an old, worn-out version of his son. The colonel had sparse white hair and walked with a painful stoop. His eyes were pale blue and his once-powerful hands were gnarled with arthritis. His wife had the look of an aristocrat and still retained traces of a girlish beauty. She was gracious and warm to Catherine.
In spite of what Fraser had told her, Catherine had the feeling that she was there for their inspection. The colonel and his wife spent the evening questioning her. They were very discreet but thorough. Catherine told them about her parents and her childhood, and when she talked about moving from school to school, she made it sound like adventurous fun, rather than the agony it had been. As she talked she could see Bill Fraser proudly beaming at her. Dinner was superb. They dined by candlelight in a large, old-fashioned dining room with a real marble fireplace and liveried servants. Old silver, old money and old wine. She looked at Bill Fraser and a wave of warm gratitude went through her. She had the feeling that this kind of life could be hers if she wanted it. She knew that Fraser loved her, and she loved him. And yet there was something missing: a sense of excitement. Possibly, she thought, I’ m expecting too much. I’ ve probably been warped by Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy! Love isn’ t a knight in shining armor. It’ s a gentleman farmer in a gray tweed suit. Damn all those movies and books! As she looked at the colonel, she could see Fraser twenty years hence, looking exactly the same as his father. She was very quiet during the rest of the evening.
On the way home Fraser asked,“ Did you enjoy the evening?”“ Very much. I liked your parents.”“ They liked you, too.”
“ I’ m glad.” And she was. Except for the vaguely disquieting thought in the back of her mind that somehow she should have been more nervous about meeting them.
The following evening, while Catherine and Fraser were having dinner at the Jockey Club, Fraser told her that he had to go to London for a week.“ While I’ m gone,” he said,“ I have an interesting job for you. They’ ve asked our office to supervise an Army Air Corps recruiting film they’ re shooting at MGM studios in Hollywood. I’ d like you to handle the picture while I’ m gone.”
Catherine stared at him incredulously.“ Me? I can’ t even load a Brownie. What do I know about making a training film?”
“ About as much as anyone else,” Fraser grinned.“ It’ s all pretty new, but you don’ t have to worry. They’ ll have a producer and everything. The Army plans to use actors in the film.”
“ Why?”“ I guess they feel that soldiers won’ t be convincing enough to play soldiers.”“ That sounds like the Army.”
“ I had a long talk with General Mathews this afternoon. He must have used the word‘ glamour’ a hundred times. That’ s what they want to sell. They’ re starting a big