Page 34 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“Thank you.” Ellie returned his smile.
“I am Thomas Ramsey,” he said. “Resident of this place.”
“Ellie Endicott.” Ellie shook the hand he had extended. She could see Mrs Adams still glaring and couldn’t understand what there was not to like about the gentleman.
“I came to invite you to luncheon today, if you’ve nothing on your calendar.”
“How very kind. Thank you,” Ellie replied. “We shall be delighted. There are four of us. Is that all right?”
“The more the merrier,” he said. “I’ll expect you at twelve, then. It’s the last house on the right up the street beside the tabac. Up against the hillside. Lovely view.”
Then he gave another smile, a sort of half salute, and left. Mrs Adams was still scowling.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said. “He’s one of them, you know.” She leaned closer, as if she were imparting a secret. “He lives with another man. Lived with him here for years, right out in the open, like.”
“Well, I lived with a man for years,” Ellie said. “I don’t think it did me too much harm.”
“That’s not the same thing at all, is it?” Mrs Adams said angrily. “That’s how God intended it. Not the unnatural way.”
“I’ve no idea what God intended,” Ellie said. “He seemed like a nice gentleman, and I’m only going to have lunch with him.”
She relayed the information back to the others.
“What was there about him that made her so shirty?” Mavis asked.
“He lives with another man, Mavis,” Ellie replied.
“So what’s wrong with that?” Mavis asked. “It’s nice to have company and to share the rent.”
“I think there’s more to it than that,” Ellie said. “I think Mrs Adams meant they are a couple.”
“A what?” Mavis gave an uncomprehending stare.
“You know. Living together. Like Noël Coward.”
Recognition slowly dawned. “Oh? Oh, I get it now.” She turned bright red.
Ellie had expected disapproval from Dora, but she merely shrugged. “It should prove interesting,” she said.
Actually Ellie was surprised at her own easy acceptance. She tried to remember if she had ever actually met a homosexual. She knew all about Noël Coward—everyone did. He was famous enough to beadored and thus not judged. But she also knew that Oscar Wilde had gone to prison and had died soon afterward. Lionel had always been vocal in his disapproval of such things. He called them “bloody fairies.”
But then, Lionel had disapproved of anyone who did not think and act the way he did. Thomas Ramsey seemed like a nice, polite man. She would be interested to have a chance to chat with him.
Just before noon they set off. Yvette had excused herself, saying the conversation would be in English and she would not understand. So they left her at the pension with some provisions for lunch.
“We’ll have to make some sort of decision about that girl,” Dora said as they walked away. “She can’t stay with us indefinitely.”
“What would you have me do, put her on the lorry and drop her off in Marseille?” Ellie replied testily. “Of course I’m concerned about her. I want to help her. When we’re settled I will write to the French war ministry and try to locate her young man. At least then he can take responsibility for a child if he wants to. If not, then we’ll have to think again. The world is not kind to unmarried mothers.”
“She got herself into this position,” Dora said with a sniff of disapproval.
“Young girls in love make foolish decisions. Young men find it easy to persuade them there is marriage in the future. I don’t know how I might have acted at Yvette’s age if I’d been seduced by a more experienced man. As it happened, Lionel was my first real boyfriend, and he wasn’t the seducing type.” She had to laugh at this.
Mavis took Dora’s arm as they started to climb the steep cobbled street. Stray cats slunk into shadows. Laundry flapped from balconies. A baby cried, a dog barked. The houses on either side of them did not look too promising, but when they came to the top of the street, where it ended up against the cream-coloured rocks, there was another house, set apart, painted butter yellow with light-blue shutters. Before they could knock on the door, it opened, and Thomas Ramsey stood there.
“Dear ladies, welcome. Do come in,” he said. He held out his hand to Dora.
“This is Miss Smith-Humphries, and Mavis Moss.” Ellie made the introductions.
