person’s troubles and heartache,” was the astonishing admission he then made. “But one can try to. Here we are, Cinderella. The evening is yours.”
She had been so engaged in the conversation that she had not noticed their arrival at the hotel where the ball was being held. But as they drew up before the floodlit entrance, she saw that crowds were being held back with some difficulty, and that Felicity was pausing for a moment to smile into a battery of cameras.
“Now it’s your turn,” Leigh told her with a smile. To her astonishment, as she stepped out of his car, she heard the clicking of cameras once more.
An attendant took Leigh’s car away to the parking lot and they entered the building together.
The foyer was crowded, and for a moment Meg couldn’t see Felicity. Then her father and Claire detached themselves from an animated group and came over to her and Leigh.
“My dear child!” There was no mistaking her father’s pride in her appearance. “Pearl was quite right. This is a surprise! And a lovely surprise, at that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so beautiful.”
Meg smiled and said, “It’s the dress. Isn’t it lovely?”
“Very grand.” That was Claire, surveying Meg with an air of dissatisfied astonishment.
“But gorgeously simple too,” interjected her brother easily. “She’ll be the envy of all the women here.”
“Well—” Claire raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly, as though to say she could be counted out of that. “Where did you get it, Meg dear?”
“Why, Felicity lent it to me.”
“Oh, it’s borrowed,” said Claire, in a tone calculated to take all pleasure and glamor away from it.
At that moment, Felicity swept up to them and addressed Claire as though she had known her all her life.
“It’s not really,” she explained. “I’m going to make her keep it, because no one else would ever be able to wear it as well as she does. You must be Meg’s stepmother,” she ended sweetly, in some inexplicable way adding ten years to Claire’s age by that simple statement.
“And you,” Felicity added, turning to Dr. Greenway with her most ravishing smile, “Must be her father. You must both be really proud of your daughter tonight. I’m going to keep you both with me while I tell you what a jewel she’s been.”
And linking her arms with a willing Dr. Greenway and an unwilling Claire, she swept them towards the ballroom.
Meg and Leigh followed at a distance and, glancing at him, Meg saw that he was biting his lips to keep from smiling.
“I love Felicity!” she exclaimed almost passionately.
“So do I, unfortunately,” he admitted. “When I’m not longing to wring her neck, I mean. But that’s always the way. Just as one feels one could kill her, she does something utterly generous and humorous and imaginative like that.”
“I’m so sorry,” Meg said sincerely.
“About what?”
“I mean ... about your loving her ... unfortunately, as you say. I’m afraid it hurts a lot if one ... feels that way and ... and doesn’t have the feeling returned.”
“It does,” he agreed dryly. “Shall we dance?”
So they danced. Meg made the discovery that Leigh was an exceedingly good dancer, and that their steps matched excellently. She was sorry when Dick Manners came up at the end of the dance, and said, “You can’t have all the fun, Leigh. Please let me have the next dance, Meg, before I get bogged down again with all those reporters.”
She laughed. But she let Dick take her away, and she was amused and gratified to have him say, “Don’t let Leigh monopolize you. Some other men want to dance with the prettiest woman in the room too.”
“You know perfectly well that description doesn’t apply to me ... particularly with your sister in the same room,” Meg told him. “But thanks for the pretence. It does lots for my morale.”
“Surely your morale doesn’t need any boosting tonight.” He looked down at her, with a lazy
She had been so engaged in the conversation that she had not noticed their arrival at the hotel where the ball was being held. But as they drew up before the floodlit entrance, she saw that crowds were being held back with some difficulty, and that Felicity was pausing for a moment to smile into a battery of cameras.
“Now it’s your turn,” Leigh told her with a smile. To her astonishment, as she stepped out of his car, she heard the clicking of cameras once more.
An attendant took Leigh’s car away to the parking lot and they entered the building together.
The foyer was crowded, and for a moment Meg couldn’t see Felicity. Then her father and Claire detached themselves from an animated group and came over to her and Leigh.
“My dear child!” There was no mistaking her father’s pride in her appearance. “Pearl was quite right. This is a surprise! And a lovely surprise, at that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so beautiful.”
Meg smiled and said, “It’s the dress. Isn’t it lovely?”
“Very grand.” That was Claire, surveying Meg with an air of dissatisfied astonishment.
“But gorgeously simple too,” interjected her brother easily. “She’ll be the envy of all the women here.”
“Well—” Claire raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly, as though to say she could be counted out of that. “Where did you get it, Meg dear?”
“Why, Felicity lent it to me.”
“Oh, it’s borrowed,” said Claire, in a tone calculated to take all pleasure and glamor away from it.
At that moment, Felicity swept up to them and addressed Claire as though she had known her all her life.
“It’s not really,” she explained. “I’m going to make her keep it, because no one else would ever be able to wear it as well as she does. You must be Meg’s stepmother,” she ended sweetly, in some inexplicable way adding ten years to Claire’s age by that simple statement.
“And you,” Felicity added, turning to Dr. Greenway with her most ravishing smile, “Must be her father. You must both be really proud of your daughter tonight. I’m going to keep you both with me while I tell you what a jewel she’s been.”
And linking her arms with a willing Dr. Greenway and an unwilling Claire, she swept them towards the ballroom.
Meg and Leigh followed at a distance and, glancing at him, Meg saw that he was biting his lips to keep from smiling.
“I love Felicity!” she exclaimed almost passionately.
“So do I, unfortunately,” he admitted. “When I’m not longing to wring her neck, I mean. But that’s always the way. Just as one feels one could kill her, she does something utterly generous and humorous and imaginative like that.”
“I’m so sorry,” Meg said sincerely.
“About what?”
“I mean ... about your loving her ... unfortunately, as you say. I’m afraid it hurts a lot if one ... feels that way and ... and doesn’t have the feeling returned.”
“It does,” he agreed dryly. “Shall we dance?”
So they danced. Meg made the discovery that Leigh was an exceedingly good dancer, and that their steps matched excellently. She was sorry when Dick Manners came up at the end of the dance, and said, “You can’t have all the fun, Leigh. Please let me have the next dance, Meg, before I get bogged down again with all those reporters.”
She laughed. But she let Dick take her away, and she was amused and gratified to have him say, “Don’t let Leigh monopolize you. Some other men want to dance with the prettiest woman in the room too.”
“You know perfectly well that description doesn’t apply to me ... particularly with your sister in the same room,” Meg told him. “But thanks for the pretence. It does lots for my morale.”
“Surely your morale doesn’t need any boosting tonight.” He looked down at her, with a lazy
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