what had he really wanted to see ? a copy of Hilary &apos;s will ? that was n&apos;t impossible , though unpleasant to contemplate . a young man of his ideas might feel he was entitled to know what provision had been made for Hilary &apos;s daughter , in the event of Hilary &apos;s death . now that Rose was dead , the picture had changed substantially . there would be no one to share the vast fortune with Lisabelle . she would be the sole beneficiary , in the normal course of events , which would make her a very rich young woman indeed . sorry I was so long , Peter &apos;s voice made Mary jump guiltily . I tried my hand at that cheese concoction I remembered you liked . and heated up some soup . you deserve better than a cold snack . he placed an appetizingly set tray on the cleared end of the long table . he had not only taken a great deal of trouble on her behalf , but had foreseen exactly the kind of food that would appeal to her . beyond this there was such charming friendliness in his manner , he was such an attractive looking fair-haired young man , his eyes so blue in his tanned face , it was difficult to steel herself against him . but charm and good looks and attentiveness in small ways were qualities essential to the fortune hunter . they bore no relation to trustworthiness or character . nor did Peter &apos;s gift for companionable silence , grateful though she was not to be forced to make conversation . she heard the door open , heard the rustle of silk just as Peter picked up the tray with the empty dishes . he stood quite still . when he spoke it was with an eloquent , far-from-old-world , wow ! Lisabelle &apos;s cheeks were almost the colour of the watermelon pink silk as she presented herself for Mary &apos;s inspection . the dress itself , the unusual care she &apos;d taken to arrange her smooth black hair , the lipstick and powder she &apos;d put on with surprising skill had transformed her . she had become a beauty . she knew it , and the knowledge transformed her . I did n&apos;t dream clothes could make so much difference , she said . you &apos;ll have to buy all my clothes for me ! although , she added ruefully , I do n&apos;t know where I &apos;d wear them . where I &apos;ll even wear this . in New York , when you &apos;re staying with me . the opportunity was heaven-sent . look , Lisabelle , you &apos;re to go back with me next week , I &apos;ll guarantee you &apos;ll have a good time . I &apos;d adore to go . Lisabelle &apos;s eyes shone like stars . then we &apos;re all set . the job here ought to be finished in a matter of days . we &apos;ll ring up the airport in the morning and get our reservations . luckily I have a guest room in my apartment - a tiny one , but you will n&apos;t mind . mind ? it would be bliss . then the sparkle in her green eyes vanished . the excitement ebbed . she said with the quiet of despair , but I can n&apos;t leave Dad . Peter moved resolutely off with the tray . Mary picked up a cigarette and lighted it , without speaking . Lisabelle glanced appealing down at her . you do understand , do n&apos;t you ? of course I understand , lambie , Mary said . she raised her arms , and for the first time Lisabelle leaned down and gave her a real kiss . chapter 29 . Sunday was another golden day of sunshine . a day when every instinct rebelled against staying indoors . the chances were , she would n&apos;t get the telephone call until tomorrow , at the earliest , Mary thought . but there was a dynamic quality about James Danford that made anything possible . at 10 o&apos;clock Mary reluctantly rose from the canvas chair outside her door , where she &apos;d been basking in the sun , and went across the court garden to the living-room . she found that the last person in the world with whom she would willingly have shared this tense period of waiting was ensconced there . Dora May was settled in a comfortable upholstered chair , Sunday newspapers strewn all around her on the floor . her feet , in high-heeled pink linen sandals , were resting on an upholstered stool . she was dressed entirely in pink . the black of mourning for Rose had been quickly discarded , but not the air of importance that had been imparted by the legacy Rose had left her . I &apos;m waiting to see Cousin Hilary , she said . I brought out the mail while I was about it . there are four letters for you . they do n&apos;t look very exciting , though . Mary sat down in the desk chair , her back turned to Dora May &apos;s gaze , while she opened the letters . they were not , as she &apos;d judged , very exciting . Mary was reading the one from her assistant a second time , when Dora May &apos;s flat nasal voice broke in . a little bird told me you had a real long visit with Manuel night before last . Mary put all her letters into her purse , rose without haste and moved towards the fireplace . despite the warmth outside it was cool in here and the fire was welcome . she tossed the envelopes onto the blaze , stood watching them a moment . somehow she must manage to cope with this wretched creature with the tight blonde curls , whose every word and gesture irritated her almost beyond endurance . there was no hope of dislodging her ; she was rooted here . nor could any power on earth stop her from talking . Mary realized that the part of wisdom was to accept the situation without further protest , and , if possible , extract some benefit from it . after all , Dora May had been a member of this household for a good many years . she must possess information that would be of value . even the least observant person would have learned a vast amount ; and she possessed abnormal curiosity . the difficulty was not in getting her to talk , heaven knew , but in diverting her talk into channels of potential usefulness . there &apos;s no knowing when Hilary will be back , Mary said . there is nothing for me to do but loaf and wait for a long distance call about some materials I need . it seemed sensible to slip this in . so , if I