certainly want to be with you as much as possible! And that reminds me, will it be all right if I come and collect you in time for the dance? I mean, you haven't made any other arrangements, have you?'
'No,' Lisa said steadily. 'No other arrangements.'
She was glad that Tom had struck up this perhaps rather sudden friendship with Celia Palmer. In the circumstances it was the best thing that could have happened. And yet it hurt a little bit that he hadn't even bothered to tell her that this year he wouldn't be able to take her to the dance—it wasn't like Tom to be so casual.
'Good!' she heard Mark say with such evident relief that it was clear even now he wasn't entirely reassured about Tom's possible claims on her. 'And Lisa, I know you'll have some duty dances and, of course, others you'd like to dance with friends. But keep every one you possibly can for me, will you? Particularly—' his lips curved in a teasing, reminiscent smile— 'the first, the last and the supper dance?'
'Very well,' she promised, her pulse quickening. She had danced before with Mark, but wonderful though that had been, it had happened before she realized that she was in love with him. Tonight, knowing that, it would be an experience that would be out of this world!
Later, when she was dressing, she heard Tom's car drive in, but until she came downstairs it didn't occur to her that she had, perhaps, been rather precipitate in assuming that he wouldn't be expecting to take her over to the Manor. He was waiting in the hall as she came down the stairs and smiled up at her.
'Good girl, bang on time!' he said approvingly. 'Shall we get straight off?'
She stood stock still on the bottom stair.
'But, Tom, you didn't say anything about taking me,' she protested, and saw his face darken.
'Nor did either of us say anything about not going together,' he reminded her.
'I think we've both fallen into the same fault,' Lisa said in a high, cold little voice she'd never used to Tom before. 'Taking too much for granted. I, that if you'd wanted to take me, you'd have had the good manners to tell me so. You, in assuming that I'd want to go with you—'
There followed a silence which seemed to Lisa to be endless. Then, instead of saying he was sorry or arguing about it, Tom said very quietly: 'How you've changed, Lisa!' turned sharply, and went across to the door that led to his part of the house.
Involuntarily Lisa took a step towards him, her hand outstretched.
'Tom!'
But Tom had closed the door between them.
A little later, Mark arrived. Lisa ran out to meet him, turned for a brief wave to her parents, watching from their sitting room window, and jumped in beside Mark. And if Tom was watching, so much the better! He'd behaved intolerably, and no girl of any spirit—
Mark laid his hand over hers. 'What's bothering you, Lisa?'
'Nothing!' she said quickly. 'What made you think there was?'
'You seemed so deep in thought,' Mark explained.
'Oh—yes, perhaps I was. I was—thinking about the dance—and what fun it would be— 'she equivocated.
'Little liar!' Mark's voice had a note of amused tenderness in it. 'People who are thinking about pleasant things don't have their hands clenched together in their laps as you had!'
'Oh—' Lisa laughed uncertainly as she hurriedly unclasped her hands, 'I shall have to be careful—I didn't know you noticed so much!'
'I notice everything even remotely connected with you,' Mark told her. 'You don't mind, do you, Lisa?'
'No, I don't mind,' she breathed, her eyes like stars. Tom and their little upset were completely forgotten.
Just as Lisa had anticipated, it was an evening of sheer enchantment. The warmth of the day lingered to such a degree that the sides of the marquee were rolled up, and as they danced and the daylight faded, they were able to watch the changing beauty of the sky—living opal of gold and red and green as the sun set. Then a clear, greenish-blue that slowly turned through darker blue to
'No,' Lisa said steadily. 'No other arrangements.'
She was glad that Tom had struck up this perhaps rather sudden friendship with Celia Palmer. In the circumstances it was the best thing that could have happened. And yet it hurt a little bit that he hadn't even bothered to tell her that this year he wouldn't be able to take her to the dance—it wasn't like Tom to be so casual.
'Good!' she heard Mark say with such evident relief that it was clear even now he wasn't entirely reassured about Tom's possible claims on her. 'And Lisa, I know you'll have some duty dances and, of course, others you'd like to dance with friends. But keep every one you possibly can for me, will you? Particularly—' his lips curved in a teasing, reminiscent smile— 'the first, the last and the supper dance?'
'Very well,' she promised, her pulse quickening. She had danced before with Mark, but wonderful though that had been, it had happened before she realized that she was in love with him. Tonight, knowing that, it would be an experience that would be out of this world!
Later, when she was dressing, she heard Tom's car drive in, but until she came downstairs it didn't occur to her that she had, perhaps, been rather precipitate in assuming that he wouldn't be expecting to take her over to the Manor. He was waiting in the hall as she came down the stairs and smiled up at her.
'Good girl, bang on time!' he said approvingly. 'Shall we get straight off?'
She stood stock still on the bottom stair.
'But, Tom, you didn't say anything about taking me,' she protested, and saw his face darken.
'Nor did either of us say anything about not going together,' he reminded her.
'I think we've both fallen into the same fault,' Lisa said in a high, cold little voice she'd never used to Tom before. 'Taking too much for granted. I, that if you'd wanted to take me, you'd have had the good manners to tell me so. You, in assuming that I'd want to go with you—'
There followed a silence which seemed to Lisa to be endless. Then, instead of saying he was sorry or arguing about it, Tom said very quietly: 'How you've changed, Lisa!' turned sharply, and went across to the door that led to his part of the house.
Involuntarily Lisa took a step towards him, her hand outstretched.
'Tom!'
But Tom had closed the door between them.
A little later, Mark arrived. Lisa ran out to meet him, turned for a brief wave to her parents, watching from their sitting room window, and jumped in beside Mark. And if Tom was watching, so much the better! He'd behaved intolerably, and no girl of any spirit—
Mark laid his hand over hers. 'What's bothering you, Lisa?'
'Nothing!' she said quickly. 'What made you think there was?'
'You seemed so deep in thought,' Mark explained.
'Oh—yes, perhaps I was. I was—thinking about the dance—and what fun it would be— 'she equivocated.
'Little liar!' Mark's voice had a note of amused tenderness in it. 'People who are thinking about pleasant things don't have their hands clenched together in their laps as you had!'
'Oh—' Lisa laughed uncertainly as she hurriedly unclasped her hands, 'I shall have to be careful—I didn't know you noticed so much!'
'I notice everything even remotely connected with you,' Mark told her. 'You don't mind, do you, Lisa?'
'No, I don't mind,' she breathed, her eyes like stars. Tom and their little upset were completely forgotten.
Just as Lisa had anticipated, it was an evening of sheer enchantment. The warmth of the day lingered to such a degree that the sides of the marquee were rolled up, and as they danced and the daylight faded, they were able to watch the changing beauty of the sky—living opal of gold and red and green as the sun set. Then a clear, greenish-blue that slowly turned through darker blue to
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