Читаем A Dangerous Fortune (1994) полностью

Maisie felt a sudden surge of affection for him. She had not asked him to help Danny. "You're such a good man," she said. She opened his bathrobe and kissed his vast belly. "You've already done so much for my family, you never have to apologize. Besides, Danny won't take anything from you, you know that; he's too proud."

"But what will he do?"

She stepped out of her petticoats and rolled down her stockings. "Tomorrow he's meeting with the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. He wants to be a member of Parliament and he hopes they will sponsor him."

"And I suppose he'll campaign for stricter government regulation of banks."

"Would you be against that?"

"We never like the government to tell us what to do. True, there are too many crashes; but there might be even more if the politicians ran the banks." He rolled on his side and propped his head up on his elbow to get a better view of her taking off her underwear. "I wish I weren't leaving you tonight."

Maisie wished the same. A part of her was excited at the prospect of being with Hugh when Solly was away, but that made her feel more guilty still. "I don't mind," she said.

"I feel so ashamed of my family."

"You shouldn't." It was Passover, and Solly was going to celebrate the ritual of seder with his parents. Maisie was not invited. She understood Ben Greenbourne's dislike of her, and half felt she deserved the way he treated her, but Solly was deeply upset by it. Indeed, he would have quarreled with his father if Maisie had let him, but she did not want that on her conscience too, and she insisted he continue to see his parents in a normal way.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" he said anxiously.

"I'm sure. Listen, if I felt strongly about it I could go to Manchester and spend Passover with my own parents." She became thoughtful. "The fact is that I've never felt part of all that Jewish stuff, not since we left Russia. When we came to England there were no Jews in the town. The people I lived with in the circus had no religion at all, mostly. Even when I married a Jew, your family made me feel unwelcome. I'm fated to be an outsider, and to tell you the truth I don't mind. God never did anything for me." She smiled. "Mama says God gave you to me, but that's rubbish: I got you all by myself."

He was reassured. "I'll miss you tonight."

She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over him so that he could nuzzle her breasts. "I'll miss you too."

"Mmm."