could be of any help ? I do n&apos;t see how . what I want is for Cousin Hilary to advance me the money Rose left me in her will . no , I could hardly do that . twenty-five thousand dollars is a large sum . although to Hilary , of course , it &apos;s peanuts . that &apos;s what you think . the glint in Dora May &apos;s cold blue eyes was a signpost the least discerning could follow . I &apos;m positive , Mary said firmly , that twenty-five thousand dollars does n&apos;t mean any more to Hilary than twenty-five cents would to me . then why has he mortgaged this ranch ? Dora May &apos;s voice was shrill with triumph . borrowed every penny he could get against the land , and the cattle and equipment , too ? just tell me that , if you know so much about his affairs . I do n&apos;t need to know much about Hilary &apos;s affairs to know he &apos;s one of the richest men in the state , Mary said . you must have been misinformed about his borrowing money . she sat down on the sofa as if dismissing the whole subject , picked up one of the papers from the floor and pretended interest in its headlines . Dora May rose to the bait . Hilary &apos;s lawyer &apos;s secretary is a close personal friend of mine . I guess she &apos;s not misinformed about documents she drew up herself ! and came out here with the notary and signed as witness , the very afternoon of Rose &apos;s funeral . more trouble in Africa . Mary kept her eyes on the newspaper . oh , sorry , Dora May &amp;hellip; you said something about documents ? she looked up , thinking , with wicked amusement , I could n&apos;t blame her if she slapped me ! then shrank within herself for a moment , as the wrath in Dora May &apos;s voice made that outcome not impossible . you need n&apos;t high-hat me ! I &apos;m trying to tell you something for your own good - if you ever want to get paid for what you &apos;re doing here ! and I &apos;ll tell you something else . you can put it in your pipe and smoke it . so long as Rose was alive Hilary could n&apos;t have mortgaged everything he owned without her consent . and she would n&apos;t have given it &amp;hellip; . maybe she &apos;d be alive today if she &apos;d been willing to . that &apos;s crazy ! Mary declared , but she could n&apos;t hide her sense of shock . Dora May was gratified . you know as well as I do Rose did n&apos;t kill herself . why did you go to Dr Summersby &apos;s office and ask him about those pain-killers of Hilary &apos;s if you did n&apos;t suspicion something ? on guard now , Mary resorted to counter-attack . oh , I remember . you said once that Dr Summersby &apos;s nurse is a friend of yours , too , we went to school together . and the good doctor tells her everything ? well , no . not exactly . he has one of those dictaphone things so she can keep a record of what his patients say . I guess he forgot to turn it off when you were there . Mary &apos;s mind flashed back to her interview with Dr Summersby . just what had she said in the so-called privacy of his office ? she &apos;d asked for the English valet &apos;s address , asked if she could go to the hospital to see Manuel . spoken of Hilary &apos;s plans for a festive wedding for Manuel and Sarita . what else that Dora May &apos;s bird-brain could fasten on ? or , was it such a bird-brain ? was she inventing this fantasy of Hilary &apos;s desperate need for money ? the details had sounded disturbingly convincing . Hilary was no niggardly gambler . it could easily be all or nothing with him . it was possible that the notary might have come out the afternoon of the funeral . Lisabelle and Peter and she had been riding and away from the house for hours . I certainly could n&apos;t have given Dr Summersby the impression that I thought Hilary had anything to do with Rose &apos;s death , Mary said . the question that bothered me was why she should have taken her own life , if she did take it deliberately , when she had so much to look forward to . I know all about the man in Dallas . I think she would have been very happy if eventually she &apos;d married him . as she deserved to be happy . Dora May looked up . again she astonished Mary . there were tears in her eyes . they were , however , tears of self-pity , she was the only friend I had at the ranch . she knew what it was to be an outsider &amp;hellip; . I &apos;m sure Rose knew that Hilary was going bankrupt , she said , with another startling shift of mood . I think that &apos;s why she left her jewellery to Lisabelle . not that I mean to complain . not little old me . I just do n&apos;t understand it , that &apos;s all . she swung her pink sandals off the footrest , got to her feet ; elaborately smoothing the pink linen over her rounded hips , patting her tight blonde curls . if Rose had made that will after we had words , I would n&apos;t have blamed her . but she did n&apos;t . she made it while everything was fine between us . so Dora May had quarrelled with Rose ! this was a new angle to be explored . had Dora May tried to blackmail her ? Mary took a chance . she probably did n&apos;t think you &apos;d really tell Hilary about the man in Dallas . Dora May pressed her lips , making a small red pucker in her over-powdered face . her eyes were wary . obviously she was wondering whether denial would do any good , since she had no way of knowing whether or not Hilary had confided in Mary . never had Mary thought the day would come when Dora May &apos;s silence would be unwelcome . now , as she remained silent , Mary could have shaken her . is it your considered opinion , she said at last , that Hilary was responsible for Rose &apos;s death ? goodness gracious no ! and do n&apos;t you dare put words into my mouth . I do n&apos;t know how else to interpret what you said , Mary kept her voice calmly reasonable . you claim Rose would never have consented to Hilary &apos;s borrowing the money he needed . you said that if Rose would have consented , she might be alive today . what other construction can I put on it ? 