Chapter 17
On the Wednesday of the week after her second date with Dave Vandenburg, Eleanor Landers got her chance to "figure things out." In English literature that afternoon, Mark Torrance had announced that Kathy Edwards' story had been purchased by the New York magazine editor for $250, and that his own first novel had been accepted by a paperback publisher. When the period ended, most of the students crowded around the desk to congratulate him and to ask about the novel. Eleanor waited too. That noon, in the sweet shop where she'd gone for a sandwhich and hot cocoa, Suzy Mersh had brought her stunning news.
"Gosh, Eleanor, I just heard the hottest news that ever hit this campus! Guess what?"
"You and Sam have finally set the date."
"Well, gee, how did you know?" Suzy giggled, then turned a most becoming red. "The big lug finally decided last Friday night not to wait till he got his degree and all. He actually proposed, would you believe it? And-and we're going to be married over Christmas. I'm going up this weekend to meet his folks. Oh, Eleanor, I'm so thrilled I could shout it all over campus! But that's not what I mean."
"Oh?"
"Uh uh. You'd never guess in a million years. I only heard it from Marian Johler, you know, the DGT secretary-treasurer. And she happens to be an awfully close friend of Sam's sister, so she's been sorta nice to me even if I'm not a member. You know."
"Yes, yes, get to the point, Suzy," Eleanor impatiently urged. .
"It's that matinee idol prof you got in English lit, Eleanor. Mark Torrance."
"Well, what about him?"
"He and Kathy Edwards are engaged! Marian said she heard it straight from Dee Mason, and she says Dee's close enough to the Torrance family to know."
"Yes...she is. She happens to be his cousin, for your information, Suzy. Are you sure?"
"Sure as you're born, Elly-I mean Eleanor. Marian says he's going to buy an old farm somewhere near here. And he and Kathy are going to look the place over this weekend. They're going to be married over Christmas too-isn't it exciting?"
"Very much."
"Say, weren't you sort of stuck on Professor Torrance yourself, Elly?"
Distractedly, the redhead didn't even notice that Suzy had forgotten to apologize for the diminutive. "That's ancient history now. I had what you might call a flirtation with him. He's really not my type. I go more for the he-man species, like Dave Vandenburg."
"Yeah, I heard you two are getting thick as thieves. He's loaded with dough. But I guess if the prof sold his book, he might be awfully rich some day, maybe if they buy it for the movies."
"I'm really not at all interested in what happens to Mark Torrance. Anyway, I've got to get to one o'clock class, Suzy. Thanks for all the dope."
And so, sitting there watching all the others crowd around Mark Torrance and seeing Kathy shyly standing off to one side, her eyes glowing and her soft mouth curved in a happy smile, Eleanor Landers glowered with the injustice of it all. What a fast worker that little two-timing four-eyed schemer had turned out to be! How could she possibly have lured him to propose marriage, when she probably hadn't even gone to bed with him yet? But if the two of them were going out to the Crozier farm this weekend, the setup would be just perfect for what she had had in mind ever since
Dave Vandenburg had shown her what a yen he had for her.
She waited till everyone except Kathy had gone, and then she walked up to the desk and held out her hand and said, "Congratulations to you both, Professor Torrance, and you too, Kathy. I'm so glad for both of you, I really am."
He looked pleasantly surprised. "Thanks, Miss Landers. I was just lucky, but she wrote a great story. She deserves all the credit."
"Oh, come now, you know what I mean. About the two of you being engaged."
He frowned. "I was hoping you wouldn't hear it, not till after-"
"Your marriage?" she finished with a gay little laugh. "But I'm glad for you both, I sincerely am. Kathy suits you better than I ever could. And you've got your work in common. I wish you both every happiness."
"T-thank you, E-Eleanor. I-I want to say how sorry I am Dee made me-"
"Forget it, honey," Eleanor turned to Kathy. "I messed everything up, and I got possessive and jealous. I ought to have known you were my real friend from the days when we used to play together as kids. So I learned my lesson. No hard feelings at all."
"That's very nice of you, Eleanor," Kathy murmured, glancing fondly at Mark.
"Yes, it is. And I hope you have the best of everything you want," he added.
"I hear you're going to buy the old Crozier place, Professor Torrance, and be a gentleman farmer after all."
