Master of Melincourt by Susan Barrie Page A

she found her way to her own room in an unusual state of mental agitation and just a degree of purely temporary exultation because he apparently approved of her, and an unusual tingling in her fingers seemed to communicate itself to her right arm and thence to some previously undisturbed spot deep at the heart of her being ... which was a sufficiently strange experience in itself to set her wondering.
    It was the first time in her life that a man’s fingers had gripped hers quite so closely, and it was certainly the first time that a significant look in a man’s dark blue, thickly lashed eyes had had the effect of temporarily scattering her wits.
    Of course, she could have imagined the look ... but she certainly hadn’t imagined the handclasp.
    She had been too taken aback to say good-night to him, but in addition to saying good-night to her he had added: “Sleep well, Edwina. You’ve a clear conscience, no emotional entanglements, apparently, so you should sleep very well indeed !”
    As she undressed rather slowly and got into bed Edwina wondered about the emotional entanglements. She had more than a suspicion that she was being caught up in a web that was not entirely devoid of some form of emotion.
    The next day she and Tina spent the morning on their own, but in the afternoon Tina was invited to accompany her uncle and Miss Fleming on a short drive, which included a visit to Marsha’s grandmother, who lived in the vicinity.
    Tina returned from the excursion looking distinctly thoughtful, and when Edwina taxed her on her thoughtfulness she said something about no longer being quite sure what she wanted, and Marsha’s grandmother seeming to be very sure about what was going to happen.
    “She kept teasing Marsha about the ring she was wearing,” the child admitted, a disturbed look in her eyes. “She asked if it was an engagement ring, and Marsha said ‘No’ ... but she would probably be wearing an engagement ring before very long. Does that mean, do you think,” Tina demanded of Edwina, “that my uncle will be giving her an engagement ring very soon?”
    Edwina looked blank.
    “How would I know?” she counter-questioned. “And, in any case,” she added quietly, “it’s what you want, isn’t it ? ”
    Tina didn’t answer immediately, but she went round the room touching books and papers and absent mindedly altering the position of semi-fixtures before she blurted out:
    “I—I don’t know.”
    “But it’s what you did want.”
    Tina turned and looked at her in a disturbed way. “Yes, I did, didn’t I? I wanted Uncle Jervis to get married as quickly as possible and bring Marsha back here to live. But now I’m not—not so sure.”
    “Silly child,” Edwina said gently, encompassing her slight shoulders with an arm, “you can’t change your mind in such a short space of time about anything as important as that. Just because Miss Fleming was a bit irritable with you when she arrived it doesn’t mean she isn’t every bit as fond of you as she was, and the fact that she took you with her on a visit to her grandmother to-day means that she was trying to make up for hurting you. She’s probably very sorry that she was so sharp-tongued with you yesterday.”
    “You think so?”
    But there was nothing in Tina’s expression that conveyed an impression of relief.
    “Of course. And in any case, if your uncle’s going to marry her—”
    “Do you think he’s going to marry her?”
    “My dear child—” Edwina was somewhat taken aback by the direct question—“I wouldn’t even presume to hazard a guess. I know little about your uncle, and absolutely nothing about Miss Fleming.”
    “Do you like her?”
    “I’ve had no opportunity to find out whether I like or dislike her.”
    But the next day Marsha made her way up to the schoolroom about the middle of the morning, and said brightly that she thought it was far too fine a day for Tina to be confined indoors. It was much more important that