word. I’m sure you are familiar with it, and don’t need my explanations. Just go. I don’t buy at the door, and if I did, I don’t take someone else’s leavings. Like you, and this may be the only thing we have in common, I’m not satisfied with second best.’
He turned on his heel and left the room. Seated before his computer once more, he was aware of the front door closing. The noise it made was almost inaudible. As he had said, it was solid. He grinned, thinking of the effort Stella must have made in the attempt to make her displeasure felt. The smile faded, as David’s thoughts flew elsewhere. Almost absentmindedly his fingers reached for the mouse, and without thinking, found the command that closed the machine down. There was no need to check on aircraft departures. He knew them by heart. He bent down and retrieved the articles he had knocked down, then glanced at the clock again. Time for bed. He would have a long day ahead of him.