He flushed nervously, his blue eyes fixing her with a kind of appeal. She knew very well what he wanted to communicate to her: to keep silent about their brief relationship. Well, she wouldn't embarrass him. Or his sticky-sweet bride-to-be, either.
"Er, yes, I finally decided. Mr. Crozier's quite ill and wants to dispose of the property as soon as he can. And I got a sizable check from my publisher, so I turned it over to him." He reached for Kathy's hand. "We're going to look at it Friday evening, aren't we, Kathy?"
"Oh, yes, I'm dying to see it," Kathy eagerly responded.
"But you'll go on teaching?" Eleanor politely asked.
"Oh, yes, and Kathy's going to go on and get her degree. And writing, too, I hope. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she surpassed me in a few years, she's that good."
"Oh, Mark darling, don't say such flattering things, I'll never be able to live up to them," Kathy blushed. Eleanor ground her teeth at the radiant look she sent Mark Torrance.
"Well, again, my very best wishes to you both," she said genially. "I'd like to be maid of honor for Kathy at the wedding-if she'll forgive me for having been so nasty."
"Of course, Eleanor, I'd love to have you. It'll be the last day of the year. There'll be just a few of our closest friends. My aunt, and Mark's uncle is coming in from Chicago, and some of the sorority girls like Dee and Marian. We'll let you know, won't we, Mark darling?" Again she sent him a look of joyous love.
"Sure we will. Thanks for being nice, Eleanor." His voice was friendlier now and he used her first name. He held out his hand and Eleanor shook it, a fixed smile on her lips. Then she walked over to Kathy and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so glad for you, Kathy honey," she purred. Then, her head high, she walked nonchalantly out of the classroom.
"It's crazy, Elly. Why'd you wanna have this guy and his doll roughed up, anyhow?"
"I've already told you, darling." She was sitting with
Dave Vandenburg in the back of the Nash, parked around the corner of his fraternity house. She'd phoned him at the house right after leaving English literature and told him she had to see him because it was important to them both. And first she had had to let him maul and kiss her a while before she could get him to digress long enough to listen to what she had to say. "That little sneak got me kicked out of DGT because she lied about me. Then she stole my guy. Yes, I'll admit to you I was going to marry Professor Torrance, but she poisoned his mind against me. Now do you understand why I hate her so?"
"But I could get into plenty of trouble pullin' a stunt like that, Elly."
"Look. Friday night, they're going to drive up to the old Crozier farm. I'll show you where it is. We can drive there after supper, so you know just how to get there. And your friends Bob and Pat could come along Friday. You could wear masks, and you'd never be recognized. I don't want them hurt, you understand. Just scared. And maybe you can muss Kathy's clothes up a little. She's a dish, but a holier-than-thou virgin, take it from me."
He grinned crookedly as he reached for her again. "Well, I don't mind a little shivaree myself. Guess maybe if we only scared 'em, they couldn't really make it tough for us. And the three of us play football and basketball, so we could sure take on an English prof. Yeah, sounds like it might be fun. Only, if I get the guys to do this for me, baby, what're you gonna do for me, huh?"
"You want me to marry you, don't you, Dave honey?"
"Boy, do I ever! If that's the only way I can get you on a mattress, name the day!"
"Then you do this for me, and I'll marry you whenever you say."
"Ohh, baby, you're enough to drive a guy crazy," he moaned, pulling her to him again. Eleanor closed her eyes and passively submitted as his tongue forced open her lips and one hand slipped down under her sweater and into one of the cups of her tight silk bra.
"Honey, I better go," she murmured after a moment, "we don't want your fraternity brothers to catch us this way, do we?"
"Uh uh. Not--likely," he chuckled thickly, releasing her and reaching for a handkerchief to rub off her lipstick. "Bob'n Pat'n me's good friends from way back when we all went to the same high school. But I'm not about to share you with any other guy, Elly honey. Okay, I'll meet you after supper right on the usual corner, huh? Then you can show me where this place is. And I'll tip Bob and Pat off. They like a lark as much as I do. Only don't you go forgetting your bargain, cutie. I'd get real mad if you backed out now, especially when I'm about to do you this big favor."
"I won't back out. Just you keep your part of the bargain, and I'll go with you to the license bureau any day you say, Dave darling. Now I've got to get back. See you after supper, lover."
"Mmmmm, that sounds super elegant," he grinned, and pinched her bottom as she got out of the car. "Won't be long before I show you, you didn't make no mistake when you called me that."