"What do you mean? Do you mean you lived with him in the sense that we are living together now?"
Her face grew dark. "You've no right to ask that sort of a question. However, I will answer. We lived together, as man and woman, as you and I are doing."
He strode up and down, a black look on his face. Finally he turned and faced her. "Diana, is this your way of telling me that you are through with me?"
She reached out and placed a hand impulsively on his arm. "Why, no, darling. No, No."
He shrugged off her grasp. "Then why do you invite this old flame of yours here? Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Her face was white and tense. "Perry, Perry darling! Nothing of the sort. You mustn't think such things. He is coming because he has occasion to. He and I are billed to appear in a series of dances together. He's coming here to work out the choreography and rehearse."
"Why hadn't I heard about it?"
"There was no reason to discuss it, Perry. We signed the contract last fall and we don't open until the first of May. But now we must rehearse."
He looked up and his face had cleared a little. "You used to love him, Diana?"
"A little. Not as I love you, Perry."
"He means nothing to you, nothing at all?"
"I wouldn't say that. I'm still very fond of him and he was very good to me. We just got bored with each other and split up, but I still count him as a staunch friend."
He looked sulky. "Staunch friend, my foot. I'll bet he's still nuts about you."
Diana looked hurt and bewildered and seemed about to cry. "Perry, Perry, darling. I don't understand you. What is this all about? What have I done to harm you? We were so happy, so very happy, and now all this. It seems so silly. Why? Why?" Tears welled up and spilled over. Perry wore the harassed indignant look of the eternal male confronted with the incomprehensible irrational feminine viewpoint.
"Good Lord! What do you expect? I guess I'm as tolerant and broadminded as the next one, and I've never thought it was my business to go poking my nose into your past, but can't you see that this is a bit thick? When a guy shows up whom you admit is an old lover of yours, and you want me to receive him into the house as a friend of the family, it's too much. Anybody'd be jealous. Don't you think I have my pride?" His face settled into sullen, stubborn lines and the corners of his mouth twitched. "The free and easy business may be all right for casual love-making, but apparently you didn't realize that I was serious. I thought we were married. I thought you felt the same way about me. I didn't know what all this casual immorality you showed me amounted to." He passed his hand over his face. "OK. I've been a sap. But don't you worry. I'll pack up and be out of here in no time. Thanks for everything you've done for me of course. I'll figure up what I owe you and pay you back right away."
Diana stood rigid, her hands clenched and her face screwed up like that of a child whose world has crumbled about her. Scalding tears pressed out of her tight shut eyes and splashed on her breast. He turned to go. She moved quickly and clung to him. "Perry! Perry! No! Don't! What have I done? I don't understand. Please, darling, please. Anything, but don't just leave me alone." She sobbed brokenly. Perry patted her awkwardly. Her sobbing continued. He turned her face up and wiped at her tears.
"Don't cry kid. I can't stand it. And let me go. It's better that way. Stop it, kid, please. Oh Lord, what can I do?" The sobs abated, and died away. She sniffled and gulped.
"Perry, it's some awful mistake. But tell me that you love me and you're not going away."
He looked troubled. "Well, I don't want to go away. Listen, Dian', I love you and I want to stay. Look. Will you call up this mug and tell him to stay away?"
She looked unhappy. "I can't Perry. He'll be here any minute."
"What can we do then?"
"I don't know."
"Christ!" He strode over to the view windows and stared out, his fists jammed against his hips. Diana waited. Then he turned. "Look, Dian'. I guess I'll have to be polite to this guy for today. After he's gone we can figure out what to do about your contract and so forth." She started to speak, then fell silent. "Well?"
"All right, Perry." He smiled and took her in his arms and kissed her. He felt the warm glow of one who has done a magnanimous thing. He could not know that she was still deeply troubled.
As they were finishing lunch they heard the thump of a careless landing overhead. Shortly the door light glowed and there was admitted their guest. He was a young man, tall, well muscled and beautifully made. Perry noted with dissatisfaction his obvious good looks. He greeted Diana with "Hello, beautiful!," swung her off her feet, kissed her, and set her down with a flourish. Diana turned uneasily to Perry.
"Bernard, this is Perry."
The visitor seemed momentarily startled, recovered himself, made the ghost of a formal bow and muttered, "Do you a service?"
Perry acknowledged as briefly.
Bernard turned to Diana. "Dancer?" Diana shook her head. Bernard continued, "OK. Let's get going. I've got a lot of brand new stuff and, baby, it's hot. Look at this." He pulled a roll out of his belt, then shrugged off the belt and threw it on the couch. "This one now. It's historical, see? I'm an army aviator and you're a war nurse. We do the first half in costume with lots of action, then in the finale we duck the costumes and it's all symbolical. The score is Radetzky's War Birds with my own arrangement." They fell into a discussion of technical terms which Perry failed to understand. He went over to the reproducer, selected a record and cut in the earphones. Grimly he kept up the pretense of studying for the better part of two hours. Finally he realized that he had played a record on engineering materials and processes three times and remembered none of it. He snapped off the machine and turned and watched the rehearsal. There was no avoiding the fact that Bernard was graceful and handsome. His shoulders were broad and his hips narrow and he moved like a black panther. His body was the true golden bronze all over and his profile could have been the model for a Greek coin. Except for a slight petulance of his features in repose Perry could by no rationalization regard him as effeminate in spite of his occupation. At the moment they were rehearsing a phrase in which Diana leaped into the air and was caught by him as he turned. Bernard seemed dissatisfied.
"No, beautiful, no. You're not in time. It goes like this: Tata Tata, tata tata, thrrrrrrump, bump bump." He illustrated in pantomime. "Now try it." The music started and Diana whirled and came out in a long flying leap. Bernard caught her from a turn, swung her about and set her down. "That's better. Now once more." He caressed her upper arm. Perry felt his jaw muscle tighten until hard lumps and an acrid smell came into his nostrils. Diana whirled again and leaped to be swept from the air like a netted butterfly. Bernard gave a shout. "Bravo! Bravo! That's it!" He retained her in his arms and planted an enthusiastic kiss on her mouth, then hugged her to him. Perry was on his feet and striding across the floor.
"Put her down!"
Bernard looked up with surprise and annoyance across his face. "What did you say?"
"Put her down!" Perry grasped his arm roughly. "Cut out that stuff. Put her down."
"Do you know that you are being offensive?"
Diana squirmed loose and stood between them. "Perry, please! Bernard, don't pay any attention. Perry, please go back and sit down."
"Just a moment, Diana." Bernard stepped toward Perry. "Your words require explanation. Why were you offensive?"
"Offensive! Pah!" Perry gave a short hard laugh.
"He obviously is not rational. Come, Diana." Bernard placed a hand on her shoulder.
Crack! Perry's left fist connected with Bernard's jaw and he went down in a heap. He struggled to his knees, fingered his jaw, and looked at Perry with an expression of utter amazement.