finer points of deer stalking this afternoon.'
Donner shrugged. 'All right, make it dinner tonight. Seven-thirty suit you? Of course I'll expect Colonel Craig as well.'
'Fine by me,' Chavasse said.
Donner climbed back into the saddle and Asta said suddenly, 'Deer stalking--that sounds simply marvellous, I don't suppose your uncle would have room for another novice this afternoon, would he?'
Chavasse hesitated, knowing that she would be in the way, and Donner grinned suddenly, as if perfectly aware of his dilemma.
'A good idea, angel. I'm sure Colonel Craig won't mind and I've lots of paper work to get through this afternoon.'
And looking up into her shining face, Chavasse was trapped. 'One o'clock on the dot,' he said, 'and we'll be leaving the lodge on foot.'
'One o'clock it is,' she replied and turned to follow Donner who was already cantering away along the track.
Chavasse reached for a cigarette, but his hand found only a soggy, waterlogged mass. He sighed heavily, turned and started to walk back towards Ardmurchan Lodge. Ah, well, he could still do all that needed to be done that afternoon without her being any the wiser as long as he was careful.
And for a while that afternoon he almost forgot what he had come to this wild, remote place for as they climbed the glen away from the lodge, cutting deep into the hills.
The colonel and George Gunn followed in their own good time and Chavasse and the girl forged ahead, leaving them far behind as they pushed through the heather towards the first great shoulder of the mountain.
She wore a plaid skirt and sleeveless white blouse, a yellow scarf around her hair and as she climbed ahead of him, he was suddenly happy. The air was like wine, the sun warm on their backs and when they reached the top and looked down, the colonel and George seemed very far away.
They moved on and a few minutes later, came over an edge of rock and the mountain fell away before them to the glen below, purple with heather, sweet smelling and beyond, shimmering in the heat haze, the islands were scattered across a calm sea.
The wind folded her skirt about her legs outlining the clean sweep of the limbs and when she pulled off the yellow scarf, the near white hair shimmered in the sun. She fitted the scene perfectly--a golden girl in a golden day and he was suddenly sad, because below in the valley was Loch Dubh, the island in its centre like a grey-green stone, and he had work to do and whatever happened she would be hurt by this affair--that much at least was certain.
'Quite a sight,' he said. 'Let's see if we can spot any deer.'
He took the binoculars from the case which was slung around his neck, focussed them and worked his way carefully across the great slope of the deer forest.
'See anything?' Asta demanded.
There was a sudden movement and a stag moved out of a corrie perhaps a quarter of a mile away and paused in the open. Chavasse pulled Asta close with his free hand. 'Down there by that grey outcrop of rock. Can you see?'
He handed her the binoculars and the breath went out of her in a long sigh. 'I'd no idea they were so handsome. Oh, blast, he's moved out of sight.'
'Probably got wind of us,' Chavasse said. 'From what my uncle was telling me, they can, even at this range.'
She handed the binoculars back and moved to the very edge of the slope and he sat down, his back against a boulder and focussed on Loch Dubh. The grey, broken walls of the old castle sprang into view. There was a square tower at one end, typical of Scottish keeps of the period, which seemed in a reasonable state of repair, but nothing moved.
He followed the shore line carefully, pausing at a wooden jetty. A motor boat was tied up there. As he watched, Jack Murdoch appeared from an arched entrance in the castle wall and walked down through the bushes to the jetty. He dropped into the boat and cast off. Chavasse was aware of the engine, echoing faintly in the valley below and then Murdoch spun the wheel and
Donner shrugged. 'All right, make it dinner tonight. Seven-thirty suit you? Of course I'll expect Colonel Craig as well.'
'Fine by me,' Chavasse said.
Donner climbed back into the saddle and Asta said suddenly, 'Deer stalking--that sounds simply marvellous, I don't suppose your uncle would have room for another novice this afternoon, would he?'
Chavasse hesitated, knowing that she would be in the way, and Donner grinned suddenly, as if perfectly aware of his dilemma.
'A good idea, angel. I'm sure Colonel Craig won't mind and I've lots of paper work to get through this afternoon.'
And looking up into her shining face, Chavasse was trapped. 'One o'clock on the dot,' he said, 'and we'll be leaving the lodge on foot.'
'One o'clock it is,' she replied and turned to follow Donner who was already cantering away along the track.
Chavasse reached for a cigarette, but his hand found only a soggy, waterlogged mass. He sighed heavily, turned and started to walk back towards Ardmurchan Lodge. Ah, well, he could still do all that needed to be done that afternoon without her being any the wiser as long as he was careful.
And for a while that afternoon he almost forgot what he had come to this wild, remote place for as they climbed the glen away from the lodge, cutting deep into the hills.
The colonel and George Gunn followed in their own good time and Chavasse and the girl forged ahead, leaving them far behind as they pushed through the heather towards the first great shoulder of the mountain.
She wore a plaid skirt and sleeveless white blouse, a yellow scarf around her hair and as she climbed ahead of him, he was suddenly happy. The air was like wine, the sun warm on their backs and when they reached the top and looked down, the colonel and George seemed very far away.
They moved on and a few minutes later, came over an edge of rock and the mountain fell away before them to the glen below, purple with heather, sweet smelling and beyond, shimmering in the heat haze, the islands were scattered across a calm sea.
The wind folded her skirt about her legs outlining the clean sweep of the limbs and when she pulled off the yellow scarf, the near white hair shimmered in the sun. She fitted the scene perfectly--a golden girl in a golden day and he was suddenly sad, because below in the valley was Loch Dubh, the island in its centre like a grey-green stone, and he had work to do and whatever happened she would be hurt by this affair--that much at least was certain.
'Quite a sight,' he said. 'Let's see if we can spot any deer.'
He took the binoculars from the case which was slung around his neck, focussed them and worked his way carefully across the great slope of the deer forest.
'See anything?' Asta demanded.
There was a sudden movement and a stag moved out of a corrie perhaps a quarter of a mile away and paused in the open. Chavasse pulled Asta close with his free hand. 'Down there by that grey outcrop of rock. Can you see?'
He handed her the binoculars and the breath went out of her in a long sigh. 'I'd no idea they were so handsome. Oh, blast, he's moved out of sight.'
'Probably got wind of us,' Chavasse said. 'From what my uncle was telling me, they can, even at this range.'
She handed the binoculars back and moved to the very edge of the slope and he sat down, his back against a boulder and focussed on Loch Dubh. The grey, broken walls of the old castle sprang into view. There was a square tower at one end, typical of Scottish keeps of the period, which seemed in a reasonable state of repair, but nothing moved.
He followed the shore line carefully, pausing at a wooden jetty. A motor boat was tied up there. As he watched, Jack Murdoch appeared from an arched entrance in the castle wall and walked down through the bushes to the jetty. He dropped into the boat and cast off. Chavasse was aware of the engine, echoing faintly in the valley below and then Murdoch spun the wheel and
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