Part 19 (2/2)
If you're quite finished we might as well go.
' They didn't talk a great deal; Sarre pointed out anything which he considered might interest her and she asked questions--not as many as she would have wished, but she knew that he wanted to reach Groningen as quickly as possible and he was nice enough to slow down each time she exclaimed over something which caught her eye.
It was eleven o'clock as they reached the outskirts of the city; Alethea heard the church clocks chiming the hour, one after the other.
It was a pleasant welcoming sound and it made her feel a little less strange.
She got out her compact and powdered her pretty face and added a little more lipstick, and was surprised to see how composed was her reflection while her insides churned with excitement and a vague fear that something would go wrong.
Nothing was ever what one expected; certainly Groningen, from what she could see of it as Sarre wound his way to the centre of it, was far more beautiful than she had imagined, with its old houses bordering the ca.n.a.ls and its lovely churches.
They swept past the university and Sarre said: ”We're almost home,” and she braced herself, wondering what home would be like.
She had imagined red brick, but Sarre had been telling her that many people lived in flats; perhaps he had a flat too.
He turned the car into a narrow street which converged into a wider one, lined with trees and with a narrow ca.n.a.l running through it; there were bridges along its length and tall important houses on both sides of the cobbles.
It was quiet there and after the busyness of the main streets it was like pa.s.sing into another world and age.
Sarre slowed the car and then stopped.
”Here we are,” he told her, and leaned across to open her door before getting out himself.
It wasn't red brick and it wasn't a flat, but a thin old house, towering to four storeys, its elaborate gable crowning its flat face.
The door was old too and stout, with large windows on either side, and rows of windows above, decreasing in size at each floor until the top one of all, set directly under the steep gable.
Alethea turned to look at Sarre who had come round the car's bonnet to
shut her door.
”It's not a bit what I expected, it's quite--quite beautiful and very large.
' He looked up at his home.
”It is a lovely old place,” he conceded, 'it's also full of pa.s.sages
and unexpected stairs and funny little rooms, highly inconvenient, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
' He smiled at her.
”T hope you'll like it too, Alethea.
' ”Oh, I shall!
' She stared up at him earnestly.
”It's just that I'm surprised.
' He laughed a little and took her arm as they crossed the brick
pavement and went up the three steps to the front door.
It opened as they reached it and a middle-aged man with a merry face stood back as they went inside.
”Welcom 'ome, guvnor, an' you, miss.
' He sketched a little bow at her and while she was still swallowing
surprise Sarre said easily: ”Ah, Al, it's good to be back.
How's everything?
' ”OK, Guv.
' He grinned engagingly at Sarre, who went on: ”This is Miss Thomas,
Al, my fiancee. You'll look after her.” ”Course I will.” He gave her a friendly respectful look. ”Right proud we are to 'ave 'er, too.” He opened an inner door and Sarre took Alethea's arm and drew her into the hall, a narrow lofty corridor stretching seemingly endlessly before them. She looked round her curiously, a little taken aback with the splendid marble topped side tables and the panelled walls hung with paintings. There was no sign of a staircase, but when they were halfway down the hall she saw it, at right angles to the hall, a handsomely carved one, its oak treads worn by countless feet.
Al had slipped ahead of them and opened another door and they went into a fair-sized room.
There were no windows but light came from the enormous windows of a
much larger room into which it led.
Al shut the door quietly behind him and Sarre took his hand from her arm and she stood just where she was, looking about her.
Nothing was as she had expected it to be.
<script>