to bed with each other",' Jud inserted mockingly.
`Well, if you haven't—and by the sound of it you regard Carol as no more than you would a sister—then would you mind telling me what I'm doing playing the part of your fiancée?' Lucy came to a storming, heated finish and glared at him as she thought she detected a slight twitching at the corner of his mouth.
When he looked at her stern-faced, she knew she had mistaken that anything she had said had remotely amused him. 'You're right, my feelings for Carol are those of an elder brother, and perhaps I did give you the wrong idea about her and me-but,' he added quite calmly, 'it was you who took it for granted she was my fiancée when you came to the Hall that night-I never once claimed a relationship of that sort with her.'
Lucy tried to think back to what exactly had been said, and found she was too worked up to remember clearly. Yes,
she had thought him engaged to Carol, had probably said as much, but ... 'All right, I'll giv e you that,' she had to allow. B ut if Carol wasn't interested in you—that way—that still doesn't explain this.' She thrust her hand with the ring firmly on her engagement finger in front of him.
`There you have it,' he said obscurely.
`What ...?' Lucy asked shortly, and found herself unanswered as Jud left her to work it out for herself. 'There you have it', he'd said. What did she have? Lucy backtracked over their conversation.
Jud had said he and Carol had not slept together, that he thought of Carol as he might a sister--Lucy puzzled away and could make nothing of what had been said to make it necessary for Jud to appear to be engaged until, about to ask him to explain, he looked at her and, reluctantly it seemed, told her what her confused brain refused to work out.
`You remarked, I believe, "but if Carol isn't interested in you in that way".'
And then Lucy had it. 'Oh,' she said, and couldn't for the moment think of anything smarter than that to say. `You mean that while your feelings for Carol are not romantically inclined-she, without any assistance from you, thinks herself in love with you.'
`I'm afraid so,' Jud said slowly, then opening up, 'I've told her flatly she's wasting her time.' Lucy could just imagine how cruel Jud would be in putting that across, and winced for the poor girl. But the young minx came back with "Where there's life there's hope".'
`So to stop Carol thinking there was a chance with you, you told her you were engaged.' Lucy spoke her thoughts aloud. She couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl who had left the Hall straightaway and gone to lick her wounds in private. B ut how did she come to be wearing my ring? Did you just leave it lying around and ...'
`You must think me very careless,' Jud broke in
smoothly, and went on to tell her, 'Originally I bought the ring for my mother's birthday next month-she's very fond of antique jewellery,' Lucy winced to think she had deprived Jud's mother of something she would have loved. Not to worry,' Jud said on seeing her expression, 'I shall look around for something she'll like equally well.' He watched as Lucy's face cleared then went on, 'When I examined the ring I thought one of the stones wasn't as secure as it might have been, so I left it with a London firm of jewellers to have it checked over—Carol arranged to come and stay while my mother was at the Hall and since I hadn't any immediate plans to go to London I sent Carol the jewellers' receipt and asked her to collect the ring and bring it with her when she came. She arrived late on Sunday night and gave me the ring after my mother had gone to bed the following evening.'
`And in the meantime you'd been to the village hall and I'd seen my ring on Carol's finger when she came into the cloakroom,' Lucy inserted.
Jud inclined his head in agreement. 'Carol must have been overtaken by some imp of mischief and put it on in between going to collect my mother's wrap and meeting us back at the
`Well, if you haven't—and by the sound of it you regard Carol as no more than you would a sister—then would you mind telling me what I'm doing playing the part of your fiancée?' Lucy came to a storming, heated finish and glared at him as she thought she detected a slight twitching at the corner of his mouth.
When he looked at her stern-faced, she knew she had mistaken that anything she had said had remotely amused him. 'You're right, my feelings for Carol are those of an elder brother, and perhaps I did give you the wrong idea about her and me-but,' he added quite calmly, 'it was you who took it for granted she was my fiancée when you came to the Hall that night-I never once claimed a relationship of that sort with her.'
Lucy tried to think back to what exactly had been said, and found she was too worked up to remember clearly. Yes,
she had thought him engaged to Carol, had probably said as much, but ... 'All right, I'll giv e you that,' she had to allow. B ut if Carol wasn't interested in you—that way—that still doesn't explain this.' She thrust her hand with the ring firmly on her engagement finger in front of him.
`There you have it,' he said obscurely.
`What ...?' Lucy asked shortly, and found herself unanswered as Jud left her to work it out for herself. 'There you have it', he'd said. What did she have? Lucy backtracked over their conversation.
Jud had said he and Carol had not slept together, that he thought of Carol as he might a sister--Lucy puzzled away and could make nothing of what had been said to make it necessary for Jud to appear to be engaged until, about to ask him to explain, he looked at her and, reluctantly it seemed, told her what her confused brain refused to work out.
`You remarked, I believe, "but if Carol isn't interested in you in that way".'
And then Lucy had it. 'Oh,' she said, and couldn't for the moment think of anything smarter than that to say. `You mean that while your feelings for Carol are not romantically inclined-she, without any assistance from you, thinks herself in love with you.'
`I'm afraid so,' Jud said slowly, then opening up, 'I've told her flatly she's wasting her time.' Lucy could just imagine how cruel Jud would be in putting that across, and winced for the poor girl. But the young minx came back with "Where there's life there's hope".'
`So to stop Carol thinking there was a chance with you, you told her you were engaged.' Lucy spoke her thoughts aloud. She couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl who had left the Hall straightaway and gone to lick her wounds in private. B ut how did she come to be wearing my ring? Did you just leave it lying around and ...'
`You must think me very careless,' Jud broke in
smoothly, and went on to tell her, 'Originally I bought the ring for my mother's birthday next month-she's very fond of antique jewellery,' Lucy winced to think she had deprived Jud's mother of something she would have loved. Not to worry,' Jud said on seeing her expression, 'I shall look around for something she'll like equally well.' He watched as Lucy's face cleared then went on, 'When I examined the ring I thought one of the stones wasn't as secure as it might have been, so I left it with a London firm of jewellers to have it checked over—Carol arranged to come and stay while my mother was at the Hall and since I hadn't any immediate plans to go to London I sent Carol the jewellers' receipt and asked her to collect the ring and bring it with her when she came. She arrived late on Sunday night and gave me the ring after my mother had gone to bed the following evening.'
`And in the meantime you'd been to the village hall and I'd seen my ring on Carol's finger when she came into the cloakroom,' Lucy inserted.
Jud inclined his head in agreement. 'Carol must have been overtaken by some imp of mischief and put it on in between going to collect my mother's wrap and meeting us back at the
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