understand. Why are you here?”
A look of such sadness came into his blue eyes that it made her heart turn over.
“It’s a long story,” he sighed.
To her utter delight, he slipped his arm into hers and she found herself walking beside him, just as they had done on the dreamy afternoon in the Botanical Gardens.
*
“Please, you must not cry!” Digby caught Adella’s shoulders and held her gently. “It was terrible for us to lose Papa. But to go so quickly was a good end for him, he could not have chosen a better.”
Adella tried to compose herself. It was not just the death of Digby’s Papa that upset her.
It was the way that she had thought so harshly of him for not sending her a message, as he had promised.
“I am so sorry. If I had known the truth.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I should have tried harder to send a message to you and to find you.”
There was a scatter of pebbles from the path as four pairs of small feet raced up to them.
“Digby! Why are you making the pretty lady cry?” little Katy asked, gazing at Adella with admiring eyes.
“Give her your handkerchief at once!” Ned called.
“Most remiss of me,” Digby grinned and pulled out of his pocket a large white handkerchief with the letters ‘DD’ embroidered on it.
Adella dried her eyes hastily, as Digby introduced Agnes, Ned, Katy and Peter to her.
“And now, all of you, I think a big ‘thank-you’ is in order,” he added. “Miss May says that she will be very happy for you to borrow her ponies.”
Adella clapped her hands over her ears as the four children yelled with delight.
“Thank you, thank you and thank you!” Ned and Agnes shouted, jumping up and down.
“We love you, Miss May!” Katy cried, spinning round and round on the spot like a top.
And little Peter sat on the hem of Adella’s skirt and gave her a gap-toothed smile of pure delight.
“They seem quite pleased,” Adella commented.
Digby laughed.
“An understatement! They are so delighted. Hush now, children, I cannot hear myself think.”
“I shall speak to my groom and arrange for him to bring Sugar and Spice to your father’s Mews tomorrow, shall I?” Adella asked, when the noise had subsided a little.
“Thank you very much,” Ned cried. “That would be splendiferous!”
“I think it’s time I took them home,” Digby said. “I should be at Chambers today, but my cousin, the Judge, has given me the day off so I can study. I must go back to my books or he will not be pleased with me.”
Adella’s heart sank at the thought of his leaving her so soon. She wanted to keep him beside her, even if it was only for a little moment longer.
“The Judge must be a good man to do so much for you and a really kind father to have such lovely spirited children,” she said, watching as they sped away to chase each other round the bandstand.
Digby’s blue eyes were looking into Adella’s now and, although she knew that she should let him go to his studies, she could not do it.
She had to keep him with her for a little longer.
“Do you remember my friend, Jane, from that day in Oxford?” she asked him.
“Yes, why?”
“I have just had a wonderful idea. Would the Judge be interested to hear of a good Governess, do you think?”
“Oh, I see what you are getting at,” Digby smiled. “Mrs. Dryden, his wife, did mention the other day that she would have to place an advertisement to find one soon.”
Adella’s heart leapt with excitement.
“I will get Jane to write to her,” she exclaimed.
She was about to tell Digby how much she missed Jane and how wonderful it would be to have her close by.
But all such thoughts were banished from her mind, as he caught her in his arms.
“It was meant to be that I should find you again,” he sighed.
She could not say anything for a moment as the joy of being held by him once more was so great.
“Something, some Power greater than ourselves has brought us together,” he continued.
A look of such sadness came into his blue eyes that it made her heart turn over.
“It’s a long story,” he sighed.
To her utter delight, he slipped his arm into hers and she found herself walking beside him, just as they had done on the dreamy afternoon in the Botanical Gardens.
*
“Please, you must not cry!” Digby caught Adella’s shoulders and held her gently. “It was terrible for us to lose Papa. But to go so quickly was a good end for him, he could not have chosen a better.”
Adella tried to compose herself. It was not just the death of Digby’s Papa that upset her.
It was the way that she had thought so harshly of him for not sending her a message, as he had promised.
“I am so sorry. If I had known the truth.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I should have tried harder to send a message to you and to find you.”
There was a scatter of pebbles from the path as four pairs of small feet raced up to them.
“Digby! Why are you making the pretty lady cry?” little Katy asked, gazing at Adella with admiring eyes.
“Give her your handkerchief at once!” Ned called.
“Most remiss of me,” Digby grinned and pulled out of his pocket a large white handkerchief with the letters ‘DD’ embroidered on it.
Adella dried her eyes hastily, as Digby introduced Agnes, Ned, Katy and Peter to her.
“And now, all of you, I think a big ‘thank-you’ is in order,” he added. “Miss May says that she will be very happy for you to borrow her ponies.”
Adella clapped her hands over her ears as the four children yelled with delight.
“Thank you, thank you and thank you!” Ned and Agnes shouted, jumping up and down.
“We love you, Miss May!” Katy cried, spinning round and round on the spot like a top.
And little Peter sat on the hem of Adella’s skirt and gave her a gap-toothed smile of pure delight.
“They seem quite pleased,” Adella commented.
Digby laughed.
“An understatement! They are so delighted. Hush now, children, I cannot hear myself think.”
“I shall speak to my groom and arrange for him to bring Sugar and Spice to your father’s Mews tomorrow, shall I?” Adella asked, when the noise had subsided a little.
“Thank you very much,” Ned cried. “That would be splendiferous!”
“I think it’s time I took them home,” Digby said. “I should be at Chambers today, but my cousin, the Judge, has given me the day off so I can study. I must go back to my books or he will not be pleased with me.”
Adella’s heart sank at the thought of his leaving her so soon. She wanted to keep him beside her, even if it was only for a little moment longer.
“The Judge must be a good man to do so much for you and a really kind father to have such lovely spirited children,” she said, watching as they sped away to chase each other round the bandstand.
Digby’s blue eyes were looking into Adella’s now and, although she knew that she should let him go to his studies, she could not do it.
She had to keep him with her for a little longer.
“Do you remember my friend, Jane, from that day in Oxford?” she asked him.
“Yes, why?”
“I have just had a wonderful idea. Would the Judge be interested to hear of a good Governess, do you think?”
“Oh, I see what you are getting at,” Digby smiled. “Mrs. Dryden, his wife, did mention the other day that she would have to place an advertisement to find one soon.”
Adella’s heart leapt with excitement.
“I will get Jane to write to her,” she exclaimed.
She was about to tell Digby how much she missed Jane and how wonderful it would be to have her close by.
But all such thoughts were banished from her mind, as he caught her in his arms.
“It was meant to be that I should find you again,” he sighed.
She could not say anything for a moment as the joy of being held by him once more was so great.
“Something, some Power greater than ourselves has brought us together,” he continued.
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