went on until well after eleven, and when everyone had left the dining room, including Q11 Zaphia, orninously red - eyed, he drove Melanie home to her flat, and this time she did invite him in for a drink. He sat on the end of a sofa while she poured him a prohibited whisky and put a record on the phonograph.
'I can't stay long,' Abel said. 'Busy day tomorrow!
qbat's what rm supposed to say, Abel. Don't rush. away, this evening has been such fun, just like old times.'
She sat down beside him, her dress rising above her knees. Not quite like old times, he thought. Incredible legs. He made no attempt to resist when she edged towards him. In moments he found he was kissing her - or was she kissing him? His hands wandered on to those legs and then to her breasts, and this time she seemed to respond willingly. It was she who eventually led him by the hand to her bedroom, folded back the coverlet neatly, turned around and asked him to unzip her. Abel obliged in nervous disbelief and switched out the light before he undressed. After that it was easy for him to put Joyce's careful tuition into practice. Melanie certainly was not lacking in experience herself; Abel had never enjoyed the act of making love more and fell into a deep contented sleep.
In the moming Melanie made him breakfast and attended to his every need, right up to the moment he had to leave.
'I shall watch the Baron Group with renewed interest,' she told him, 'not that anyone doubts that it's going to be a huge success!
qlank you,' said Abel, 'for breakfast and a memorable night.'
'I was hoping we'd be seeing each other again sometime soon,'Melanie added.
'I'd like that," said Abel.
She kissed him on the cheek as a wife rnight who was seeing her husband off to work.
'I wonder what kind of woman you'll end up marTying,' she asked innocently as she helped Abel on with his overcoat.
He looked at her and smiled sweetly. "When I make that decision, Melanie, you can be certain I shall only be influenced by your views.'
'What do you mean?' asked Melanie, coyly.
'Simply that I shall heed your advice,' replied Abel, as he reached the front door, 'and be sure to find myself a nice Polish girl who will marry me.'
Abel and Zaphia were married a month later. Zaphia'3 cousin, janek, gave her away and George was the best man. The reception was held at the Stevens and the drinking and dancing went on far into the night. By tradition, each man paid a token sum to dance with Zaphia, and George perspired as he battled round the room, photographing the guests in every possible permutation and combination. After a midnight supper of barszcz, pierogi and bigos downed with wine, brandy and Danzig vodka, Abel and Zaphia were allowed to retire to the bridal suite, with many a wink from the men and tears from the women.
Abel was pleasantly surprised to be told by Curtis Fenton the next morning that the bill for his reception at the Stevens had been covered by Mr.
Maxton and was to be treated as a wedding gift. He used the money he had saved for the reception as a down payment on a little house on Rigg Street.
For the first time in his life he possessed a home of his own.
Chapter 21
In February of 1934 William decided to take a month's holi day in England before making any firm decision about his future; he even considered resigning from the board, but Matthew convinced lum that that was not the course of action his father would have taken in the same circum stances. Matthew appeared to take his friend's defeat even harder than William himself. Twice in the following week he came into the bank with the obvious signs of a hangover and left important work unfinished. William decided to let these incidents pass without comment and invited Matthew to join him and Kate for dinner that night. Matthew declined, claiming that he had a backload of work on which to catch up. William would not have given the refusal a second thought if Matthew had not been dining at the Ritz Carlton that night with an attractive woman who William could have sworn was married to one of Kane and Cabot's departmental managers. Kate said nothing, except that Matthew did not look very well.
William, preoccupied with his impending departure for Europe, took less