scornfully. ‘Just cast your mind back thirty years, my dear Laura-Jane, and remember what
you
did to
me
.’
LJ was silent as she stared at him. Eventually, she sighed. ‘So is that what all this is about? Revenge?’
‘No, although you must remember that you’ve brought this problem on yourself. If it hadn’t been for you marrying my younger brother while I was away fighting for king and
country, then
we
might have had a son and this situation would not have arisen.’
‘Owen, you were away for almost five years, and for three of those we all believed you were dead!’
‘Then shouldn’t you have waited for me? After all, I had asked you to marry me before I left and you’d accepted my proposal. You even wore my engagement ring! Can you imagine
how I felt arriving back in England from that ghastly POW camp in Ingolstadt to find that my fiancée was married to my brother and living in my family home? Not only that, but you were
pregnant with his child. Good God, Laura-Jane! The war nearly destroyed me, but the one thing that kept me going was the thought of you waiting for me here.’
‘Do you think that I haven’t torn myself apart over and over for what I did?’ LJ wrung her hands in despair. ‘But it’s me you should hate, not my son, not David. He
doesn’t deserve to be treated the way you’ve treated him. You’ve never been able to bear to look at him!’
‘No, and I never shall.’
‘Well, you may think I betrayed you, but don’t you think I’ve been punished enough by living with the guilt and seeing how you felt about David? And now this!’
‘Then why do you stay here?’
‘Are you asking me to leave?’
Owen chuckled and shook his head. ‘No, Laura-Jane. Don’t cast me in the role of a complete villain. Marchmont is your home as much as it’s mine. And remember, it was your
decision to move out of the main house and into the Gate Lodge when I arrived home from Kenya.’
Laura-Jane put her head in her hands wearily. ‘Please, Owen, I beseech you. Don’t deny David his rightful inheritance because you want to punish me. You know I would never publicly
fight you, so I leave it to your conscience. It’s not only wrong to deny David, but to hand Marchmont over to a child without one ounce of Marchmont blood in its veins seems a very high price
to pay for revenge.’ LJ stood up slowly. ‘I’ve nothing more to say, except that I’ve decided you’re right. I should leave Marchmont. I shall be gone within the week.
As you point out, there’s nothing to keep me here, especially now.’
‘As you wish.’
‘And you didn’t answer my question. Are you in love with Greta?’
Owen looked at LJ, and wavered only for an instant. ‘Yes.’
‘Goodbye, Owen.’
He watched her stalk from the room without a backward glance, the air of elegance that had so entranced him when she was a girl of sixteen still visible in her gait. She had been a fine-looking
woman in those days, and he’d loved her very much.
Owen stood up, walked over to the window and watched Laura-Jane striding away from the house. Once more he experienced a pang of regret. He’d gone to Kenya to escape the pain of her
betrayal, unable to watch his brother, Robin, and his ex-fiancée together. When he’d heard that Robin had died in a riding accident all those years ago, it would have been the easiest
thing in the world to return to Marchmont and ask LJ to marry him. But his pride had not allowed him to do that. So he had stayed away until the war had forced him home.
Even so, the thought of her leaving Marchmont filled him with sadness. Should he run after her, confess that after all these years, he was still in love with her? That the reason he’d
never married was because even after what she’d done to him, it was her, and only her, that he’d ever wanted?
Go now, quickly! Tell her, before it’s too late
, a voice inside him urged.
Forget about Greta and go to Laura-Jane. Make the most of the
you
did to
me
.’
LJ was silent as she stared at him. Eventually, she sighed. ‘So is that what all this is about? Revenge?’
‘No, although you must remember that you’ve brought this problem on yourself. If it hadn’t been for you marrying my younger brother while I was away fighting for king and
country, then
we
might have had a son and this situation would not have arisen.’
‘Owen, you were away for almost five years, and for three of those we all believed you were dead!’
‘Then shouldn’t you have waited for me? After all, I had asked you to marry me before I left and you’d accepted my proposal. You even wore my engagement ring! Can you imagine
how I felt arriving back in England from that ghastly POW camp in Ingolstadt to find that my fiancée was married to my brother and living in my family home? Not only that, but you were
pregnant with his child. Good God, Laura-Jane! The war nearly destroyed me, but the one thing that kept me going was the thought of you waiting for me here.’
‘Do you think that I haven’t torn myself apart over and over for what I did?’ LJ wrung her hands in despair. ‘But it’s me you should hate, not my son, not David. He
doesn’t deserve to be treated the way you’ve treated him. You’ve never been able to bear to look at him!’
‘No, and I never shall.’
‘Well, you may think I betrayed you, but don’t you think I’ve been punished enough by living with the guilt and seeing how you felt about David? And now this!’
‘Then why do you stay here?’
‘Are you asking me to leave?’
Owen chuckled and shook his head. ‘No, Laura-Jane. Don’t cast me in the role of a complete villain. Marchmont is your home as much as it’s mine. And remember, it was your
decision to move out of the main house and into the Gate Lodge when I arrived home from Kenya.’
Laura-Jane put her head in her hands wearily. ‘Please, Owen, I beseech you. Don’t deny David his rightful inheritance because you want to punish me. You know I would never publicly
fight you, so I leave it to your conscience. It’s not only wrong to deny David, but to hand Marchmont over to a child without one ounce of Marchmont blood in its veins seems a very high price
to pay for revenge.’ LJ stood up slowly. ‘I’ve nothing more to say, except that I’ve decided you’re right. I should leave Marchmont. I shall be gone within the week.
As you point out, there’s nothing to keep me here, especially now.’
‘As you wish.’
‘And you didn’t answer my question. Are you in love with Greta?’
Owen looked at LJ, and wavered only for an instant. ‘Yes.’
‘Goodbye, Owen.’
He watched her stalk from the room without a backward glance, the air of elegance that had so entranced him when she was a girl of sixteen still visible in her gait. She had been a fine-looking
woman in those days, and he’d loved her very much.
Owen stood up, walked over to the window and watched Laura-Jane striding away from the house. Once more he experienced a pang of regret. He’d gone to Kenya to escape the pain of her
betrayal, unable to watch his brother, Robin, and his ex-fiancée together. When he’d heard that Robin had died in a riding accident all those years ago, it would have been the easiest
thing in the world to return to Marchmont and ask LJ to marry him. But his pride had not allowed him to do that. So he had stayed away until the war had forced him home.
Even so, the thought of her leaving Marchmont filled him with sadness. Should he run after her, confess that after all these years, he was still in love with her? That the reason he’d
never married was because even after what she’d done to him, it was her, and only her, that he’d ever wanted?
Go now, quickly! Tell her, before it’s too late
, a voice inside him urged.
Forget about Greta and go to Laura-Jane. Make the most of the
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