music. I went up to her room to look for her, but had to tell the caller I thought she'd gone for a walk.'
'Who was the caller, Mrs Arkwright?' Lisa asked.
'Mr Laurence Hammond, Miss Lisa. He asked me to give you the message that the invitation stood for this evening.'
Mrs Arkwright collected the tray and departed.
'Since when have you been accepting invitations from Hammond?' Dane asked bleakly.
'I haven't,' she protested. 'I don't know what he's talking about. It must be some kind of obscure joke.'
'It seems relatively straightforward to me.' His voice was grim. 'Apparently you have a date with him tonight, which I've been selfishly keeping you from. My apologies.'
Lisa got to her feet. 'But it just isn't true! I wouldn't go out with Laurie Hammond. I don't even like him.'
'You appeared to be on good enough terms a few weeks ago,' he said. 'Yet you're very quick to deny any association with him. Why, Lisa? Is it because you know that Chas wouldn't approve?'
Only minutes before he had been her tutor in the first intimate lessons of lovemaking, but now they were miles apart again, with all the old hostility and mistrust vibrating between them.
She said on a note of swift anger, 'No, he probably wouldn't approve, but then I don't suppose he'd be overly impressed with your behaviour of the past half hour either.'
'How very true,' he said sardonically. 'Perhaps Mrs Arkwright's interruption was more timely than I thought. Purely as a matter of interest, do you make a habit of behaving like that, because if so I advise you to be very careful, particularly where Hammond and the bunch he runs around with are concerned.'
There was a note in his voice that made something shrivel and die inside her.
She said, lifting her chin, 'Thank you for the warning, but I assure you it isn't necessary. I can take care of myself.'
Without hurrying, she turned and left the room.
She thought at first that it was the crack of thunder which had woken her. She lay still in the darkness listening to the lashing of the rain against her window. The storm had broken in earnest, she thought sleepily. It sounded as if it was hailing. The tinkling against her window wasn't like ordinary raindrops. In fact it sounded more like pebbles, as if someone was throwing handfuls of gravel…
She pushed back the covers and jumped out of bed. She opened the window and looked out and down into the darkness, gasping a little as the damp chill of the air rushed at her. The lightning flashed and she thought she saw the pale oval of a face looking imploringly up at her, and before the crash of the thunder a whispered entreaty, 'Lisa!'
Julie's voice, she thought frantically. But she had looked in earlier and her stepsister's bed had been occupied. She would have sworn it was.
She called down in a low voice, 'I'm coming.'
Not bothering with slippers or a dressing gown, she slipped out of the room and downstairs to the side door. It was unbolted, she noticed, but the catch had been dropped. When she opened it, Julie was huddled in the porch. She had a light raincoat huddled around her, but her hair was hanging in dripping rats' tails around her face, and her feet were bare and muddy.
Lisa gasped. 'Julie—you'll catch pneumonia!' She hauled the shivering girl into the house and gave her a little shake. 'Where on earth have you been?'
Julie looked at her piteously. 'Oh—Lisa!' She seemed about to dissolve into tears.
Lisa bit her lip. 'It's all right, I suppose I can guess. Come upstairs at once and get out of those wet things. And where are your shoes?'
'I dropped them,' Julie whispered. 'I'd taken them off so I could run faster, but I heard someone following me, and I —panicked, I suppose, and dropped them.' She gave a little shudder. 'They were my new ones, with high heels. I—I couldn't run in them, you see, and…'
'Never mind, love, never mind,' Lisa said gently. 'Don't talk now. Let's get you upstairs and warm and dry.'
But as she propelled
'Who was the caller, Mrs Arkwright?' Lisa asked.
'Mr Laurence Hammond, Miss Lisa. He asked me to give you the message that the invitation stood for this evening.'
Mrs Arkwright collected the tray and departed.
'Since when have you been accepting invitations from Hammond?' Dane asked bleakly.
'I haven't,' she protested. 'I don't know what he's talking about. It must be some kind of obscure joke.'
'It seems relatively straightforward to me.' His voice was grim. 'Apparently you have a date with him tonight, which I've been selfishly keeping you from. My apologies.'
Lisa got to her feet. 'But it just isn't true! I wouldn't go out with Laurie Hammond. I don't even like him.'
'You appeared to be on good enough terms a few weeks ago,' he said. 'Yet you're very quick to deny any association with him. Why, Lisa? Is it because you know that Chas wouldn't approve?'
Only minutes before he had been her tutor in the first intimate lessons of lovemaking, but now they were miles apart again, with all the old hostility and mistrust vibrating between them.
She said on a note of swift anger, 'No, he probably wouldn't approve, but then I don't suppose he'd be overly impressed with your behaviour of the past half hour either.'
'How very true,' he said sardonically. 'Perhaps Mrs Arkwright's interruption was more timely than I thought. Purely as a matter of interest, do you make a habit of behaving like that, because if so I advise you to be very careful, particularly where Hammond and the bunch he runs around with are concerned.'
There was a note in his voice that made something shrivel and die inside her.
She said, lifting her chin, 'Thank you for the warning, but I assure you it isn't necessary. I can take care of myself.'
Without hurrying, she turned and left the room.
She thought at first that it was the crack of thunder which had woken her. She lay still in the darkness listening to the lashing of the rain against her window. The storm had broken in earnest, she thought sleepily. It sounded as if it was hailing. The tinkling against her window wasn't like ordinary raindrops. In fact it sounded more like pebbles, as if someone was throwing handfuls of gravel…
She pushed back the covers and jumped out of bed. She opened the window and looked out and down into the darkness, gasping a little as the damp chill of the air rushed at her. The lightning flashed and she thought she saw the pale oval of a face looking imploringly up at her, and before the crash of the thunder a whispered entreaty, 'Lisa!'
Julie's voice, she thought frantically. But she had looked in earlier and her stepsister's bed had been occupied. She would have sworn it was.
She called down in a low voice, 'I'm coming.'
Not bothering with slippers or a dressing gown, she slipped out of the room and downstairs to the side door. It was unbolted, she noticed, but the catch had been dropped. When she opened it, Julie was huddled in the porch. She had a light raincoat huddled around her, but her hair was hanging in dripping rats' tails around her face, and her feet were bare and muddy.
Lisa gasped. 'Julie—you'll catch pneumonia!' She hauled the shivering girl into the house and gave her a little shake. 'Where on earth have you been?'
Julie looked at her piteously. 'Oh—Lisa!' She seemed about to dissolve into tears.
Lisa bit her lip. 'It's all right, I suppose I can guess. Come upstairs at once and get out of those wet things. And where are your shoes?'
'I dropped them,' Julie whispered. 'I'd taken them off so I could run faster, but I heard someone following me, and I —panicked, I suppose, and dropped them.' She gave a little shudder. 'They were my new ones, with high heels. I—I couldn't run in them, you see, and…'
'Never mind, love, never mind,' Lisa said gently. 'Don't talk now. Let's get you upstairs and warm and dry.'
But as she propelled
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