world since I’ve been with Jason and I’ve enjoyed it, I’ll not deny that, but —” He shrugged his shoulders. “Things change, people change and there are different things to consider now.”
Leonora’s first thoughts were of the man he had been with for so long, and what he was about to face. “You -you aren’t thinking of leaving Jason now?” she asked, her eyes expressing her disbelief, and Scottie looked vaguely uncertain for a moment before he shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he said, and heaved a great sigh. “He doesn’t specifically need me, you know, Leonora.” He sought for the right words to explain how he felt, what he wanted to convey, and he found it hard. “He needs someone, always,” he went on after a moment or two, “but it doesn’t have to be me!”
“Oh, Scottie, it does!” Her hazel eyes had a dark, bright look that reproached him and at the same time betrayed the tears that were only just a breath away as she thought about Jason without Scottie, especially at a time like this. “You can’t go now, not when he has so much to - to face! You can’t, Scottie!”
He took a moment or two to decide, and she almost held her breath, wondering how he could even think of leaving
Jason just when he needed him most. It did not sound like Scottie at all and his attitude not only puzzled but disturbed her.
"I suppose I can’t,” he agreed at last. “I’ll see him through this. After that, if he’s back to normal he won’t need either of us, lassie, he’ll be so cock-a-hoop at being Jason Connor again!”
Leonora looked at her folded hands and nodded, her mouth soft and trembling when she faced the truth of it. “Yes, I realise that,” she said quietly. “At least it’s true as far as I’m concerned - he’s so used to you he probably wouldn’t let you go easily.”
Scottie was silent, his hands clasped tightly, his gaze on his own strong, capable fingers. “I’ve a job, everything ready to step into,” he said at last, and glanced up briefly to see if she showed any interest. Seeing her puzzled look of curiosity he went on, “One of my cousin’s and I are coowners of a garage near Oban. It’s a going concern, but at the moment he runs it on his own, I’m no more, than a sleeping partner. I - I’ve been thinking of going back and settling down there for some time now.”
“Oh, Scottie, that’s a lovely idea!” She refrained from sounding too encouraging, for her heart was hammering at her ribs, and she had a strangely uneasy feeling that all this concerned her in some way.
He looked up, swiftly, jerkily, and there was a look in his eyes that she preferred not to meet. “You think it’s a good idea?”
Leonora hesitated at being asked to word it so definitely. “I think you should see Jason through this - this bad time first,” she said.
“And then?”
He sounded anxious, almost appealing, and for the first time since she had known him she found it hard to believe that he was so much older than she was. He seemed so vulnerable, as if he sought her support and her approval for something he wanted to do, but was unsure about doing.
“And then,” she echoed quietly, “if you still want to go back, why not join your cousin? After all, it’s what you do best, isn’t it, Scottie? Engines are your life, aren’t they?”
He caught her eye before she could look away again and held her gaze for a long moment before he spoke. “Not quite my entire life, Leonora,” he said quietly. “Not since I’ve known you.”
Leonora’s thoughts were racing wildly in all directions at once. She had a strange feeling of being trapped, and that was surely not the right reaction for a girl about to receive a proposal of marriage - and that was almost certainly what Scottie had in mind.
“Scottie—” she began, but he held up a hand and smiled.
“Let me finish, lassie,” he begged softly, “before I lose my nerve!”
She sat there facing him, her heart
Leonora’s first thoughts were of the man he had been with for so long, and what he was about to face. “You -you aren’t thinking of leaving Jason now?” she asked, her eyes expressing her disbelief, and Scottie looked vaguely uncertain for a moment before he shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he said, and heaved a great sigh. “He doesn’t specifically need me, you know, Leonora.” He sought for the right words to explain how he felt, what he wanted to convey, and he found it hard. “He needs someone, always,” he went on after a moment or two, “but it doesn’t have to be me!”
“Oh, Scottie, it does!” Her hazel eyes had a dark, bright look that reproached him and at the same time betrayed the tears that were only just a breath away as she thought about Jason without Scottie, especially at a time like this. “You can’t go now, not when he has so much to - to face! You can’t, Scottie!”
He took a moment or two to decide, and she almost held her breath, wondering how he could even think of leaving
Jason just when he needed him most. It did not sound like Scottie at all and his attitude not only puzzled but disturbed her.
"I suppose I can’t,” he agreed at last. “I’ll see him through this. After that, if he’s back to normal he won’t need either of us, lassie, he’ll be so cock-a-hoop at being Jason Connor again!”
Leonora looked at her folded hands and nodded, her mouth soft and trembling when she faced the truth of it. “Yes, I realise that,” she said quietly. “At least it’s true as far as I’m concerned - he’s so used to you he probably wouldn’t let you go easily.”
Scottie was silent, his hands clasped tightly, his gaze on his own strong, capable fingers. “I’ve a job, everything ready to step into,” he said at last, and glanced up briefly to see if she showed any interest. Seeing her puzzled look of curiosity he went on, “One of my cousin’s and I are coowners of a garage near Oban. It’s a going concern, but at the moment he runs it on his own, I’m no more, than a sleeping partner. I - I’ve been thinking of going back and settling down there for some time now.”
“Oh, Scottie, that’s a lovely idea!” She refrained from sounding too encouraging, for her heart was hammering at her ribs, and she had a strangely uneasy feeling that all this concerned her in some way.
He looked up, swiftly, jerkily, and there was a look in his eyes that she preferred not to meet. “You think it’s a good idea?”
Leonora hesitated at being asked to word it so definitely. “I think you should see Jason through this - this bad time first,” she said.
“And then?”
He sounded anxious, almost appealing, and for the first time since she had known him she found it hard to believe that he was so much older than she was. He seemed so vulnerable, as if he sought her support and her approval for something he wanted to do, but was unsure about doing.
“And then,” she echoed quietly, “if you still want to go back, why not join your cousin? After all, it’s what you do best, isn’t it, Scottie? Engines are your life, aren’t they?”
He caught her eye before she could look away again and held her gaze for a long moment before he spoke. “Not quite my entire life, Leonora,” he said quietly. “Not since I’ve known you.”
Leonora’s thoughts were racing wildly in all directions at once. She had a strange feeling of being trapped, and that was surely not the right reaction for a girl about to receive a proposal of marriage - and that was almost certainly what Scottie had in mind.
“Scottie—” she began, but he held up a hand and smiled.
“Let me finish, lassie,” he begged softly, “before I lose my nerve!”
She sat there facing him, her heart
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