into each other, and then vanished into thin air."
"I didn't actually see them merge. I just knew they were going to."
He looked at her.
"All right, I know what I sound like."
"You sound like someone who's been under too much strain, and needs to have somebody else cook breakfast for her," he said, shepherding her into the kitchen. "Now sit down. Clara has outdone herself this morning. Two beautiful eggs. What are you doing?" She was moving towards the kettle.
"It's my job to make the breakfast."
"And I've said I'm doing it, so sit down."
"But - "
"Sit!" he finished sternly, standing over her and wagging an admonitory finger. "Yes John," she said meekly.
How dear this practical man was, and how easily he could drive her fears away with his kindly common sense.
And oh, how much she loved him! It had been there, waiting to spring out and surprise her all the time. Then Wyngate had thrust it brutally into the light, forcing her to face what otherwise she might have tried not to see.
For how could she love him? What future could they have, when he didn't love her, and knew his duty to his neighbours? Those neighbours had always been her friends, kindly people who trusted her to do her best for them, as they had trusted her father. They had nursed her when she was ill, given to her out of their own poverty and refused to take a penny in return.
Now they needed something back from her.
It mustn't be Wyngate's daughter. She was more resolved on that than ever. But there were other heiresses. An Earl would have no trouble attracting them, especially if he was young and handsome with laughing eyes, a sweet temper and a kind heart. And in one of them he would find the woman he could truly love. That was as it should be.
"Here you are, my lady," he said, serving up. While she had been lost in her dream he had made breakfast.
She smiled at him, discovering that it was possible to be happy and sad at the same time. The sadness was for the impossibility of making a life with him, but greater, far greater, was the happiness that swamped her as she contemplated him.
She had only known for a few minutes that she loved him, but already he looked different, more vivid, more intense. How could she ever have thought of him as a brother? She had discovered the greatest joy known to a woman, that of knowing that she had given her love to a man who was in every way worthy of love.
"Now tell me what happened out there," he said, pouring her tea.
The tea was delicious, and so was the egg that he had boiled her. Forget the bleak future. It was enough just to be here with him.
"I stepped out for a breath of fresh air, and went down to the bridge. And he just appeared beside me."
"You mean he sprang up out of nowhere?" John asked, his eyes twinkling.
"No, he must have walked across the grass, but I didn't see him."
"He was invisible?"
Her lips twitched. "No, I was looking down into the water."
"How long?"
"I don't know. I was thinking."
"So he had time to walk across the grass?"
She sighed. "Yes, he must have."
"But where did he come from? I thought they went back to London."
"No, they put up at a hotel nearby. He hasn't given up. And this means, of course, that I did see him in the wood last night. He must have come back to spy, and seen the lamp."
"Why didn't you bring him into the house?"
"It wasn't you he wanted to see. He had something to say to me."
"What?"
"He offered me a bribe. He's convinced that if I shut up and got out he could get you into his trap. So he tried to buy me for five thousand pounds."
"The devil he did!" He was eyeing her, fascinated.
"What did you say to him?"
"I pushed him up to ten thousand."
"You what? Rena, you don't mean you - ?"
"Of course not. Don't be absurd. I'd hardly be sitting here telling you about it if I was going to take his money. No, I just wanted to see how high I could push him - just for curiosity."
"And how much is your compliance worth to him?"
"Ten thousand. I can't
"I didn't actually see them merge. I just knew they were going to."
He looked at her.
"All right, I know what I sound like."
"You sound like someone who's been under too much strain, and needs to have somebody else cook breakfast for her," he said, shepherding her into the kitchen. "Now sit down. Clara has outdone herself this morning. Two beautiful eggs. What are you doing?" She was moving towards the kettle.
"It's my job to make the breakfast."
"And I've said I'm doing it, so sit down."
"But - "
"Sit!" he finished sternly, standing over her and wagging an admonitory finger. "Yes John," she said meekly.
How dear this practical man was, and how easily he could drive her fears away with his kindly common sense.
And oh, how much she loved him! It had been there, waiting to spring out and surprise her all the time. Then Wyngate had thrust it brutally into the light, forcing her to face what otherwise she might have tried not to see.
For how could she love him? What future could they have, when he didn't love her, and knew his duty to his neighbours? Those neighbours had always been her friends, kindly people who trusted her to do her best for them, as they had trusted her father. They had nursed her when she was ill, given to her out of their own poverty and refused to take a penny in return.
Now they needed something back from her.
It mustn't be Wyngate's daughter. She was more resolved on that than ever. But there were other heiresses. An Earl would have no trouble attracting them, especially if he was young and handsome with laughing eyes, a sweet temper and a kind heart. And in one of them he would find the woman he could truly love. That was as it should be.
"Here you are, my lady," he said, serving up. While she had been lost in her dream he had made breakfast.
She smiled at him, discovering that it was possible to be happy and sad at the same time. The sadness was for the impossibility of making a life with him, but greater, far greater, was the happiness that swamped her as she contemplated him.
She had only known for a few minutes that she loved him, but already he looked different, more vivid, more intense. How could she ever have thought of him as a brother? She had discovered the greatest joy known to a woman, that of knowing that she had given her love to a man who was in every way worthy of love.
"Now tell me what happened out there," he said, pouring her tea.
The tea was delicious, and so was the egg that he had boiled her. Forget the bleak future. It was enough just to be here with him.
"I stepped out for a breath of fresh air, and went down to the bridge. And he just appeared beside me."
"You mean he sprang up out of nowhere?" John asked, his eyes twinkling.
"No, he must have walked across the grass, but I didn't see him."
"He was invisible?"
Her lips twitched. "No, I was looking down into the water."
"How long?"
"I don't know. I was thinking."
"So he had time to walk across the grass?"
She sighed. "Yes, he must have."
"But where did he come from? I thought they went back to London."
"No, they put up at a hotel nearby. He hasn't given up. And this means, of course, that I did see him in the wood last night. He must have come back to spy, and seen the lamp."
"Why didn't you bring him into the house?"
"It wasn't you he wanted to see. He had something to say to me."
"What?"
"He offered me a bribe. He's convinced that if I shut up and got out he could get you into his trap. So he tried to buy me for five thousand pounds."
"The devil he did!" He was eyeing her, fascinated.
"What did you say to him?"
"I pushed him up to ten thousand."
"You what? Rena, you don't mean you - ?"
"Of course not. Don't be absurd. I'd hardly be sitting here telling you about it if I was going to take his money. No, I just wanted to see how high I could push him - just for curiosity."
"And how much is your compliance worth to him?"
"Ten thousand. I can't
Similar Books
