The Forget-Me-Not Sonata(16)

‘Don’t you think I should just wait until my party?’ she began weakly.

‘Absolutely not,’ Isla retorted. ‘Hurry up and finish breakfast then we can go immediately.’

They set off on their bicycles down to the Hurlingham Club. The streets resounded with barking dogs, squeaking children and the shrill cries of the maids as they chatted to one another in Spanish across the garden fences. Audrey confided to her sister about her infatuation and the torment she was suffering because of it. To her surprise it was a relief to be able to speak openly of her feelings, in spite of the fact that they were both talking about two entirely different men. As they approached the gates Audrey’s heart accelerated and she suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable. ‘Calm down, Audrey,’ said Isla in amusement, jumping off her bicycle and leaning it up against the wall. ‘Gosh, you have been badly hit, haven’t you!’ she exclaimed, taking her sister by the hand. ‘Perhaps we should swim first and then play tennis. That way you can cool off a bit first.’ Audrey agreed and they made their way straight to the swimming pool. It was early and the grounds appeared deserted, drenched in the dazzling light of morning. A few people could be seen in the distance walking their dogs or riding up the avenue of tall plane trees but otherwise they were quite alone, able to enjoy a swim undisturbed.

All the while Audrey glided up and down the pool she had her eyes fixed on the park and her heart suspended in her chest, anticipating Louis’ appearance at any moment, longing for it and dreading it in a conflicting mixture of emotions. Each time someone appeared up the steps her stomach lurched with expectation, only to be disappointed, until Isla suggested they play tennis before the heat became too much, thus dragging her away from her anxious vigil.

But Audrey was barely able to concentrate on her tennis game either. Isla was much the superior player and began to get irritated when Audrey missed the ball or hit it into the net out of sheer inattentiveness. Audrey wished she had stayed at home to read her novel under the bird tree and dream. Suddenly dreaming seemed so much more pleasant than reality. Finally, in exasperation, Isla insisted they go to find Cecil at the clubhouse. ‘No, we mustn’t!’ Audrey exclaimed in horror. But Isla was unwavering. Nothing would give her more pleasure than hunting him down before slaying him with one of cupid’s arrows.

‘We’ll go and get a drink, have a look around, I’ll be subtle,’ she insisted. But Isla and Audrey had very different interpretations of the word ‘subtle’. Isla had never once kept any of Audrey’s secrets, not out of malice, but out of an exuberant inability to keep anything to herself. Now Audrey faced the possibility of being thoroughly humiliated in front of Cecil. She wished she had denied the whole thing. But Isla was enraptured by the state of her sister’s heart and was determined to be the one to sort it out. Audrey knew very well that it wasn’t the romance that seduced Isla but the excitement of the challenge. Audrey had now provided her with a most enthralling mission.

She reluctantly followed her sister’s buoyant steps towards the clubhouse, hoping both brothers had gone away for the day, or better still, returned to England on the ship they had come out on. But to her acute embarrassment she heard a familiar voice, followed by Isla’s shrieks of excitement. ‘Cecil!’ she exclaimed. ‘How lovely to see you again.’ Audrey raised her eyes to encounter the diffident smile of Cecil Forrester who, on seeing the young woman whose face had dominated his thoughts and dreams for almost two months, now flushed with joy. He felt awkward in her company and struggled to compose himself. Audrey couldn’t help but cast a quick glance over his shoulder to see whether he was accompanied by his brother. He was not.

‘Hello, Audrey,’ he said, nodding formally. ‘You’ve been playing tennis, I see.’

‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘Not very well, I’m afraid. We were just coming in for a drink.’

‘Why don’t you join us?’ Isla trilled happily. Cecil’s face revealed his enthusiasm in a dazzling smile and Audrey found it impossible to be angry with Isla or irritated by him. His enthusiasm was very flattering.

The three sat at a small round table in the tiled corridor, drinking lemonade and Audrey tried her utmost to be spirited when all she wanted to do was lie on one of the deckchairs in the shade and think of Louis. While she answered Cecil’s questions and fielded Isla’s unsubtle comments she secretly contemplated Louis in the quiet halls of her imagination. She recalled the sudden fire in his eyes when he had talked about the tango, when his body had moved to his humming as if he had been powerless to stop it, when he had told her not to be afraid to dream. She smiled outwardly so that Cecil believed her to be smiling at him and not at his unseen rival. Isla was triumphant. They were clearly enjoying each other’s company. But neither Isla nor her sister realized that Cecil’s heart was also in turmoil. For weeks he had been agonizing over whether to ask her out for dinner, just the two of them. After all, she was the boss’s daughter and he had only just arrived in Buenos Aires. He knew it wasn’t appropriate to jump in so quickly. He had to earn Henry Garnet’s respect before declaring his feelings. He only hoped that no one else would win her heart before he had time to try.